Archives January 2023

Warcrow is an adventure game from Corvus Belli- the team behind the skirmish tabletop game world of Infinity!

Starting on Kickstarter, Corvus Belli ran a very successful campaign to fund their latest IP- Warcrow. Known more for their futuristic world of Infinity, CB has turned their sights on a new world, one where dungeons and magic are more prevalent. Are you ready for the adventure? This is not their first dungeon crawler as well, through Kickstarter they had a similar game that was set in their Infinity IP- Defiance. While the style of game is the same, Warcrow is vastly different from it’s predecessor.

This game features a new turn based initiative system that can be modified throughout the game. Actions made can move a specific character higher in the initiative list and force others further down. Additionally it features an app that allows you to control and experience the narrative in a new way. Think of it like a tabletop Choose Your Own Adventure book where it all remains within the same world each time you play. The map style and model quality remains between both of their dungeon crawlers but THIS is the next stage in crawling evolution.

What I find odd with this game is the name choice. When first announced (knowing CB’s history of skirmish games) I assumed this would be a fantasy skirmish game, allowing them to compete directly with Games Workshop and their Warcry IP. Warcry against Warcrow. Felt intentional but when I learned that this was more of a dungeon crawler it left me confused. I couldn’t find anything regarding why they chose this name but I suspect it was more to capitalize on the competition using a similar name. Or maybe there is something in the lore I missed?

Speaking of lore, the game centers around a small town called Hawthorne Point and inspired by American Wild West and early Spanish explorers. Magical mist has covered much of the land but recently has receded in areas revealing ancient cities to plunder. Adventurers and Mercenaries are sent out to plunder treasure and information and bring it back to their respective cities. This mist affects the game like a fog of war would in RTS games and utilizing the app with it will reveal monsters and portions of the map as you continue the game.

From what I’ve seen there are many games out there that combine apps with the tabletop gameplay but this is the first we had the opportunity to play on. Utilizing the app alongside the models and map tiles it honestly felt more like playing a roleplaying game where the app itself is our Dungeon Master. Considering the amount of content you get in the box I’d say the 120€ price point seems reasonable for this game. Overall I would say this game is worth playing once it hits the official public releases but I would suggest picking up the game and expansion as soon as you are able because if this sells like Defiance did it won’t remain in the CB shop for long.

Abaddon’s Black Legion is spreading their influence and a new way of playing 40k with the Arks of Omen!

What started with Nachmund has paved way for the Black Crusade to nearly control the entirety of the Imperium Nihilus. Now the Arks of Omen are here to secure the rest and more. Abaddon has never been content his just his little corner of the galaxy and leads one of the only legions willing to expand their ranks from anywhere. This means he has one of the largest legions. Who will be able to stand up to this threat?

From a story perspective, this feels very much like the End Times of Warhammer. Will this result in a story reset or is this just the tip of the iceberg? I have no idea but considering the number of planned releases we have already heard about I don’t think this will be the equivalent of End Times.

From a game perspective, what does this supplement add to 40k as a whole? It adds an entirely new way to play games of 40k, utilizing terrain currently exclusive to the most recent releases of Kill Team. This expansion focuses on ship to ship combat or battles within the Space Hulks he has mobilized. Most of the information we have seen so far suggests his focus is on the Imperium. Will anyone else be strong enough to take on this threat? I highly doubt anyone will be strong enough to do it alone. Would be interesting if we had a global campaign to determine the outcome but I don’t think we are at a point where we will see that in 40k. Only time will tell though because I also said the same thing about End Times.

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED.

Recently the fine folks at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios- their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. Part 1 was all about Underwater and Part 2 focused on The New Mutants. Part 3 we talked about The Personal History of David Copperfield. Part 4 discussed The Empty Man. Part 5 talked about Nomadland and Speed 4K Ultra HD. Part 6 discussed The Night House and Free Guy. Part 7 focused on The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Part 8 had The Last Duel. Part 9 discussed Ron’s Gone Wrong and Part 10 talked about The King’s Man and Summer of Soul. Part 11 discussed Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. Part 12 highlighted Death on the Nile and Part 13 talked about The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Part 14 highlighted Barbarian and See How They Run. Part 15 discussed Amsterdam and we have Part 16 to talk about The Banshees of Inisherin and The Menu!

The Banshees of Inisherin

This film follows two lifelong friends that have suddenly fallen out of friendship. One is a bit simplistic and wants to rebuild the friendship while the other wants nothing to do with him. He instead wants to focus his time and energy on leaving a legacy of creativity behind. The film was well written and the landscapes were stunning but I thought the pacing was quite too slow for my taste. I also found it odd that this film was marketed more as a comedy but it felt like a serious drama. If you are looking for a thought provoking film that is full of depth then this is a great choice but if you are looking for something faster paced or exciting then you’ve chosen the wrong film.

The Menu

The Menu centers around a young couple that visit a lavish restaurant on a private island where a chef is providing a unique experience along with his tasting menu. Equal parts horror and comedy this one will keep you at the edge of your seat. Between the chaos of the kitchen and the refined dining experience this film blends the experiences together wonderfully. The real stars of the film are Anna Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes but the cast overall is nothing short of phenomenal, surpassing my already high expectations from all of them.

Who has family members that downright suck? Sloth King Games give you the chance to play one of them with My Shitty Family!

Most social deduction games have players trying to identify who did the nefarious act but in My Shitty Family everyone is doing something that is (at the very least) not good. Gameplay is equal parts discussion and acting. You take one the role of a family member and draw a hidden trait card. This card can be something annoying or even downright offensive. These can be political affiliation, sexual orientation or just a shitty behavior like racist. After this is decided you get some Shitty Habits to also display during the game and then Shitty Topics are drawn one at a time. Each topic is discussed in a round where you are trying to display your Hidden Trait and Shitty Traits. Your goal is to keep your Hidden Trait secret while still behaving that way.

To get the most out of this game you will need to have some acting skills. In order to really succeed at this game you need to sell everyone on the trait without being obvious about it. Some of these can get offensive. Sloth King Games reminds players in the rulebook to remember this is a game and is meant to be fun. There are two issues I see with the game. The first being that many people are unable to separate themselves from reality and the traits and topics can upset them. The second is that some player have these shitty habits already and will have trouble not showing them during the discussions when they don’t have the related card. To add to the mayhem are Family Challenge cards. These are challenges that are both hilarious and teach the players more about the characters themselves.

The art for each character is both highly detailed and really emphasize some of their traits at a glance. It reminded me of Martin Morazzo‘s work on the Ice Cream Man comics from Image Comics. The mechanics of the game are really quite simple and leave most of the complexity to the players.

Overall I found the game to be something truly unique. The design was both thought out and showcased the creativity of the designers. As I mentioned before, many of our players had trouble removing themselves from their characters and let them influence how they played more and others were too easily offended. The game has potential to be a lot of fun but with these dynamics it was a bit more difficult for our group. A way we found to make it better with our group was to have us review the possible cards ahead of time and remove the ones that were triggers for our players. For example one player is a member of the LGBTQ+ and is easily triggered by homophobes so the homophobe card was removed for their playthrough. Doing this we found the game to be much more fun.

GI Joe Deck Building Card Game has released Coldsnap from Renegade Game Studios, the second expansion pack for the game.

Unlike the recent expansions for the Transformers Deck Building Card Game, Coldsnap absolutely requires the core GI Joe Deck Building Card Game to play. Cobra is back to their shenanigans where they strive to take over the world. In this expansion they are using the Weather Dominating Device to control the weather- just like in the classic episode of the animated series.

Players will work together to stop the attacks and eventually defeat Cobra. More importantly you are facing new threats by way of Destro, Zartan and his Dreadnoks! Classic heroes and enemies are ready from the get go. With the available bonus pack you can add even more, specifically Beach Head. Other than new locations and other enemies this expansion adds towable assets like artillery. It even continues the Expert Mode that was introduced in Shadow of the Serpent.

Anyone that is a fan of the classic comics or the later IDW issues that continued the storyline will enjoy the art on these carts, even if they don’t enjoy the game as a whole. I found the expansion to be a great addition to an already great game.

The Transformers Deck Building Card Game has returned with it’s latest expansion- Dawn of the Dinobots!

Dawn of the Dinobots is the latest expansion for the Transformers Deck Building Card Game from Renegade Games Studios and works with both the core game or A Rising Darkness. As the name implies it is the introduction of the Dinobots to the game and ironically enough when I reviewed the previous expansion I commented on how I wished to see these characters brought into the game. Who else had an internal nerd child scream in excitement? I can’t be the only one. I have always preferred Grimlock to any other member of the Autobots. For the fact that you get to play him in the game means this is a must add to my collection. Even better it comes with Sludge, Swoop and Slug as well!

The Autobots aren’t the only ones getting reinforcements, the Decepticons are getting both Shockwave and their first combiner character Devastator! I remember when Devastator first came out in the Eighties. He was by far one of my favorite Decepticons. Oops, there goes my inner nerd child screaming for excitement again. Anyone that orders the game can get the limited Bonus Pack or the previous Bonus Packs $5 each. This Bonus Pack includes Snarl and Razorclaw.

Overall this is easily my favorite of the expansions and I can’t wait to see where RGS takes this game next!

Operation Cold Iron is the first expansion for the GI Joe roleplaying game from Renegade Game Studios but does it hold it’s own?

Renegade Game Studios had sent us a copy of the first expansion for the GI Joe Roleplaying Game– Operation Cold Iron. This is essentially a mission pack that adds four mission chapters for the overall Operation. Additionally it also brings stats for new vehicles and foes like Destro and the Snow Vipers. A mistake many game publishers make (at least in my opinion) is that they keep updating rules for the same characters or monsters/enemies. Prior to opening this book I expected RGS to have made this mistake and include a new version of Cobra Commander. I was pleased to see they did not. In fact there was almost nothing that could be considered a duplication in any way.

The campaign spans from Ethiopia to Siberia and is aimed at players leveled between 2 and 6. It follows directly after the Emerald Oubliette (a short mission that is included with the DM screen purchase) but does not require the mission to be played. The only requirement leading into this book is to have played the introductory mission from the core book.

Overall mechanics are the same between the games. They actually are the same across each of the properties, using the same core mechanics but different specific stats and details for each character. That includes Transformers, Power Rangers and My Little Pony! What makes it even better is that Transformers already have a history of crossing over with GI Joe in the comics so it wouldn’t be too far fetched bringing them into a game session if you have both books. Tying in MLP could be a fun way of making a game that all the kids can play with you.

Considering the expansion is completely full of content I feel the $45 price tag is quite reasonable, especially considering you are getting about as much content as you have in the core rulebook. The core book is $55. The only complaints I have about the game are that I need more friends interested in playing the game and that I want to see more miniatures released. The former they can’t help me with but the latter perhaps they will. There is already a single miniature pack that comes with most of the core Joes. Maybe they will even make my dream of a GI Joe full scale war game on the tabletop a reality one day. For now, I will continue dreaming and feel the need as much as possible playing the RPG while I wait.

Something sinister waits in the forest around the town, hunting the Children of Silentown. Can you save the children and put an end to the threat?

Elf Games and Luna2 Studio have partnered to bring us Children of Silentown, a hand drawn point and click adventure where you control Lucy. Lucy is a young girl who thinks she’s old enough to investigate the disappearances around her town. It’s up to you to prove her right! What’s interesting about this game is that it wasn’t a game during it’s inception. It was first an animated short that evolved into this game later on. I love that. You start with one version of the product and over several edits it is not the same as it was.

You start out being awoken by a nightmare and as most kids would do, you transition quickly into playing games with friends. The town is plagued by the monsters in the forest at night but during the day is quite peaceful. Can you save the town?

With it being a point and click adventure the controls are quite simple but at times you may have a couple items overlapping and selecting the correct one can get a little annoying. The story coupled with the art draws you in and leaves you wanting to know more. The game’s art style itself is captivating and I hope we see more from this team.

Ninja Rabbit Studio brings an homage to classics like Mega-Man with their latest game- Panda Punch!

One of my favorite games from my childhood was Mega-Man and for those that have never played it is a side scroller where you fight robots using various powers stolen from other robots. Panda Punch looks and feels exactly like the earlier versions of that franchise. The game starts out with robots attacking your home and you set out on a quest of revenge. Those pesky robots must die!

Game controls are easy to pickup and feel just like playing the side scrolling platforms of the past. Visually it matches the same 8-bit style but with a red panda instead of the blue helmeted robot we’re used to. For an action side scroller the game was a bit heavier on the story dialogue than I would expect and distracted from the gameplay a bit. The game was slow and the action drawn out. This game gets a skip from me.

Jitsu Squad is a fighting game styled after the classic brawlers from the 80’s and 90’s like Streets of Rage or Golden Axe!

The villain Origami has assembled his forces and it’s up to the Jitsu Squad to put a stop to it. The gameplay looks and feels like the classic brawlers I grew up with as well as more recent titles my kids played when they were younger. When I say “brawler” what I specifically mean is games like Streets of Rage, Golden Axe or Castle Crashers. If you’ve played any of those then you know exactly what to expect from the base mechanics. Most brawlers however don’t include special attacks that you have to charge up before use like this one does. Each character has a special attack they can do and they are devastating.

Visually the game is gorgeous. Each character is hand drawn and colored. That attention to detail really makes the game stand out. Control mechanics are intuitive but also nothing new or exciting there. It’s a simple formula that has been mastered by many games over the years and ININ Games have executed perfectly. Even better is the music which is composed by gaming veteran Johnny Gioeli who some may know as the composer of the music from SONIC! Gameplay is fast paced and a ton of fun. At $69.99 for the collector’s edition and $29.99 for standard editions the pricing is quite reasonable as well (if you play on Switch or Playstation)! Xbox players won’t be able to purchase from Games Rocket but can still enjoy the standard edition through the Xbox Marketplace. Overall this game is chocked full of WIN and I can’t wait to get the squad together and take Origami down!