For this home segment we are reviewing the 1 to 4 player real-time co-op game, XCOM: The Board Game. Neither Claire nor I have played the video game version of this, so our first and only exposure has been the board game. To keep the theme of the game going, we had two Alien Brain Hemorrhage shots. They consist of 3/4 Oz of Peach Schnapps, 1/4 Oz of Irish Cream, 1 dash of Blue Curacao, and 1 dash of Grenadine. We tossed them back, and neither of us liked them. We agreed that they tasted like creamy cough syrup mixed with Alcohol. Definitely not the finest shots we’ve had, but they were fun to try at least one time. For those of you that are unaware, the XCOM app on the iPad is essential and the board game cannot be played with out it. The app can be downloaded for free on any smart phone or tablet. The world is needing saved once more, so the fate of mankind rests on your shoulders. However, this time it’s not from viral outbreaks and world-wide disease epidemics, it’s an alien invasion to end all humanity. See if we save the world or if life as we know it is toast.
This week we find ourselves north of our normal territory, so we took the opportunity to visit our favorite coffee shop in Muncie, the Caffeinery. Whenever we visit, I find myself wishing they had a location in Fishers as their coffee & food offerings are consistently delicious. Today was no exception, with Claire enjoying their signature Steve Albini, a maple cinnamon latte that was just the right level of sweetness. Chad had a white mocha, as is his tradition, and greatly enjoyed it as well. While sipping our coffee, we snuck in a round of Fidelitas, “A Game of Medieval Meddling.” Keep reading to find out our thoughts!
International TableTop Day is here again and we have returned to Redemption Alewerks, as has been the tradition every year for TableTop Day. Claire had the Taxman SpinOff, a dry-hopped Sour Saison with boysenberry and ginger, while I had the Cream Ale and the Sooey Saison, a Blind Pig Confessions pale ale, with subtle hints of orange peel, coriander, and peppercorns. A great combination of farmers ales from great local breweries. While we are enjoying our beverages, this year we’re reviewing a silly farming themed game called Farmageddon. All the farming are belong to us!
It’s the game that I describe as D&D meets Dominion. Well, now with the Numenera universe combined, there’s more RPG aspects than ever mixed into Thunderstone. Coming in on our #2 spot is Thunderstone Advance: Numenera. Anyone who plays Thunderstone knows that even though there are standalone versions, nearly every version released is interwoven in such a way that you can utilize the cards with each release of the game. Thunderstone Numenera follows this same concept. It is a standalone game, but it is also an expansion. As far as the Thunderstone series goes, this is a very different approach in a way that no other Thunderstone game has been implemented. Like all of it’s predecessors, it still maintains a fantasy theme, but now with the implementation of the Numenera universe, we’re combining a lot more science fiction and technology into Thunderstone.
Of course we could not do our top 10 list without adding one of the expansions to our favorite game ever released! How could we not? It's Blood Rage! For this review, like many of the others, it was a close choice, but for our number 3 spot, we decided to go with the Gods Of Asgard expansion for Blood Rage. Odin knows that death is inevitable with Ragnarok coming, but he wants to forge his strength with us, so we can go down fighting as one. To it’s right-hand side sits the Mystics of Midgard expansion. Both of these add variances and alterations that assist the base game in some way. It’s good, but are they good enough to considerably alter the game? You’ll have to read on to find out.
Everyone loves that tantalizing sound of money in their hands. Realizing that you’ve prospered from those days when you toiled in the fields wearing your straw hat just struggling to make ends meet. Now, after years of hard work, you’ve risen to great heights and you’re moving forward to conquer a world that you once feared, but now envy’s you. Coming in at our number 4 expansion is Dominion: Prosperity. This is the 4th expansion to the deck-building game, Dominion. It adds 25 new Kingdom cards to the game, plus 1 new base Treasure card, and 1 new Victory Point card, both of which allow you to build above Gold and Province. Your central theme is wealth. There are treasures with abilities, cards that interact with treasures, and powerful expensive cards. Read on to see more.
Diseases are spreading into epidemics of massive proportions, creating outbreaks much worse than before. Your chances of epidemics are considerably higher, and the intensity at how they spread is much greater than before. Was saving humanity too easy in the beginning? It’s time to greatly increase the weight of Pandemic with new roles, events, and challenges. Coming in at our #5 spot is Pandemic: On The Brink. This is the first expansion for Pandemic and in my opinion, it’s still the best one I could recommend. Read on to see why.
The newly discovered outer worlds, with their rich, untapped resources, are tempting targets for those seeking to expand their power. Now, the scramble for control of these unclaimed territories begins. Will you outwit your opponents and claim victory in the Colony Wars, or fail and see your Star Realm lost? Coming in at #6 is Star Realms: Colony Wars. Everyone that knows about this game, understands that the expansions are typically small, including 12 new cards in each expansion. Colony Wars is a full standalone/expansion for Star Realms and this is one of the primary reasons we have placed it in our number 6 spot. There are a lot more cards in this expansion so read on to get a brief rundown on the game.
I as well as numerous others have referred to it as the next Monopoly. 30 years from now, while others will fade away, this game shall stand the test of time. As we look at number 7 in our top 10 expansions list, we’ve chosen the 1910 expansion of Ticket To Ride. A good way to describe this expansion would be, there’s little going on in this small box, except everything is bigger and better. Little time has passed in the timeline of the original Ticket To Ride game, except many new routes have been built, the new mega game, big cities, and a new reward! All packed into one small box to complete what should have been included in the original game. The bottom line is it was released into an expansion, and it’s time to show you why we chose this expansion over the others we own for Ticket To Ride.
For this weeks review we look at our number 8 spot of our top 10 expansions that we own. Claire and I don’t always see eye to eye on all of the social deduction games we own, but Coup is definitely one that we both thoroughly enjoy. In the story of Coup Reformation, the resistance has gained popular support and entire regions are in open rebellion. In a desperate attempt to stay in control, some government leaders are publicly supporting the reforms demanded by the resistance. However, allegiances are constantly shifting, and can be bought for the right price. The opportunity for intrigue and bluffing has never been greater. The cost of failure couldn’t be higher. Even with talk of reformation, only one can survive.
Coming in at #9 for the top 10 game expansions that we own, is the 2nd expansion for Settlers of Catan, Cities & Knights. Let’s face it, Settlers of Catan is the quintessential gateway game for newcomers to tabletop gaming. It released in 1995 and has been a fan favorite for many gamers everywhere. Since it’s release, there’s been several different manifestations of it that add new environments and mechanics that provide the base game what it really needs to enhance the overall experience. It’s time to expand the cities and the knights on the outskirts of town will guard the towns people from the invading barbarians.
No, actually drink responsibly! Today’s review we returned to Redemption Alewerks for a very light segment to bring you a dexterity game known as Wonky. I once again, enjoyed the Taxman Deduction, and did not have so much that it impaired my ability to stack the cubes! This is a very unique approach to stacking objects to keep them from falling. It’s very different from other dexterity games like Jenga, or Kewbz. Follow us into what will most likely be one of the most straight forward games that we have reviewed to date!
The newly anticipated Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu has been out for a couple months now, and if you attended Gen Con, you had a chance to pick up a copy when it debuted. If you read our Gen Con segment from this year, you already noticed that we’ve played and reviewed this game. However, since it is the month of October and we purchased our own copy, I wanted us to bring this back again for a closer and more detailed look. Today we drank peppermint tea made by Adagio Teas. The savoring aroma of these lightly grounded, and smooth minty herbs really hit the spot as we worked together to keep the evil from coming through the portals. Do you like Pandemic? How about Cthulhu? Perhaps a game that encompasses both worlds? Come with us as we delve into the world of HP Lovecraft to save humanity!
For this weeks segment we’re battling against vampires and lycans in order to survive the night in the grisly deck-building game known as Nightfall. Have you ever seen 30 Days of Night, or Underworld? This game is a collaboration of those two films. The vampires look very similar to the ones in 30 Days of Night, and the game actually takes place over the course of a couple weeks in darkness so that’s fitting with consideration to the film. If you’ve ever seen Underworld you know that it’s all about vampires versus werewolves which is also the case in this game. In this deck-builder you and your opponent/s will face off to attack each other giving as many wounds to each other as possible. Once by the end of the game, whoever has the least amount of wounds is declared the strongest player and the winner. The howling werewolves and the shrill screaming vampires echo over the land. Venture forward and read about this horrific deck building game of survival through the night.
Today we returned to Sure Shot Coffee in Fishers to play the Smirk & Dagger card game, HEX HEX. As a delightfully new addition to Sure Shot’s menu, there is now an option for a Peruvian pour over coffee. It was rich, bright, and had a very smooth finish. My vanilla iced latte was very good and I’m glad to see Sure Shot has added crushed ice to their coffee. Steve joins us this October as a mummy and as always, enjoys being in the spot light of tabletop gaming. HEX HEX is a fast-paced, 3 to 6 player card game, in which you are trying to place a hex on the other players around you and the object is to get the hexes away from you and put them on other people as quickly as possible. There’s a lot of little aspects to these cards, so like our other reviews, this will be summed up enough to give you the gist of the game.
It's that time of the year again when we gather our games of terror and mystery to reveal their darkness for the October segments. For this week’s review we venture to a new coffee shop in Fishers that just recently opened known as The Well. Some of their breakfast food consists of bagels, muffins, waffles, bacon, and eggs. They also serve lunch and dinner options such as turkey wraps, hummus wraps, grilled cheese, house salads, quesadillas, and much more. Claire had the 'Here It Is' latte which had a pumpkin spice flavor that she says was pleasantly spicy, but not overly sweet. I had the carmel apple cider which carried a rich flavor of apples that overpowered the carmel a little, but still very delicious and we both highly recommend these seasonal beverages. Their layout is open with a clean, modern decor and multiple seating options. The service and food was also very good. We look forward to returning to The Well again! Now, follow us into a lucid dream world where we are trying to escape from labyrinths and nightmares in this 2 player cooperative card game.
Today we return for another home segment with big box games and numerous small components to play the first edition of Mission: Red Planet. Since this game has a steampunk theme, we had to incorporate Dieselpunk beer. The refreshing honey amber flavor provides a sweet, and light taste to enhance our gaming experience. In the year 1888, steam technology has advanced to prodigious heights. Automated probes have been sent to Mars, and transmitted their latest reports back. These reports unequivocally reveal the planet's ground is composed of resources of immeasurable value. The first resource known as Celerium, a new element for the periodic table, and a combustible energy to increase 1000 times the power within a single engine. The second known as Sylvanite, is a material denser than anything found on earth. If we can locate ice, we can use this to create an atmosphere, which would allow the planet to be colonized. As the leader of a mining company, you must control the deposits hidden underneath the surface of the red planet in order to exploit these new resources. Our trip to Mars cannot wait any longer. Read on to learn how this process will unfold.
Today we return to Heady Hollow Brewing Company in Fishers to review the 2 - 4 player card crafting game known as Mystic Vale. Claire enjoyed the New Day South Cider and I had my usual 60 Horses Scotch Ale, both of which we highly recommend. Before we played Mystic Vale, we had never heard of the Card Crafting mechanic before. This game introduced us to a whole new approach of card games. The idea of card-in-hand modification had never entered my mind before. Through the use of clear plastic sleeves, you can place other transparent cards within cards to stack abilities. Even though we already reviewed this game in our Gen Con segment, we take a closer look now at how the game is laid out and executed. Follow us into the land of Gaia as we forge our strengths to heal and restore the land.
For this weeks review, we returned to the Heady Hollow Brewing Company in Fishers for another wonderful experience! Once again, great service, respectful employees and great food and beverages. Today we look at the newly released Sushi GO Party! The deluxe version of Sushi GO! Near the beginning of this blog we reviewed Sushi GO!, and the party version does add a significant amount of new cards to the game. It’s like we said in our first review of Sushi GO, it’s like a bunch of friends having a party. Who knew we would see that a year and a half later in the next title of their game? Read on to see this new version.
Happy Halloween Everyone! 
