Tag: Review

Black Orchestra: A Step by Step Guide to Assassinating Hitler.

~ David Norris ~ 2 Comments

This is one of the most historically interesting games I’ve played, as while it’s always great to beat up Nazis. It’s almost always done from the position of the allied forces. Rarely do we get to read, see, or play as the men and women of Germany who had the strength and courage to stand against the atrocities of the Nazi regime. It’s one thing to say the Nazi’s were evil 74 years after the fact. It’s another to be in 1940’s Germany. And it’s this perspective that the designers confront you.

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Fasten your Seatbelts! A Now Boarding Review.

Now Boarding Cover. Air hostess presenting a plane.
~ David Norris ~ 2 Comments

We all have our comfort food. That cheeseburger, or tub of ice-cream after a tiring day of work where nothing went right. The same idea applies to board game designers. People who develop games so in tune with your very being that they feel intimate. Like putting on a comfy robe or sliding into a warm bath. For me, my warm bath designer is Tim Fowers.

Now Boarding Cover. Air hostess presenting a plane.

Name: Now Boarding

Players: 2-5

Publisher: Fowers Games

Designer: Tim Fowers

Artists: Ryan Goldsberry

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Raiders of the North Sea – A board game to play before Ragnarok!

Raiders of the North Sea cover, angry vikings ready to raid
~ David Norris ~ 3 Comments

Not so long ago there were two schools of design within board games. On one hand, the uninteresting theme, no luck, all strategy games that came primarily from Germany – called Euro games or Euros. On the other hand, we had American style games where it was all randomness all the time, extremely high player interaction and jam packed with style. These games were lovingly referred to as Ameritrash. While these terms aren’t used so much today, as these styles have bled together over the years, this board game I’m reviewing demonstrates the differences each style brings while attempting to find a middle ground.

Raiders of the North Sea cover, angry vikings ready to raid

Name: Raiders of the North Sea

Players: 2-4

Publisher: Renegade Games and Garphill Games

Designer: Shem Phillips

Artists: Mihajlo Dimitrievski

Raiders of the North Sea allows players to live a week in the life of the Vikings of old. On Monday: you’ll work at the Mill getting food or gold. Tuesday: The Silversmith gives a silver for any help he receives. Wednesday: time to meet the townsfolk at The Gate House, make friends and they’ll join or aid your crew later. Thursday: make an offering to the chieftain at the Long House who’ll honour you with glory and victory points. It’s a good time to note this board game is not historically accurate. Friday: it’s one silver beer night at the Barracks making it a great place to pick up new crewmates and a hangover. Saturday: spoil yourself. Take the crew out raiding and pillage a nearby settlement. Sunday: pour some mead out for those who journeyed to Valhalla – the Viking equivalent of the big farm upstate, and then loot a now defenceless village. Monday: it’s time to do it all over again.

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What goes Clank! in the night?

Clank box artwork
~ David Norris ~ 7 Comments

It’s the end of a Scooby Doo episode. The gangs been split up, they’ve run through Escher’s hallway, and Scooby’s eaten his snacks. They’re together again with the local sheriff, and they’ve got Clank!’s core mechanic, deck-building, all tied up. Fred and Velma give some rousing exposition before they rip off the suspect’s mask revealing none other than roll and move!

And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!

 

Name: Clank! A Deck-Building AdventureClank box artwork

Players: 2-4

Publisher: Renegade Games and Direwolf

Designer: Paul Dennen

Artists: Rayph Beisner, Raul Ramos, Nate Storm

 

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Santorini: Zeus Lands Lead in Greece Lightning

~ David Norris ~ 7 Comments

Roll-to-review-board-game-Santorini-Cover

As trashy as Jersey Shore gets, it doesn’t hold a candle to the Greek gods. Zeus, for instance, slept with anyone and anything, and ended up having more babies than a kindergarten. Seriously, once you hit double digits, maybe it’s time to consider a vasectomy? I mean I’m six months into having my first child, and I’m already thinking about it. Anyway, believe it or not this is a review for Santorini, a 2-4 player abstract board game designed by Dr Gordon Hamilton, and published by Roxley and Spin Master.

For this review, it was only played with 2 players as recommended by the rule book.

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Schotten Totten: A Battle For Stones

~ David Norris ~ Leave a comment

Roll-to-Review-Schotten-Totten-Box-ArtI fell in love for the first time in my life when I met my wife, the second time I fell in love was when I found out about IELLO’s mini games collection. Within this treasure trove resides Schotten Totten, a two-player card game designed by the renown Reiner Knizia. However, you might know it by another name, as this game is a very similar to the board game Battle Line.

Before we begin, included in Schotten Totten is deck of 10 tactic cards. These cards provide temporary powers that change the rules of the game. We preferred the game without these additional cards and I have reviewed the game as such.

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Tash-Kalar Review: Tash(-Kalar) of the Titans

~ David Norris ~ 14 Comments

Tash-Kalar, have you heard of this Roll-to-review-board-game-tash-kalar-box-frontgame? It was released to some acclaim and then fell off the face of the Earth. Now, under the watchful eyes of Czech Games Edition, they’ve thrown this board game into a Lazarus pit, and resurrected Tash-Kalar at a price point so good looking that I’d like to take it out to dinner.

A quick heads up: this game comes with many game modes, and player counts. I did not review all of these – booo, you suck Dave! Instead I focused on the best rated game type: two player High Form. This is the objective-based game type, which the Tash-Kalar purists swear by.

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Village Pillage Review: Time to Turnip the Heat

~ David Norris ~ 3 Comments

It’s 2:00pm Friday, March 16th, 2018. I’m at my desk doing a business, when Janine from the front desk walks through the office with a large wooden crate. Danger, confidential, and top secret are printed in bold red font down the side. She puts it on my desk, complains about her back, and walks off. I wonder what this is, I didn’t have any packages arriving today, did I? People in the surrounding cubicles stand up and apply standard social pressure; anything to break up their 9 to 5.

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Dixit Review

~ David Norris ~ 10 Comments

Roll-to-review-board-game-Dixit-box-art

Hope you guys are all enjoying Roll to Review’s Month of Critical Hits, this is the second last review of the event and it’s the party game classic: Dixit. If you have trouble pronouncing the name just imagine owning a dog named Richard. I told my wife that joke, and she looked at me like I belonged in an insane asylum. It was a nice change from her usual I can’t wait until you’re in an insane asylum look.

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