Today we take a few minutes to introduce the rules of our newest game release form A Slice of Horror Games: Campfire Storyteller The Card Game!
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With the fast approaching and highly anticipated game play reveal for Doom 4, I felt it was only appropriate to take a step into my past and review an often overlooked and underplayed game: Doom: The Boardgame. That's right. There was, in fact, a board game based off the Doom franchise. And what many gamers may not know is that it is a board game that was the basis for multiple other games that have since become extremely popular among the table top gaming community. Doom: The Boardgame was my first foray into the "real" table top gaming world and was the first game I ever owned that wasn't something you could buy at Wal-Mart or Target. I found out about this game during a time in my life when I didn't have access to video games or television (working as a service missionary) and I was desperate for something to scratch my gaming itch. I stumbled upon Doom: The Boardgame and was instantly like, "they make board games based off of adult video games?" Well, I quickly bought the game despite its daunting sixty dollar price tag. Doom: The Boardgame is a game that runs in a similar manner to table top role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. One player acts as the "Invader" player. He or she takes the scenario manual and all the tiles and invader monster figures. The rest of the players each select one marine pawn and then draw from a deck of special marine classes such as "Medic" and "Weapon Specialist." They also receive tokens representing the classic weapons and ammo from the Doom video games. The Invader player uses the manual to see the scenario map and layout. He or she lays out the first room of the selected scenario or game level. The marines put their pawns in the room and play begins. The Invader player reads the flavor text (the story) for each room as the marines move through the level. Monsters and beasts spawn in each area and the marines fight them off with whatever weapons and ammo they can find in loot crates around the Mars Complex. The game ends when either the marines reach the service elevator on the opposite side of the complex or the invader player manages to kill the marines an allotted number of times for the scenario. The first time I played Doom: The Boardgame was at a small local game day that was being held in an empty church building. It was amazing watching all the players get into the game. There was all kinds of descriptions of gory violence as the players mowed down the monsters. After the game ended and we were leaving through the dark hallways of the building we could all still feel the chills that you might get after watching a scary movie. It was a brilliant experience. Doom: The Boardgame is a fast paced and tactical game. The concept of being able to play a role playing type game without a ton of preparation or character creation is big benefit of a game like this. What sets Doom: The Boardgame apart from other similar games is its theme. The survival horror elements in this game really give it a classic flavor that most horror fans will enjoy. And the room by room exploration always leaves a tension of wondering what is behind the next door. Unfortunately, Doom: The Boardgame is now out of print (you can still find occasional used copies online). However, the game system designed for and used in this board game has lived on in multiple other games. The most popular fantasy dungeon crawl board game currently on the market, Descent: Journeys in the Dark, is based on the same gameplay system as Doom. Similarly, the new game Star Wars: Imperial Assault is also based on this system. But neither of these games comes close to capturing the dark brooding mood and the fast paced action and violence that was in the original Doom: The Boardgame. Summing it UpDoom: The Boardgame is by no means a perfect game. I've long since traded my copy in for other similar games (such as Mansions of Madness). However, it still remains an excellent board game that captures the trigger happy nature of the original Doom video games. Often when I am playing Doom on my PC I find myself wanting to go back and play the board game again.
Language: 1 Gore Factor: 3 (Depends on the players) Sex Factor: 0 Scare Factor: 1 Fun Factor: 4 Overall Rating: 4 This week we review the fun, fast, and easy game: Zombie Dice from Steve Jackson. Today we are looking at the components for Resident Evil the Deck Building Game: Alliance. Make sure to also read our full written review of this game. In this week's terror video we take a look at the components for Zombies!!! The Board Game. See out full written review here. With the success of The Walking Dead television adaption it seems that zombies are becoming more and more popular. Many TV stations, film companies, and book publishers are jumping on the band wagon, trying to cash in on the wave of zombie fandom hitting our culture. That isn't to say that zombies weren't popular before. There definitely was a ton of zombie related media that made The Walking Dead possible. And going back as far as the seventies there has been an interest in this style of living dead. Sometimes it is best to remember the classics that made the modern zombie media possible. On most days I strongly prefer the zombie classics--Night of the Living Dead, Zombie, Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead--to this new wave of zombie media. While it can be easy to feel bogged down in the drudgery of so much zombie related media there is still some great zombie themed items being released on the market. Twilight Creations has created one of the most popular zombie themed board games on the market, so popular in fact that they are on their third edition of the game. And what makes it great is how it pays homage to all of the classic zombie film of decades past. Zombies!!! is a modular board game where players build the board as they play. The game is set in a zombie infested city. The art reminds me of many zombie comic books, cartoons, and movies from the 80s and 90s. It sets the atmosphere of the classic style that the game tries to evoke. On each player's turn they draw a new city tile. They then place the tile adjacent to the board anywhere where the roads connect properly. Zombies are spawned according to the number listed in the upper right corner on that tile. The player then rolls the movement dice and moves their character piece through the infested streets. When a player ever meets with a zombie they are forced to fight it by rolling the dice, using supplies collected from searching the city, or using applicalbe cards in their hand. If ever a player is killed by a zombie they are forced to return to the starting tile. At the end of each turn players move zombies. All players race to be the first one to reach the helicopter at the helipad. Cards that players have in their hands can help them in their survival or be used to hinder fellow players. Zombies!!! is simple in concept and light on rules. This makes the game accessible to many different types of zombie and board game fans. Kids as young as eight seem to be able to pick up the game and its concepts easily--however, the game does have some graphic images on the cards and may not be suitable for some children. The depth of the game is in the cards. Each player has 2 to 3 cards in their hand every turn and can use them to change the flow of the game. This could include finding weapons or supplies, causing events, or sabotaging other players. This alone makes the game fairly cutthroat--an aspect that turns less competitive players away from the game. Many of the cards may be hard to use. For instance, it may be difficult to use the chainsaw in your hand because you are required to be in the Lawn and Garden store in the city to even find it. If the Lawn and Garden spawns next to you then you are in luck. But if it spawns at the other side of the city you are up a creek. In many ways this element of randomness is what makes the game exciting. The game is always different, and the city layout--in comparison with the cards in your hand--can make for a different strategy and different story each time you play. This also is reminiscent of the survival element in zombie movies. It is usually a little strategy and a lot of luck whether or not a person finds the right supplies, shelter, etc. The board game world, just like the TV and film world, seems to be drowning in zombie themed board games at this point. And most of these games are mediocre at best. Zombies!!! is one game that doesn't kill its audience with the overtly boring side effect with over exposure to the genre. Zombies!!! was also one of the earlier zombie themed games on the market (being released in 2001), thus being more original than many of its successors from other game companies. Summing it UpZombies!!! may not be a perfect board game and the randomness may turn off many hard core gamer types. However, for many game groups Zombies!!! is a very fun, fairly short, game for anyone looking for an easy--and rather inexpensive--zombie themed board game. If you play with a group that really gets into theme and storytelling this game can turn out to be a blast. It has gory pictures, fast turns, and a style that imitates horror movies from the 80s. If you play with a group that likes heavy rules and strategy you may be disappointed with this game. For me, it is one of my favorite go to games, and I have eight expansions for it. So if you like classic zombie movies and simple board game mechanics then give Zombies!!! a try.
Language: 0 Gore Factor: 3 Sex Factor: 1 Scare Factor: 1 Fun Factor: 4 Overall Rating: 4 As board games have become more popular there have been more and more games based off of famous and well established franchises. Video games are no exception in this case. Multiple video games have been transferred to the board and card game format. Resident Evil is one the most successful and well-loved survival horror franchises in video game history. And now it has been adapted to a card that is released by Ban-Dai entertainment. Resident Evil the deck building game recreates the moods, themes, and actions of the classic video games in the franchise. Because of its deck building style there are many versions and expansions for the game. All of the versions are combinable to create a larger game. The first version of the game I bought and the one I am reviewing today is Resident Evil Alliance. What makes this version of the game special is the ability players have to play two characters from the Resident Evil franchise at once. The deck building mechanic works very well with this game. It helps to recreate the gameplay of exploring the classic mansion and stocking up on ammo and weapons you find. Players begin the game by picking one or two of the character cards to play. Each players gets a set of cards as their starting deck. Each turn, players can buy cards from the different archives based on how much gold points they've acquired for the turn from their hand. After picking new cards for their deck the players then must choose to explore the mansion deck. Players draw a card from the mansion deck and must encounter whatever monster that comes up. Players can use any weapons they've acquired to kill the monster. Once a player has defeated a monster they keep the card as a trophy. At the end of the game the player with the most trophies is the winner. The gameplay is fairly simple and straightforward. This makes it easy for new players and casual gamers to pick it up quickly. And yet there is many choices and strategies to make the game enjoyable and deep. However, this simplicity in gameplay may make the game a little dull for hard core gamers. The game is a little repetitive at times as players build their decks and explore the mansion. But fans of the horror genre and of the Resident Evil series will still find the game enjoyable. The best part of Resident Evil The Deck Building Game is the deep theme. The game captures the atmosphere of dread and exploration of the Resident Evil games well. There is also the enjoyable action of shooting infected. I have a house rule that helps push the game into a more survival horror mood. I make all the players explore the mansion every turn. The only real big downside is some of the components and storage. The cards are good quality. However, the storage box isn't designed very well. The plastic insert meant to organize the cards isn't sized very well and the fit for some of the cards is far too tight. It makes you worry if the cards will get bent or dented. Lastly, the rulebook is nice looking but not always super easy to read. Summing it UpResident Evil the Deck Building Game is perfect for casual card and board gamers as well as fans of the Resident Evil video game series. For hard core gamers it may not be a good fit because of its simple and streamlined mechanic. I personally love this game and highly recommend it. Language: 0 Gore Factor: 3 Sex Factor: 0 Scare Factor: 0 Fun Factor: 4 Overall Rating: 5 To learn more about my rating system click here.
This week's review is going to be something short and simple. We are in the middle of Novemember and halfway between Halloween and Christmas. In honor of these two great holiday's I'm going to be reviewing The Nightmare Before Christmas Collector's Editions of Operation and Trivial Pursuit. I recently had a lucky streak where I had the previllage of winning both of these games from a raffle on the I Love Halloween Facebook page. My wife is a big fan of the movie and we were both excited to win these prizes. And because it would be far to easy to simply review one of these games, this review will be a two part review featuring both games. OperationOnce you become an adult, games like Operation are just not quite as difficult as they used to be. But that doesn't stop you from being creative and having fun with the game anyway. Operation The Nightmare Before Christmas Special edition is simply the classic children's game reskined with the Nightmare theme. Instead of the gentlemen with the blinking red nose you have evil old Oogie Boogie laying down for operation. And it is up to you to dig into his creepy stuffing and stiches to dig things out. The components in the game are fairly nice considering the game came from Hasbro. However, don't expect top of the line cardboard or plastic in this game. The operation table itself is made out of sturdy plastic and should stand up to a little wear and tear. The picture of Oogie Boogie is a piece of sturdy cardstock that is glued onto the table. The plastic pieces that represent the body parts are sturdy enough but nothing to write home about. They come on a plastic holder which you have to twist each piece off of. They come easily off the holder and don't seem to have any sharp edges after they are detached as you may see in other similar games. The cards a thin bits of cardboard but are fun to look at. Potentially the funnest component is the money that has Oogie Boogie's face on it. Gameplay is intended for small children and may not appeal to adults. My wife and I played and were done about ten minutes later. It is very easy to get the pieces out. So, to mix things up we set a time limit of 10 or 15 seconds depending on how "hard" we wanted the game to be. This puts a little more tension on getting the pieces out in time. I felt like the sensitivity of the buzzer wasn't as strong as it should have been. It seems like you have to really bonk the metal for Oogie Boogie to light up and basically call you a loser. Overall it is a cool design and a decent collector's piece. But keep in mind that if you're an adult that you most likely won't be playing this very much. Language: 0 Gore Factor: 1 Sex Factor: 0 Scare Factor: 1 Fun Factor: 2 Overall Rating: 2 Trivial PursuitNow, Trivial Pursuit is a game that is more suitable for adults. I was very happy that I Love Halloween sent both games. So there is one for the nieces and nephews to play and one for the adults to play.
My wife and her family have a tradition each year on Thanksgiving to play Trivial Pursuit. We can't always be with family on Thanksgiving because of work and college classes. So I was excited to get this game and look forward to playing it on Thanksgiving. The Nightmare Before Christmas edition has a much simpler game mechanic than the original game. The components are also sized down considerably. Inside the coffin chapped box you get one deck of 70 question cards and one oversized category dice. These items are much nicer components than the cards and plastic in the Operation game. But they still aren't 100% durable like some games from other high end game companies. Also, the amount of components seems pretty minimal for $20 dollar retail price. But I was lucky enough to win the game so I don't mind the price. The gameplay itself is simple. One the each turn the active player rolls the dice to determine the category. The player to the left reads a question off the next card that pertains to that category. If the player gets it right the immediately roll the dice and get another question. If they get that question right they keep the card as a point. The player to reach 12 points first wins. The gameplay in this game is significantly more fun than in Operation. If players know and like The Nightmare Before Christmas they will enjoy trying to answer the questions correctly. Playing on teams in a large group makes the game even more fun. Overall, I really enjoy trivial pursuit and also enjoy this game--even if I usually lose to my wife. The game is fast and easy to play and is great for fans of the movie. Language: 1 Gore Factor: 1 Sex Factor: 0 Scare Factor: 0 Fun Factor: 3 Overall Rating: 3 About a year ago, I and a group of friends began work on a table top role playing game. The theme was zombies. At the time our group had strong creative differences because I, as the lead writer for the team, disagreed on our selected theme. And the zombie apocalypse theme is something that is currently very popular and therefore fairly overdone. After a while I realized that I was the main team member, possibly the only team member, who was doing any work on the project. So, since I was the one doing the work I changed the theme over to something completely different, something I was interested in doing: a slasher RPG. Pretty soon, between work as a writer and my college work as an English major, I dropped the project temporarily—if not permanently. So, I began to dig deep and do some research to see if there was anything already out that had a similar theme. Recently, as I have been doing research on role playing games, I found a horror themed game that is very clever, open ended, and perfect for running a slasher themed storytelling RPG. That game is called Dread. Dread is a game that uses no dice rolls, no character stats, and a purely simple character system. It is a game that purposely focuses on the feelings of dread and tension. It tries to capture the building tension you may feel as situations get worse and worse, just like in a horror movie. The game does by utilizing a Jenga tower as the center of its gameplay. Before a game begins a storyteller or game master will choose a type of story arc that the game will follow. The core rulebook has three scenarios included for use by game groups. The story arc will include different Acts, like in a drama or play. And within each act is a list of possible scenes or scenarios that could happen during that part on the story. It is up to the game master to decide what scenes will happen when according to how the characters are play. The players will create characters beforehand, just as in any other RPG. But in this game each player is given a questionnaire with 12 questions to help them build a character, a backstory, and their character’s flaws and fears. Each player’s questionnaire is slightly different and will help guide them to build a specific type of character to fit the group. For example: If the group is doing a classic teenage slasher story there might be questionnaires to guide players to be a nerd, a cheerleader, a jock, etc. Once all the preliminary actions are complete the group then comes together to play. A Jenga tower is set up in the middle of the table where everyone can reach it. Three blocks are removed for every character the group has that exceeds five. Then the game begins. The storyteller drops the players into a horrible situation and tells them what is happening. Then the players are allowed to act. Each time a player tries to do something difficult or hard the storyteller will require them to pull a block from the tower. The player can choose to pull the block and possibly succeed at the task, or they can instead opt out of pulling and automatically fail. Why would someone want to fail? What is the benefit in that? Well, if ever the tower is knocked down one of the group members die—usually the person who is responsible. For example: If a player is being chased down by an axe wielding killer in the woods and they come to a ravine they will have to pull one or more blocks to jump across. Let’s say the character is a weak nerd and so it is harder for him to make the jump. So the storyteller tells him to pull three blocks. The nerd player can choose not to pull and not jump. But then he would need to face his foe. But if he chooses to pull he has to pull the three blocks without knocking down the tower. If he knocks down the tower he falls in the ravine and dies. After the tower falls the group sets the game back up and removes three blocks for each dead character. This builds the tension the more the game goes on and the more characters die. One last thing a player can do is purposely knock the tower down and forfeit their life. But if they die in this way they have an epic death where they have some sort of significant success. So if the nerd, as descried above, knocks the tower down on purpose he may be able to pull the killer into the ravine with him. Dread is an inventive and engaging game. Each time I’ve played it the group has loved it. Everyone gets very excited and tense as blocks are pulled and situations become direr. And it is always fun when characters die in gruesome ways. Dread facilitates great storytelling and focuses much less on any game mechanics or rules. So characters feel free to try to play their character as much as possible. However, you have to play with a group who are creative and willing to tell a good story. This game isn’t about winning or surviving, it is about making a good horror story. Even one player who simply wants to “win” can make the game drag. Also, the game can be very boring for whoever dies first. And sometimes if a player has poor dexterity they have poor dexterity (usually we'll have someone substitute pull if one player has shaky hands. That way the game is more fair). Often times I will still find ways to incorporate them into the game after their dead—become a werewolf, become a possessed ghost, play an NPC—to help them still enjoy the game. The one other issue with the game is having to reset the tower each time someone dies. The game is very tense and exciting as someone gets closer and closer to doom. And then it is very exciting when the tower finally falls and you get a gory death scene. But then he game stalls while the storyteller sets the tower back up again and pulls blocks for the dead characters. But this is a minor setback to a good horror story. Summing it Up Dread is a great game of horror and impending doom. Almost any modern horror movie—especially slashers—can be transplanted into the game. The use of the Jenga tower as a mechanic makes the game tense and fun for everyone present. However, unless everyone in the group is creative and willing to tell a good story the game can become bland. And characters dying off early in the game can make it an unpleasant experience for that player. But if you have some committed gamers/storytellers you can get a great horror story out in one session. Language: 0 Gore Factor: 3 Sex Factor: 0 Scare Factor: 3 Fun Factor: 5 Overall Rating: 4 To learn more about my rating system click here.
Generally, the world of gaming is infected with stereotypical fantasy worlds and science fiction motifs. It is prevalent among video games and board games alike. Even the famed Zombie ideal is starting to become sickeningly overdone. However, in between these other games we occasionally get a few really great games with a darker tone of the beloved horror genre. White Wolf's The World of Darkness is one such game. One of my most preferred weekend activities is to play table-top role-playing games. Particularly I enjoy games that require heavy story telling elements such as this game does. (The system it uses is called, after all, the Storytelling System.) As a writer it is an exciting and lucrative practice to create a story in collaboration with a group of 3 to 6 other people. Usually, the typical gamer I encounter prefers games that are rules and number heavy. Games such as Wizard of the Coast's Dungeons and Dragons and Monte Cook's Numenera focus on fantastical worlds, epic player characters, and a heavy smothering of rules and dice systems. Even though this is what my gamer friends usually prefer I generally find them suffocating after some time. I prefer my games to have heavy story elements, relatable and realistic characters, and a light rules system. For those of you who don't know what a table-top role-playing game is, let me explain. This game is like to playing a video game/board game mash up. Instead of having the computer generate a character, players make one up on paper without the aid of a computer program. Additionally, all of the character actions are measured by rolling dice, similar to a board game. The most important element of this type of game is the player's imaginations. The story, world, and all the events that happen therein are created by the imaginations of the players.There are no graphics or game pieces. Everything takes place in the theater of the mind. The use of numbers and dice are meant to help propel this experience and not be the experience itself. The World of Darkness, published originally by White Wolf Game Studio, is a game with a modern gothic horror setting. The characters which the players take control of are normal every day human beings. They live normal lives. That is, until they are initiated into a world which hides in the deep shadows around them, a World of Darkness! Playing this game is like being able to act in your own horror movie or like writing a story of horror fiction with the help of the a few other players. Possession, haunted apartments and houses, cursed woods, and demonic rituals are all prevalent in the world. These are all the things that hide just beneath the surface, just out of view of the human eye. Basically, whatever horrible thing that players can imagine may surface in the game. For a role-playing game the rules and dice system are relativity straight forward and easy. The rule book is comparatively thin and easier to read. However, those who are new to role-playing may find it to be complicated and taxing if they've never experienced a game like this before. But once you start playing--just like any other board game--you quickly get the hang of it. Before playing the gaming group will need to get together to make some preparations. Each player makes a character that they want to represent them in the game world. They do this on a specified "character sheet" that outlines their normal abilities, skills, occupation, name, etc. One player, however, will not make a character. He is selected beforehand to act as "the storyteller." He will act as a guide for the game. Instead of making a character he prepares a story scenario that will effect the players. This may require making up locations, monsters or antagonists, and other non-player characters. Based off the wealth of information provided in the rule book he creates a structured environment for the characters to inhabit. After the initial preparations the players can then jump in and play. Players take turns deciding what their character might do in any given situation. Sometimes players may turn on one another, other times they may choose to help or save other players. It all depends on how the story plays out. The storyteller this whole time is describing the events as they happen, telling them what the demonic ghosts or monsters may be doing, and helping to referee the game. Overall, it is an engaging, engrossing, and enjoyable experience for the entire group. In some cases players may be initiated into the world of darkness and become a monster themselves. These types of events require extra source books such as Vampire: The Requiem or Werewolf: The Forsaken. Although I enjoy these books and the way they branch out I much prefer playing "vanilla" World of Darkness. I am a big fan of horror movies and survival horror video games. Playing as only humans in the game makes for a great experience in the vein of classic horror. Although, I am not adverse to having an Underworld type experience where all the players are vampires or werewolves. The core rule book on its own is a great and usable source for a fun night of horror gaming. The book has some great pieces of urban gothic art in it. Obviously, not all of these are created equal, but overall the presentation is edgy and beautiful. Additionally, the book is filled to the max with flavor text. Little snippets of fiction help bring the game rules and descriptions to life and makes them more understandable. Occasionally, the rules or the fiction can feel long winded or dragged out, as if it is just there to take up space. However, this is such a minor thing that it is easy to overlook. The book itself is well organized and easy to read. It is relatively easy to find and understand all the rules in the game, which is something I can't say for most other role-playing game core books. There are many extra source books for this game that are meant to expand the world. There are books that give descriptions and rules for specific locations, urban legends, enemies, and character bonuses. Many of these books are great ways to help expand the game, but if you have a group of imaginative and creative players (especially the storyteller) you may find you'll never need the extras because you could come up with them on your own. This is also the newer revised edition of the game. Many gamers prefer the older games but I started gaming with the newest versions and prefer them. Summing it UpThe World of Darkness is by far my favorite table-top game, role-playing or otherwise. It captures the dark mood of modern horror films and horror novels like no other game I've played. It also facilities a never ending open world of opportunities to work with. The rules are realistically simple and straightforward and the gameplay is imaginative and engrossing. However, this game is not for everyone. It is a little more time consuming than most board games, especially if you include the preparation time. Some new players may find the rules to be too much but such is the nature of a role playing game. But, if you have a group of willing and creatively minded players this is one of the best games on the market.
Language: 5 Gore Factor: 4 Sex Factor: 4 Scare Factor: 3 Fun Factor: 5 Overall Rating: 5 |
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