GamesReviews written by WadeMonnig
The Good, The Bad and The Handsome is a notch above the typical “More Stuff” expansion with the addition of the Legendary Item mechanism. Combining that with three new characters and the added player interaction from the story cards, it makes an excellent addition to your Western Legends experience.
I always say pick a flavor and Fluxx probably has a version for you. If you are a feline fan...Wait a minute, now I'm thinking the alliteration of calling it Feline Fluxx would have be pretty sweet. Ah well, let's call it Cat Fluxx until Grimalkin comes back into popular usage.
Trinket Trove is a simple game with surprising depth and strategy that needs to be played with four or more players to be truly appreciated. Small Box, small price tag, but a large dose of fun. Sandra Tang's illustrations are delightful...even if Penfold is lacking a cute blue suit.
I like both the look and the gameplay of the Venna Faction. While it doesn't add the elusive 5th player to Wroth, it's a great addition if you are looking for more asymmetrical variety to crank things up in Wroth.
The more I explore Wonderland's War, the curiouser and curiouser I get about where it will lead me next. It's a mad experience. We're all mad here. I'm Mad. Druid City Games is mad. The mixture of mind bending art and deliriously dominoed mechanics proves it. You are formally invited to sit down and join the madness. It wouldn't be very civil of you to sit down without being invited. Plenty of room, plenty of room.
Quacks is a entertaining game, whether the players are just tossing ingredients into a cauldron and hoping for the best (and not the BOOM!) Or if they take a more measured gaming approach. The all or something mechanism when you 'splode (You either get points or money) means it isn't too punishing for players. Once again, CMYK has brewed up a game that satisfies both the casual and the hobby gamers.
It's kind of ironic that Concordia was mocked for going back to the well of Trading in the Mediterranean when it was released and, now, it is the definitive Trading in the Mediterranean game. I guess sometimes when you spend a brick (Concordia Humor!), it becomes a cornerstone.
Tokaido is the original Cutthroat Cozy. Now, it has the extra layer of Cozy with how familiar I have become with it over the years. With the “plausible deniability” blocking and variable player abilities, It has enough interesting decisions that it falls into “I'd be happy to play if someone suggests it” section of my collection along with the crossover of “Easy to introduce to non-hobby gamers.”
Paldeyn really is the Dungeons and Dragons Paladin class personified: They can heal, they charge around the board like a white stallion and can be the immovable object to the irresistible forces of other factions. If your play style synchronizes with the feats and powers they have on offer, they are just as beautiful as they are powerful.
First Class Letters feels like a classic word game because it is so rules light (and I mean that in the most complimentary way). That translates into fast (less than 30 minutes even with five or six players), flowing gameplay. I'm not sure if the Letter Dice are the chunkiest dice ever created but they are surely in the running and are dead on accurate for the packages they represent. I can't resist the pull of this game...you know me, I love a little word play.