Santa Bowl Update VII

 This year, we have a special coin that will be flipped at kickoff this year!

Merry Christmas on one side (Tails)

Santa on the front. (Heads)

Just adding a little bling to this year's event!

Spartacus Primus Map

 Not many things I want more in the world of board games than these out of print game mat for one of my favorite games of all time!

A few years back I saw a few go on sale for $200 each. I laughed and thought "Who would pay that?!" 30 minutes later when all 5 were sold out, I got my answer. 

Sucked. 

I haven't seen them since. I know there's been an effort online to try to get the dimensions for a reprint but so far, no one has done it. 

So now I'm left pining for a game mat that I'll probably never have. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Chocolate Factory: Master Chocolatiers Mini-Expansion Review

 

At long last I finally was able to retrieve the last mini-expansion I've been looking for!

I love the base game and all this is, is more stores, characters and factory cards to insert into the base game. 

I love it. I love having more choices than before. 

If you own the game and love it, get this. $13 (w/shipping) I believe and well worth it! So glad I'm not on the diet anymore because it's impossible to play this game without eating chocolate!

Survivor UK Season 2 (Review)

                                        

Much better than the first season, but still hits far from the mark. 

Again, this was back in 2002 so I can't come down too hard on it. But here's my review. 

Before the contest started it showed them being searched for contraband with a warning that anyone caught with contraband would be replaced IMMEDIATLY by one of 2 people sitting in the room! (wild) 

This time there were only 12 people which made the show a lot shorter. Also, the fans got to cast a vote for the winner at the end which was interesting. 

Exit interviews were handled on a separate show the following night, I couldn't watch any of them but they appear to be sit down episodes for 30 min. 

The F word is allowed on british TV, or was in this case. It's everywhere in the show NOT bleeped out. 

This was a VERY low budget production. Hardly anything was built for the contest. A lost of trivia, bow and arrow, search the island and stand on a log were the challenges you saw. Obviously they didn't want to spend that much on production. 

One of their "twist" was to bring everyone to tribal only to tell them there would be no vote but how the rest of the game would play out for all of them. (merge tribe and fan vote) Weird....and lame. 

Tiebreaker's this season are determined by....trivia. Because they love trivia on this show. And they never tell the contestants what the reward is until after the challenge. 

As for the players? John was dominate in the challenges but lost the final (trivia) one and it ended up losing it to girl who picked the other guy and lost 7-0 in the votes. 

Outstanding. 2 seasons, 2 unanimous decisions.

I know the new season this summer is probably up to date with the times so I look forward to seeing what it's all about.  

Happy 4th of July!

 Not my favorite holiday but if my littles get excited seeing fireworks...it may be worth it. 

Have a good one folks!!

Dr Pepper Strawberries and Cream

 I don't like Dr Pepper that much but whenever I see a new flavor I have to try. 

Last year they came out with the Dark Berry which I LOVED, but this one?

Isn't that bad!!! I actually enjoyed it. I wouldn't go out of my way to try it again, but I'd have one if it were offered or available to choose. 

If you like strawberries this flavor is strong! I think you'll like it. 

Pretty good stuff!

SCOTUS on a roll!

Pretty good group of decisions they've made lately. 
 

Here's to hoping they continue to strike down ungodly and unlawful actions and protect religious freedom.

Good stuff! Happy 4th weekend folks!

Survivor UK Season 1 (review)

 Something else I finished recently was all the seasons of Survivor UK. There are only 2 but a new one comes out this summer so I thought I'd watch the originals first. 

These came out in 2001 and 2002 so it's the "old school" version of Survivor. Where the challenges are slow and there's no hidden immunity idols. 

The host didn't seem to understand the concept of the show and dressed in khakis and a polo shirt speaking like he was in a documentary the whole time. He barely asked any questions at tribal, and just read off the votes in the end. 

He once seemed angry the contestants spilt the vote and told them to "work it out" so there wouldn't be another tie. After that I noticed they started talking about any ties breakers would be decided by who received the most votes at prior councils. 

Another weird thing about tribal is they had the contestants snuff out there own torches. They showed who all voted in the final 4 but then proceeded to count them afterwards. Then when it was down to 3 they had everyone vote....why I don't know. 

The host was so bad that during the finale someone else stepped in the the host isn't seen in season 2 so I guess they knew he hated or couldn't understand the point of the show. 

They also showed the what time and temperature it was for each scene which I thought was weird.

However, it did have some interesting twists. 

There was a challenge where they could hit a target and win money that went right into an auction. And their first "blindside" really pissed off one of the player who felt he should've been told prior to the vote. 

During the finale, they mixed live scenes with the final episode. For example, they'd show 2 people asking their questions at tribal and then cut live and talk about it. They didn't even count the votes in the end, but rather showed who voted for whom and stopped after someone won. (it was a 7-0 sweep) 

A girl named Charlette won but she actually rode the coattails of another player (Richard) to win, voting him out at the very last tribal when he finally lost a challenge. 

Overall, it wasn't bad and I can't wait to talk about season 2....next week!

Why choose pickup?

 For the 3rd time I tried this out again. 

They told me it wouldn't be until the next business day. Why? I understand it can't be instant but it can't be in a hour or so either? THE NEXT DAY???

Why wait that long?? So you don't have to go in?

It took me 6 minutes to grab everything and checkout later that night. You're telling me someone couldn't collect my order in over a day?!?

I don't think this will ever be a thing for me. Ever. 

Grail promo FOUND!

 I've been looking for this promo for quite some time! I love this game and being a completist I've wanted this promo but it goes for $75 and up and that's WAY too much I'm willing to pay. 

But a game designer saw my "want" list and graciously sent me a copy of the card! Nothing special about the card but it's a cause for celebration for my collection none-the-less!

Now there's only one more promo on my list I need and that should be coming in the mail any day now. 

It's a good day!

Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcast (review)

 When I heard this season had a returning cast, I knew it was the first thing I was going to watch after this season of Survivor. 

I started watching it during the latest American season. 

First off...they picked THE WORST cast to come back. It was made up of all players who had NO control in the game at all during their seasons and played some of the worst games ever, only to come back this season and make the same exact mistakes again. Sheesh!

Of all of them to return, Shane was the only one worthy and he made it to 2nd place. (but played terribly the whole game and had NO control until the very end)

Stupid moves were taken from the players, here's a few:

Shona gets a chance to choose which team she joins after a shakeup....she chooses the team that puts her in the minority and it immediately voted out. 

One survivor is so delusional that she thinks she's in control of the game...but she has NO IDEA what was going on the entire time!

Another girl gave away her Tribal Pass and didn't use her 50/50 coin that could've saved her from the vote. With 2 ways to stay in the game she was voted out because she was told by her tribe she was safe....though she KNEW people were gunning for her. 

Astounding stupidity. 

The season did have some nice twist. The winning tribe got to choose two members from the other tribes to go on reward with them and since it was returning players, this got people wondering about pre-alliances. Good job. 

The merge feast was really a food auction with people trying to finish a challenge then getting to choose which dish they want to eat. 

The family visit wasn't until the VERY END of the game. 

All in all, it was ok. Not what I wanted in this season but I'll be looking out for season 10 later on this summer. 

St Petersberg: New Society (mini-expansion review)

 

I love this game. Anything that adds to it is ok by me. 

I never knew about this expansion pack and the moment I realized it existed, I bought it immediately.  

It's great. More cards, more choices, more strategy. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this expansion. Perfect for anyone who loves the game. No brainer. 

Love it. 

The Dwarves (Character Packs mini-review)

This is a great coop game and when I bought the Big Box for it, there were two empty spaces in the insert and I never knew what they were for....until now. 

It appears 2 extra characters came out for the game. Not excited you had to get them separately, but when Miniature Market put them both on sale, I was able to get them for $5 each, which I feel was fair. 

Gomimgar is excellent at forging things and speaking to the council, while Djerun is a beast at battles. Both will come in handy in future sessions as I'm playing this game on "difficult"

Worth getting? If you're a fan of the game, yes. But the only thing it adds is more characters so in the long run it may not be for everyone. 

I for one and ecstatic to have them!
 

Genotype Promos (mini-review)

 Genotype is a beautiful game I love playing. I've always wanted the promos for it but didn't want to pay that much for a handful of cards. 

However, during the BGG Spring Cleaning sale, I was able to pick a few of them up to complete my collection!

Alternate Inheritance Overlays change the way you can score end game points in the game and I love this idea. I think it's worth it for sure because it adjust the strategy you need to gain those precious extra points in the end. 

Worth it. 

The next toll cards promo give you 2 types of cards to add to your deck and they're both amazing! I'd never taken the time to read what they did until I bought them and I'm glad I did because I would've bought them sooner and paid twice the cost! 

Both cards are awesome and I now know I do not need the Tantrem House promo "Fellowship Hall" because it does the same thing Spyglass does. So unless I find it for cheap, I'm happy not to have it in my game box. 

The final promo is interesting because its given to the person who last went to the University, meaning you can steal it from other players. Once everyone has claimed dice on the 2nd shift, you get to claim one remaining die on the board. 

Sure you have dead last pick, but it's almost like having a free action at the end and I LOVE that!

All 3 of these promos are worth getting if you enjoy the game as I do. It's just going to make playing Genotype that much better!

Pursuit of Happiness Promo Cards (mini-review)

 I'm a big fan of the game and during BGG's Spring Cleaning sale, they had the last 3 promos I had left to complete my collection, so I decided to pick the all up!

One is from the expansion "Experiences" and isn't much. 

 These cost $1.50 each which is a little more than I'd like to have paid but I think this was the best deal I was going to get so I went for it. 

Do you need these promos? No. If they came with "heart" symbols I'd say "Yes" but this is just for the completist out there who wants and all....and that's me. 

Tetris (Movie Review)

 This movie is incredible. 

If you haven't seen it. Watch it now. SO good!

Based off the true story of how Nintendo got the rights from Russia to Tetris. It stays true to most of the true events and is an absolute blast to watch!

One of the best things I've seen all year. Shockingly well done!

Boardgame Purge 2023 (27)

 I have only one left to talk about. I bought this game when it was all the "hotness" and my nephews were all about it. For the record. I never cared for the game that much. But I had so much content for it, I didn't want to let it go until now. 

It's a beautiful looking game but just not for me. Oddly enough, I traded it at the perfect moment because they announced a "Collector's Edition" a week after my trade went through so I'm sure it doesn't carry the same trade value as it did back then. 

Glad to let it go. 

Would I make another trade with Noble Knight Games again? Absolutely. I'm even making a short list of what I could send to them next, providing I see any games I'd like in trade. 

But until then, I'm going to play and enjoy what I already have. 

Happy Father's Day!

This holiday means nothing to me as a father. I'll still be doing the same thing I do every Sunday, getting up early with kids after being up all night with them. 

BUT for my dad, it IS special!

From this year on, I'm thankful for every year I have with my Dad. 

He means a lot to me. I've learned so much. Not only from his wisdom but by his example. 

He's one of the best Dad's anyone could have asked for. And I'm grateful for him more than words can say. 

Boardgame Purge 2023 (26)

Fun quick, yahtzee style filler game that my nephews love. But as I've said in the past. I have plenty of filler games and so some of them had to go. This was one of them.  

 I'm the only person alive who loves this game. I thought it was cool when I backed it on kickstarter and when I played it. But no one else gets the theme or the worker placement/area control that happens AROUND that worker you used! With zero excitement from my gaming group, it only came out once a year and no one ever got excited about it so I gave the game the boot. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Boardgame Purge 2023 (25)

I love this show. The pieces to this game are AMAZING. But the gameplay? Awful. With it's trade value so high, I new it was the best thing to do. My only regret is that they had designed an actual GAME to go along with those nice pieces!

 This has a whole lot of sizzle when you first play it, but what I found out is that the more you play it, that sizzle starts to fizzle. It's too bad the modulars it comes with weren't that good. They didn't change or add to game hardly at all. I think if it had a few more strategic decisions to make it would've stayed in my collection. However....it didn't, so the obvious choice had to be made. 

Boardgame Purge 2023 (24)

I can't believe this has finally left my collection. I loved this game when it first came out but over the years it's fallen on hard times. I rarely play it anymore and the prequel game is STILL in my collection and I'm pretty sure I won't be getting rid of it anytime soon. (excellent filler game) But this one wasn't aging well and the expansions were ho-hum so I ultimately decided to let the game go. 

 I little hard to let go, but pretty straight forward simple game that I traded off for it's high value. My gaming group enjoyed playing it but I saw it was only getting played once a year over the past few years, which led to my decision to have it cut from the collection altogether. 

Boardgame Purge (23)

Ugh, I love this game but the AP I get from my gaming group whenever we play this is THROUGH THE ROOF! Always ends up being a 2 1/2 hour game and it shouldn't. It's so simple! But simple is what they screw up best so instead, I sent the game packing. 

 Nice game. Strong theme. I HATE the hidden player mechanic. It confuses casual gamers as to what's going on and is so easy to cheat when you're the hidden player that I have to be the shark each time to ensure it's played right. 

Glad to have this one out. 

Boardgame Purge 2023 (22)

This was in and out of my Top 100 every year until a few years ago. The game is nice but wasn't good enough to keep in the collection. 

 Popular game, but I never dug the theme. And it's hard to fully enjoy a game when the theme is so pasted on. One of my gaming groups favorite games. But they bought a copy so if I ever want to play it I can ask them to bring it over. 

Santa Bowl Update VI

 We're officially at the halfway point to the Santa Bowl!

With all the hot weather it's hard to imagine what the game weather will be like but here's something else that's just come in that I wanted to share!

Ref flags are in! They came in a pack of 8 so we have enough for 4 refs. I still haven't decided who will be officiating the game yet but that's something I'll figure out along the way as we approach the date of the game. 

Stay tuned next month for more exciting updates!

Boardgame Purge 2023 (21)

I like this game but it plays WAY too fast! We tried house ruling rounds but could never balance out the proper time for the game, hence the reason it was cast away from the collection!

Not only is it a coop but I as well have grown tired of it. The challenge and excitment just isn't there anymore for me. This was the easiest coop game to let go. 

Have a good weekend folks!
 

Boardgame Purge 2023 (20)

I hate it but my nephews broke the game by showing everyone how to turn down EVERY new law so that no one scores more than 20 points during the game. When it happened last year I let it go, but when they convinced everyone to do it again in spite of the game....I cut it from my collection. 

 Another fun coop....but a coop. So I had to let this one go as well. Plus, fewer people are familiar with the movie these days so it was difficult to bring out. 

Boardgame Purge 2023 (19)

It's a sad day when I have to let go of my very last (and best) 3M game. The truth is, now that I have the new version of Campaign Trail, I don't think I'll play this again, so I had to say goodbye to my old friend. 

 This one was fun but the IP isn't that popular anymore and it was hard to get people excited to play with me. And since Megan never would...I knew it was time to depart!

Boardgame Purge 2023 (18)

Lovely broken game. All you need to do to when is ensure you get 2 of the 3 ways to score ice cream and you've instantly won. Playing it several times I've found there's no other way you should try to come close. So the game had to go. 

 This one hurt a little but in truth it only gets played St Patty's Day, then collects dust the rest of year. Not worth keeping space on my shelves so I let it go. 

Boardgame Purge 2023 (17)

I love Feld but not all his games are golden for me. This was one of them. It was a little clunky and slow paced so I let it go. 

 This game is broken and no one knows it. The ONLY strategy you should do is explore new lands. It ends the game fast and you're the only one with enough points in the end to win. No one has time to build an empire to contest you for the lead. Making all other decisions in the game a waste of time. 

Shocked no one has seen this before but I have over the years and during our last play decided I wanted to get rid of this pronto! 

Rainbow Month!

Happy Rainbow Month folks!

Here's a few other fun things about Rainbows:

1) Valhalla has a rainbow road

2) So does the final track of Mario Kart

3) Watch the "Double Rainbow" video on Youtube

4) Take a look, it's in a book....a Reading Rainbow!!

5) Rainbow Brite

6) The Care Bears use these for slides

7) Kemit the Frog has a song about them

8) Leprechauns hide their gold at the end of one of these

9) Hawaii's College Football team is called the "Rainbow Warriors"

But the most important one is God's promise that He'd never flood the world again. If you ask me, that's the BEST reason to celebrate the month!

Everything else is bogus. 

Boardgame Purge 2023 (16)

This used to be in my Top 20 when I first got it. Now it's gone. No, it's not because of the faulty production issue I had with the discs but rather it's just gotten old in my collection and doesn't bring the fun factor like it used to. 

 The only reason this leaves my collection is the card issue. There's not enough and you have to shuffle EVERY ROUND. Bringing out the same cards each round. Not as exciting. I wish it had more (and various other) cards in the deck. Again, the only reason it leaves my collection is its one shortcoming!

Have a good weekend folks!

Boardgame Purge 2023 (15)

I like the game but HATE how it's impossible (most times) to defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham. Plus, if people refuse to team up with you, you're doomed to lose every time. Since my group hates coops or helping one another, the past few games have been miserable. Time for it to go. 

Fun dice game but again, too many fillers in my collection already so I had to let it go.