by Kali Rocheleau | Apr 9, 2014
Castle Panic By Fireside Games Designed by Justin De Witt with Art by Justin De Witt Gameplay For one to six players, Castle Panic takes roughly sixty minutes to play. It is a cooperative fantasy board game. An oncoming horde of goblins, orcs, and trolls advance from the forest, intent on destroying the castle in the center of a clearing. The players work together to defeat the monsters as they attack the castle from all sides by deploying swordsmen, knights, and archers. Strategy changes from one turn to the next, so the players must have clear communication to win. Planning ahead and trading cards for a future turn may help to make sure that a monster is slain before it reaches the castle walls, but luck and chance can affect any semblance of a plan very quickly. There is the possibility that a plague could wipe out all the knights. Maybe each monster feels suddenly compelled to move an extra step forward. Perhaps a boulder comes along, demolishing everything in its path. These random events could drastically hinder any strategy; forcing the group to reevaluate and change tactics. Of course, the random events could also end up working in the favor of the players. That is the beauty of a luck aspect in a board game. The board has different colored and numbered zones. Each type of troop targets an area within these zones; swordsmen closest to the castle walls, knights in the middle, and archers farthest away from the castle. Cards other than troops (such as “Barbarian” and “Nice Shot”) add to the variety of strategies available, making it possible to have a...
by Kali Rocheleau | Mar 5, 2014
Ninja Dice By Greenbrier Games Designed by Justin De Witt with Art by Justin De Witt Gameplay Ninja Dice is a lighthearted game with an interesting twist. Like all fun dice games, it is part luck and part strategy. You are a ninja, encountering guards, residents, and locked areas. Your goal is to collect as much treasure as you can by pacifying as many obstacles as possible, solidifying your rank as the best ninja who ever ninja’d. As you try to collect the right dice combinations to gain treasure, your opponents are attempting to steal treasure and make your time run short. The player with the most treasure at the end of the game wins. This game is for two to four players and runs for about thirty minutes. The most refreshing part of Ninja Dice was the dice location aspect. You get to choose where you place the dice that you are keeping on the table. This is important because when you or your opponents wish to target specific dice, the targeted dice have to fall within the proper territory to become affected. For example: the luck dice have a line along one side. If the luck dice were to add a boost to another dice, the other dice have to be in front of that line. Any dice behind that line are not available to receive a boost of luck. It is the same for when an opponent receives the symbol that allows them to steal treasure. If your dice are in front of the line, your opponent may steal treasure from you. If your dice fall behind that line,...
