Are you Ready for The Hunger Games?

After finally getting the book into my hands about two weeks ago I found that I could not put it down.  Despite having a toddler who gets up at 6 AM and a gaming group that on average plays until 11:30 PM - 12 AM, I could not help myself but to keep reading long into the night.  Most nights ended with me battling to keep my eyes open before giving up around the 2:30 AM mark!  I am nearing the finish of the trilogy now and can't wait to see how it has been adapted for screen.  The Hunger Games finally hits theaters this Friday, March 23rd (My Son's Birthday!)  Sorry Logan, your party is on Sunday, Momma's got a date with Daddy and The Hunger Games ;0) To be fair, my birthday is on Monday.



Aside from the Movie release, two new games have hit your friendly local game store.  Wizkids recently released a new board game where players can try their luck in District 12.  The Hunger Games: District 12 brings players into the daily lives of its citizens.  Can you acquire food, clothing, medicine, and fuel to avoid taking Tesserae?  The Reaping is approaching: Who will be selected as Tribute for the Hunger Games? 





First Impressions:
  -Fast easy game play (10 page rule Book!)
  -Stripped down mechanics make it approachable but might not have enough meat for some
   -Apparently everyone is Katniss in this game despite the rules reading like you are any citizen of District 12.  Each player gets a token that is the same picture of Katniss, only its a different color.  This seems a bit odd and out of place.
   -The game has an elimination mechanic that some might find unpleasant. The Glass Ball, while very thematic, could very well take out the player who is winning the game. At the end of the game one of the names is drawn to symbolize the Reaping and unfortunately anyone could lose even without adding any Tesserae.
   -It's a solid game with decent components, but didn't make me feel as desperate as I imagine the citizens of district 12 to be.


Jabberjay has also recently been released by wizkids and is a traitor game much like Werewolf or The Resistance.   It plays between 5-12 players (though there is a coop mode for 4 or less) and has the same split into two teams mechanic as The Resistace. One is a smaller group of District citizens who know each other’s identity, and the second is a larger one of Capitol citizens who don’t. Our group has yet to get this to the table, but I will be sure to point you to our podcast review as soon as we do.





Back in 2012, Wizkids released The Hunger Games: Training Days making three titles in all. The question now becomes will these two titles have the same fate as Training Days, or will they prove to be solid game closet contenders?

And one final thing...The one thing our group immediately noticed with all of these games is that none of them capture the struggle in the arena.  Instead they focus on the training (Training Days), surviving daily life in district 12 (District 12) and the rebellion (Jabberjay).  Is there an Arena game in the future?  We hope so!

Movie Geeks: Toddlers at the Movies

Since the birth of our son, my husband and I have longed for the day when we could take him to see his first movie at the theater.  Sure he went with us when he was very young, but the period between when he began to crawl and the time he was able to sit interested in a TV program seemed like years for a couple who consider themselves movie geeks.  I was one of those pregnant moms crazy enough to go see avatar in the imax when I was 8 months pregnant!  We naturally positioned ourselves in the center in order to get the best view, making frequent bathroom breaks a major no no.  Not only did I make it through the movie with only one bathroom break, but I also had a large drink with me that I finished by about half way through, talk about will power!  Anyways, now that Logan is turning 2, we decided it was time to try the movies again with toddler in tow.  The new adaptation of The Lorax provided the perfect opportunity for this.

The Lorax has been one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories since I was a child and one that I watched over and over as a kid.  I was very interested to see what this new version added or detracted from my fond childhood memories of the original story.





 Luckily I was please with the result as was my son who made it through the movie with flying colors, laughing at jokes and point things out that he recognized throughout the film.  How was his first movie such a success?  Here are the steps my husband and I took to ensure that we left the theater happy rather than embarrassed and ashamed at our attempt.

 First things first, make sure you choose the right time of the day.  For Logan, the time between 3 PM and 7 PM is his most relaxed.  He has had his nap and he is energized for the rest of the afternoon, expecting dinner around 5:30 to 6:00 PM.  This brings me to my second piece of advice; choose a non traditional movie theater.  Chunky's is a convenient little chain here in New Hampshire where the theater meets the drive-in meets a restaurant.  This is perfect for Logan because he can eat while watching the film which helps to keep him occupied and avoid boredom.  It is also packed with families making it a little more forgiving when your child decides to talk or gets upset in the middle of a show.  Most of the people understand and will not glare at you for the rest of the evening.
You could also look for theaters that host “Mommy-and-me” movies just for parents and their young children, (Chunky's also does this) so the rest of the audience will be extra understanding of your movie-goer trainee.
Another good choice would be the drive-in.  This set up works particularly well because parents can usually find a children's film and an adult film bundled together.  Do make sure the movie you are taking them to see is one that they will be interested in.  This allows your toddler to watch the first one and with any luck fall asleep while mommy and daddy watch the second.  This worked great the first time we went.  Logan sat and watched The Smurfs contently in his car seat, ate some snacks from the concession stand and fell asleep at the beginning of the second movie.  This cannot be guaranteed through, as my husband I will attest.  Because of the success on our first outing, we decided to go again one night and no matter what we did, Logan refused to fall asleep and was not happy playing with any of the toys we brought to distract him.  I remember finally giving up and letting my husband watch Captain America alone, while I strolled around with Logan trying to get him to sleep.  You win some you loose some, right!  On a positive note, because you are outside, your toddler can be louder and have toys to occupy himself during the show when they actually occupy him.  Even better, the one near us has a playground and food concession stand which makes it even more convenient for a restless toddler who needs an energy release.  I think the next time we go we will use the personal DvD player or even my phone as a distraction now that he is so fluent with technology.  Two years old and he can already work my Android without much trouble and he loves his Alphabet App!
This leads me to my 3rd and final piece of advice for taking your toddler along to a movie.  Be sure to arrive at a time that will ensure decent seats but not leave your toddler sitting and waiting for a long stretch.  If you know that there will be some down time, make sure you have items that will keep him engaged packed away in your purse.  My purse is always equipped with a sucker, his mini magnadoodle, some other small snack (usually goldfish or cheerios), and of course my phone complete with toddler apps and you tube!  (This is also a great secret weapon for waiting in restaurants)
And finally...If you do opt for the traditional movie theater, be sure to pick a week day afternoon, when your chances of disturbing other movie goers will be at a minimum and choose aisle seats so you can scoot to the bathroom or make a quick exit if necessary.  And if at first you don't succeed, wait a couple months and try it again :0)

Hands On Impressions: The Adventurers: The Pyramid of Horus

Deep in the desert lies a newly discovered pyramid.  You are one of eight skilled adventurers daring enough to explore its secrets within.  The question is, will you make it out alive???

 

Filled with mummies, snakes, scorpions, and Egyptian Gods, The Adventurers: The Pyramid of Horus takes you on a new adventure into perilous conditions.  This is the second in the Adventrurers series with eight new characters and a new set of dangers to avoid.

If you recall, The Adventurers: The Temple of Chac presented players with a rushing river, lava pit, and a Giant Boulder!  So naturally, I was excited to try this new standalone version.  Like The Temple of Chac, you control an adventurer attempting to gather valuable treasure before becoming trapped within.  In this scenario, the Pyramid is crumbling and the ceiling is caving in.  You never know which ceiling block will fall, and if you are not careful, you may become trapped inside forever.  The further you explore, the more valuable the treasure becomes.  As you gather more and more artifacts, your backpack gets heavier and heavier, making it harder to move.  Also, with dangers lurk around every corner, the sting from a nasty scorpion or the strike of a venomous snake could slow you down even more!  Gather what you can and get out alive!!

The Good
  *The game feels very much like the first Adventurers and makes learning the rules a cinch.  We read the rules, set the game up, and were playing within 10 minutes.  (There were a few times we needed to check the rule book during play, but not many)
  *The components are a nice quality and the board draws you in visually.  I especially like the feeling the blocks give to the game as they begin to fill up the space and you realize that time is running out!
  *The game plays in about 45 minutes making it a great choice for family game nights or gatherings. And bonus! You can talk to your kids about the Egyptian Gods, pyramids, etc and get a history lesson in as well ;0)

The Not So Good
   *The game doesn't draw you in the same as The Temple of Chac.  There is a distinct path in the first game.  In this one, you go out the way you came in.  Something about that made the game feel less exciting. 
   *All of the cards do not fit on the board.  I understand that a board can only be so big, but when all the gods cards have nice spots accept one, that seems a little odd and sloppy to me.  It doesn't really affect anything though.
   *Once you've played the game, you know the strategy and where to go.  There seems to be less mystery in this version.  There are no puzzles to solve and I think if I was given a choice to play on or the other, the Temple of Chac would win every time simply because it has more replay value.

All in all it is a good game that was worth a try, but perhaps not worth a permanent spot on my game shelf.

 

 

Holidays, Moving, and Plenty of Games

Welcome to 2012!  I know, I know...It's been a while.  Life's been a bit of a whirl wind and I am just now getting back into the swing of things.  December marked the rental of our first home, purchase of our second, Christmas (and with it all the travel), and the move into our NEW HOUSE!  Now that my family has finally settled in and Logan has his brand new room complete with big boy bed, I can get back to sharing my excitement of all things geeky :O)  Let me tell you, having a toddler out of his element and typical schedule for a month can be quite trying!!!

To start off this new year, I thought I would share the games I enjoyed with my family over the holidays. It was not as exciting as past years, but this year seemed to focus more on Family games that our WHOLE family could play.

The number one biggest hit of this Christmas was Tok Tok Woodman.  Similar to Jenga, but ohhh so much more fun!! Instead of sliding pieces and stacking them up, players use an ax to chop at the bark of the tree, taking care to leave the trunk intact.  My niece found this game particularly exciting and it was great that she could share a gaming experience with the adults (not always an easy thing to accomplish).






Hey That's My Fish was another hit this year.  Though it was nothing new for me or my husband, our family enjoyed it's light strategy.   In the game, each player moves their penguins across the ice in straight lines to gather fish.  Each time they leave an iceberg it disappears and creates a gap that cannot be crossed later.  The winner is the one who gathers the most fish before becoming trapped.  I couldn't believe we hadn't ever brought it.  I was such a perfect fit for our family.  I guess it's easy to miss games when you are engrossed in them all year long :0)

Logan was introduced to his first game this year too: Lucky Ducks: Sesame Street Edition.  When I saw it I could think of nothing more perfect for his first game.  There's nothing special about the game, but for Logan it had everything he could hope for...Duckies (his favorite animal) and Ernie (his favorite Sesame Street character)!  What more could we ask for!





Here's a list of some of the other games we enjoyed over the break.
Quarriors
Sorry Sliders
Time Line
Bears!
Scrabble Flash Cubes
Flash Point
and of course Time's Up (one of our families most anticipated Christmas games!)

What games did you get to enjoy this year???

 

Hands On Impressions: Castle Panic: The Wizard's Tower

When you think of Castle Panic by Fireside Games, you probably think of a fun cooperative game for the whole family.  With the addition of the new Wizard's Tower Expansion, the game transforms from a straight forward family game to a more challenging gamer game.  Don't get me wrong, it still plays very much the same as the original, but the expansion adds new layers that provide more depth and excitement for the typical gamer.

The Wizard's Tower Expansion adds several New Monsters (including 6 Bosses), Powerful Wizard cards, nifty little Flame tokens (for when monsters and the tower catch fire - Totally Cool!), a nice token bag to hold all the monster tokens, and of course the Wizard's Tower.

 

The 6 new Boss tokens include a Chimera, Dragon, Necromancer, Baslisk, Hydra, and Warlock, all with interesting new abilities. For example, on our first play,  we encountered the Necromancer who puts 2 monsters from the discard pile back into the draw, but who dies on contact with the wall.  He also adds monsters back to the draw for each life he has left. We also ran into the Warlock and the Hydra.

Our first game was quite fun.  We had several moments where we thought all hope was lost, but we battled back and ended up victorious (even if it was by the skin of our teeth).  In the end we only had the Wizard's Tower and the wall in front of it left!  Imps are so annoying, and its best not to catch the tower on fire!!!

I have to say that this version of the game requires a lot more discussion and team work to succeed, and it seems to run a little longer than the original.  Also, due to all the new monsters, your first few games will require more visits to the rule book.  It's not a bad thing, just something to be aware of when you pick it up for the first time.  One thing's for sure, you definitely want to protect that Wizard's Tower.  We lost it at one point and we thought we were done for.  Luckily we were able to build it again and regain our ground with an epic play that took out two bosses and a climbing troll in one fell swoop!

So, if you are a fan of the base game, but were hoping for a little more substance or just a little more variety, definitely give the expansion a try.  You won't regret it!

Martians and Zombies and Bears, Oh My!

If your looking for a fun and fast way to pass the time between the Turkey and Pumpkin Pie this Thanksgiving, then look no further.  Dan, Brian and I took a look at three quick and easy dice games that are sure to make you giggle with delight.  Whether you are a fan of the Wild Outdoors, Martians, or Zombies, all three of these compact dice games offer simple game play, easy set up, and great flavor.  Just open one up and your ready to play!

Each of these three games offers slightly different game play.  Zombies and Martian dice both offer a turn based game that is risk and reward.  These games are great for engaging in conversations while playing the game.


In Zombie Dice you play as the zombie trying to eat as many brains as possible without getting shot.  The game offers three colors of dice, Green, Yellow, and Red, that represent the risk involved when rolling.  If on your turn you grab a yellow and two green dice, then you have a good chance of surviving the roll and getting brains.  If you grabbed a yellow and two red dice then you may not be so luck.  Each die has footsteps, brains, and gun blasts.  Brains are good, Blasts are bad, and footsteps mean you have to roll it again.


In Martian Dice you play as the Martians trying to collect data from Earth.  You are particularly interested in the Human, Chicken, and Cow species.  On your turn you roll the dice to try and collect each of the three species and avoid being destroyed by tanks.  Unlike Zombie Dice, each of the dice in this game is equal and you roll all dice at the same time.



Bears! is a very different experience.  Though it is packaged very much the same way as the other two, this dice game is much more a group affair.  In Bears! everyone rolls simultaneously and tries to collect sets of dice from the center of the table.  Each player has a set of 5 white dice, and the center of the table has 5 black dice for each player in the game.  Once person roles the black dice (which contain images of bears and tents), then everyone rolls their white dice and races to make sets of black and white dice.  As soon as all the bears or tents have been taken from the middle of the table someone yells BEARS! and you score your sets.  Its fast and fun, and it gets everyone involved!

Personally, I'm a huge fan of having everyone involved and think that Bears! has a slight edge over the others, but that's just me.  Still, all three have a place in our game closet, and I would never say no if someone asked me to play.  So, take your pick, toss it in your bag, and get rolling this Thanksgiving!

Hear which dice game Brian and Dan enjoyed most here...Martians and Zombies and Bears, Oh My!

I Am The Lorax!

Just in case you missed this, The Lorax is coming to a theatre near you!




"I am the Lorax.  I speak for the trees!  I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues...."  Ever since I was a young girl, I have adored this tale of the glorious Truffula trees.

The Once-ler, enamored by these gorgeous trees, decides to use their beautiful foliage to knit a "Thneed."  You see, a thneed is a thing that all people need!  The thneed is such a success that the Once-ler calls upon his relatives to come help manufacture more thneeds.  The Lorax pleads for him to stop, but he is ignored.

Unfortunately, the Once-ler learns too late what his greed has done to the land, and as the last Truffula tree gets chopped down, the Thneed factories close down and the Once-ler's family departs, leaving the Once-ler alone with the Lorax.

As the Lorax sadly departs through a hole in the smog, he leaves behind a small pile of rocks with the word "UNLESS" inscribed into them.  Unless someone lilke you cares a whole awful lot...

This message has stuck with me throughout the years, making me more conscious of the environment and my impact on it.  It's a message that I hope to pass along to my own son, and I can't think of a better tale than The Lorax.  Thanks you Theo Geisel for such a wonderful story.

The movie is aiming for a March 2, 2012 release to coincide with what would have been the 108th birthday of Seuss.  I hope you join me in celebrating this fantastically fun story written by an amazing storyteller.