Corvus Belli’s popular table top gameInfinity, an intense wargame of counter-espionage set in a sci-fi, high-tech future universe, is the inspiration for a new animated television series courtesy of renowned producer/director Jay Oliva, the animator responsible for nine Warner Bros. films, including the two-part Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Produced by Lex+Otis Studios and TeamTO, the series – Infinity: Paradise Lost – features the vocal talents of Raffi Barsoumian (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Seal Team, The Code), Abubakr Ali (Grendel, Law & Order: Organized Crime), Emily O’Brien (Days of Our Lives, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham), Nick E. Tarabay (Spartacus, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Roshelle Simpson (Gather by the Ghost Light). The show will feature an original score composed by Frederik Weidmann (Star Trek: Picard).
Infinity, the game and its animated series, finds mankind nearly 200 years into an alternate future where humanity has departed Earth and colonized multiple star systems. While there is a shared, albeit tense unity among these planetary factions, conflicts still exist as great nations attempt to maintain control of resources in order to further enhance their grip on power. Aliens are believed to have gone extinct in these star systems – until they begin to arrive. This is where Infinity begins.
“Most table top games are either big armies or smaller models, but Infinity is more like a skirmish game with tons of terrain, like you’re playing on a little diorama – and that visual side really drew me to the game and inspired the animation, Oliva communicated to ageekdaddy.com. There’s a cyberpunk aspect, but also a very Ghost in the Shell feel with holograms and futuristic weaponry. The influences include Dune and some classic sci-fi of the past. It all translated very easily to animation.”
Are you geeked to see a table top game being the basis for a new television show? The sci-fi wargame aspect of Infinity: Paradise Lost definitely has my interest piqued. For more interest about this upcoming science fiction tv series and the game sensation that inspired it, head over to infinitytheuniverse.com
My family LOVES family game nights, so we were GEEKED to be invited to participate in a review of the unboxboardom.com subscription service through this blog's affiliation with U.S. Family Guide.
Looking for a Christmas gift that will keep entertaining its recipient long after the holiday season has passed by? Unboxboardom.com is a subscription service that helps keep family game nights fresh by sending something new out each month to play. Who doesn't love getting something fun in the mail and this subscription service provided entertaining games to play throughout the year.
Each month subscribers can select one of three games featured by unboxboardom.com to be sent to them or agree to be surprised with the subscription service choosing what will be received based upon a customer profile provided to the company about your family. Last month's selections for example were Photosynthesis, Wordoku, or Fuse:
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
In Photosynthesis, take your trees through their life-cycle, from seedling to full bloom to rebirth, and earn light points as their leaves collect energy from the revolving sun’s rays. Carefully pick where you sow and when you grow, as trees in the shadows are blocked from light, and from light points. Players score light points if their trees are in the direct lines of sun rays or taller than the trees blocking them from the sun rays. In a second phase, players use their light points to reserve seeds or trees, then plant or grow them on the board. Points are scored by maturing trees and removing them from the board.
WORDOKU
Create as many words as possible using puzzle tiles printed with both letters and symbols. Use letters to make words while balancing symbols to double your score. Crossword and Sudoku come together for tabletop gaming fun.
FUSE
A real-‐time cooperative dice game for 2-‐5 players where friends work together to quickly save a ship from impending doom! Intruders have infiltrated a ship! Their goal: Total Destruction! Twenty bombs have been detected onboard, and the countdown has begun.
Your elite Bomb Defusal Team (BDT) has been called upon to neutralize the threat. Does your team have what it takes to work through the intricacies of the bombs and defuse them all in time? You'd better get moving, because this game will self-‐destruct in 10 minutes.
Next month three different games will be available for subscribers to receive. Subscribers who choose their own games must make a selection within 5 days of receiving a notification email which arrives at the beginning of the month or the service defaults to the surprise pick option. Games normally arrive about 2 weeks later around the 15th of the month and the service sends subscribers an email with tracking information as it is in route.
Selection emails include the following information about the available games:
Number of players;
Average time the game takes to play;
How "family friendly" is the game;
How much complexity is involved;
Is it a good game for groups;
The UnboxBoardom team's "insider" thoughts/advice about the game.
Still looking for a last minute Christmas gift? Purchase an unboxboardom.com subscription and provide information about it in a card. This is a present that will continue delighting recipients well after this year's Christmas presents have all been unwrapped. The subscription service has earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval. Check out this Geek Daddy's review!
There are three new characters to join in the battle within Disney's Sorcerer's Arena tabletop game from The Op Games. Available now is a THRILLS & CHILLS expansion pack that adds Jack Skellington, Mother Gothel and The Horned King to the gladiatorial arena that pits fan favorites from Disney and Pixar animated movies in combat against each other. These three scary characters can now join Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey, Aladin, Ariel, Dr. Facilier, Demona, Gaston, Maleficient and Sulley from the game's core set in this epic turn-based combat game recommended for ages 13+.
DISNEY'S SORCERER'S ARENA is designed for one on one gameplay or matches of two on two teams making it suited for 2 to 4 players. Matches last about a half hour. The core set is required to utilize expansion packs like "Thrills and Chills". Also available is a "Turning the Tide" themed expansion pack which includes Davey Jones, Moana and Stitch to go along with the Core set and "Thrills & Chills" expansion. Which characters are you most excited to team up in your quest to become the Master Summoner who dominates the Sorcerer's Arena?
The "Thrills & Chills" expansion pack for DISNEY'S SORCERER'S ARENA tabletop game adds three exciting options in Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mother Gothel from Tangled, and The Horned King from The Black Cauldron. Included are acrylic standee figures with bases, a card deck for each character (10 cards per deck), nine status effect tokens, three character turn order tokens, 3 Cauldron Born character tokens, and an ability card for Jack Skellington, Mother Gothel and The Horned King. The expansion pack adds two new mechanics and one status effect not seen in the Core Set. So, there are some fun bonuses to adding this expansion pack beyond just introducing new characters into your battles.
Here are some details about the new heroes and villains entering into Disney's Sorcerer's arena:
THE HORNED KING
The Horned King is one of the most ruthless and merciless villains in a Disney movie whose sole goal is to become a "God between mortal men." He searches for the legendary Black Cauldron that has the power to raise the dead. Upon obtaining it, The Horned King creates an undead legion of soldiers called Cauldron Born.
In Disney's Sorcerer's Arena, The Horned King introduces a new mechanic allowing him to control character tokens for Cauldron Born. These Cauldron Born character tokens are allies to the characters on their Summoner's team and don't have their own moves but rather are controlled by a primary character they are associated with such as The Horned King. His card deck and character skills allow this army of the dead to impact opposing characters within the arena.
The Horned King also introduces constant abilities to the game. These are abilities that are always in effect when the character is in the Arena, including during your other character's turns and during rival Summoners' turns. The Horned King's constant ability is whenever he gains victory points if there are two or fewer Cauldron Born in the arena, another Cauldron Born token is placed in an unoccupied adjacent space.
He has a standard attack of 2 points and standard movement of 1 space per turn as well as a forced march skill which allows him to move one allied Cauldron Born up to 2 spaces each turn. Additionally, The Horned King can be upgraded to give him the ability that at the beginning of each rival's starting phase, that rival takes 1 point of damage for each Cauldron Born token they are adjacent to. The Horned King's action cards that allow him to control an army of Cauldron Born warriors around the game board like chess pawns make him a formidable foe.
MOTHER GOTHEL
Mother Gothel is a witch that utilizes the magical properties of Rapunzel's hair to keep herself perpetually young. She has a standard move rate of 2 spaces and standard attack of 2 points. She has a special skill that allows her to have the top card of a rival Summoner's deck revealed. That Summoner may then choose to either banish the revealed card or Mother Gothel gains a Stealthy advantage.
She also can be upgraded to allow her to force a rival Summoner to reveal their entire hand of cards. Mother Gothel can then banish up to two revealed cards for the same character. Her action cards also provide some wicked magical and backstabbing attacks making her much more deadly than she may appear. Watch out for Mother Gothel because she has the ability to sneak up on other characters, banish their abilities and slit their throats. Don't underestimate her because she doesn't come off as monstrous or overly dangerous as she is a very evil threat.
JACK SKELLINGTON
Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. He serves as the patron spirit of Halloween much the same way Santa Claus and Easter Bunny represent their respective holidays. Yet he strives to expand his jurisdiction beyond just Halloween. He means well but can get himself into trouble because while Jack means well Skellington can be rather naive at times.
He has a standard move rate of 2 spaces and attack worth 2 points of damage. He can help a friend with a skill that allows him to discard a card in his hand in exchange for being able to move a status effect on one character to another ally. Jack Skellington can also be upgraded so that on each of his turns an additional counter token can be added to a status effect.
Jack's action cards have a focus on status effects, especially the new one added into the game through this expansion pack, afraid. Afraid makes a character use all of its movements each turn causing it to take 2 points of damage if coming to rest adjacent to a rival. Skellington also has cards that impact rivals becoming Immobilized, Flustered as well as Afraid. He also can prompt allies to be Strong!
Of the three characters, Jack Skellington has the most health points with 10 needed to be eliminated to vanquish him yet his rivals get the least victory points for defeating him at 5. The Horned King will earn an opposing team 6 victory points by eliminating his eight health points. Mother Gothel is the easiest to take out at 7 health points with the same reward as The Horned King with 6 victory points. These points along with character abilities create strategic considerations when determining whom you want to summon to join your gladiatorial team.
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Dodino Island needs a new ruler! In order to be crowned a perch on the Dodosaurus Egg-throne your Dodo Bird must team up with a dinosaur and win a grueling race around the island. Compete with your choice of twelve Dodo/Dino teams for the chance to be the next ruler of Dodino Island in this board game from Detestable Games and Draco Studios.
Race through exotic locations in this tabletop game with either meeples or minis while throwing bananas, rolling logs, flicking eggs and hurling meteors at your rivals. Dodos Riding Dinos combines strategic card play and the luck of rolling dice for an entertaining game experience. Plus, the physical interactions of having a meteorite crash into the racecourse, a dino tripping over a banana peel, getting your face full of splattered egg or the tickle of a feather causing one of these mighty dinosaur steads to crash are fun elements to the game that add extra excitement and heckling into the fray.
There are twelve plastic minis of the dinosaur and dodo bird teams that come with the game. Each mini comes in a different color or you can paint them to customize the look of each. If you don't want to have a painted mini damaged by being battered by the wood-based bananas, eggs, feathers, logs and meteorites tossed by players on the game board, then there are also wooden meeples of each dino that can be placed upon the race track instead.
There are four tracks to choose from each on a sturdy cardboard base:
DODINO ISLAND
The place where Dodos and Dinos live in peace ... but when the island's leader is crushed by a meteor it is now a race to claim the throne of leadership.
BOREAL SKY
Dodinos Island has curious magnetic effects due to its proximity with Polaria. This causes the appearance of large Auroras Borealis that almost touch the ground in clear night skies. Dinos have discovered they can jump in and run across these light bridges in the night sky.
IGNIS VOLCANO
Your Dodo has fallen into Dodino Island's volcano and you must jump into the crater to rescue them. Keep running and avoid burning your legs with the hot volcanic terrain.
POLARIA ICEBERG
During the winter, it is common to see icebergs near Dodino Island. The strong icy winds make bridges that Dinos sometimes cross to explore these cold lands.
Play each board separately or combine them to make one large competition for the Dodosaurus Egg-throne. Beware that some boards have special hexes to add challenging aspects to the game. For example, beware dangerous shortcuts and deep snow on the Polaria Iceberg! Flame hexes in the Ignis Volcano are difficult to enter but provide some opportunities to burn other players you are racing against.
Each dinosaur comes with a Racer Card that has a cartoonish illustration of the dino. Each card includes a Dodo Bird name based upon a paleontologist and a Dino nick name based upon a dinosaur's name or trivia. It also includes special attributes for each dino. For example, Lio the Liopleurodon can take one card from the deck of an opposing player whenever you are passed plus advance one space. There are also Speed Value Modifiers to provide an artificial intelligence factor when some racers become NPC during Solo or 2-player games.
My family loves dinosaurs so Dodos Riding Dinos was a game night hit in our house. It has rules that are easy to grasp, incorporated dexterity and player interaction into the play, and just provided an overall fun time. It incorporates strategy in the use of card decks but also the luck of the roll of the die or the toss of one of the hazard items also adds some entertaining randomness to a game's outcome. Dodos Riding Dinos absolutely earns a Geek Daddy nod of approval for being a great selection for a family game night.
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We were supposed to spend my kids' Spring Break sightseeing in Manhattan but because of the pandemic it was a week of staying around our house instead. Since we weren't going to be visiting the Big Apple, the kids imagined exploring its neighborhoods and landmarks by playing the New York City edition of the Days of Wonder board game TICKET TO RIDE. It provided for a fun time on a cold afternoon when we were cooped up inside.
In this Days of Wonder tabletop game, players compete to secure the taxi cab routes that usher tourists among landmarks and residents between community hubs. Whoever can secure the most lucrative routes scores the most points to win the game. These are obtained by drawing two types of cards during turns and strategically playing them: Transportation Cards and Destination Tickets.
Routes are a variety of lengths ranging from one to four spaces and can be one of seven different colors. Players can draw cards each turn so that they have a maximum of five cards in their hand at any time. Cards are blue, black, green, pink, red and orange and can be turned in to secure a route by matching the same number and color of cards as spaces on the board game.
Wild cards are also available that let a player match it with other cards as the color of their choice. So you could grab a two space green route with one green card and one wild card or two green cards in your hand. If you don't have a combination of cards for a route you want, a player may have to select another choice on the game board so they can than pick new cards from the deck.
For example, someone may want to grab a three green space route but only has one green card along with solo orange, blue, and pink cards as well as a wild. In that case you would have to secure on the single space colored routes (we'll say blue) to be able to draw another card for your hand. If lucky, the next card would be green and that along with the existing matching card and wild in your hand would let you grab the desired route. But if say a pink card is pulled a player may need to alter their game plan. The randomness of the card pulls is what makes TICKET TO RIDE: NEW YORK fun to play.
Destination Tickets are what adds a competitive edge to this game which can be played by 2 - 4 players. Everyone pulls two Destination Tickets that highlight a path between two locations that a player needs to unite routes so as to create a continuous path. Your Destination Tickets are kept secret from other players during the game. Competitors are supposed to try and guess where each other are trying to go and block their opponents from obtaining all the routes to get there.
For example if you have a Destination Ticket to go from Lincoln Center to the Empire State Building and are able to secure an unblocked path there with your cabs than at the end of the game you will get the 3 points printed on that Destination Ticket added to your score. On the other hand if you have a Destination Ticket to go between the United Nations and Wall Street but are unable to achieve that goal than at the end of the game you will lose the 8 points printed on that card at the end of the game from your final score.
Players who complete both Destination Tickets can pull another one from the deck if they want. This means they could add or possibly lose more points. This is optional though and players can stick with just the ones they drew at the beginning of the game. Every player though has to utilize a minimum of two Destination Tickets during the game. This aspect of the game adds mystery and intensity to TICKET TO RIDE that compliments the randomness of the Transportation Card pulls.
Whoever gains the most points during the game wins. A game ends when all the players have run out of taxis or all the routes have been taken. The game includes score cards to tally everything up.
Points are earned by claiming routes. Players get 1 pt for a one space route, 2 pts for a two space route, four pts for a three space route, and 7 pts for a four space route. See where you've placed your taxi cabs and add up your points.
Next players add or lose points based upon whether or not they completed the Destination Tickets in their hand. So if you didn't get that trip done between the United Nations and Wall Street done subtract 8 pts from your Route Point tally. On the other hand if you completed the task add those points to your score.
Finally you can get +1 bonus points for connecting tourist attractions. These are identified with a cooper circle with a white one number one printed inside. If you have routes that connect between these points add bonus points to your score. So for example if you have all the routes in a circle connecting Central Park, United Nations, the Empire State Building and Times Square that would be four bonus points added to your score. When picking routes keep an eye out for ones that are bookended by two bonus markers.
There you have TICKET TO RIDE: NEW YORK in a nutshell. What I particularly appreciated about this game is that it is rather quick to setup and play. Games average about 15 minutes. So you can pull it off a game shelf and play a few bouts of it during a lazy weekend afternoon or for a family game night. The other day we played six games in about an hour and a half. We had to keep going until my son finally won.
Because my family had a lot of fun playing TICKET TO RIDE: NEW YORK it earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval. If you are looking for a game that isn't too complicated to play yet provides a lot of entertainment value this is the game you have been looking for. I also liked that it is very portable to take along while traveling as well as doesn't take up much space to store at home. A great selection for family gaming fun appropriate for ages 8+ from Days of Wonder. You can pick up the game at a good price from Target.
Inspired by the United States Women's National Team's dominance of Thailand in their opening round 13-0 victory of the ladies World Cup, my daughter gave me a 5-0 beating in Across the Board's Penny Soccer Game after we watched the match on TV. In this mock soccer game, players flick a penny across a board attempting to score goals. While reasonably simple to play, this penny soccer game is a remarkably fun way to spend some time.
The table top game consists of a handcrafted, made in the USA, wood playing surface decorated to resemble a soccer field. White pegs pop out from the playing field to serve as defenders providing a challenge to scoring goals. A bright shiny penny comes along with the game to serve as a soccer ball as well as two metal pegs for keeping score.
HOW TO PLAY
The youngest player starts off the game by placing the penny on the center line of the soccer field. A game kicks off with the player using his or her finger to flick the penny towards the opponent's goal.
It MUST be flicked NOT pushed. Each player flicks the penny once per turn from wherever it rests on the soccer field.
After a goal the penny is placed back at center field for a new kick off by the player who was just scored upon.
The game is won by the first player to score 5 goals. A Penny Soccer Game match lasts about ten to fifteen minutes. Beware though because the game is addictively fun and you are sure to find yourself playing it over and over again.
Across the Board's Penny Soccer Game is an entertaining way to spend some quality family time unplugged from electronics and the Internet. Great for playing indoors on a rainy day, after dinner on the back patio, or taking along on a camping trip. Since the goal of the game is to shoot and score with the flick of a finger it is a sports game playable by all ages. Perfect for a family game night!
ACROSS THE BOARD
Across the Board is a St. Louis family owned and operated workshop specializing in high quality, handcrafted, unique wooden board games. Their table top games are made with premium materials and assembled with a focus on detail and precision. To purchase a Penny Soccer Game for yourself or to learn about their other unique wood crafted games go to acrosstheboardgame.com
At first glance CROZZIT from Identity Games may seem simplistic for a board game because it isn't complicated to play but be assured it will provide hours of challenging and competitive fun. Beware though that playing CROZZIT can become highly addictive. Once my kids started playing CROZZIT they didn't want to stop!
In CROZZIT there are 3 rules, 2 players and 1 winner. Recommended for ages 8 to 88, players must block and cross each other with game pieces as they try to make a connected path across the middle of the game board to their assigned sidelines. CROZZIT can be played fairly quickly for board game standards ranging from 5 to 20 minutes and its layout can quickly be reset so it is easy to keep playing over and over again. Games can become very competitive as players attempt to outmaneuver each other for the win. Some of the best moments of our family game night playing CROZZIT was catching an opponent off guard and surprising them with a move.
Each of the players is assigned a color. One is blue and the other is yellow. The game board has four sidelines with each player having two edges identified with their color. Each player gets 32 game pieces in their color (30 small, 1 large, and 1 XL tiles) to use in creating their connected patch across the board. Each player takes turns placing tiles on the board and the first person to create seamless path connecting his or her two sidelines wins.
There are only three rules to the game which is nice because it allows people to focus on strategizing against their opponent instead of trying to remember a variety of instructions. Here are the 3 Rules:
1) You can place your tiles anywhere on the board except no part of a player's tile can rest on a part of an opponent's game piece. Hint: you can build a bridge to cross it!
2) A tile can't be placed with any part of it resting on the sideline edge of the board.
3) Tiles must touch at least one side of another tile to be connected.
There you have it! Try and connect your tiles while blocking your opponent. The first player that has a path connecting his or her two sides of the board wins the game. This isn't as simple as it sounds though when you have two players who really want to win. My kids had some really great battles with neither wanting to let the other one have a chance to win.
CROZZIT gets A GEEK DADDY nod of approval for being an affordable and enjoyable strategic board game that my family had a considerable amount of fun playing. With its easy to setup and play design, CROZZIT is a great inclusion for any family game night. For more information, please visit identitygames.com
