Harry Potter HOGWARTS BATTLE Game

**A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

Grab some butter beer and magical wands as you venture to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter when playing USAopoly's cooperative deck-building card game HOGWARTS BATTLE.  We had a fun Harry Potter themed Family Game Night that my kids really got into dueling the villainous forces of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.  In this card game, four players each take on the role of a Hogwarts student (Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Neville) to defend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the sinister Death Eaters.  During each player's turn he or she needs to gain influence to utilize powerful spells, recruit allies to render assistance, and uncover magical items for a chance to be victorious in winning HOGWARTS BATTLE.

There are 7 individual games each associated with one of the books from the Harry Potter fantasy novels packaged together within HOGWARTS BATTLE which increase in difficulty as players progress through them.  The first two are meant to serve as an orientation for the rules and a chance to learn to play the game.  Once players are comfortable with playing they can really dive into the action of the next five games culminating with a final showdown versus the Dark Lord and his cronies in Game 7.  Players can play through all seven games consecutively all at once or they can just focus on individual games in shorter increments depending on their skill level and available time.  For our family game night, we spent an hour and a half on Games 1 & 2 of HOGWARTS BATTLE mastering how to play and had a lot of fun.

The game revolves around a master board that contains cards identifying locations (that the heroes and villains battle for control of), villains (that each have special abilities) and dark arts (which have a variety of detrimental effects brought about each turn). If players defeat all the villains before the evil doers gain control of all the locations (which number varies in each of the seven games) the forces of good prevail to win the game; but if the bad guys gain control of the locations first the game is lost!

The game board also includes six face up HOGWARTS cards which players can acquire to enhance their personal decks by earning influence tokens to select cards.  Only six of these cards are showing and available to select at any time but a new card is pulled from a deck on the game board to replace selected ones ensuring all the spots are filled throughout the game.  These cards allow players to utilize magical items like the Sorting Hat, have an ally like Hagrid come to their aid, or utilize a spell to conjure up a special benefit.

Each player then sets in front of them a layout that includes cards that identify his or her selected hero (Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Neville) and serve as a reminder about how to progress through your individual turn.  There is also an individual players board that tracks your characters health and the tokens that have been earned.which can be used to attack villains or purchase HOGWARTS cards.  Additionally each player has their own personal deck of cards with spells, magical items and allies unique to each character.  For example Harry has a Hedwig ally card, Hermione has a Time-Turner magical amulet, Ron has Every Flavor Jelly Beans to get out of a jam, and Neville has his frog Trevor.  Each of the characters has a variety of these special allies and items available just to them in their personal decks but all of their spells are pretty much the same which make those available through the HOGWARTS deck even more valuable to obtain.

Your hero's deck consists of ten cards which are shuffled so you start out with five random cards in your playable hand.  All your up-facing cards need to be utilized during the turn and placed in a discard pile.  Each new turn you draw five new cards from your down deck plus HOGWARTS cards gained are also incorporated into each player's personal set of cards as the game goes on.  When a player runs out of cards to draw from they reshuffle the discard pile and place them down in the starting spot to pull as allowed.

While these rules at first may seem difficult and complex, once you start playing HOGWARTS BATTLE they are very easy to get a grasp on and the game very quickly becomes a very exciting and entertaining experience.  With every turn you'll enjoy the challenge overcoming adversaries and obstacles while defending locations from the Harry Potter books and movies including Diagon Alley, the Chamber of Secrets, and the Hogwart's Quidditch Pitch.  HOGWARTS BATTLE can be played solo but I'd recommend playing it with the full four players to enjoy the comradery of tackling the threat of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters along with a group of your friends.



What's really nice about HOGWARTS BATTLE is that instead of competing against each other players act as a team to win the game.  Players have to think strategically and communicate with one another.  Utilizing character's individual strengths and gaining HOGWARTS cards ally characters, spells, and magical items draws all the players into the game and gets everyone participating.  It really is great for a family game night or to play among a group of friends.

The HOGWARTS BATTLE cooperative deck-building card game from USAopoly has earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval for being an out-of-the-ordinary game playing experience that is really fun to engage in plus is filled with many of the elements that have made the Harry Potter franchise popular with kids and adults alike.  For more information about the game, please visit the USAopoly website.  Harry Potter HOGWARTS BATTLE is available to purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Entertainment Earth, GameStop and the Warner Brothers Shop.

5-MINUTE DUNGEON CARD GAME

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

Adventure card games can often be daunting and time consuming but that is not the case with 5-MINUTE DUNGEON from the award-winning game publisher Wiggles 3D.  In this game, two-to-five players join together as fantastic heroes to battle monsters and overcome obstacles as they must conquer a dungeon and defeat a level boss within 5 minutes.  There are five dungeon levels to choose from and with randomly selected cards determining the encounters and challenges faced each time you play the game it is a unique, entertaining experience.  With easy to grasp rules and a short time span, 5-MINUTE DUNGEON is a great way to have fun with family and friends.

I liked that instead of competing against one another, players have fun cooperating with one another working together for a victory.  It was really great to have my kids spending time having fun working together instead of feuding when playing a game.  The game doesn't drag on as the five minute time limit to complete a dungeon level has players racing against the clock. With no time to form a carefully-considered plan, and no predicting what dangers lie ahead, communication and teamwork are the name of the game, crucial to surviving the 5-MINUTE DUNGEON. The great artwork and humorous illustrations for the creatures and obstacles you'll encounter in the dungeons such as "A Cactus That Wants a Hug," "The Carpal Tunnel," and "An Overpriced Merchant," also provide a light-hearted, giggly atmosphere.  I'm sure you'll enjoy playing this game as much as my family has so I'd encourage you to check out Wiggles 3D Kickstarter campaign that is launching on November 1, 2016 to support distribution of the game.

The Kickstarter campaign rewards financial backers with access to Early Bird Copies like the one A Geek Daddy received, Collector Editions, exclusive content and more.  As the campaign proceeds, Kickstarter contributors will also unlock some great stretch goals which include linen-coated cards, high-quality game mats, and collectible figurines. Contribution levels range from $5 for a print-and-play copy of the game to $26.25 for a Standard Edition of the game that also includes all the stretch goals unlocked during the campaign to $45 for the Standard Edition + a Dungeon Master Edition which will have a more stylish box and higher quality components.  This really is an affordable Kickstarter campaign to participate in for a great product.

To start off 5-MINUTE DUNGEON each player selects a hero character that has its own card mat, special attributes, and deck of symbol and action cards.  Which will you choose to play as?

Next pick a Dungeon level to play and place its mat on the table with door cards stacked on top of it. Flip over the top door card and start the timer! You have 5 minutes to defeat every monster, person or obstacle that lurk on the other side of the door cards....plus the dungeon boss too!

Defeat each door card by matching the symbols on it with symbols printed on the cards in players hands selected from their hero's deck.  Or instead of a symbol card you may want to use one of your action cards which depending on its special feature may allow a player to instantly defeat a monster or overcome an obstacle. 

There are NO TURNS so anyone can play the cards needed to defeat the challenge presented by a door card.  After you’ve dealt with all the door cards, it’s time to take on the big boss himself whose symbols players need to match are displayed at the bottom of a Dungeon mat.

In Dungeon Level 1 for example, you have to battle Baby Barbarian! Bosses take a lot more resources to defeat than any door card.  Once the big boss has been defeated the dungeon has been conquered and you can play it again or move up to dungeons with a higher level of difficulty. To stay on track with the 5 minute deadline, there is a FREE timer app available on both iOS and Android as an accessory to the game.



You WIN if your team conquers a dungeon.  There are three ways though the dungeon can get the best of your party.  If time runs out before your team defeats the Dungeon Boss, if all the players during the game run out of cards, or if your party is unable to match the symbols of a door card in the dungeon and cannot use a hero ability or action card to move past it then you LOSE the game.  Well actually no one really loses because even if you can't conquer the dungeon everyone will still enjoy having a fantastic time playing this game.

I really recommend 5-MINUTE DUNGEON as a family game night selection or for kids to play with their friends because it is a short, fast-paced, exciting game where you won't have to worry about children getting bored or losing their attention span with.  Great for casual gamers and advanced players alike, you are sure to have a good time battling your way through the humor-filled fantasy world of 5-Minute Dungeon.  To learn more about this adrenaline-fueled adventure card game, please visit 5MinuteDungeon.com and I truly hope that you'll consider supporting Wiggle 3D's Kickstarter campaign.

Learn How To Draw Zootopia Characters Like A Disney Animator

My kids are wild with excitement that we're going on a family outing this weekend to see Walt Disney Studio's newest animated feature film, ZOOTOPIA, at the movie theater. ZOOTOPIA arrived at theaters across the United States today and my kids have been wanting to see this movie since we began seeing trailers featuring a catchy theme song by Shakira while at the movies last year. It looks to be a funny, upbeat story that parents and children can equally appreciate. I'm sure all of us adults can appreciate the sloths working at the department of motor vehicles though kids under 16 may not get the humor. With a cute bunny as its star, comedic moments, and an energetic musical score this looks to be a perfect movie for families with young children to go see.



Have you ever wondered what it takes to bring the illustrated characters in a Walt Disney animated movie to life? Think you have the artistic talent to do it yourself? Check out these two videos from the production team of ZOOTOPIA showing how to draw the movie's characters Judy (Bunny) and Flash (Sloth). Have some fun giving it a shot trying to draw these two ZOOTOPIA characters yourself just like a Disney movie studio animator.



My wife and son are really talented when it comes to drawing, me not so much. For those of us who prefer leaving the drawing to those with a more artistic touch, we can still create our own Flash and Judy masterpieces by printing out and decorating these ZOOTOPIA coloring sheets A GEEK DADDY was provided courtesy of Walt Disney Studios. Go wild coloring Judy Hopps, Flash, Nick Wilde, Mr. Big and other characters from the world of ZOOTOPIA!



The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia which is the backdrop for this new family friendly animated adventure from Walt Disney Studios is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it's a melting pot where animals from every environment live together -- a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when rookie police officer Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a force of big tough animals isn't so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with fast talking, scam artist fox Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) to solve the mystery.

#ZOOTOPIA

Family Movie Night - Big Hero 6

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BigHero6Release #CollectiveBias

Enjoying a Family Movie Night has become a frequent Friday evening occasion at our house.  So when the Academy Award Winning Movie for Best Animated Film, which was also my son's favorite movie in 2014, BIG HERO 6 was released February 24, 2015 on blu-ray and dvd we immediately had a family movie night that weekend to enjoy it.  My daughter and I swung by our local Walmart the day it was released to pick up the movie for our home video library and to grab a few other Big Hero 6 themed goodies for our night of family fun and bonding.  Whether shopping online at www.walmart.com or stopping by one of their brick-and-mortar locations, Walmart has a great selection of Big Hero 6 videos, toys, books and other merchandise.

We always like to try to incorporate some fun activities into our Family Movie Nights to make them a little bit more special than just watching a film together.  Since a big part of Big Hero 6 involves the characters' interest, accomplishments, and interactions with scientific topics, my wife and I decided to incorporate some demonstrations and experiments for our kids to do using everyday household items from our kitchen before we watched the movie.  So we made some rock candy for our movie treat, created a mad scientist concoction, and attempted a color symphony.

Like the character Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6, my 6 year old twins have peanut allergies which often makes providing them with snacks tricky.  A safe candy where we don't have to worry about food allergy ingredients or contamination that you can make yourself at home is ROCK CANDY, and the process itself provides an educational and entertaining way to point out some interesting information about chemistry and crystals with children.  The downside though is you are giving children candy that is made 100% of sugar (which can get kids really wound up) and it takes a great deal of patience to do it yourself and get it done right.  You really need to provide yourself 5 to 7 days to let the crystals form enough for an edible treat.
 

INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS (ROCK CANDY)

Glass Jar
Clothes Pin
Wood Skewer or Stick
2 Cups of Water
4 Cups of Granulated Sugar
Food Coloring **optional**

STEP 1:  Wet your wood skewer or stick and roll it in sugar.  This will provide a base layer for the crystals that will become the candy to attach to when they start forming.  Set the skewer/stick aside to dry while you next begin to make a sugary syrup.

STEP 2:   Place the water in a pan and bring it to a boil.  Once the water is at a boil begin adding the sugar one cup at a time not adding the next cup until the previous one has dissolved into the water.  Stir the water after each addition to help the process of dissolving the sugar into the water.  Continue to stir and boil the water until all of the sugar has been absorbed into the water creating a syrup.

STEP 3:  Remove the pan from the stove.  If you want to add food coloring now is the time placing 3-4 drops into the syrup and stirring the pan to ensure even consistency.

STEP 4:  Let the syrup cool for 10 minutes then pour it into your selected glass jar.

STEP 5:  Place your wood skewer/stick into the jar so that it is within the syrup but not touching any of the sides of the jar.  Hold it into place by using a clothes pin to secure the skewer/stick into place at the top of the jar.  Your skewer/stick should be at least 1 inch from the bottom of the jar.

STEP 6:  Set your jar in a cool place where it won't be disturbed or in an extensive amount of sunlight.  Crystals should begin forming on the skewer/stick within 3 to 5 hours.  The sugar was dissolved by the water when it was boiling but as the water cools it can't continue to absorb the sugar which re-emerges as crystals which are attracted to the wood in the skewer/stick.  If you don't see crystals forming within 24 hours on your skewer/stick you'll need to start over again.

STEP 7:  Allow the crystals 3 to 7 days to grow to your preferred size.  When you are ready remove the crystals from the jar, allow to dry for a few minutes and voila you have yourself Rock Candy!

In addition to making the Rock Candy, we also tried out two science experiments with mixed success.  First to show off how two stable items can be mixed together to cause a volatile chemical reaction we created a mad scientist concoction.

INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS (Mad Scientist Concoction)

Glass or Plastic Cup/Bottle
1/4 cup of vinegar
2 tablespoons of baking soda
1 tablespoon of jello mix **optional**

STEP 1:  Place the baking soda in your cup or bottle.

STEP 2:  If you would like your concoction to have some color add the jello mix of your preference to the baking soda within the cup/bottle

STEP 3:  Pour the vinegar into the cup/bottle so that it mixes with the baking soda.

STEP 4:  Grab a sponge or rag to clean up as your children observe a bubbly mess that is created from the chemical reaction of these items being mixed together.  The bubbles are created and filled by carbon dioxide which is formed when the vinegar (acid) reacts with the baking soda (a base).

Next we tried an experiment called the Color Symphony.  Kids that like art class will enjoy this!

INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS (Color Symphony)

A Flat Tray
Food Coloring - at least 3 colors
Whole Milk - low fat milk will not work!
Liquid Dish Soap

STEP 1:  Pour milk over the tray so that its entire surface is just barely covered.

STEP 2:  Add 3-4 drops of food coloring from each different color at various spots on the tray.

STEP 3:  Add 5-7 drops of the liquid dish soap on top of each of the food coloring spots.

STEP 4:  Enjoy a Symphony of Colors - the dish soap will go after the fat in the milk as it does the food coloring will scatter and mix creating a colorful display.



Unfortunately, it didn't work out that well for us though because we used 2% Milk and you really need to use Whole Milk to get the whole impact of the demonstration.  A teachable moment about always reading instructions carefully! While we didn't get a symphony of colors, my kids did see how when you add various chemicals together they trigger reactions.  When we added milk, soap and food coloring together the food coloring quickly expanded within the milk when the soap was added.  It unfortunately didn't have the burst of colors that would have occurred from there being fat included within the mix.

So after we cleaned up our experiments, we grabbed our rock candy and enjoyed our feature presentation BIG HERO 6.  This animated, family friendly movie focuses on the special bond that develops between a giant plus-sized inflatable robot named Baymax and a young prodigy named Hiro Hamada.  When tragedy strikes these two team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes who try to right a wrong.  This movie based on a Marvel comic book series is filled with both action and drama which makes it a perfect selection for a family movie night.

If you grab this movie from Walmart, they have two exclusive blu-ray packages while supplies last.  One package has a bonus dvd featuring The Science of Big Hero 6 which is what we picked up to go along with our family movie night's science theme.

The other exclusive Walmart blu-ray package has a VUDU INSTA WATCH feature.  When you purchase a Big Hero 6 Blu-ray/DVD + INSTA WATCH it includes a digital movie on Vudu while supplies last.  Simply scan your receipt using the Savings Catcher in the Walmart app.  Then look for a message on your phone or email.  Now you can watch Big Hero 6 on any device!

So is your family as excited about Big Hero 6 coming to home video as ours? How are you geeking out to enjoy this movie with your family?

Help make a LEGO Han Solo Building Block Blaster a Reality...Vote for it to be built on the Lego Ideas Page

Who's quicker to the draw....Greedo or Han Solo?  Well no matter who really shot first Greedo is the one that ends up on the floor with a smoking hole in his chest so we know who won that battle.  Next to the light saber, Han Solo's pistol is one of the most recognized props from the Star Wars movies.  How would you like to own your very own?  Lego Master Builder Julius von Brunk recently did just that by building a full-size replica from LEGO Building Blocks.

Brunk's laser pistol is made out of 400 LEGO pieces and features a pullable trigger that activates light and sound effects.  It is "Impressive, Most Impressive" to quote a certain Darth Vader.  So want one of your very own?  Here is a link to the instructions so you can build your very own. 

Problem is that Brunk's instructions are a wee bit complicated for the rest of us non-Master Builder types.  Ah Ha! there is another option for the rest of us ... have LEGO create a mass production version that is customized to make it easy enough for the average consumer to pop and click it together.  The LEGO IDEAS web site allows fans to petition for products to be created and ideas that receive enough online support are reviewed by the company for consideration for being produced and sold by it.  The new LEGO Scientists pack (LEGO SHATTERS THE BUILDING BLOCK CEILING) that was recently introduced originated through the LEGO IDEAS program. 

To get a project off the ground though it takes 10,000 votes on the LEGO IDEAS page to get things rolling.  If you'd like to be able to pick up a DL-44 blaster pistol off a store shelf one day, rush over to the LEGO IDEAS web site and cast your vote in support of Brunk's idea.  CLICK HERE to vote.

Get those votes in by hitting the blue "support" button on the right side of the DL-44's LEGO IDEA page and spread the word about this creative idea.  Let's make this happen!