Game– Ticket to Ride

Producer-Days of Wonder

Price– $35-45

TL;DR– Theme doesn’t stop this train! 92.5%

 

Basics– Around America in seven days!  In Ticket to Ride, you play one of five different friends who are obsessed with  Phileas Fogg, the man who went around the world in 80 days.  Based on Fogg’s story, the players make a one million dollar bet to see who can make it to the most cities in seven days.  In the game, players can do one of three different things on their turn to travel across America:  collect tickets, collect routes, or spend tickets to travel.  When a player collects tickets, they draw one or two tickets.  These tickets can be one of five revealed tickets or from the draw pile.  If a player draws a wild card from the revealed tickets that is the only ticket they can draw that turn.  When a player collects routes, they draw three routes and must keep one.  Routes are worth positive points if a player has connected the cities on the card at the end of the game, but, the card could be worth negative points if the player does not complete the route.  The last action a player can do is spending tickets to place trains on the board.  To place trains on a path on the board, a player must spend enough tickets of the same color as the path.  Some paths are gray and allow the player to spend any color ticket as long as they spend the same color tickets.  Each time a player places trains on the board, they earn points based on how long the path is.  Play continues until one player has two or less trains in reserve.  Then all players get one last turn, and then the game is over.  After counting points from route cards the player with the most points wins!

 

Theme-I’ll be honest.  I’ve played this game a lot, but, I didn’t read the story until I finally bought the game.  The story reinforces the theme decently and helps makes the title “Ticket to Ride” make sense.  Some of the mechanics don’t quite reinforce the theme as once you have a route it doesn’t leave the board.  Do you get to keep the tickets you have for that route in the game?  Do you get to keep riding the trains for free?  Why can’t other players ride the same train as me?  It’s not perfect, but I do feel like I’m busy trying to make it across America as fast as I can. 3.5/5

 

Mechanics-Ticket to Ride has some of the slickest mechanics out there.  My simple summary above is almost all the rules you need to play the game.  The game is quick, fun, and family friendly for almost all ages.  Even though the game doesn’t have the insane depth of some other games, a surprising amount of strategy emerges in this game.  Since goals are secrete, you never know when your best laid plans will go up in smoke.  That tension is amazing for a simple game. 5/5

 

Instructions-The instructions are four pages.  Not four pages front and back, two pages front and back.  Since the rules are not complex, the rules don’t need an epic to teach the players.  I do like the art and pictures that help to teach how to play.  Brevity is the height of wit with these rules. 5/5

 

Execution-The box is nice and hardy.  The path indicators are cute plastic trains that are a nice addition to the game.  The board has a nice layout and is easy to read.  AND, I know the Days of Wonder LOVES me since the game comes with plastic bags for each player’s components.  I absolutely love when a company does that! 5/5

 

Summary-I love this game.  It’s quick, family friendly, and always good to see making it to the table.  The theme is slightly off, but the mechanics, instructions, and execution of the game make up for that hands down.  Really worth trying if you get the chance. 92.5%

Product-Pathfinder Campaign Setting-Inner Sea Combat

Producer– Paizo

Price– $20

TL; DR– A little long to keep me entertained. 77%

 

Basics– MORTAL COMBAT!  Inner Sea Combat focuses on marital characters and how to build these characters and their world into your Pathfinder Game.  The book starts by discussing nations and their interactions with martial characters.  Next, the book adds feats and a discussion on how specialized martial characters function within the rules of Pathfinder.  After specialization, the book moves to schools/guilds and rules to operate these in Pathfinder.  From schools, the books present new prestige classes and archetypes for classes from barbarian to the rogue.  The last section of the book focuses on magic items that specialized characters from this book might need.

 

Mechanics or Crunch-This books adds a bunch of ideas for a GM to add to his/her game, but the ideas are not ground breaking awesome that you would expect for hidden techniques grown on the mountain top monasteries of the world.  The book adds lost arts that are the talk of many a hushed conversation, but when you look over the options, they might fit will in just a player line book.  Also, the book adds schools and guilds.  I don’t hate the mechanics behind these, but I think the numbers are off.  I think the DCs are too high and will likely make life very hard for anyone who wants to go after a school and not get kicked out.  Some of the options are well done, but it’s more diamonds in the rough then a constant flow.  I did like the items that were added to this book. 3/5

 

Fluff or Story- I liked this the most in this book.  The story provides lots of ideas for a GM to add to his/her game.  I didn’t like the distribution of focus in the world, though.  There isn’t much love for the pirates of the Shackles in terms of schools or options as well as a few other key areas.  But, what is there are options it’s well done. 4.5/5

 

Execution-I think this book suffers from a “textbook problem.”  This book has a few too many sections of just text that make the book less fun to read.  It’s not hard to read, but it does tend to drag on a bit.  The book does have some nice new art to help make reading a bit easier, but the format makes things feel long.  The text is not bad, just a bit of a drag. 4/5

 

Summary-I didn’t hate this book, but it’s not one of my favorites.  The mechanics and the textbook nature of the 64 page format are just a little bit off making this book slightly drag on a bit.  I would have preferred this to be a few shorter 32 page books focusing on monks, fighters, or some other class.  I did like the story that this book adds to the world.  Also, knowing who the best of the best fighters are can give the characters goals for whom to fight later.  It’s not a bad book, but just a bit long to keep me completely interested all the way through. 77%

Game-Trailer Park Wars

Price-$30

Set-up/Play/Clean-up-1 hour

Producer– Gut Bustin’ Games

TL; DR– Great game not for all audiences 95%

 

Basics-Get ‘er Done!  Time to enter the exciting world of trailer park management in this game full of crude humor.  The Game starts by naming your trailer park by drawing tiles from three random stacks.  After naming your trailer park, you and all players get an equal number of trailers to manage that you arrange in a circle around your park name.  Once you have your trailer park set up, you draw cards and play.  Each turn you play three cards then draw up to five.  These cards are residents, events, or items for your park.  Residents are worth point.  These can be positive or negative as some residents do harmful things to your park like meth cooks.  Events are single use cards the steal residents, kill residents, or other random effects.  Items for the park are amenities such as a beer vending machine that give you points and prevent residents from getting DUI’s.  After you play your cards, you get pink flamingos equal to the total number of points of your park.  When the last flamingo is drawn, the game is over and the person with the most points wins.

 

Mechanics-This game is amazingly simple to play.  You play three cards, draw, and your turn is done.  The game is very random, so you may have the smartest strategy, but you could still lose hard.  Also, you have to be very perceptive to see where different cards can be played.  If you don’t keep tabs on your opponents, you might lose this game quickly.  There are no mechanics besides players to keep winners in check.  Some of my friends complain that they can’t see all the other players’ boards very well.  Its fun, by it’s not without its problems. 4/5

 

Theme-This game oozes theme out of every pore. Lots of funny art, great text, and amazing pictures of trailers all make you think about the funniest redneck stereotypes.  Also, any game that starts by naming a trailer park is phenomenal.  It makes fun of rednecks with gusto.  I’m a redneck, so I find it amazingly funny.  However, you have to know who you will play with.  This game does have some not safe for work themes such as DUI’s and other events that some players might find offensive.  I love it though! 5/5

 

Instructions-This is another home run.  Any rules that start off by telling you to stop reading these stupid rules and start playing definitely make me think redneck.  Since the mechanics are simple, the rules don’t have much to cover.  So, the rules spend most of their time being funny.  That’s an excellent use of their space.  5/5

 

Execution-I love this game through and through.  Great cards, funny art, plastic pink flamingos, and amazing trailer park pictures all combine to make this a well done game.  The box is nice, and fits all the pieces well. 5/5

 

Summary-I love this game!  It’s a great game for some quick fun with your friends who might be the same people you play Cards Against Humanity with.  This would NOT be the game you bring to church group, but this is the game you bring with you to your friends house and you sit around drinking Pabst when you don’t want to think too hard.  If your friends don’t admire toilet humor or want a seven hour euro game, this isn’t the game for them.  Know who you’re playing with and this is an awesome game. 95%