Pandemic: Contagion Review

(2-5 Players; 30 minutes; Ages 13+;
zmangames.com; MSRP $29.99)

If one was to (as many have) make a list of the top 10-15 games that everyone should play, undoubtedly Matt Leacock's "Pandemic" would be on that list.

Though not the first of its kind, "Pandemic" ushered to the forefront the "cooperative" style of gameplay; with the players not competing against each other, but rather the game itself.  Players took on the role of a specialist at the Center for Disease Control tasked with eradicating four diseases that were spreading their way across the globe.  With each player's turn, the stakes became higher, the stress increased, and the time-bomb that was global disaster ticked away.  It was fun, it was challenging, and it was a wild success.

So much so that the "Pandemic" brand has spawned a card game in the form of "Pandemic: Contagion." In "Contagion," however there is no hope for humanity as players are the disease and "there is no cure" as the box proudly proclaims.

D&D Dungeon Master's Guide Released Today!

Today, Wizards of the Coast (www.wizards.com) released the final core rulebook for the new Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition roleplaying game.

The DM's guide sits alongside of your Player's Handbook and Monster Manual and is meant for the one guy in your group who is going to spend a lot more time thinking about your DnD campaign than you are.  Still, that dude's pretty invaluable, so maybe you want to buy it for him as a Christmas gift.

As with the other books, this one is hardbound and full of fantastic art to get you into the feel of leading a group of loosely-strung-together adventurers into certain peril.

Actually, between this and listening to "The Adventure Zone" podcast, I really need to get my hands on the DnD Starter set to convince my other friends to party up.  Of course, this means that I'll inevitably be the DM, so I guess it's a good idea to get this book.

 

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Trains & Stations Review

WizKids, creators of such Ameritrashy goodness as Heroclix and Quarriors brings us... An economic-based train game? Well, we'll see...

My 2013 Kids GOTY: Three Little Pigs

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Can a board game give you the sense of impending defeat with every ticking second? I think I know how Space Cadets: Dice Duel feels about that question...

Dread Curse Review

Piratey goodness where you screw your friends over time and time again... Plus a monkey!

Last Will Review from Rio Grande Games

So much I love about this game.  And yet, it's totally not the game that I would normally find myself playing.  The rock-solid theme, production, and mechanics totally win the day here!

Ghooost! Review

This one was played and reviewed a while ago, but my friends at Iello properly pointed out that it hadn't made its way to here yet.  So here we are, just in time for Fall and Halloween!:

Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island Review

Do you ever watch Survivor and think: "I could do that.  And I'd win, too!" Yep.  I used to think that, until I played this game and then realized how quickly I would starve and freeze myself to death - and that's even WITH a full production and medical crew.

Nothing Personal Review

Some dude I know created some game I played.  This was my experience.

Dice Tower Reviews: Fortune & Glory: The Cliffhanger Game

City of Remnants Review

From the darling of the boardgame publishing world, Plaid Hat Games releases this deck-building, area-control, dudes on a map, hand management, victory point game.  You know, one of those.

Skull and Roses Red/Black Review

Everything you love about Poker without any of the crippling addiction or seedy underbelly.

Batman: Gotham City Strategy Game Review

It's Batman! It's Heroclix! It's a Euro Area Control Game! Wait - what?

Hive and Hive Pocket Review

My favorite 2-player game to play with Lady Rad.  She loves it, I love it, and I love the sound it makes.

Alcatra: The Scapegoat Review

Alcatraz, you make me angry.  I don't think that's what you were trying to do, but you did it.  Thanks a lot.

Sentinels of the Multiverse Review

Oh Sentinels of the Multiverse, how I love you and your savvy IP-skirting ways.  I want to play more of you, and will be doing so long after this review posts.

Telltale Review

The bigger version of a game I found at the bottom of Mu and Q's kids' meal.  It introduced me to a great new game from a great family-friendly publisher.

Escape: The Curse of the Temple Review

A game for up to 5 players that plays in exactly 10 minutes, powered by a soundtrack, and is the most enjoyable anxiety you'll experience sitting at a table? Wait - this is a boardgame? Yep.  It sure is.