The only game yesterday that Nath and I played before having to complete some chores and my traveling back home, was Epic the card game.

We started off drafting our decks using the two player open draft rules. 

None of this deal two random thirty card decks from the top of the deck. No we were going to get the full draft experience. 

I split the deck in half and we both took the top two cards from our deck and placed them face up in the middle. We then naturally took turns choosing from those four until there were none left. Can you guess what we did next? Yep we repeated the process of drawing and selecting until we both had a thirty card deck.

The remaining cards were then put away, and we prepared to battle on the awesome playmats I got from the Epic Kickstarter. 

I know some folks out on the interweb think that the cards are too powerful and they come out to quickly. But that is the whole point of the game I thought. The Magic like experience with none of the setup, you go straight to the big feck off monsters, and just stand toe to toe knocking six shades of brown stuff out of each other.

I like Epic. I love that in the box you do get that Magic experience, you can do drafting, you can do constructed, that you can play upto four players out of the box, add more boxes (upto three) to support upto eight players. That there is such variety in how you get to that starting thirty cards in your deck.

The artwork is beautiful on the cards. Nath and I did have to keep referring to the rules to check what words meant. But that will come with more plays. I’m more forgiving I think of this than I am the iconography in Cthulhu Realms. Which is interesting. I think it’s because we were having to do this for every card in Cthulhu Realms, whilst in Epic it was just for some.

Eventually after holding out for a few turns Nath started demolishing me. I did manage to land some damage on him, so it wasn’t a complete whitewash.

I think Nath at the start of the drafting thought that may have been a bit dull. But once we started playing he enjoyed the game.

So far with games like Magic, Netrunner, I have shielded Nath from the “joys” of the drafting or deck building. We have used pre-constructed decks like the dual decks in Magic, or the default decks in the Netrunner core set. So exposing Nath to his first draft to build a deck to play with was his first step down a slippery slope. 

I left Nath a spare copy of Epic to play with. I’m slowly building up his gaming collection. He can have the Kickstarter promos once I get him a deck box for the cards. 

Can’t wait to get the Tyrants expansion…

I’m going to start with the new gaming arrivals.

  
Currently Amazon are selling Super Dungeon Explorer Forgotten King at around the twenty five quid mark, or just below. Which is an insane price because the rrp is just short of eighty quid. Why? I have no idea but those wishing to dip their toes into the water with this gaming system have no excuse not to at the moment. The price is crazy cheap.

Burgle Bros. is a co-op game where you are robbing a building while avoiding the guards etc. If I like this game the optional stand and red led lights will be joining the game. If/when that happens I don’t think you will believe how cool the game looks.

   
 
Next up finally despite the Wisbech Royal Mail my promos from Portal Game finally arrived. We have the doomsday machine army for Neuroshima Hex, plus two unaligned tiles that will be interesting to see how they shake up the game.

Plus the two tiles to use with Imperial Settlers and a card for the game (free bonus promo).

   
 
Next up we hit some Lego Minifig stuff. Using the bits that arrived I created a characture of my friend and husband to Amanda, Paul.  I’m just debating internally whether to paint the mullet black with grey highlights. 

Inside the box for the Red Shirt was the TaDa! Message. I just love the little touches like this.

Finally and very unusual for me, physical media!

  
Who isn’t a Thunderbirds fan? We know I have the Matt Leacock co-op board game based on the series (expansions still not produced yet, we might see them March!)

So guess what my plan is watch Thunderbirds and play the game.

The Flashing Blade brings back memories of Saturday morning tv, and part of a hit list of retro tv series from my childhood that I am sourcing. Luckily the stuff is dirt cheap these days.

So we start off this posts look at what’s arrived looking at Lego!

  
A trip to the local Tesco found a couple of packets of the latest minifig collection falling into my shopping basket, along with a Battle on Takodana set. 

My weekend reading material was also in the basket at the time.

  
Which included the first issue of a new collect the parts series about drawing the Marvel way. I got it out of curiosity to see how much it differs from the book. Is the style different, more modern? 

   
Some custom minifig bits arrived. Allowing me to create a munchkin inspired minifig and the astronaut from the latest minifig set. There were also a couple of props, a selfie stick and parcel.

The wrestler minifig with its mullet instantly had me thinking of a friend who will soon be immortalised as a minifig.

 
Next up my journey further down the rabbit hole known as Magic the Gathering continues with a cool playmat, a Fatpack for Oath of the Gatekeeper and a booster box.

   
 
  
The game Seasons arrived. 

   
My new qwertee tee arrived based. Plus two games bought second hand off the Facebook group.

 
So that’s it for the new stuff this week.

  
I’ve been giving the following decision a lot of thought over the last couple of days. More so in fact than handing in my notice. That was a no brainer.

I’ve decided to elevate Glen More from just a game on my wish list, and one I really enjoy playing, to the hallowed title of “Grail game”.

It was a tough decision. Over the last few days I read a bgg forum debate where the designer of Glen More let it “slip” that sometime in the future the game should be easier to get due to a reprint.

I’d be dancing in the street if this is true. Watch the mad rush to offload the game at the current arm and a leg prices when the reprint is officially announced. Hoping that they catch an innocent punter and part them from their money before they find out if they wait they can get the game brand new for a reasonable price.

We saw this behaviour with the game Fury of Dracula. It was sickening to see them hunting for fresh prey. 

Anyway while I’m waiting for this official announcement (I’m not holding my breathe, call me a cynic if you must) I thought this game surely deserves the title “Grail game” on my wish list.

If you somehow get a chance to buy Glen More or even just play it, do it. You won’t regret it.

Oh and I’m naturally talking about the English version of this game,not the easily found German version. 

  
What apps do you use to assist in your gaming?

I have two apps that select randomly set ups for Marvel Legendary. 

A general score keeping app, along with one aimed at Epic.

Two apps that can be used to track tournaments if I ran one.

A deck building app for Android:Netrunner.

I’m tracking my game plays with an app (more in that at the end of the month).

Naturally I also have companion apps for games I own that provide timers, atmospheric sound effects, or read out event cards.

So what apps do you have to aid your gaming?

Thought I’d set myself a little challenge for the quarter. Kind of a mini resolution. I’m not one for these yearly resolutions, but this I think I can get behind and do.

So here is the deal… 

I have what many would consider is a collection of games. Some I’ve played, some I haven’t. 

Well I’d like to change that ratio of unplayed to played, plus there are some games I’d like to get back to the table.

To help with that I thought I’d come up with a list of five games each quarter that I would try to get to the table either for a first time or renewing of a friendship.

So here is the very first of my lists of games I want to get to the table:

• Five Tribes
• Magic the Gathering Arena of the Planeswalker
• Discoveries
• T.I.M.E. Stories
• Ashes 

One or two will be easier than others, but that is part of the challenge.

Today a new figure for Zombicide arrived, along with proving belonging to the UK Trading and Selling page on Facebook isn’t that healthy for the bank balance. 

Ross the Boss is the Zombicide characture  of John Goodmans character Walter Sobchak in the cult classic The Big Lebowski.

The super cool thing about this figure is the guy I bought it from had painted it. Sure all my other figures aren’t painted, but one day they maybe.

Ross completes my collection of Zombicide characters from the movie. Ok there are only two.

My goal for getting these figures was for a friend who is a big big fan of the movie (although I do question this because he hasn’t watched the porn spoof of the movie) to play with when we get Zombicide to the table. 

I’m quite proud of myself because I’ve managed to get both figures for less than predicted.

A Happy New Year, and a safe time celebrating tonight

Posted by me using my iPad and the Blogsy app

So last night I was being rock n roll and had gone to bed early listening to the 606 phone in, followed by the film review repeat they are now doing.

I'd given up on Amazon delivering my final part of Nath's Christmas present, despite the tracking saying it was out for delivery but arriving Monday!

But 8:45pm a delivery van turned up, knocking on Nans door. Hey all my deliveries go to hers. It's my cunning plan to misdirect the world, assassins, ninjas, cyborgs from the future, daleks etc.

Which means the above photo from its box is the only clue for Nath to what it is.

Posted by me using my iPad and the Blogsy app

Thought I'd just share with folks the projects I'm currently backing on Kickstarter. As you can see a couple are just about to come to the end of their funding round.

From about March next year I think the delivery schedules of these projects if they hit their predicted target dates for delivery will see one will give me nice little “love” packages to myself most months. I've just reread that sentence and it just sounds so wrong and sleazy.

With The Others and 7th Continent already funded, I think I've backed some interesting games for next year.

I'm not suggesting or telling you to back these games. I'm just letting you know of some games that caught my eye. For all I know the games I've backed are not the type of game you are interested in. Which is cool, I'd love to know what Kickstarter projects you are backing, and why.

Posted by me using my iPad and the Blogsy app