Luke's Board Game Addiction: Review #1 Smash Up

  Now there are plenty of board games out there that require quite a bit of explanation (Arkham Horror is a good example) and then there are those that are a bit simpler (Munchkin, Chez Geek). Smash Up falls into the category of easier games to explain which is quite nice when you just want a quick game with a few friends to share some laughs.

   Here are the rules for Smash Up. On your turn, you may play an action and a minion on a base, then draw two cards. Each card of course does it's own things but that's as simple as following the instructions on the cards. Now minions have a value known as power (notice the number in the top left corner):

 

  And bases have two categories of numbers on them. Threshold (the number in the top left) and points rewarded (the three large numbers) 

  Once the total power of the minions equals or goes over the threshold the base blows up (even if minions get moved from there before it does so). When it does whoever has the most power on there gets the first place score (the 5 and 4 in the examples), whoever has the next highest gets the second (3, and 2) and so on. First player to 15 points wins.
  Now the thing that makes this game really fun is where you're getting these cards from. There are 8 armies (plus 4 in the new expansion) and you choose two of them at the start of the game. Each army has it's own strategies to it and so they all develop very interesting synergies.
    Forces to choose from:

• Aliens- Good at abducting cards and moving players minions
• Bear Calvary- Excellent at killing things and forcing them off of bases
• Dinosaurs- Big and beefy with a lot of power
• Ghosts- Cards start getting better as you have fewer cards in your hand
• Killer Plants- Minions get stronger as they stay out
• Ninjas- Strike out of nowhere and excellent at killing minions
• Pirates- Extreme mobile army
• Robots- Good at bringing out tons of little minions
• Steampunks- They like to play tons of special abilities on bases themselves
• Trickster- Tons of odd effects that can be very detrimental towards enemy players, hard to pin down.
• Wizards- Excellent at getting extra cards drawn and extra actions
• Zombies- Don't expect them to stay in the discard pile
  
  
  

  The more I've played this recently the more I've fallen in love with it. Everyone has picked up on it so fast and there is a lot of smiling and swearing for most games. Of my most recent purchases I'm extremely happy with this one.

Highlights of the game:
-Ease to learn
-Replayability (all of those combos, so little time)
-Rather humorous, so many tropes and references
-Does not take too long to play leaving room for some heavier hitting board games as well. (Something to warm up with before an hour game of Settlers or Smallworld).

I give this game 5/6 pips.





So it's my first review and it's 5:50 am. There a lot of things I'll do later on to make these more interesting and I'll definitely revise them more but I really just wanted to get a post up on the blog. I have pleeeeenty more board games to review so I'll try and make them funnier and a bit more enjoyable but I hope you at least found the game kind of interesting.

CISPA: Shut It Down

So, CISPA which as yet again, another bill on internet sharing of information that really benefits corporations, has passed in the House of Representatives. Contact your Senator Kirk and Durbin.
http://lifehacker.com/5900962/why-microsoft-and-facebook-are-pro+cispa-but-anti+sopa

D20 Future Campaign

 

 

 

     For everyone in the group, I am creating a d20 future campaign which will be taking on the same setting and time.

     I've already mentioned this in the FB group but I had little feedback, except for Mike and my persistance in getting Aliena to start thinking about it and what she wants to do.

     The game will be a mix between all major (MMO)RPG and RTS games that have been created, like Mass Effect, Star Wars, World of Warcraft, Star Craft, and other major and smaller games.

     You will start with nothing, or in some cases and careful/precise explanation, a basic starting point which will enable you to start what you want to do to influence this universe I am creating. There are multiple alien races within this game as well as timed universal influencing actions that will hinder or accelerate your own goals.

     All you have to do is give me a character (not rolled), background, and the ultimate goal which you want him/her to acheive.

     If you want more info, just ask and I will get back to you on FB.

     And yes, you will be able to Roleplay with the other PC's if your paths happen to cross or your goals are somewhat the same.

 

     The current goals/roles taken are CEO of a Corporation (Mike), and Bioengineer (Aliena).

 

 

 

 

     Kiledouken -

Farnoth and Nicodemus Cavindel - Wrath of Vengeance

 

 

     As Mike has said, him and I have been RPing through the hours of night and day through Skype talking back and forth. This isn't just one campaign but two; the first being Farnoth Cavindel back, and I mean WAY back when I started to seriously roleplay when I first went into the basement and learned what DnD was. (I actually forget why I went in the first place but I think it was Warhammer related and Mike and I sat with each other at lunch and I asked him about it)

     It basically started when it was Tyler and I, as well as a couple of you I believe (Sorry, I just remember Ty), when the entire forest was set ablaze and I was captured, then a series of events which seperated us and I went to do my own thing. I know this might spark a few memories, which I hope it does, which made me want to make that point of how far this actually goes.

     After the Farnoth campaign has drifted off due to unknown reasons, which I still don't understand to be honest, I asked Mike what has happend and he said that he was killed but his family went on and I played one of his sons in the epic Albion campaign where everyone was killed off (and/or left my house due to being too tired) and I was basically the only one standing against the last boss with NPC's, and characters of the group who died in the battle... It eventually drifted off that we were too fatigued to actually care about the rolls and Mike left.

     Then the Marine Corps came and we started talking again about old campaigns and I brought up Farnoth and his family. He then mentioned that he used the same world that we played in and a player character had killed off my entire family except Nicodemus and Hascenda Cavindel, an ork nontheless. So I was royally pissed off and I mentioned that I wanted to fucking kill that ork dead sir dead.

     So the creative juices of that world stirred once again and through 5ish years of on and off, in real life, from Farnoth to Nicodemus, I am playing the grandson of Farnoth, Nicodemus, and making the name mighty once again.

 

     The entire point of this is that, first off, I would like to thank Mike from the bottom of my heart of making this painstakingly beautiful campaign last for nearly 5ish years of on and off, and no doubt with every session over skype he'd always explain suffering builds character. Well, I have definitely suffered in real life and Nico and his family has suffered aplenty...

 

     The second part is that I will be sharing to everyone what has happened through the second part of the campaign through Nicodemus's eyes, from start to finish. We have not finished this campaign as of yet but it is in its' last stages and let me tell you... If you were a part of it, you'd be proud, which is why I want to share it.

 

     It will be some time before I actually post it up, but rest assured, you will see.

 

     The campaign we play is just called Nicodemus Campaign but I wanted to put in a little spice.

 

 

Kiledouken -

 

 

What Dubstep is Really About

https://soundcloud.com/djactivator/activator-spring

 

Dubstep is like a schizophrenic

Trying to create a melodic tune

When the melody argues against itself

 

Dubstep is like Parkinson’s Disease
A man spazaming out on the synthesizer
Which creates the ear shattering noises of a dying chinchilla on fire
On its turning wheel, running from its
death

 

Dubstep is like a teenage female
Trying to figure out how all the hormonies work together
As she’s screaming her head off,
Trying to figure out how to make it through but then says
Fuck it
And ruins its life and those around it

 

Dubstep is like a Cougar
She gets under your skin during your drunken haze
Takes you to her place
And you find the saggy breasts,
The hairy vagina
The baby in the next room screaming
Which ruins your entire night





Dubstep is like a three year old child
Trying to figure out what he or she wants
So the child puts a horrid melody,
Which doesn’t make sense,
To a baseline,
Which just drops,
 down the stairs
Hopefully to its death

 

Dubstep is like an unfinished book

It isn’t worth it

 

Dubstep is like Herpes

Nuff said

 

Dbstpe is liek horible gramer
Its to hard undrstand and
Tisn plzing 2 teh i

 

Dubstep is like a Redneck
Because he can’t understand anything
Over half the time

 

Dubstep is like a No legged Man
He just wants to dance on the dance floor
But all he does is look down at his thigh nubs;
Cut off and tied off jeans,
And just listens to the music,
Sitting in his wheelchair,
Nodding his head,
Then shoots himself because he isn’t worth dancing with

 

Dubstep is like a bastard child
Born under a genre of music
But a virus conceived the child
And the techno body is kicking it out
Just as a virus should

 

Dubstep is like a puppy which has Down Syndrome

 What?

 

Dubstep is like a newborn baby
It’s annoying as fuck
It doesn’t know when to shutup

 

Dubstep should be like an Albino
It shouldn’t be let out into the light of day
Especially at night


Fans of Dubstep
Are just like karp
They swim with each other in the thousands
But they are too stupid to realize
They will get gobbled whole by a whale

 

Dubstep is like a band wagon
Full of people who think it’s good or amazing
But they don’t see the cliff at the end

 

Dubstep is worse than a pile of shit
It may be bad to look at
It may be horribly smelly
But you can’t hear it

 

Dubstep is like a White guy Dancing
He just does not know what to do with himself
And how horrid he looks

 

 

If Dubstep had a body
I wouldn’t  touch it with a ten foot pole
As it would have syphilis for skin
Gonorrhea for eyes
Hemorrhoids for sexual organs
Cancer for a heart
Hernias for muscles
Aids for blood
And tumor for a brain 

 

The Devil laughed and he giggled
He cried and he piddled
As he saw the pathetic human race
Dancing to the dubstep disgrace
As he created this blasphemy
He whispered so no one can hear
‘Come to me’

Dupstep is just like this horrible poem
It doesn’t have rhythm
It doesn't have rhyme
Blessed is he who keeps his spirit pure
From this horrible crime





Kiledouken -

Tactics Ogre Review

Not 100% which one I wanna review, will decide in a day or two.

Upcoming posts from me

I have 2 more game reviews one on StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm and various free flash games on the internet. I also just recently joined  Dark Heresy campaign with some college buddies and co-workers. I'll be posting my character and his stats and personality and a recap of what I did every session (My first session is this Thursday, so I'll have that up sometime late that day. I will also be posting some political/philospohical topics for all of to discuss (the reason for this is not to bash each others' principles and beliefs, but to have an organized, educational talk.) I am a firm believer in public discussions and I believe it will not only open our minds to newer thoughts and perspectives, but to also understand each other a little more. Cheers!