The Great Game of Britain - Steam Trains

You are a train driver, going at break neck speeds around the train tracks of Britain, trying to travel to tourist spots before racing back to London to claim the victory. Unfortunately, it seems like the rest of the world is conspiring against you, placing train signals in your way, and sending you to Llanfair PG to learn how to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch,a terrible thing that no one should be subjected to.

The Great Game of Britain - Steam Trains, is an older game that knows it relies on luck, and is proud of it. If you don't like the kind experience, in which you can be one space off from one of your objectives and then get sent to the other side of the board from an unlucky card draw, this is not the game for you.

At the start of each match every player collects 6 souvenir cards, which represent different points of interest you have to go to before returning to London to win the game. This is were the game hits a small problem, as if you have younger players less familiar with the geography of the UK, they my need an adult to help locate where they need to go. Then each player places down two train signals which block a player going through them unless they roll a six. This puts the adults who helped the children find their locations in a dilemma, as they try to figure out where they would have placed them had they not known where the children's card were.

Then, each turn you roll a dice and move up to that number of stops towards your next destination. But if you want to switch between the different coloured lines, which is necessary to get nearly anywhere, you have to end you turn and draw a hazard card which can either give rewards or send you off to exactly the place you didn't want to be. 

Hazard cards, are the life blood of this game, especially on your first run-throughs, as you laugh as people get sent off to far off spots on the map and have to reconfigure their plans, or when you are changing lines yourself and hope that you draw something that could actually help you. The fact that you are constantly being moved around the board means that you constantly have to re-adjust your plans and try and figure out the most effective route(one of the most fun parts of the game). My favourite are the ones that make you interact with the other players, which is the most fun part of the game, letting you have fun with the friends you are playing this with.

However, despite these hazard cards, you can't escape the terror of train signals, as if you have to go through one, you can spend the entire game just trying to roll a six to pass the road block, which can ruin your chances of ever winning or having fun. They do offer the opportunity to mess with other players, as you can move them using hazard cards, which can be very exciting, as you try to block your opponent in. If there is a way round the blockage, they can be a good addition to the game, but if you have to go through that one spot which is blocked it gets dull.

One dilemma you must face though, if you want the game, is that there are two different versions of the game a larger 'deluxe' edition which has more spaces on the map and bigger pieces, or the smaller travel edition with less spaces but smaller fiddly pieces that are hard to manoeuvre. The extra spaces on the deluxe edition exacerbates the issue of hazard cards sending you half way across the country because it could take a lot longer to get back to where you need to be, which feels like a chore Also disappointingly, for the deluxe edition, the plastic insert and the box is super flimsy and got dented in our copy, which is not quite what you expect from something branding itself as deluxe. So in my opinion the travel sized game is actually better, making the game just the right amount of time, without dragging the game on for too long.

This game, is a game to be shared with friends, I fun romp around the British countryside, as you laugh at each others misfortune, watching with glee as your companion gets sent back to Penzance, again. You jokingly try and block each other in with train signals, and welcom the crazy things that happen in this game. So really, this game is made or broken by the people you have around you. If people actually are trying to win, they will get annoyed and frustrated, meaning that this is probably not the best game to play with someone new. With that proviso out of the way, the Great Game of Britain - Steam Trains, is a chuffing good time.

Rhino Hero Super Battle

An intense competition is about to take place, as four pyjama clad heroes go toe to toe as they try to climb a rickety tower, all while trying to contend with evil spider monkeys and most importantly, each other.

In this sequel to the popular dexterity game Rhino Hero (which you can find my review of game here), you must construct a three dimensional tower using card wall and floor pieces to build what becomes a sprawling skyscraper. 

At the start of the game you place down three boards, each telling you what places you can put wall pieces on and each of the two to four players choose their character from the lovable selection of Rhino Hero, Batguin, Big E(the elephant) and Giraffe Boy. Every player draws three floor cards, and you are ready to start.

On your turn you play a floor card, by first putting down the walls that the card you played said you could use (for example a long and short wall). Then you put the floor piece on top, and draw back up to three cards .

 After you have expanded the tower, you roll a die to see if you can advance your chosen character up the tower and if you land on the same level as another player, you initiate a SUPER BATTLE. Both players roll a dice with the person who has the highest result highest result staying on the floor while the other is shoved down one. The highest person on the tower when the skyscraper is knocked down, is the winner.

The amount of fun and satisfaction you get from building this towering superstructure is incredible, with it growing to heights you never thought it could by the end. This shared collaboration of construction is an amazing experience, seeing what amazing, teetering thing you can create. At the end you just have an amazing thing to look at, with cameras being whipped out to take a snap of this thing you have made.

I do honestly think that while having you own little super hero is an engaging edition to the Rhino Hero formula instead of having a shared one, it doesn't really add anything to the game as you can't actually control you character, relying on a dice role to predict your movements. This means you are really only engaged with actually building the tower(something you have control of) rather than the super heroes (something you don't have control of). This means you don't really care who wins by getting the highest on the tower, but by who loses by knocking the tower over. However I have to admit, having all the characters on the tower does make it look pretty cool.

Spider monkeys are another edition to the formula which I enjoy, with some floor cards requiring you to hang one on to the side of your newly added story either by its hooked hand or tail. However there are not enough of these monkeys for an entire game meaning you have to take them off lower levels, leaving you feeling underwhelmed as instead of a swarm of monkeys on you tower, you get four.

You can feel the tension on the table as the tower starts to near its toppling point, each person really hoping that it won't get back to their turn again as they know
 that if they have to put another piece on it will probably fall.

Building on what came before it (Rhino Hero), Rhino Hero Super Battle gives you a lot more freedom in the choice of where and how you want to put you pieces. Leaving you feel like you impacted on how the tower structure made.

 Also the towers are more stable as they can go out side ways, making this amazing game last longer and letting you build something bigger and more sprawling, making this feel way more epic than its precursor.

 However young children or older people might struggle to enjoy this game seeing as it requires steady hands and precise motor skills which are hard to achieve if your hands are shaking or haven't yet mastered the fine motor control skills                                                                                      that are needed for this game.

Overall I think this a great game and it definitely probably worth buying if you enjoyed physical games and although it takes up more shelf space compared to its prequel, it definitely adds loads of really innovative and fun ideas to the mix.

Ravnica guilds and their DnD alignments Part 2

So, as a continuation of last weeks blog (which you can find here), I am going to go over 5 more guilds of the Magic the Gathering(MTG) plane of Ravnica, in celebration of the up coming crossover between Dungeons and Dragons(D&D) and the popular card game in the form of 'The Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica'. In this blog I will be covering everything from guilds of conservationists to mad sadistic killers, what makes each of these guilds tick and what D&D alignment they are related to(from good to evil and from lawful to chaotic with neutral being in the middle of both of the extremes).

The Izzet League
This guild of mad scientists (related with the colours blue and red) are known to perform reckless experiments in their race to discover of everything there is to know. They could if they put their mind to it, rule all of Ravnica but luckily for the other guilds they would get bored before they ever even got started and move on to the next curiosity that takes their fancy.
The Izzet League alignment
The Izzet League hates constraints or anything that would impinge progress and this disregard for rules or societal norms makes them chaotic. The Izzet League only want progress, not caring whether do harm or help people along they way, doing whatever is most convienent. This fact makes the Izzet League neutral(from good to evil). So, the Izzet League is chaotic, nuetral.


The Orzhov Syndicate
On the surface this guild is meant to be a church but by now they have long since dropped all but a facade of religion and now only worship profit. This guild represents the colours white and black and deal in both the dead and debt, forcing unlucky citizens to come back from the dead to work of any
debts they may have accumulated in the previous life.
The Orzhov Syndicate alignment
The Orzhov Syndicate wants only money and power making them definitely evil, however unlike some other guilds they do this through structure and order. They use long, extortionate clauses to squeeze every last penny out of the people they lend money to, ruthlessly evicting any home owners who did not bide by the exact terms and conditions of their agreement. Because of all this, they are lawful, evil.

The Cult of Rakdos
Worshipping a demon, the cult of Rakdos is related to the colours of red and black. They bring chaos and destruction wherever they go, throwing caution to the wind for a good time. They delight in pain and are the go to guild whenever you want someone out of action for a very long time.
The Cult of Rakdos alignment
Due to many members of this guild delight in causing pain to others and destroying what structure there is, this cult is definitely evil, chaotic.

The Selesnya Conclave
This guild (which represents the colours white and green), at best is a nature loving conclave, preaching peace and harmony to the masses and giving people a sense of belonging and worth. However at worst, this guild can be viewed as a hypocritical,brainwashing cult that follows the ideal of the community over the individual to the extreme, not being afraid to kill trouble makers that come
in the way of that peace.
The Selesyna Conclave
This guild is lawful, sticking to their principles of the individual over the group ,whatever happens, believing that through order they can achieve the hard won peace. While some members of the guild abuse the power given to them, many are trying to make an actual good difference to the world. This means the Selesnya Conclave is lawful, good.

The Simic Combine
Associated with blue and green, this guild is trying to turn themselves into the people they know they can be, by grafting bits and pieces of animals onto themselves, trying to add the good parts of creatures while eliminating the bad.
The Simic Combine
While this guild tries to do good, sometimes they lean to the side of evil, not asking permission on whether someone wants to be upgraded into a high life form before actually doing it. They don't care whether they need to use order or chaos to achieve their goals , leaning to whichever side is more convenient at that point in time. This guild is neutral,neutral.

So, here is the table showing all the guilds alignment from both weeks blog.

This table shows one of the reasons why I think Ravnica is so interesting as a world, as their is such a variety of philosophies in this world. Also remember that these alignments that are shown aren't strictly rules, they're more like a set of guidelines.

Ravnica guilds and their DnD alignments Part 1

So, to honour the first Dungeons and Dragons(D&D) and Magic the Gathering(MTG) crossover in the form of the Guildmasters' guide to Ravnica,supplementary book for D&D which is set in the MTG world of Ravnica, I have written this blog about the unique societies that make up Ravnica. Ravnica is a world run by ten unique guilds: crime syndicates, marauding gangs, uptight law makers and corrupt churches to name a few, each representing a pairing of two of the five colours of magic. In this post I am going to go over 5 of those guilds and what kind of moral alignment they are associated with (from good to evil and from lawful to chaotic each with neutral in between the two extremes).

The Azorius Senate
This is the guild associated with blue and white colours of mana in MTG and are the law keepers and government of Ravnica. They are deeply bureaucratic and when action is taken it must adhere to the many decrees that rule over their lives, believing their laws are the only thing stopping Ravnica falling into chaos. The Senate often tries and fails to force it's rigid rules on the rest of Ravnica, trying to maintain the status quo with it's rigid internal structure.

The Azorius Senate's alignment
The Azorius are lawful, no doubt about that. They believe in maintaining order and following the letter of the law. However they are not always good and can sometimes become evil, enforcing their own agenda through technicalities in the regulations, while some still try to do good, following strict moral codes.  This means they are lawful, neutral.

The Boros Legion
This guild is associated with the colours white and red,and the Boros Legion is the army and military enforcement of Ravnica. They work with the Azorius Senate to lay down the rules that the Senate make. They fervently believe they can make life on Ravnica a better place even if it takes blood shed to get there.
The Boros Legion's alignment
Members of the Boros Legion are commonly aligned with good, as they are actually trying to make the world a better place for everyone and believe they can do this through the law, making them lawful, good.

The House Dimir
This guild (associated with blue and black) is so secret that many did not even know of its existence until recently. It is a spy organisation and deals with misinformation so often that they are know to use their magic to influence the minds of others. They are commonly involved in assassinations and other illegal
services the people of Ravnica might want. Information on the guild is kept hidden through a rigid system of middle men each passing on as little information as possible while still keeping the organisation running.
The House Dimir alignment
On the scale between lawful and chaotic the House Dimir sits in the middle at neutral using order to organise their enterprise while not obeying any of the Azorius Senate's laws. Selfish and cruel, the House Dimir is really only out for itself making it definitely evil. This means they are neutral, evil.

The Golgari Swarm
Believing in the inevitable and irreplaceable role of life and death, this guild is associated with the colours green and black. They live in the sewers and caves, recycling dead creatures to create food for the living, while scavenging whatever they can. The leadership of this organisation is hotly contested with many leaders supplanting the old ones in a constant battle.
The Golgari Swarm alignment
A constant rejection of the rules forced on them by the Azorius and a little respect for those in charge of the guild(resulting in all the coups) make them chaotic. They will help other though, for a price making them neutral. So they are neutral, chaotic.

The Gruul Clans
The wildest guild, shunning society in favour of the chaos of nature, this guild represents the colours red and green. An unorganised group of clans make up the guild that was meant to protect to the nature of Ravnica before the wilds were destroyed for more building space by the other guilds, meaning the Gruul clans had nothing left to protect. This led them to take on a life of pillaging and violence, trying to disrupt the order the other guilds have created.
The Gruul Clans alignment
The Gruul are most definitely chaotic, hating any form of rules and lean to the evil side of things, not caring how many people they kill in their raids. They just want to bring down society, no matter the cost. This means they are chaotic,evil.

So there are the first five guilds and their DnD alignments and the next five will be out in the upcoming week.