The Questor Tapes

The Questor Tapes is a 1974 film.  Questor is an android whose programming is incomplete (some tapes were accidentally deleted), leading him to search for his long-missing creator to understand his purpose.  A scientist agrees to help him . . . and what they discover will shock them both.

A movie with clear theological undertones, I enjoyed this one.  The effects are certainly a product of the time, but using an android to look at the human condition was interesting.  I'd love to see what a modern remake would do.

Rating: A-

Charty Party

Today's review is of the 2019 release, Charty Party.  For 3+ players, it takes 30-90 minutes.

Overview
In this party game, players get a hand of seven cards (which defines the y-axis) and take turns being the primary player by displaying a chart (which defines the x-axis and displays a line graph).  The other players secretly choose a card in their hands pertaining to that chart, and the primary player picks the best (or funniest) answer.

example of chart and cards; image from here

See the above example.  The primary player has displayed a chart "pages deep in a google search," with a linear increasing relationship.  The four other players contribute cards for the y-axis.  The primary would then read: "this increases as you go deeper into a google search: hatred of the man, self-doubt, attention span, or thirst for a juice box."  They'd choose the most appropriate or funniest answer, the player whose card was chosen gets a point, and the next player becomes the primary for the next round.  The game ends at the players' discretion (either number of rounds or when all the cards run out).

Review
This is a really funny game, but you need to understand line graphs (it's basically Apples to Apples with charts).  I played with other engineers, and even we had to stop and think through some of them.  There are all different x-axis values (it could be time, political leanings, number of friends, or really anything), and all different lines (linear, parabolic, exponential, etc.), so you really need to take a minute to think through it.  But the combinations can be absolutely hilarious, and the content itself can be comedic gold.  That said, there is a big drawback: adult content.  This is rightly labeled as 17+, for some cards are inappropriate.  That limits (and thus detracts from) an otherwise amazing concept.

Rating: B

Frozen 2

Six years ago, Disney hit a grand slam with Frozen, the phenom that would have people belting "Let it Go" for months (years?) afterwards.  That movie had a lot of good about it, prompting my lengthiest movie post ever.  In Frozen 2, a menace threatens the land.  The enchanted forest, covered in mystery and fog for decades, is calling to Elsa.  She sets off with Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf into what could be mortal danger.  There, she'll learn shocking secrets about the past. Can she set things right?

In a word, this movie is . . . bizarre.  Dark in places, weird in others, it's not nearly as enchanting as the original.  The main message- doing the 'next right thing' even when you're sad, scared, or confused- is excellent, but the music isn't as good as before, the film both plods along and lacks character development, and overall it just feels . . . forced.  Olaf is a highlight, as before, and it's nice to hear Kristoff sing more (even if his musical feature is the strangest part of the film).  The story has some interesting and unexpected elements, but overall, this doesn't quite hit the mark.

Rating: B- 

Sagrada

Today's review is of the 2017 release, Sagrada.  For 2-4 players, it takes 30-45 minutes.

Overview
Sagrada is a dice drafting and placement game.  Each person starts the game with a 5x4 grid of empty slots and a  'stained glass' template, which will limit certain slots to a particular dice color or number.  Three common objectives are drawn and displayed, then one secret objective is taken per player. The rounds then begin.

In a round, the first player randomly draws and rolls 2x+1 dice, where x = the number of players.  Then players draft the dice in 'snake' order (123321 in a three-player game), placing each in their grid based on their template and other general restrictions (like you can't have the same die color or number adjacent to each other).  The leftover die is placed on the round chart.  The first player then passes clockwise and nine further rounds occur.

To help players, there are three common tools (also randomly drawn) that players can use by spending favors during the game.  Unused favors convert to points at the end, but chances are good you'll need to call them in at some point to maximize your options.

At game's end, players' boards are scored based on the three common objectives, one secret objective, and any leftover favors. The highest score wins!

game in progress; image from here

Review
I really enjoyed this game.  It has hints of Sudoku in its row/column limitations, with plenty of strategy, variety (based on different templates, objectives, and tools) and randomness (based on the same plus dice rolling/drafting).  It is very easy to 'lock yourself out' of a current slot (meaning no available dice can be legally placed in it), so careful planning is paramount.  It's not for young kids- far too much thinking/planning is involved- but it's great for the older ones.

Rating: A

Tolkien

Tolkien is a biopic about J.R.R. Tolkien's early life.  You see him as he struggles through life as an orphan, forms an unlikely group of friends at school, falls in love with a fellow orphan, develops a love of (and knack for) languages [even creating his own], struggles through WWI, and ultimately leverages his linguistic passion into the works that will make him famous: The Lord of the Rings.

Though the film received mixed reviews, I enjoyed it.  I can't speak to its accuracy and it is admittedly 'plain' in delivery, but there are interesting nuances throughout if you look closely, and I liked learning more about the man who defined the modern fantasy genre.

Rating: A-

X-men: Dark Phoenix

Three years after they dealt with Apocalypse, the X-men face a new threat: one of their own.  Jean Grey, an overwhelmingly powerful mutant, must come to grips with both her past and her power, and the collateral damage will be high.  Meanwhile, Earth faces a grave new threat: alien conquest.

This movie was widely panned by critics.  While not up to par with the rest of the X-men: First Class movies, this wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either.  Apocalypse felt more 'epic', the story here wasn't compelling (and didn't seem to advance the overall story in a meaningful way), and the humor and action seemed a touch off.  The film looked at actions and motive, family, and power- worthy things to contemplate- but I couldn't detect the message or conclusion in places.  These things combined mean the film fizzled, and rumors say this the last X-men movie we'll have for a while.  It's an unfortunate ending to a series that was otherwise entertaining and interesting.

Rating: C+

Animals on Board

Today's review is of the 2016 release, Animals on Board.  For 2-4 players, it takes 15-30 minutes.

Overview
You and your friends each have an ark, and entice animals to board by offering them food crates.  Each animal of a kind has five tiles, valued 1-5.  Players start the game by drawing three animal tiles, choosing one for their ark, and placing the others in the center of the table.  An animal 'group' is created with these and additional tiles (the total number varies based on the number of player).  Each player takes a food crate and the game begins.

game at the start; image from here

In clockwise order, players choose to:
- Divide one existing group into two and take a food crate, or
- Take one existing group onto their ark, paying for it in food crates, and ending their involvement in the round.  The cost in crates = the number of animals in the group.

The round continues until all players have taken a group into the ark (unless you're the last player standing, then you can take a group or keep dividing).

At the end of a round, check- do any players have 10 animals on their ark?  If not, a new single animal group is created, taking leftover animals from the previous round and adding to the group until the tile number is reached.  Do another round until one player has 10 (or more) animals on their ark.  Then, score:
- 1 animal of a kind = number of points on the animal card (remember, tiles are valued 1-5)
- 2 animals of a kind= discard them and don't score
- 3+ animals of a kind = 5 points per animal (so four apes = 20 points)

The highest score wins!

Review
I had low expectations for this one, but was pleasantly surprised.  This game is simple but deceptively strategic and fun.  It's easy to learn but hard to master; there are multiple approaches to victory, and the kids enjoy it, too.  Plenty of meaningful choices- splitting a group is necessary at the beginning, to make groups small enough to acquire (you can't hold more than 5 food crates at a time), but making a desirable group could set up victory for another player.  This is a winner.

Rating: A

Dice Upon a Time

Today's review is of the 2019 release, Dice Upon a Time.  For 2-5 players, it takes 45-60 minutes.

Overview
It's a "Grimm" world out there, and everyone is questing!  To start, each player chooses a fairy tale character familiar to most of us (Rapunzel, Snow White, Puss in Boots, etc.), takes 5 dice of the same color, and draws two quest cards and one magic item card.  All players roll their dice and set them aside; starting with the first player and moving clockwise, each player:
- activates a die (places on a map location)
- moves their character (if possible)
- resolves anything that happened while moving (like drawing story cards, magic item cards, or obtaining items like bread, apples, or gold)
- completes a quest (if possible)

game contents; image from here

A chapter is done when all players are out of dice.  Then, dice are gathered and rolled anew, leading to a new chapter.  After six chapters, the highest score wins!

A few notes:
- A player can move their character only if their die activated the location between where the character is and where they want to go.  But watch out!  The die must be of value equal or greater than the current die on that path, and once a third die is placed, no more characters can use that path until the next chapter!
- Quest cards come in values of 2-4, and as you'd expect, the higher the number, the harder it is to complete.  You can have up to 4 active quests at a time, and remember- you have only 6 chapters to complete them!  Quests are graphically described, and often simple, like:
-- visit a location
-- deliver an item (or items) to a location
-- visit one location, pick up an item, deliver to another location
-- discard items of a certain type and quantity

Review
I like this game, and the kids did, too.  I picked it up at Essen, and it appears to be a kickstarter that's not officially out until 2020.  The concept is simple and mechanics fun.  The rulebook isn't perfect- it omits some things that required web searches to determine- but the gist is there.  The components are good quality and there's lots of variety for replayability.  I like that there are things you can do with your dice when you can't activate a path- you can put it on one of the board corners to give you other bonuses.  That's handy when you don't roll well.  All in all, this is a winner.

Rating: A

The Eye of the World (Robert Jordan)

Young Rand enjoys a quiet, if hard, life as a sheepherder in Emond's Field, a small town on the edge of the kingdom.  The spring is slow in coming, yet everyone looks forward to the annual Bel Tine holiday.  This year's celebration looks especially promising with strange visitors in town- a Warder and Aes Sedai.  But the world is thrown on its head when a band of Trollocs attacks the village one night, seeking Rand and his friends.  They don't get him, but will pursue them to the edge of the world if need be, for the Dark One wills it so.  And so Rand flees, visiting towns and meeting creatures he'd seen only in stories.  Yet even with powerful allies, there's little hope.  The world has been broken before, but enjoyed a long quiet with the Dark One imprisoned.  But those bonds are weakening, evil is rising, and the world may be broken again, by a mysterious "Dragon Reborn."  Is it the end of the age- and the world itself?

Book one of the fourteen-book Wheel of Time series was a good introduction to the world and characters.  There are definite similarities to the Lord of the Rings here, in both story and characters, yet it appears to be a more complex world (and you don't get the full story in book one; there are many questions).  I also see similarities to Star Wars (Aes Sedai are basically Jedi).  There's an interesting amount of 'gray'- there are multiple factions claiming to be on the side of the Light, each distrusting the other- and there are some weird gender-specific things going on (like men can't be trusted to wield the One Power).  The book is epic but feels short- the pace moves along briskly, too much so in places.  It's definitely compelling, though, and there was never a point where I grew bored.  And, I really appreciated the complete lack of adult-oriented material; this is a PG or PG-13 read at most.  I look forward to seeing where the series goes.

Rating: A

Talisman: Legendary Tales

Today's review is of the 2018 release, Talisman: Legendary Tales.  For 1-6 players, it takes 20-40 minutes.

Overview
You and your companions (this is a cooperative game) are on a quest to recover the five lost talismans.  (I think because something bad will happen if you don't.)  Anyway, this game is played over five adventures, each with a specific map layout and goal.  Complete an adventure before time runs out to recover a talisman and move on to the next!

To play, each person will take a hero (wizard, warrior, dwarf, elf, etc.) and that hero's corresponding token bag, containing 7 tokens unique to that hero.  Set up a given adventure based on the instructions, placing the map location pieces and face-down adventure elements (could be enemies or treasure, etc.) in the stated locations.  The heroes are placed on a location, and the game begins!

game example; image from here

The turns are simple:
- read the adventure guide for the scenario's objectives
- roll the die and advance up to that many spaces
- if you stop on a map location with face-down tokens, turn them face up.  If they are enemies,
- draw three tokens at random from your bag and compare your symbols with the enemy.  If your symbols match theirs, you've defeated them.  Draw a reward token at random from the reward bag and place it in your hero bag.
- once you meet an objective, read further for the next
- some dice rolls and hero tokens contain the hourglass symbol; when you get one, advance the hourglass token on the story card
- if you and your team finish everything before the hourglass moves to the end, you win and obtain a talisman, unlocking the next adventure!

Review
I enjoy this game; it's good to play with the children.  It's a simple concept with mild replayability- once you've done an adventure, you'll have some idea how to approach it in the future, but the enemy tokens are always randomly placed, so you never know just what will happen.  The components are okay- the hero bags are nice, I wish the map, figures, and enemies were a little nicer.  We've played through two adventures so far (each takes 20-30 minutes), so it moves quickly and isn't a guarantee- we won the first but lost the second.  There are definitely elements to this I may incorporate into my own game, if I ever make one.  This game goes on clearance every now and then at major online sellers; grab it the next time it does.

Rating: A-

Dwar7s Winter

Today's review is of the 2018 release, Dwar7s Winter.  For 1-4 players, it takes 45 minutes.

Overview
Your job is simple: protect the kingdom by defeating monsters and disasters (each having a card that shows what it takes to beat them- number of dwarves and type/quantity of resources like stone, wood, or food).  If you can survive for seven winters, the player with the most points wins!

game in progress; image from here

Each player has seven dwarf miniatures and starts the game with a deck of seven cards.  One player is chosen as the first player, and the first winter begins.
Each winter, the following happens:
- the monsters on the board advance one space towards the center (castle) space.
- new monsters are placed on the kingdom outskirts (if necessary).
- a disaster card is flipped, and token placed on the space shown on the card.
- each player chooses seven cards for their deck for that round.
Then, it's time for players to take their actions!
- starting with the first player, each player has five actions.  The allowable actions are:
-- place a dwarf from your reserve onto the board
-- move a dwarf from one space to an adjacent one
-- play music (choose one of four colors; each player plays cards from their hand matching that color, giving resources or enabling additional movement)
-- buy a card to be used in future rounds
-- [free action] beat a disaster by getting the number of dwarves required on that space, and discarding them + the stated resources
-- [free action] beat a monster by doing the same

Play proceeds clockwise.  Once all have gone, do an 'end state' check:
- are there four disasters on the board?
- are there any monsters in the castle?

If no, move to the next winter and pass the first player token clockwise.  If yes, you all lose!!
If you survive seven winters, count the victory points for each player (monster cards, disaster cards, and purchased character cards have victory points).  The highest wins!

Review
This is a really neat cooperative/competitive tower defense game with deck-building elements.  The miniatures are high quality, the board and components are great, and the game is fun and pretty easy to pick up.  Challenging, too- we've played three times and survived to the end only once. What I appreciate most might be the psychology- if you're in a position to beat a monster, but don't have enough points to win, do you let everyone lose or beat the monster for the sake of another to win?  It's an interesting choice.

Rating: A