INTERNATIONAL TABLETOP DAY: WHAT DID I PLAY

So with another International Tabletop Day gone, I just thought I would give some quick thoughts on some of the games I played.

CONCEPT: A nice starting game for a large group. It was pretty loosely played until people moved on. Always fun in small doses, but sometimes tends to be overdone.

KEYFLOWER: Brought this out of the dust. Got some rules wrong but always fun. Everyone played consistently so that was good.

TIMELINE: Another filler type game. I lose this allot because I just don't remember specifics unless I focus on them. But also fun, especially when one of the three cards I actually know comes out.

RHINO HERO SUPER BATTLE: Very, very fun. A bit more gamey than Rhino Hero, without adding complexity. It has been added to the wishlist, although it is held back from a must buy because I don't like the random dice mechanic.

XCOM: Another game I adore that has been unplayed for far too long. Added in the expansion, but we lost. The expansion ramps the difficulty up and tries to break your engine. Very fun.

ROLL PLAYER: Was meant to just fill in time as a 2 player, 30 minute game, but 2 more people joined in. It was really good, as I normally play this solo. The only downside was a bit of unfamiliarity with the expansion when I was teaching, but it came together okay.

SEA OF CLOUDS: Another adored game that I haven't got to the table for far too long. It was a close game between the other two players, although I lagged far behind. Still it was very fun and with a bit more artifact luck, I could've stolen it.

CHARTERSTONE: Played a completed game. This part I didn't like. However, I really like the mechanisms. I would love to use the game to design a couple of boards (1 each side) in order to make it a bit more intuitive. Instead, the placement layout seemed very random and it was easy to overlook things.

SAGRADA: I really liked this game. It is very different from Roll Player, which I wasn't expecting. One is a spatial puzzle while the other is a manipulation puzzle. The amount they are compared I would've thought they are similar. Really enjoyed it and high on the wishlist.

THE GAME: Always like the stress in this game. Played the hard variant (3 cards per turn played minimum), but nearly pulled it off, Really like this game.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: It was okay. Jumped in because not much else was happening. I am pretty average on this game and really don't enjoy being the traitor. Luckily I wasn't so could just focus on completing skill checks.

So that was my ITTD haul. A pretty good haul of played games for a weekend.

MOVIE REVIEW: INFINITY WAR

Infinity War is the latest Marvel movie in their cinematic universe. It was also the most secretive, with very late review embargoes on everything. Luckily, it might also be their best movie. 

The movie is an ensemble. Everyone is in it as they face off against Thanos and his chosen warriors. Inspired by the comics, Thanos is trying to complete his goal of killing half the universe. His tools- 6 infinity stones. 

This movie is very well done. It never feels jarring or too spread thin. All major characters get good chances to shine. All the characters are given a spot or two to show why the marvel cinematic universe is so loved. This is definitely a movie that you need to be at least familiar with the characters, though.

There are very few downpoints. There are a couple of jarring moments. One is when Black Panthers talks to another character, as if the filmmakers were trying to prove she is smarter than the resident named brains of the universe. This felt jarring instead of just getting the job done. Other characters are also required to take some small steps backward to get everyone back on the same page, but nothing that breaks the movie flow as bad as this. 

The other weaker point is Thanos himself. In he comics, he is a very cerebral villain (when done well), using brains over brawn. Here, he is much more a bruiser. Also, his power, despite seeming vast, seems to be inconsistent. He seems to struggle in some situations, which is a head scratcher considering how he is introduced. This is similar for Thanos’ chosen guard, Thor, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and others. The power scaling is a bit off. 

Thanos is still one of the better villains. He has depth similar to Killmonger or Loki (although not quite as strong or compelling as them), and is given time to be fleshed out. Considering that the two pillars this movie was resting on were Thanos and the balance of having so many characters, I think Marvel can hang their hats up on this as a success and how the cinematic universe is letting them push forward more and more. 

5 out of 5 infinite waffles. 

MOVIE REVIEW: WONDER WOMAN

Wonder Woman is another DC movie in their extended universe. Coming after the critically panned Suicide Squad and BvS, it has often been hailed as the first good DC movie. Personally, I think it is probably okay but leagues better than the previous movies.

One of the main things it gets right is that it is mainly a self-contained story. It isn't trying to shoehorn in references to other movies or other heroes. Instead, it is a story where Wonder Woman is hunting down Aries to try and end World War One.

And for the most parts is it works. Although it has its silly bits and doesn't make too much sense, it is shot with a sense of drama and direction. Every character isn't trying to be overly melodramatic and quotable, instead having some normal conversations and character building in it. This is something that was sorely lacking in the previous films.

In fact the main stumbling block is the ending, which is where it gets dragged down to an average of okay (because the ending is bad). Just when a point has been made, it is undermined by the movie trying to drive the plot forward. This happens in the final battle (and it is pretty obvious when) and also the actual ending. It needed to set up Wonder Woman in isolation and hiding, which undermines her final character arc.

At the end of the day, this movie could've been good if it tried to avoid the standard tropes of the superhero genre. Also the biggest stumbling block is when it has to fit in with the rest of the DC universe, which really undercuts Wonder Woman as a strong character.

2.5 out of 5 non-wondrous waffles.

MOVIE REVIEW: AMATEUR (2018)

Amateur is a Netflix movie. It is about a high school basketball phenom and covers his journey up the ranks (so to speak) of the amateur basketball leagues, and some of the problems that entails.

Amateur follows the story of Terron (I think his name was). He is really good at basketball and dominates the local basketball school competition. His father is an ex-football player (who has too many concussions to function well in life anymore) who is pushing him. He then gets drafted to a college team.

This movie follows a normal sports hero story in some spots. The kid wants to take care of his family, he has some teething issues with the team, people are trying to manipulate him, he doesn't know the whole story, etc. However, instead of taking the time to develop these issues, it keeps glossing over the bad.

However, it is slightly forgiveable as it is presented mainly from his point of view, so it could be seen as a representation and author-bias. When things are good, you tend to gloss over the bad and look the other way on the warning signs that things aren't quite right.

This doesn't quite work, however. The character is too generic and the lack of empathy I felt with his struggles didn't make me want to see things succeed. And the ending works into every feel-good cliche around instead of the more sombering tone it sets up. 

If you feel like watching a better version of the sports underdog story, there are plenty around. The classic is of-course Rocky. This movie needed more time to breathe and a much more restrained ending to truly hit. Instead, it rushes through the hard stuff that needed more set-up and ends feeling pretty flat.

1.5 out of 5 handicapped waffles.

BOARD GAME REVIEW: MAJESTY- FOR THE REALM

Majesty: For the Realm (hereafter referred to as Majesty) is the latest game from the designer of Splendor (I believe). After the disappointment of Cities of Splendor, does Majesty recapture the magic. The short answer is: yes. The longer answer: it is perhaps one of my games of the year.

Majesty is a simple game. You have a set of locations in your empire. Everyturn, there is an offer where you choose a card. You have to pay to skip the cards at the beginning of the row and get other stuff (sometimes better, sometimes worse).

In addition, there is some attacking. Attacking is very non-personal and the game is so short that, even if you get caught out by attacks, it never feels too personal. Also, there are multiple ways to mitigate against attacks, so it doesn't feel overly important.

As you draft cards, you activate various combo's and effects in your tableau. At the end of the game, your non-injured cards score for majorities and variety. Every card you draft gives you something, and although it is a short game, the decisions feel pretty meaningful.

The only criticism is that perhaps by the end of the games, it might feel a bit samey. That is where alternate locations come in. This keeps the game feeling fresh. In addition, you can come up with your own combinations of location cards to explore different set-ups (although the balance might not be there). 

This is another great game in the same style as Splendor. Simple rules, quick playing, but engaging decisions. This has slightly more interaction than Splendor due to attacking, but doesn't overdo it. A great game that entertains a wide variety of people.

5 out of 5 Majestic Waffles.

MOVIE REVIEW: ESCAPE PLAN (2013)

Escape Plan is a a suprisingly good movie, even if predictable. This is an example of where predictability in movies isn't always a bad thing if the premise it is crafter around is good.

Escape Plan stars Stallone. He is a professional jail-breaker. In that, he is hired to test out maximum security prisons and exploit there weaknesses to ensure that future jail breaks cannot happen. He then takes on his latest job: get out of an unbreakable prison. While there, he meets up with other inmates, including Schwarzenegger.

This movie is a good jail-break style film. You see Stallone work around things that seem insurmountable. Little things come back later as being meaningful and key for the future. This is done with voiceovers and flashbacks, and works well. The movie really comes together well as a good heist-style movie.

The only time this falls down is when it turns into a more generic action movie. The other thing is the slight plot hole where Stallone doesn't face consequences for what he does in leaving prison. For example, in the opening of the movie, he kills a man during a prison fight. However, this is never brought up again.

All up, this movie is generally one to check out. It reminds me of the old-style heist movie with a tight plot and clear goals. It may be predictable, but it is well put together.

4 out of 5 escaped waffles.

MOVIE REVIEW: WARCRAFT (2017)

Warcraft is a movie based on the popular Blizzard entertainment games that have spawned real-time strategy and MMO games. This is essentially a story right at the beginning of the games, and that is probably one of its major failings. There may be some spoilers below.

The story follows the Orcs and the Humans as they make contact with eachother. The Orcs are massive beasts that easily overpower the humans as they invade. The humans are struggling to defend their lands, learn about the threat, and form the Alliance made famous by the games.

The movie moves along at a good clip. The main characters are the human Guardian, the kings brother, an Orc female runt or half-orc or something, an orc shaman, and an orc chieftain. The plot mainly suffers from 2 things. One of them is that it is just too convuluted for a movie.

There are so many subplots going on and intertwining that the movie struggles to make any feel particularly important. For example, the close of the chieftains final arc is designed to expose a truth to the Orcs. However, he exposes that truth.... and it leads to nothing. Because the other plots and the movie demand a fighting climax. Similarly, there is a big showdown that happens after the final climax that makes no sense in the course of the movie and how other events wrapped up.

The other problem is it is set before the games. This means that "open for sequel" is splayed across the middle and ending of the movie. For example, the races are reluctant to form an Alliance with the outmatched humans, for no discernable reason. Similarly, one Guardian is given high status in the council and deferred to for all... but for no real reason. No story arcs are really concluded for the movie, which is a major problem.

Which is a shame. Because, when the movie works, it works incredibly well. It looks great, the fight scenes are visceral, and the characters are done well (for the most part). However, what this movie needed was to choose a tighter, more focused story and cut some stuff out. Instead of trying to set everything up for a future movie, it needed to be a good self-contained movie.

2 out of 5 For The Waffles!

SOLO BOARDGAME FAST THOUGHTS: ROLL PLAYER, ONE DECK DUNGEON AND SUPERHOT

So I thought I would put up my thoughts on a few games that I have been playing solo lately and my thoughts on them. I will say that I have been enjoying all three of these games but haven't quite played them enough to fully review them.

Roll Player: Roll Player is a nice puzzle game that forces you to make some tough choices (sometimes). Here, you draw and roll some dice, then the dice are seeded from lowest to highest. The higher you pick, the more the AI will do on there turn. The expansion also adds an extra layer of things to do, which is good, although the majority of the fun is still from the core skeleton of the game. The biggest thing it adds is another fail state for the end game to challenge you. Definitely a very good game of dice allocation and would recommend it. 

One Deck Dungeon: Another puzzle-type game. Here you roll your dice allocation, hope to beat the monsters arrayed against you and advance lower into the dungeon. Eventually you want to beat the boss. Once again, the recent stand-alone expansion adds character progression and a few extra mechansims. A bit more dictated by luck but small and fun to pull out.

Superhot: An interesting game where you are managing two decks simultaneously in order to not hit the fail condition and complete your objectives. You are balancing your speed of movement to avoid attacks with actually defeating enemies to make sure you keep the decks "balanced". A very interesting puzzle and some simple rules make an intriguing game. It is designed primarily as a solo game so it is quite fun. I fear it is a bit too fiddly for its own good but I still very much enjoy it.

So those are three games that I want to play a bit more before fully revieiwing. This is more my initial thoughts on them. Some I definitely want to play more multiplayer or just have a couple more games under my belt before my final thoughts.

MOVIE REVIEW: GAME OVER, MAN (2018)

Game Over, Man starts with so mich promise. The premise of the movie is a die-hard-esque movie with some unlikely heroes in a besieged hotel. The twist is the heores, villains, bystanders, etc. are modern-day celebrities.

The movie follows three male-waiters in a hotel. During a party for an internet celebrity, a group of terrorists takes over the hotel. The three male waiters than become unlikely heroes, fighting the terrorists using their eccentricities.

This movie answers the question: what happens if in a siege-type Die Hard-esque movie, all the characters were unlikeable jerks. Instead of helpless prisoners, they are cocky, arrogant people. The most relatable character is actually the big bad villain, and the most sympathetic.

So with no characters to relate to, you are only left with a bunch of characters and slapstick comedy. The comedy is very good in the beginning. However, after this, it just falls into old cliches. While the cliches and plays on stereotype roles work at the beginning, the creativitiy and originality quickly drains. Then you are just left with a bunch of jokes that don't even come close to the mark.

So overall this movie is a big miss. The comedy and premise start with promise. However, the characters that you are meant to be hopiing survive and prevail are so unlikeable and unrelatable that you are left numb and uncaring by the end.

1.5 out of 5 Game Over Waffles.