Dead Mans Draw

Overview

A game of risk vs reward by Mayday Games. Accommodating 2 to 4 players or 2 to 8 with two games combined and play in 10-15 minutes. You have a deck of cards to draw from and you earn points at the end of the game based on the cards that you have collected. The catch is that you can’t draw the same suit twice or you bust losing all your cards. There are ten suits on the game each with ? Cards in the suit. When the draw deck runs out the game is over and you tally the scores. So now that you have the basic premise of the game let’s talk about what’s in the box and how to setup to play.

The components of this game are: ( I am using the Kickstarter Limited edition version)
1: rule book (always good to have)

2: 60 loot cards ( 62 due to mermaid suit Kickstarter stretch goal)
3: 17 trait cards (18 due to mermaid suit Kickstarter stretch goal)
4: wooden skull and crossbones 1st player marker (Kickstarter stretch goal)*not included in retail version of the game*

5: one pack card sleeves ( Kickstarter stretch goal)*not included in retail version of the game*
6: 4 suit abilities reference cards ( Kickstarter stretch goal) (4 correction stickers to fix misprint of sword ability)
7: 2 trait reference cards (Kickstarter stretch goal)
8: mermaid suit ability reference card / siren trait card (alternate rules based on steam/pc game)(Kickstarter stretch goal)
9: 6 game variant cards (Kickstarter stretch goal)

Alright on to game setup
1. Make the discard pile with lowest card from each suit (4 card of mermaid suit and 2 card from all other suits in standard game.)
2. The rest of the cards make draw pile
3. Each player choose their trait
4. Choose weather or note to use a game variant (game addition not listed in the rulebook (reference card only)
5. Choose first player and enjoy the game

Gameplay
1. First player draws a card and continues until they bust or stop
2. Turn passes
3. Continue till draw pile is empty
4. Tally score

Review

I fell in love with this game when it was 1st available on IOS roughly two years ago. I backed the first unsuccessful Kickstarter and was super excited to find out they partnered with Mayday to try again. I feel the rules work very well and with the provided multiple way to win the game it keeps the game fresh. The theme is rich and the artwork on the front and back of all the cards is well done.
I have pulled this game out many time for quick filler games and did decide to go ahead and purchase an additional copy to expand player cap to 8.

My score is:
Retail Edition 3.3/5
Kickstarter Edition 4.3/5
Pure fun factor 4.5/5

Breakdown of score:

• Box: Is of a thick cardboard that I would not be afraid to carry around in my backpack for quick games on the go. 4.5/5
• Cards: they are of a good quality that should hold up to a good amount of shuffling and general wear. I have mine sleeved because the Kickstarter came with a pack of sleeves and I am really big on sleeving any cards that will be shuffled repeatedly. 4/5
• Rule book: It is a small rule book with all the base game information explained in a easy to understand format. It does not include any of the descriptions for alternate win conditions or alternate suit abilities. This is fine unless you lose the reference cards or just prefer to have all information in the rulebook. For this reason alone I have lowered my rating. 3.5/5
• First player token (Kickstarter exclusive): this is a Kickstarter stretch goal that I a good quality small laser cut wooden skull and cross bones. Not expensive by any means but adds a lot the the theme of the game. Coolness factor is a 5/5

gameplay 4.5/5

City of horror – need the right group

Right after Christmas I played a game of City of Horror. Going into the game I was very intrigued with the style of play As It is heavy on negotiations, alliance and back stabbing. however I did not enjoy the game at all. Now this is not to say that it ssid a bad game, I just played it with the wrong group. So before I feel comfortable doing a full review I will have to play with a different group, one that is more comfortable with alliance and possibly screwing over the other players in the game to insure there survival to the end.

Leveled up and moved on

I wanted to take a few moments and share some words about a dear friend, roommate and brother that left this plane of existence a few weeks ago.

My partner and I met Alex while I was running Dungeons & Dragons Encounters at a local game store back about five years ago. I didnt really think anything about us meeting as I had meet many people that had dropped in on these games. I would talk to him outside if we were taking a smoke break but that was just friendly conversation, I never thought hey lets make this guy my new best friend it just happened.

And this how it did, one day I got to the store earlier than normal to set up and it so happened that the owners wife was tending to the store that day. She had a acquaintance that had stopped by to visit who started telling me that her boyfriend was looking for players for his Star Wars game. Long story short I talked to her boyfriend planned for my partner and I to join the  game but he still need another player. I knew quite a few people that might be interested however it came down to most of them really only had time in their schedules for encounters, so I decided  to asking Alex. He was more than happy to give the game a try. That Star Wars game turned out to be the start of a lasting friendship not only with Alex but the whole group.

Due to jobs our GM and girlfriend moved across town we kept in touch though we didn’t have the funds to spend much time together (later they would move back to the same side of town). Alex on the other hand started coming over to the house about six nights a week to spend the evening playing games. After a few months of him basically living there after work we talked about him moving in.

Spontaneous games planned weekend gaming sessions and holiday games will be the memories I will cherish. Together we built a large game library of thematic board games and RPG’s. Savage Worlds became our go to system for RPG’s. I remember the first Christmas we were all together he said Christmas wasn’t really his thing. I bought him the Iron Dynasty rule book for savage worlds and I thought he was gonna cry. I wasn’t that he didn’t really do Christmas but that no one ever got him anything he liked. After that I believe holidays became fun for him again. At our house we always made a point that holidays meant gaming not just sitting around doing nothing.

For me there I know there will be things which are going to be tough to get past. Gaming will forever stay in my life though with the start of every game there will be a silent salute to my gaming brother.

Although his life was cut to short in my eyes he has leveled up and moved on. May the force be with you Alex. Star Wars kicked off our friendship and it happened to be the last game we played together.

Alex along with his best friend from elementarty school Gregg, FeFe, Jay, my stepson and his girlfriend, my partner Stacey and myself. Christmas 2013

Zombies an OCD nightmare

As titles states this game is a nightmare for anyone with just a small case of OCD.

I must admit that I do have a bit of a problem with game pieces getting messed up. Now most of the time this is not an issue game pieces get knocked around from time to time you clean up the disarray and move on never giving it a second thought.
Zombies however pushes this past the point of no return. my experience with this game is once you get a few rounds in you have 6+ tiles laid out and counting. you also have you mini and probably many zombies. as the game goes on the the tiles made of thin light card stock get bumped moved and just messed up. every turn or at least every other turn you are spending just as much time trying to keep everything straight as you are playing the game. A game that can be fun is instead a hassle all the way through.

Now there are some ways that i can think of to get past this however i have no interest in doing so myself. I will list a few of them though in case you feel the same way and want to take the effort.

1. Don’t draw a card each turn set the city of ahead of time under Plexiglas
2. Tape a locking hook on the back of each card
3. You maybe able to think of others