Dice Vice: Mission: Red Planet

by | Mar 25, 2016 | Reviews, Tabletop Games

Did you read or see The Martian and think to yourself, “I could do that”? I did not because I don’t think that I could “science the shit” out of that many things, but I do like the idea of space travel. So, if you like space and are looking for a game that is easy to pick up—little science involved—enter, Mission: Red Planet! This is a delightful new edition of an older game about traveling to Mars via steam-powered rockets to exploit its resources—because what else do we humans do?—in 1888.

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Dice Vice: Imma Take ALLLLL the Camels with Jaipur

by | Feb 22, 2016 | Reviews, Tabletop Games

This month’s game is a great little two-player game called Jaipur. The game’s introduction states that the aim is to try and become the “Maharaja’s personal trader by being richer than your opponent at the end of each week.” You spend three weeks, or rounds, collecting and selling goods like diamonds, gold, silver, cloth, spices, and leather. There are friendly camels to help you, and the more goods you sell at one time the better bonuses you get. At the end of each round, the person with the highest amount of money wins, and it’s best of three rounds.

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Dice Vice: A Board Game Cafe Triple Threat

by | Jan 18, 2016 | Reviews, Tabletop Games

An interesting thing happened on the way to my monthly Dice Vice gaming: a wild board game cafe appeared! If you’ve never been to a board game cafe you should definitely see if there is one in your area and plan a visit. Basically, it’s a cafe—the one in my town serves coffee, sandwiches, and gelato, but some serve booze—where you can pay a fee to play any of the cafe’s collection of board games. At this one, it’s $5 per person for the day, and if you’re there for a few hours you can play a lot of games. It’s a great way to try out some new games before you commit to buying them or just play with your friends with some food and a nice change of scenery. (more…)

Dominion: Have Fun Almost Immediately

by | Oct 19, 2015 | Reviews, Tabletop Games

It’s such a relief to play a game and have fun almost immediately. It got a little heavy in the Dice Vice column last month and while that’s definitely ok, I’m glad that this month’s game was easy and quick. Though I must say that it is hilarious to me how excited I was to pick up on the game so easily. The rules took only about 10 minutes to explain and I understood those rules almost immediately? This is what heaven feels like, my friends. (more…)