Remnants Review Roundup

Posted on Thursday, Jul 05 2018 10:41AM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

Early-Reviews-Remnants

The reviews for Remnants are coming in, and people are really enjoying the real-time dice-rolling in this post-apocalyptic world! But we’ll let them do the talking. We’ve pulled out a summary quote from each review and followed it up with a link to the full review for your perusal. Enjoy!

“Remnants provides an excellent tabletop experience. Looting and scavenging are well designed, and the addition of managing and recruiting specialist survivors is very welcome. There’s enough here to feel crunchy and deep without being overwhelming.”

–Everything Board Games

http://www.everythingboardgames.com/2018/06/remnants-review.html

“For fans of delicious decisions, there is a lot of thought and planning required. [. . .] It is still early in our plays, but Remnants is my favorite Fireside Game so far. Remnants has a great theme, good artwork, and two of my favorite mechanisms (real time dice-rolling and card purchase from a market) done well. The tension from building up your compound to withstand the attacks every other round is palpable, and the end game is very satisfying. Throw in the competitive point scoring, and this hits a lot of marks for me.”

–Board Game Gumbo

https://www.punchboardmedia.com/home/2018/6/26/board-game-gumbo-inside-look-at-remnants-from-fireside-games

“You go from frantic dice rolling to calm tactical decision making regularly, which was thrilling to me and actually made the theme a little more immersive.”

–Gaming With Swag

http://www.gamingwithswag.com/blog/2018/6/1/remnants-board-game-review-the-post-apocalypse-meets-dice

“Remnants is a very good game that I absolutely can recommend if you hit 2 to 4 players routinely. [. . .] I’m going to be keeping it, it’s going to be going onto my shelf. Easy to learn, easy to teach, overall, very good game.”

– Bower’s Game Corner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKCQlCikS8I

“I enjoyed this game. It was easy enough rules wise that I could pick it up on the run, but it was challenging enough that I had to take some serious moments considering my actions. I’m pretty happy to play this game and I think that Fireside has done a good job at making a more serious game. [. . .] I think with the mechanic additions, and the great post-apocalyptic setting it’ll be a great addition to anyone’s board game closet.”

–The Nblogcollective

https://nblogcollective.com/2018/04/09/why-remnants-will-be-on-my-board-game-shelf/

“I dig the juggling of trying to grab VPs while doing your best to build a compound which will withstand and take down the baddies. 8.5”

–Jeff McAleer, The Gaming Gang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2355&v=aMPLvDI2R5U

“Remnants is fun to play. I enjoyed the tension of trying to scavenge the materials I needed to pursue my strategy, and alternating between building up my outpost and preparing for the next attack (with those attacks getting stronger as the game goes on) kept things interesting.”

–ICv2.com

https://icv2.com/articles/reviews/view/40528/review-remnants-board-game

Unboxing video by the Dice Tower:

http://www.dicetower.com/game/248224/remnants

Remnants & Grackles Date Change

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 05 2018 11:09AMWednesday, Aug 08 2018 4:11PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

We’ve been excitedly anticipating the release of Remnants and happily sharing what we’ve received from the printer. Sadly, we now have to share a disappointing bit of news from the printer. There has been an unforseen shipping delay getting Remnants on the boat, which has caused a ripple effect and pushed the street date to July 25. We’ll have demos and pre-orders available at Origins Game Fair, and we’ll get those copies shipped out as soon as they hit the warehouse. We’ll continue to share bits about Remnants on social media and post the how-to-play video soon, so stay tuned!

Remnants

Don’t forget, if you buy from us or from retailers with Launch Kits, you’ll get the Giant Scorpion promo card.

Remnants-Giant-Scorpion

Here some early reviews of Remnants to give you a hint of all of the post-apocalyptic fun you’re in for.

The Gaming Gang

https://youtu.be/IF0XqDmHJBc?t=26m50s

Bower’s Game Corner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKCQlCikS8I

We’re also pushing back the street date for Grackles, which will now hit stores September 5, to allow for more time to manufacture the cool bird tokens. We’ll have demos and pre-orders at Origins and Gen Con and will ship those out as soon as possible as well.

Grackles

Rhado Runs Through . . . A Burning Forest!

Posted on Thursday, Jan 25 2018 12:32PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

If you’re not familiar with “Rhado Runs Through” it’s a video series created by Rhado that takes a look at a board game from the player’s point of view and tries to really capture the feel of what it’s like to play the game. He talks through what choices he’s making and why, so it goes a bit beyond just a rules overview.

Recently, he sat down and played a rousing game of Hotshots, and you can watch that playthrough right here:

He then made a second video where he gives his final thoughts, and not to spoil anything, but he starts his video by calling it a “fun, very solid, cooperative, push your luck game.”

We’re thrilled that Rhado enjoyed the game, and we hope this gives you a fun peek at what it’s like to try to fight the fire!

Dastardly Dirigibles Gets FatherGeek Seal of Approval!

Posted on Thursday, Jan 12 2017 10:42AM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

Our Steampunk card game Dastardly Dirigibles has already received some really great reviews, including one from the crew over at FatherGeek.com. They took a look at our game recently and gave it their official seal of approval.

If you’re not familiar with Father Geek, Cyrus and his gang put a unique spin on the typical board game review. After a detailed overview of the game, the final review is actually 3 perspectives from different groups.

The Child Geeks give their thoughts as a group of younger players. The Parent Geeks give their feedback as adult players who may or may not consider themselves gamers but definitely view the game as a parent. Lastly, the Gamer Geeks take a more hobby-oriented view of the game since these are veteran players with a lot of experience.

In order to get the Father Geek Approved badge, a game has to be approved by all 3 Geek groups and we are very proud to say that Dastardly Dirigibles did just that!

Each group had some great comments on our splendid construction creation.

The Child Geeks noted. “Each time you play a part, everyone else gets to play a part, too. This means that playing parts on your turn is not always a good thing.”
The Parent Geeks commented, “I like how the game subtly opens up to you. I thought it was just a race, but now I see it has more to do with pacing and positioning than anything else.”
The Gamer Geeks were intrigued as well saying, “This is a solid game. Light but it has depth. You need to be strategic about your card playing timing and always have a backup plan.”

Our favorite comment comes from Cyrus, Father Geek himself, in his description of the gameplay.

“The game forces players to play cards, but it does it in such a way as to make it feel like it’s doing you a favor.

‘What’s this? Your opponent just played an engine? Guess what? You can, too! Yeah, we’re all winners!’

The game just sold you a beautiful lie, and you’ll buy it each and every time, too, with a smile. When you are forced to play a card, you are also forced to change your Guide sheet in a way you may not particularly want.”

You can check out the entire review for yourself, and if you’re intrigued, feel free to grab a copy!

Dastardly Dirigibles Game Review

Uplifting Reviews for Dastardly Dirigibles!

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 04 2016 10:05AMTuesday, Oct 11 2016 2:25PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

Another day, another set of great reviews for our plucky little airship building card game, Dastardly Dirigibles!

The Deseret News weighs in:

“Dastardly Dirigibles is a relatively simple design with some interesting elements that come together under a delightful theme.”

The wonderful folks over at Mid-Life Nerd Crisis have declared:

“This one may be my new favorite game! A++”

Jason Meyers over at I Slay the Dragon.com has written a great review of the game absolutely chocked full of Victorian slang praise! Highly recommended reading for the fashionable steampunk.

“Like its behemoth titular airships this one’s head rests loftily in the clouds. Its nonchalant and mischievous twist on set collection honors its Steampunk inspiration and gives it a distinctiveness.”

Dale Yu at Opinionated Gamers.com has this to say about our airship escapades:

“Dastardly Dirigibles is a filler with meaningful decisions… and I’m enjoying it a great deal.” “. . . the perfect addition to my “games to play with non-gamer family” as well as nice opening game for game nights.”

Patrick Cossel over at The Forge Herald had some great things to say about our game:

“To the person, we all agreed this game was a lot of fun.”

Not only that, but we were awarded the Forge Herald Stamp of Approval. Quite splendid indeed! We love hearing about folks enjoying building their airships and knapping a good part from their fellow engineers. May the winds be at your back!

4 Out of 5 Stars for Dastardly Dirigibles!

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 23 2016 10:24AMTuesday, Aug 23 2016 10:57AM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

Our steampunk airship game continues to sail to new heights! Two new rave reviews for Dastardly Dirigibles have arrived and we wanted to share them with you.

Internet vs. Wallet has declared Dastardly Dirigibles to be a great game for some light family fun.

“We found ourselves coming back to this one often.”

Meanwhile, over at Guslado’s Games, Guslado gives a recap of his Gen Con experience and awards our game 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you good sir, and a most dapper countenance you have there!

It warms our cogs and gears to hear about the love for Dastardly Dirigibles. Best of luck to all of you as you race to build those beautiful blimps!

“A Must-Play For Fans of Steampunk”

Posted on Thursday, Aug 11 2016 9:05AMWednesday, Aug 10 2016 11:12PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

4 airships from Dastardly Dirigibles assembled

Jeff Provine over at BlogCritics.org just posted a great review of Dastardly Dirigibles! His review covers the gameplay and artwork and comes away with smashingly good praise indeed!

“Going beyond simple icons, the art shines through as each suit stands out, whether in polished white with golden statuary, weighty cast iron hefted by over-sized engines, or the stitched-together Wild cards with banners and tablecloths mixed into the blimps.”

“Famous for its innovative mechanics in Castle Panic, Fireside takes time-tested suit-matching play and raises it to the stratosphere with Dastardly Dirigibles.”

Jeff wraps up his review with the summary that “Dastardly Dirigibles is great fun for family and light gamers and a must-play for fans of Steampunk.” If you’d like read more, check out the full review here. To see what all the fuss is about, grab a copy from our store and come away with the exclusive Smoke Bomb promo card!

Star Trek Panic Reviews Are Beaming Up!

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 27 2016 9:00AMWednesday, Jul 27 2016 9:12AM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

Lt. Uhura: Captain, we are receiving multiple transmissions. They appear to be Star Trek Panic reviews.

Mr. Spock: My sensors confirm they are positively charged.

We are super excited to have launched Star Trek Panic out into the universe and even Mr. Spock agrees it’s a hit. If you aren’t convinced by his cold, Vulcan logic, then maybe these great reviews coming in from around the web will sway you!

Let’s start with this hilarious unboxing video from GameWire, where Pep and Bebo crack open the box and look inside. With both of them being huge Star Trek fans, there is more than a little squee-ing in this one, and it’s really hard not watch this with a huge grin.

From there, Vincent Paone at Dad’s Gaming Addiction gives Star Trek Panic an amazing 9 out of 10, adding, “Star Trek Panic fires its phasers in true Trek fashion and then some.” You can read the short review at dadsgamingaddiction.com or watch the whole video with a detailed breakdown of components and rules right here.

Over at Bower’s Game Corner, Forrest Bower’s glee is palpable as he exclaims, “A home run, no-brainer. If you’re a Star Trek fan, absolutely check this one out.” He goes on to add, “This might be one of my favorite games of 2016.”

Joel Eddy from Drive Thru Reviews has a hard time containing his enthusiasm as well, stating, “It’s really, really fun. It just puts you right into that fun aspect of Star Trek.” He also says, “If you’re a fan of any of the other Panic games I would 100% pick this up.” We couldn’t agree more!

Trent Howell of The Board Game Family proudly declares that “Star Trek Panic is a blast!” As a long-time fan of Castle Panic, Trent has to admit “Star Trek Panic now tops the list as my favorite of the “Panic” board games.”

If you want to boldly go where no Panic has gone before, you can pick up a copy of the game in our store right now. If you’re still not convinced, make sure to visit us at Gen Con this year in booth #743 to play a demo, pick up the exclusive promo card, and get an extra U.S.S. Enterprise with purchase!

Live long and prosper!

Bite the Tooth! Dastardly Dirigibles Reviews Are In!

Posted on Monday, Jul 25 2016 9:00AMFriday, Jul 22 2016 6:31PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

*Bite the Tooth: to be successful or achieve your goal

The first wave of reviews for Dastardly Dirigibles have arrived, and they are splendid indeed! We are quite pleased to share these with you as we twirl our mustaches with pride.

Ddoplayers.org claims that “Dastardly Dirigibles is a fun game that is easy to learn. With a lot of depth to it.”

Dave Banks of GeekDad.com quite thoroughly enjoyed the game and specifically calls out how enjoyable it is for players of different ages, “It’s simple enough for young kids to play, while having enough strategy to become a more challenging game for more serious players.” He wraps up with high praise, “Dastardly Dirigibles is a truly enjoyable game that has great art, plays quickly, and encourages laughter in its play, resulting in an all-around great family-friendly game that is definitely worth checking out.”

Marco at Marcowargamer has posted his video review and determines our airship building game to be “a simple, fun filler with a little bit of backstabbing.” Indubitably!

Last, but definitely not least, the famous Zee Garcia from The Dice Tower declares, “Thumbs up from me. Check this one out if you enjoy the genre. If you’re looking for a cool card game that gives you a neat new setting, look into Dastardly Dirigibles.”

Many thanks for the kind words! We’ll be posting more reviews shortly, but if you’re already convinced, you can trot on over to our shop and pick up a copy today!

Here, Kitty, Kitty! Review Round Up: Part Deux

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 19 2016 9:37AM by Justin De Witt — 2 Comments

As if you needed more reasons to covet your very own copy of Here, Kitty, Kitty!… but here you go! Another group of reviews have been rounded up and it was way easier than herding cats.

“Start channeling your inner cat lady, because Here Kitty, Kitty!, by Fireside Games, is a kitten collecting frenzy of quick playing fun.” – Gameosity

Over at Blog Critics they found the gameplay “lively with laughter atop its solid base of scheming, making it a perfect game for cat-lovers and game enthusiasts alike.” To put it another way, “fun gameplay that is light enough for casual gamers while still giving more hardcore players opportunity to analyze strategy.” It’s nice to know we achieved our goals with this one!

Matt Quiett, from Nerd’s Domain, says, “I give Here, Kitty, Kitty! a 4 out of 5 stars… It’s fun, light and enjoyable.”

Jess from Gameosity couldn’t agree more. “The game is fast, fun, and light, with a good dose of silliness thrown in. Each card has hysterical illustrations that really bring the game to life.”

Of course, what is a review round up for a cat game without a few good cat puns? Special thanks to Kentucky Bored Gamer who supplied a healthy dose of them in his review:
“The game play is fast and furr-ious. The rounds go quickly and there is a lot of fun to be had… So, Should you buy this game? YES! Not only is this game a GREAT family game in general, the cat theme is purr-fect for any cat lover or gamer that is new or old to board gaming.”

Over at Toys Bulletin they had a blast playing it, “…it is an enjoyable game experience from start to finish.” And the Bizarre Brunette declares, “If you are a crazy cat lady like myself, this game must be in your closet.”

And the art? Well, of course it is still getting lots of love:

“The art by Tony Steele is bright and entertaining, featuring cats in all kinds of poses…make the deck so entertaining that players may have to work to focus on their game.” – Blog Critics

The art for this game… is beautiful and fitting to the theme. It’s playful and a bit of a “cartoony” look which is nice and really does fit the theme and game play.” – Kentucky Bored Gamer

“Complements are also in order regarding the artwork and illustrations shown on the game cards…they were superb and made you smile every time you examined a card.” – Toys Bulletin

If that’s still not enough to convince you to visit your Friendly Local Game Store and nab a copy of your very own, how about this?

Troy Stegner for the El Paso Herald Post expresses his approval while inventing a new rating system. “I give this game 4 out of 4 cans of tuna.”

Review Round-Up for Here, Kitty, Kitty!

Posted on Thursday, Mar 31 2016 1:10PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

Tomorrow you’ll be able to get your own copy of Here, Kitty, Kitty! at a game store near you. And it is already getting high praise. Let the early reviewers tell you what they love about it and convince you to adopt one of your very own!

The artwork and theme win big with this one. Of course, you probably already guessed that, since who can resist a bunch of adorable kitties?

“It’s silly fun and the artwork on the cards is really excellent…” says Go Fatherhood.

“I love the artwork. This game pulls no punches on any of the humor,” raves Rick Perez of Let’s Level Up. “The artwork in this game is tremendously humorous. There are just so many funny cards that I just got a good chuckle at, which I think should be commended because I think that the artwork is fantastic.”

What about game play? This game is so much more than just a pretty face. While it is simple to learn, there is a depth to the game that leaves players desiring another go to hone their strategies and grow their hoard of kitties.

GeekDad declares, “Here, Kitty, Kitty! is a fun little family game. It’s easy to learn and plays quickly.”

“We all had a great time with this fast, simple game, so much so that when we finished, they immediately both asked for us to play a second game,” comments Go Fatherhood reviewer, Dave Taylor, about playing this game with his kids.

Tricia Victor from Golden Distribution was delighted by the added intricacy in the game. “My favorite part of Here, Kitty, Kitty! was the depth of strategy that was involved… It was fascinating to watch everyone’s strategy to obtain kittens evolve from one game to the next. Here, Kitty, Kitty! is competitive without anyone realizing how much movement, placement & area control happens with the neighborhood cats.”

Let’s Level Up agrees, “There’s plenty of room to be strategic, both on the offensive side and the defensive side, and there are a lot of important decisions that you make while you’re choosing your two actions. There are a lot of opportunities to think outside of the box.”

Here, Kitty, Kitty! is simple to learn, and will be a great filler or light game for your next game night. You can play it with an emphasis “…good old fashioned fun…” (InternetvsWallet), or take it a little more seriously like Perez did, “If you’re a fan of ‘take-that’ games, Here, Kitty, Kitty! is amazing in that regard.”

Final Verdict

Well, we’ll just let them tell you…
“…a fantastically fun game… I think it’s fabulous and ‘purrrfect.‘” – Rick Perez, Let’s Level Up
“It is a family friendly, lighthearted game… that will keep everyone coming back to the table for more.” – Tricia Victor, Golden Distribution
“Buy this game. You and your family will love it.” – Internet vs Wallet
“Definitely recommended and a game I’m sure will move onto the active shelf.” – Go Fatherhood
“It’s easy to learn, appropriate for families, and features adorable plastic miniature cats.” – Ryan Morgenegg, Deseret News
“… it is AWESOME!.. this one really is the cat’s meow…” – Third Eye Games

You can watch Let’s Level Up’s full video review below, or choose any of the links above to view the full reviews shared in this article.

2015 Holiday Gaming Recommendations

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 24 2015 12:28PMWednesday, Jul 13 2016 5:41PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

The weather outside can be as frightful as it wants to be when you have hours of entertainment at your fingertips (and no, we aren’t talking about your smartphone).

‘Tis the season for gathering with family and friends and being thankful for the time you have with them. What better way to engage with those you love than over a board game?

Here is a brand new list of gaming recommendations for you to share with your nearest and dearest this Thanksgiving and on through the holiday season.

2015 Holiday Gaming Recommendations

1. The Resistance – Indie Boards & Cards
Great for larger groups, this game of deduction and sabotage can accommodate 5-10 players. Work together to complete missions while trying to discover the spies hiding in your midst. This one was an alternate for last year’s list and is always brought up when we talk to other gamers, so you know it has to be good!

2. Chopstick Dexterity Mega Challenge 3000 – MayDay Games
Play it like a Japanese Game Show for the maximum fun. Flip a token, find out what shape and color you are vying for, and try to move all the matching pieces from the main bowl into yours using only your mad chopstick skills. Get a family member to commentate and let the chopsticks fly!

3. The Village Crone – Fireside Games
Slinging spells around the dinner table seems like a fun way to spend the holidays. This one is ideal for the families who love telling stories. It can be played with up to 6 players, so no one gets left out. Command your Familiars, collect your Ingredients, and compete to be the town witch. You might just find yourself making up little spells for all the dishes you cook up.

4. Graveyards, Ghosts, & Haunted Houses – Rather Dashing Games
Create the board as you lay your tiles trying to connect the longest run of your color and thwarting the other players’s paths. Watch out for the special tiles that let players rearrange the layout or the tokens that can block your path. This one is a mind puzzle, so you might want to lay off the eggnog while playing.

5. Hanabi – R&R Games
Put your communication skills to the test in this cooperative game. Work with the other players to put on the best fireworks display by playing your cards in proper order. The catch? You can’t see your own cards. You must take clues from other players to lay the right card or watch your chances of winning go up in smoke!

6. Lanterns: The Harvest Festival – Renegade Games
Compete to be the most honored artisan at the Lantern Festival by laying tiles to create the best display. Lay your tiles strategically to earn bonuses or block other players. This one plays in 30 minutes, so it’s perfect while you wait for the turkey to settle before digging into some pie.

7. Space Cadets: Dice Duel – Stronghold Games
Picking sides at the holidays is always tricky, but add in the threat of annihilation and it gets downright frantic! In Space Cadets, you must protect your spaceship from the other team by performing your crew member tasks and launching counter attacks. There are no civilized turns in this game, just instinctive action to survive. Get in the spirit with your best Star Wars jokes.

8. Codenames – Czech Games
Work in teams to decipher the clues and claim the right words on the grid for your team. Choose wisely or you may uncover the other team’s words for them. This one’s really popular this year so if you don’t already have a copy, you might have to wait and break this one out at Christmas after the next print run arrives in early December (we asked).

9. Splendor – Asmodee
Strategy is the key in this game of Renaissance reputation. Collect chips and cards to expand your gem mines and shops all to increase your prestige and become the most prominent purveyor of jewels. This one has won many awards and is fairly easy to pick up for those non-gamers in your crowd.

10. Double Feature – Renegade Games
This one’s for the cinephiles and pop culture junkies. Earn points by naming a movie that marries the themes from two different cards. One round you might have to name a movie that involves “Gorillas” and “New York” and the next you might have to name a “Black and White” “Cowboy” movie. You’ll have fun and you might even discover some new Must Watch movies.

There are so many great games out there, we’re sure we’ve missed a few you would have added to the list. Tell us your favorite games to share with friends and family in the comments below!

Want more recommendations? Check out our 2014 Thanksgiving Gaming List and our Independence Day List.

Find a Friendly Local Game Store near you to pick up a few of these titles!

The Village Crone Review Roundup!

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 04 2015 1:30PMWednesday, Dec 16 2015 3:04PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

Witches aren’t just for Halloween anymore! Find out why YOU should be playing The Village Crone through recommendations from gamers like you in this Review Roundup for our newest game (released September 30).

Dave Banks at Geek Dad flatters us with his comments on the components and gameplay quality, “I really appreciate Fireside’s devotion to quality, both in gameplay and components. Everything looks and feels top-notch, making for a great gaming experience… …I think Fireside is great at coming up with little twists that affect gameplay positively…”

“The game is easy to learn and play, but offers enough depth to keep players interested,” according to Mike N. over at Nerds of a Feather in his recap of the best games at GenCon.

Caylie Sadin from Nerdy But Flirty fell in love with The Village Crone when she first saw it at GenCon 2015, “The game is really fun to play, the art is beautiful, and the theme is awesome.”

She really likes the thematic use of spell-casting in this one: “One of the mechanics that makes the game super enjoyable is that every time you cast a spell, you have to say the incantation too. It helps players get into the spirit of the game.”

You can check out Caylie’s interview with Anne-Marie De Witt, the designer of The Village Crone, over on the Nerdy but Flirty website.

The Domestic Geek echoes Nerdy but Flirty with her praise, “I can’t get enough of this game.” You can watch Brittany’s Unboxing Video and her Video Review over on her blog or YouTube channel.

Jeremiah from Theology of Gaming enjoys the thinking aspects of the game:

“The interaction is great, the board is constantly shifting, and there’s a lot of guessing who’s doing what and trying to block them, or at least trying to stop other players from moving the pieces you need out of the ares in which you need them. You’re right, it is very much puzzle-like. And I like that a lot!”

The praise for this game is summed up nicely by Ryan Morgenegg over at Deseret News, “The Village Crone has a great theme and beautiful components.”

There you have it, folks! The Village Crone is a worker placement, resource management game with a puzzle-like quality and continually shifting landscape. Learn more about The Village Crone on our information page and pick up a copy at your Friendly Local Game Store today!

The Dark Titan Review Round Up

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 14 2015 11:53AMMonday, Nov 09 2020 11:22AM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

It’s been a few months since Agranok returned from banishment and invaded the Castle Panic towers with his army of Elite Monsters. Now that The Dark Titan expansion has hit table tops around the country (and world), let’s take a look at what people are saying…

Ryan Morgenegg of Deseret News says, “For fans of Castle Panic, the purchase of The Dark Titan expansion is a no-brainer. For a relatively small price, the game offers a bunch of new content and the toughest challenge yet.” You can read his full review on the Deseret News page.

For those of you new to Castle Panic, check out PostPostModernDad’s review. He introduces new players to the joys and woes of defending your home in Castle Panic and gives a great overview of what this expansion adds to the game, without overwhelming you with the nuances of adding the first expansion, The Wizard’s Tower, as well.

His verdict? “The Dark Titan enhances and underscores Castle Panic‘s inherent cooperative play making it a fantastic addition to the game. Buy it.” Well, we can’t argue with that, now can we?

The Opinionated Gamer (aka pastor guy) states, “fans of the game will find new challenges and interesting twists that don’t overwhelm the sold engine of the base game.”

And Rick Teverbaugh of the Herald Bulletin believes this expansion will remind you why you loved Castle Panic in the first place and encourages you to get it back on the table. There’s no reason your Castle should be gathering dust in your game library!

“I can virtually assure all gamers there will be moments of panic when it seems all might be lost – and with the challenges put forth, that might really be true,” says Teverbaugh.

Still need some convincing of the amount of drama and panic held in the small expansion box? Check out the dramatic retelling of a play through of The Dark Titan in The Dice Tower video review by the fine fellas at Boardgame Corner (click HERE to skip straight to the epic story time!).

Randy and Mark of Boardgame Corner both agree the expansion “is a blast to play” with Mark really loving the 5 different levels of difficulty for Agranok.

“It goes from manageable to completely insane,” Mark says. We’re pretty sure that is what Justin (De Witt, designer of Castle Panic and its expansions) was going for!

If you still haven’t tried The Dark Titan expansion for Castle Panic, we invite you to check out our How to Play videos, including a video on how to play with both expansions. For more information on The Wizard’s Tower expansion, visit our webpage.

Ask for Castle Panic and its expansions at your Friendly Local Game Store!

Munchkin Panic – Review Roundup

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 02 2014 10:00AM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

It’s been a little over a month since Munchkin Panic hit store shelves across the U.S. and we’ve been awed by the outpouring of support and affection for this game! Thank you so much to everyone who has welcomed our latest game into their homes and onto their game tables.

We’ve been seeing reviews for Munchkin Panic popping up all over from blogs to YouTube and wanted to give those of you still considering this game some resources. We think this game is awesome, but as Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow would say, “you don’t have to take my word for it.”

Tom Vasel of The Dice Tower gave it the Dice Tower Seal of Approval and said, “Munchkin fans will be totally at home here.” You can see his video review on his YouTube channel or the review page over at DiceTower.com.

Vince, over at Dad’s Gaming Addiction, states “‘Munchkin Panic’ takes the best parts of both games and mashes them together both elegantly and brilliantly.” He gives it a final verdict of 9/10. You can read his review and check out his video at dadsgamingaddiction.com.

GeekedupGaming‘s Anna and Tim say, “This game is awesome! Add it to your shelf. And your library, because we all have more than one shelf.” Watch their verdict at 45:57 in their YouTube play-through.

The Post Post Modern Dad blog says, “Many of the elements are similar but the execution is vastly different” when comparing Castle Panic and Munchkin Panic. Then states, “This is a really fun and challenging game, one that really can bring members of the family together.”

Dave Banks of Geek Dad says, “…Munchkin Panic may very well be our go-to cooperative game … as long as I am wearing the Sandals of Protection.”

At ObsessiveMommy.com, she quotes her 16-year-old son’s review of the game. “My favorite part about this game is that the objective changes throughout the game. One turn you may want to save the castle to rack up more trophies, and the next you’ll want to sabotage the castle to ensure your win.” He pretty much nails the Mini Expansion with this description. He goes on to say, “I also enjoy how creative this game can get… I really enjoyed this game and I would recommend it to my friends.”

Jonathan Nelson of Gaming Bits says Munchkin Panic “mashes up the best parts of Munchkin with Castle Panic… This is a game that fans of both Munchkin and Castle Panic will love.” He gives it an overall 9/10.

Blogcritics‘s Jeff Provine gives Munchkin Panic 95/100, commending it for how it “brings together the best of two exceedingly different systems.”

Board-Game-Brooke calls Munchkin Panic “One of the Best New Board Games of 2014”. She provides an excellent overview of the changes made to Munchkin Panic from the original inspiration games. She says, “the changes to the game make it more complex and more challenging, plus add some visual and verbal whimsy to the play… I highly recommend the game to anyone who enjoys the concept of Castle Panic and the wacky aesthetics of Munchkin.”

If you’ve been wondering how Munchkin Panic is different from Castle Panic, we recommend checking out Board-Game-Brooke‘s review, as well as checking out our video on the differences, and our blog about all the Panic Line games.

We hope this roundup of the reviews for Munchkin Panic has saved you some internet search time so you get back to playing games. Let us know what you think of the game in the comments section.

Have you written a review for Munchkin Panic or another of our games? Please email us your information for possible inclusion in future roundups.