The Court of Miracles Board Game Review!

 

Having board games that are easy to set up & quick to play is a must in our house. We love playing board games, but sometimes one of us is busy or doesn't want to play something too long so having a fun, quick & easy game to play is our go to. I recently received a copy of a game called "The Court of Miracles" and it fits that category perfectly. The game itself takes less than five minutes to put together & depending on how well you strategize your movements, this game can go by pretty quickly. It is also easy to learn & there isn't a lot of rules to remember. The Court of Miracles is recommended for ages 10+ & it is set up for two to five players. The box states it generally takes forty minutes a game, however as I mentioned if you have a clear game plan & everyone else does as well a games can be shorter than that. This game retails for $40 on the Lucky Duck Website. 

Each player gets their own factions of "beggars" looking to earn the most coin in order to conquer neighborhoods by placing out all six of their Renwon tokens onto the board. You'll start the game with four player tokens + four rouge tokens along with a plot card and a set amount of coins. The game is set in 16th century Paris, the deck of plot cards feature a wide range of characters from Jesters to Knights. Plot cards can help push a game into your favor & they can also help you stop a competitor in their tracks. The rouge tokens have a face side which features a number & picture that each represent a score, these scores will be used to fight in duels on the board. 

We've had a lot of fun playing this game together as a family. I think it would also make a fun game for a game night with friends as it would be easy to teach so you aren't wasting time explaining a wide range of rules. Everything in this game is pretty straight forward, collect items you need to get your Renown pieces onto the board and battle to take control of each neighborhood onto the board. The first person to put all six of their Renown pieces onto the board is the winner. 

Does this sound like a board game you would enjoy playing? What is your favorite feature of this game?

If you want to find more great board games like The Court of Miracles head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

My Shelfie newest addition to Lucky Duck Games!

It's been a while since I've shared a board game review, We've had some other activities and video games pulling our time away from sitting down to enjoy a board game. So I was excited to receive one of the newest games in the Lucky Duck Games catalogue to check out with my family, we all sat down over the weekend to learn the game and play a few rounds. The game is called My Shelfie, and the whole point is to earn points by how you organize items onto a shelf. This game is easy to play it is designed for ages 8+, it can be played by 2-4 players and takes around thirty minutes to play a game. You can purchase it for $40 on the Lucky Duck Games website. 

The main game pieces are a plastic shelf that works similar to how connect four boards are set up. There are slots at the top where you will drop the pieces you collect into and then you can get them back out the same way at the end of the game, You'll find four of these shelves in the box. The item pieces are small card board pieces that fit perfectly into the board plus a carrying bag for them. You will also find two sets of cards, a game board and a small card board chair.

My Shelfie is easy to set up & simple to understand, your first game will be under way in no time. You will get a personal goal card plus two common goal cards will be set up next to the board. If you are able to match spaces on your personal goal card with the items you place on your shelf, you'll score points. Everyone will also be trying to complete the common goals as well to beat the others to a higher point score. It can get pretty interesting trying to complete both the common goals along with your personal goals as they might clash a bit so you really need to plan out your moves. 

I enjoyed the game it was fun trying to race to the specific pieces I needed to complete my shelf the way I wanted before someone else grabbed them. You choose to grab up to three pieces each turn, however the rule is they need to be in a straight line and have to have one open side at the start of your turn which can be challenging depending on how tiles have been laid out vs what you need. Some turns you will only be able to grab one tile, and another turn you'll be able to snag three that you need. This also comes into play with how the game ends, the first person to completely fill their shelf ends the game. However, depending on where the person who finishes first sits can have quite the impact on your final score as the game will continue until it reaches the person who sits to the right of the person who started first. This means if the person on the right of the first person is the one who finished first then the game ends right away and no one else has a chance to try to score a few more points. So far I haven't won a game, but it is a lot of fun and I look forward to playing more of it. 

I like how the item pieces look that go onto your shelf, they range from books to cats and plants. It is fun seeing how different everyone's shelves look at the end of the game. It will make a great addition to any board game collection especially for families who are looking for board games that are easy for kids to understand. 

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Oros - Play as a Demigod while the world shifts beneath your feet.

 

Board game nights are always a great way to sit & connect with your family while chatting and having fun. I was recently sent one of the newest board games in the Lucky Duck catalogue to try out with my family. The game is called Oros, it is a one to four player game that is played over the course of one to two hours. It is recommended for ages 14+ & can be purchased for $50. In this game you & your competitors will play as Demigods, racing to build mountains on which you can build temples that allow you to gain knowledge which in turn gets turned into points to win the game.  

You will need your best strategy moves in order to win this game. This game is all about moving around land tiles in order to create bigger land masses, volcanos and mountains in which you'll build sacred sites to gain knowledge. The initial set up is quite simple, and the rules may seem slightly confusing at first, but it will get better as you play through the game. There are four different demigods to select as a player & each one represents a different element - fire, water, land or air. 

As mentioned above there was a lot to absorb on your first time playing, My brain was a little confused but once I actually looked at the board some more and thought about the rules then it all clicked and I was able to explain it to everyone else as well. If you do need a little extra help there is a how to video on the Oros home page on the Lucky Duck website. When you get the hang of it, the game starts to pick up pace and is actually a lot of fun. It can get pretty intense when there are a lot of volcanos all over, and the player before you has the chance to swipe a movement out from under you. However that may play into your benefit, as more than one person can build on a mountain - in fact there are different points levels for each layer that is built on it. 

I really enjoy all of the game pieces, some of them are wood and others are a sturdy cardboard. The game can also be played solo which is nice when no one else wants to play a game. If this sounds like a game that would interest you, I highly suggest checking it out along with the other games in their collection. 

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Tidal Blades Banner Festival; Board Game Review!

 

Lucky Duck Games has yet again provided us with another instant favorite for our board games shelf. This family friendly game was recently introduced to their game catalogue & it is perfect for 2-5 players ages 8+, the game is called Tidal Blades Banner Festival & can be purchased for $40 on the Lucky Duck website. The rules of the game are easy to follow, with all new games your first game might be slightly rocky as the group learns the flow of the game but after things will go pretty quickly. Setting up the game takes less than five minutes even if only one person puts everything together, bagging everything up to put away goes by just as quickly. So this game is perfect for when you just want a quick & fun game to play together as a family or player verses player. 

Every player will get to select which character race they'd like to play as & collect the pieces that match the race they selected. I personally love to play the pink cards as the character is a cute salamander/lizard woman. The game takes place out on the sea, so your moving piece is a little jet ski! My son realized right away that your finger can fit on the seat just right so you can really "ride" it around the board if you want. This is a strategy game; you'll want to make sure you are paying attention not only to your cards but how the pieces are moving around the board. The game board is split into four different sections that each have their own order of how card colors work & how you place your cards will affect what you'll be able to do each round. For the quality of game pieces, length spent playing this game and the number of playable pieces you get I think the price point of this is spot on. 

We have all started to figure out which is the best way to achieve what we'd like to do as closely as possible, however fate may play its hand preventing you from doing the move you wanted. The game is played in three main rounds of game play & each of the three rounds has eight turns you'll play to earn points in. Once all three rounds (24 turns) are completed the player with the most points after the final point collection is the winner. I like the game pieces you use in this, most of them are made from a thick wood which means the pieces are less likely to acquire dings, nicks, bends, etc. from use over time and the money pieces are made from a thicker cardboard. We also really like the little fruit game pieces; they are made from a squishy plastic. 

We have all really been enjoying playing this game it will also be fun to see how it works out when we do a player vs player game, all of our games so far have been with four players. Our game play is pretty close to what the box says which is thirty minutes per game, some of our games can last a little longer if we are also talking or the kids aren't completely paying attention to when they need to put down cards. I can't think of anything we would want to change about this game, everything fits together perfectly to create a smooth user-friendly experience.

Lucky Duck sells a wide range of games that are action packed & range from games for small children to adventure quest style games for those who love a game where you choose the adventure and get to play with detailed figures. If you want to see some of their other awesome games, check out their website by clicking the link either at the start or end of this post or you can type "Lucky Duck" into my blogs search bar to see the other games we've received from them. I also have a link on the right-hand side of my blog "Board Game Reviews" that will show you not only my Lucky Duck reviews, but many other games as well.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Flamecraft - Use adorable dragons to build your way to victory!

 

If you are a fan of board games & adorable dragons then you need to pick up a copy of Flamecraft sold by Lucky Duck Games it is fun for the whole family & can be purchased for $39.99. This is one of the newest games added to their game catalogue with a few other game titles coming out this year. This is a fun game for adults & children alike, you can play with 1-5 players ages 10+ and games last about an hour on average. We found this game very easy to understand when learning the rules & we all picked it up quickly. 

Every player will earn items & points by collecting dragons, placing dragons in shops to work that match their skills, and casting enchantments. To be honest when I was reading the rules it reminded me a bit of the Lilo & Stitch series they had on the Disney channel as they caught experiments then looked for a home that suited them. Players will have six different character colors to choose from when selecting a player dragon token, I personally always select the light blue/aqua dragon. The base set has small wooden dragon figures that all look the same, but if you want to give your game pieces an upgrade Lucky Duck also sells a set of small plastic dragon mini-figures for $19.99 that you can use in place of the wooden dragons. 

It is hard to decide on which part of this game is my favorite thing about it because there is a lot to love packed into this box. For example instead of a traditional folding cardboard playing board it has a thick, durable & soft fabric playing board that is roll up for easy storage. It feels very similar to how a mousepad is & is heavy enough you won't need to worry about it moving around on you. The size of the playing board and how it is set up also allows for players to have plenty of room in front of them for organizing their cards/items. Once either all of the basic dragon cards or enchantment cards have been claimed the game ends & each player will be given one final turn to gain as many points as possible before the final tally to see who wins. Depending on the number of unique moon dragons in your hand you can really pull out all the stops and fly past the rest of the group with end game point scores. You will have a lot of fun looking at all the adorable dragons, adding dragons to shops, swapping them around & more when playing this game. 

This is a very family friendly game that is sure to make a great addition to your board game collection. Lucky Duck Games as a whole sells some pretty amazing games that will become instant favorites once played, they have quickly raced up the ladder to be one of our two favorite board game companies, I highly suggest checking out their catalogue of games. You can also find several other reviews on other board games in their collection by hitting the "board game reviews" link on the right hand side of my blog. Keep an eye out as I will be sharing another game from them soon! 

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Destinies a fantastic table top game!

 

I have had the pleasure of testing out a few games sold by Lucky Duck Games & while I have enjoyed all of them, I have to say that my favorite by far is Destinies. If you enjoy a D&D style game with dice rolling, a choose your own destiny design & extremely well done figures this game is for you. Along with having a mixture of physical game parts such as map pieces, coins, treasure cards and more it also has an interactive app that really brings your adventure to life. 

You can pick up a copy of Destinies for $54.99 on their website or anywhere Lucky Duck Games are sold. To some this might seem like a high price for a board game but trust me it is worth it. My favorite part of the game is all of the figures it comes with, each one is a unique character that can be found throughout the game. For how small most of the figures are they are extremely detailed & well done, none of the feature's meld together so you can easily pick out who is who. You can't quite tell by looking at the photos, but some of the figures are actually smaller than the dice! 

The game is set up to have one to three players, since there are four of us, we swap out who would be on a team together to discuss what to do for the story. There are five different stories to play in this box, each one features three distinct characters with their own goals they must complete to win the game. Each player will get their own player board which allows you to track your abilities/strengths, how many dice you can roll, etc. each story will typically last 120-150 minutes. 

Using the app it will tell you how to set up the playable map for each story you'll play. It will show you exactly which map pieces need to be laid down to start off, then as you explore each section of the map it will tell you which figures, game pieces & map pieces to add to the map as you progress through the story. Each time you visit a new destination on the app's map you will move your real life figure to the same location on the map tiles to keep track of where you are, each player can only move a certain amount of map spaces/tiles so knowing where your character currently is will help you decide where to go next.

I really enjoy playing this game, everything is set up to make it easy to understand. It is always fun trying to race to see who is able to figure out how to connect the in game world places, people & clues together in order to get what you need before the other players do. There can only be one winner! Sometimes depending on where you go & what you do, you might inadvertently end up giving the other players something that they need for their quest and vice versa so be sure to pay attention when the other players are going as well. My only issue with this game? I wish it had more stories to play, with so many amazing figures and game pieces it would be wonderful to have a few more stories out of it. I think after a set amount of time of not playing this that we might forget what the characters quests were & be able to play again without remembering the last role we had & what they needed/where to go. 

Lucky Duck Games has a few other games similar to this & they also have a nice variety of other game types so there is something for everyone to enjoy. If you want to check out some other board game reviews type "board games" into the search bar or look on the right hand side of my blog for a link which will take you to all my board game reviews. 

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

2400 Crime Solving in the Future!

 

2400 is the third game in the Chronicles of Crime the Millennium series, it is a mystery murder/crime solving game set place in a futuristic time. This is a part physical card game along side a digital app that helps you navigate crime scenes, investigate suspects and look at evidence. The app is set up to allow you to play on your own or with a group of crime solvers. The Chronicles of Crime series along with many other exciting games is sold by Lucky Duck Games. 

In this game you will play as a character known as Kalia (shown on the front of the cover & the image above). She is a former officer of the Elite BelCor Watchmen who left to become a detective on her own terms. This is set in a futuristic time so through out some of the story lines you will receive different electronical devices that will help you solve the crime, these devices are placed onto her player card above. She also has a cybernetic raven who is a companion that helps search a data base on information on some of the people & clue cards you will scan during the game.

Each game in this series typically has four story lines/games to play along with a tutorial showing you how the game is played. For your first time around it is helpful to do the tutorial so you can get a hang of the game & see how everything works. Even if you've played one of the other Chronicles of Crime games, I suggest doing the tutorial anyways. It may be a shorter version of an actual play through, but it gives you an additional crime to solve which is nice. Depending on how good your crime solving skills are, how quickly you can come to conclusions and work out how clues connect to one another a game can last anywhere from half an hour to about an hour and a half. 

When using the app I highly recommend playing this in a well lit area, if there is too much of a shadow on the QR code it tends to not want to scan it right away. We usually play at the kitchen table with the window open or in the living room under the lights. One of my favorite features of this game is the crime scene investigation mode, you can use VR glasses or select "No glasses" & it will let you view it on your phone. The crime scene investigation mode allows you to take a 360 degree view of the room or area you are investigating simply by moving your phone around the room as if you are viewing everything in person. You can view the floor, all the walls & even the ceiling are beautifully animated. While one person is viewing the room they will state out loud what they see in the scene, during which time the other players will be looking through a deck of clue cards to pick out which go with the scene to be scanned & investigated. 

Scanning the clues you found at the scene will lead you to other suspects, areas & more clues to be found to complete the goal. I would say about half of the game is pretty straight forward, the other half you'll really need to think about how to connect clues to suspects, how to get people to talk & where to go next location wise. Each time you scan a new location, ask suspects about clues, ect. it adds minutes to an in game time, certain activities such as traveling will add more time to your total. Your in game time can affect your total score at the end if you go over the given amount of time, for example one story might give you three days to complete the search while another only gives you twenty-four hours. However your out of game time does not add into the in game total & time is only added to it with each scan you do, so you are able to take time to talk & debate where to go next, what to scan, talk through the clues, etc. If you wish to play solo there is an option in the app that will let you search the crime scenes as a solo player to make it easier to look through the clue stack at the same time. 

I personally love the Chronicles of Crime games, I like the mystery & looking for clues. The game is recommended for ages 12+ as some scenes might contain blood or a story might contain sexual references, the app will let you know which have this type of content. Is this a family friendly game? This is completely up to the parent! If a parent is reading the story as you progress through the game it is easy to leave out certain details without affecting the game. My nine year old doesn't usually play this with us as some of the clues can be a little difficult to piece together at times so he finds the game boring, my thirteen year old likes the game a bit more & enjoys helping out figuring out where the clues lead. The only negative thing about this set is I wish it came with a few more stories so I had more game to play as once you finish all four stories you already have the answers & can't really play it a second time. The good news is though that if you don't want to keep it in your collection after completing everything, you can pass it onto a friend or loved one to play. You can buy this game on their website for $29.99, you can also find some of their games on Amazon & in stores.  

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.