Project Dreamscape, Designed by Sarah & Will Reed, Artwork by Julie Okahara, Produced by Undine Studios, Reviewed by Jason Elliott from PaladinElliott Productions

Project Dreamscape, Designed by Sarah & Will Reed, Artwork by Julie Okahara, Produced by Undine Studios 

Reviewed by Jason Elliott from PaladinElliott Productions

What are the recommendations for this game?

Number of players: 1-4 (due to a solo play variant -which I personally like)

Time of game: 30 minutes (our first game took around one hour due to learning the rules)

Age recommendation: 10 years and up

The back story: You see in the news that Scientists have developed a machine that will let people's dreams become real. You will use a card (Z card) to form a stack of Deep Sleep (this is your currency) and you spend it on REM (cards from the Dreamscape) that is placed in one of five spaces alongside the Sleep Deck (deck of cards stacked in one pile).

What comes in the game? (Note: Basing this off the retail version copy)

Rules Booklet

52 Sleep Deck Cards

5 Z Shield Tokens

2 Reference Cards

1 Active Participant Token

54 Card Expansion Deck (Marked with 3 Horizontal Lines -one above another- called the Vent symbol)

Game Box

What is the end game objective? What am I striving for?

You want to purchase Sleep Cards on the Dreamscape to take actions and allow for the most matches of symbols. Each card will have two symbols on it, and matches of 2 or more score points. All players total these points at the end, and the one with the most points wins!

How do I set the game up?

Each person takes one card and flips it to the Z coin side, to start their Deep Sleep Stack (Currency). Beside it they will place the cards they acquire on their turn, to form the REM stack. These cards will stay in the order in which they are placed, until such time that an effect makes it change. You will have the Sleep Deck in one stack, and then draw 5 cards to placed in a row beside the deck with the corresponding coins below them indicating cost. To the left of the Sleep Deck will be the discard pile for both Z cards and Sleep cards. Now you are ready to play.

Special Note: This took into account that we were playing the expansion as well. With the expansion you will switch out base symbol types (all with that symbol) with variant symbol types (all of that symbol).

Special Note: As an unofficial variant you could play with all the card types (which we also did). By switching out you allow for more varied play.

Now to play:  

The first player is the one who can first recall and describe a recent (interesting) dream. With this you will have the option to take one card (you don't have to) with the Z coin side facing up, to add to your currency.

Special Note: Z coin cards at the end are minus one point for each at end game scoring. Yes, they will help you buy more cards during your turn throughout the game, but take into account what will happen in the end.

You then will tap, or turn your Z cards as you spend them on Dream cards in the Dreamscape (positions 5 through 1 going from left to right). When you buy a card, you choose one of the two abilities on it to activate, and when the ability resolves you add it to your REM stack (the stack where symbols matching in order will score points).

Special Note: You will be able to orientate (top to bottom, bottom to top, not flipping the card over to its other side) to match symbols (adjacent in order if laying side by side), but you can NEVER switch the card order unless an ability from a card in play tells you to do so.

Once you have spent your Z, or you cannot afford anymore cards, you declare your turn to be over. Any gaps on the Dreamscape, shift down to the lowest possible position and then draw as needed to refill all 5 positions. You always have to buy at least one card, but you don't have to buy anymore than that.

When does the game end?

The game ends when the Dream deck can no longer supply cards to all 5 of the Dreamscape positions. You will not add cards from the discard deck.

How does the matching symbols work for scoring?

At the end of the game, you look at your row of REM cards and find your strings of matching symbols at both the top and bottom of the card.  At any time prior to scoring, you can change the orientation of the card to adjust which symbol is at the top and which is at the bottom.  This must be finalized before you start scoring your deck.

For  matching adjacent symbols (we will call these groups)

group of 2 =2 points

group of 3= 4 points

group of 4 = 6 points

group of 5 = 8 points

group of 6 = 10 points

group of 7 = 13 points

group of 8 = 16 points

group of 9 = 20 points

group of 10 = 24 points

group of 11 = 29 points

group of 12 = 34 points

group of 13 = 40 points

and on page 14 a note that it is possible playing with the variant to achieve a...

group of 14 = 46 points

You will add up the points for all the groups (top and bottom) and with your total you will subtract 1 point for each Z coin card (Deep Sleep card)

Are there any variations for this game?

There is a solo play variant that allows a scale to judge yourself against point wise. The scale gives you different results (better the higher you go). The range for each is:

Under 15 points

15-24 points

25-34 points

35-44 points

45-54 points

and

55 and higher points for the best outcome

With this variant, you don't shift the cards on the Dreamscape, you discard them. You will choose the order of the discard. Then fill the positions as usual, turn the Z cards face up. The solo game is over if you cannot refill the Dreamscape from the Dream deck. You total your points per usual rules.

Some game results:

Our games so far have us wanting to play more. The first game we had to cut short due to a lunch break, but in the last declared turn we had a final score of 17 to 7 (my wife Stephanie versus myself). We played another game where I won 14 to 10, so we have been able to have close games. The latest game my wife and I played she won 39 to 33.

Final Thoughts:

This game has gone into our rotation of two player favorites, for being a quick learn, and really solid head to head mechanics. The game plays as a continual threat to making the most of your card matches. Will your opponent mess up your stack by removing the top card? Will your opponent make you lose one of your currency cards, inhibiting your purchases for future turns. You will have ways to copy abilities, and in other cases if you cannot perform an ability you will just ignore it.

The game makes for strategic decisions through how you use your cards and the timing of the placement. You may not get the cards you need to rearrange cards in your stack (don't have enough Z currency or enough time). Maybe you just focus on your stack, at the expense of offensive play against your opponent. You must decide, as the elements of luck will be in what cards come up from the Sleep Deck.

In conclusion, players who enjoy working on matched sets, who love using abilities to mess with other players, who enjoy colorful playful art, and who enjoy card manipulation, will find this game a great addition to their collection.

Thank you so much for reading this report on Project Dreamscape!

I hope you will check out my PaladinElliott Blog at:

https://paladinelliott.blogspot.com/

check out some of my videos at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58qYf_vaCaCnu6qvd-WpKw

and check out my Ready To Game Podcast at Soundcloud and/or Itunes:

https://soundcloud.com/jason-elliott-641636807/ready-to-game-podcast-three-may-25-2016

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ready-to-game-podcast-episode/id1111793358?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

and remember I am always....READY TO GAME!!!

RET. SSG Jason L. Elliott (PaladinElliott)

Fishy Tactics, Kickstarter by Toby Fairclough, Reviewed by Jason Elliott from PaladinElliott Productions

Fishy Tactics, Kickstarter by Toby Fairclough, Reviewed by Jason Elliott from PaladinElliott Productions

What are the recommendations for this game?

Number of players: 2-4

Time of game: Plays in a very quick 10 minutes (including teaching players how to play)

Age recommendation: 4 years and up

The back story:

It is time to go fishing. You and the players have gone out to the water, and you have taken position with your boats. Now it is time to catch some fish by reeling them in, but wait, there is a pesky crocodile going around and eating them. Try and get as many as you, and at the same time try to get higher value fish (denoted by color).

What comes in the game? (Note: Basing this off the prototype copy)

Rules Booklet

One fabric board (makes it take up less space)

1 Cloth Travel Bag

1 six sided die

1 Crocodile Meeple

3 Red Fish Meeples

5 Orange Fish Meeples

7 Yellow Fish Meeples

9 Blue Fish Meeples

1 Spinner ( I attached a plastic jar lid with super glue for stability)

What is the end game objective? What am I striving for?

You want to catch the most fish worth the highest points. The player (or crocodile) with the most points worth of fish at the end of the game wins.

How do I set the game up?

Each person who wants to fish will pick a boat to cast their line from (rolling the die is how many spaces you reel a fish in). You want to place the green crocodile in the middle of this 5 by 5 grid playing board. Then take the fish and place them in the bag (to make it random) and place one fish each in the remaining 24 squares. Make sure you have your die and spinner ready, and you are set to go!

Now to play:  

The first player is the one who is determined randomly. So may I suggest, maybe the last player to actually go fishing, or the first player to name a type of fish, or the first to name a fish movie. On a player's turn, you will first spin the spinner to determine the direction that the crocodile moves. The crocodile will move one square left or right, up or down, or diagonally. If there is a fish where the crocodile moves then the crocodile eats it. If the crocodile cannot move, then the crocodile stays in place (at the borders). You will then roll a die to determine how many squares you can move a fish. The idea will be to move that fish to your boat space. Moving from the square adjacent to the boat to the spot where the boat is counts as one move. Once this has happened you score that fish. Remember though that on someone's roll of a six, they can choose to steal from you, and you place all of your scored fish in the cloth bag, shake it up, and they choose one at random to place in their scoring area. Once you have rolled a 1 through a 5 and made your move, or a 6 and stolen someone else's fish your turn is over. Please remember that scoring fish works like this:

Blue Fish = 1 point each

Orange Fish = 2 points each

Yellow Fish = 3 points each

Red Fish = 5 points each

Special Note:

There is a way to block a fish from moving. You are allowed on your turn (roll of 1 through 5) to move a fish onto another fish. Think of this as the top fish made the lower fish go deeper in the water. The lower fish is blocked and not allowed to move. To free the fish below, one must move the fish on top. This would be a strategy used to block high point fish.

When does the game end?

The game ends when the last fish has been claimed by moving into a player's boat or is eaten by the crocodile. At that point all players total their scores, and the score of the crocodile. The highest score wins!

Are there any variations for this game?

You could ignore playing against the crocodile. You can always do this if you want for the little ones to have a human player win, but I have not seen any reason to do so. You may also instead of the spinner apply an eight sided die with the directions the crocodile will move. You draw out a 3 by 3 grid on a scrap piece of paper, and mark all the squares (except the true middle square) with the numbers 1 through 8 to determine where the crocodile goes.

Some game results:

Our games so far have been wonderful, there is enough randomness to the game that different players have won each time. This is a good game for younger players because there is a higher emphasis on luck than on strategy. In fact everyone has figured out that it is not only about getting the highest point fish, but in blocking them from other players as well. In fact, as we speak, another round of the game is being played upstairs!

Final Thoughts:

I would easily say this game is going to be a family favorite, due to being readily available for not only the parents, but for our 7 year old son (Arnold) and 5 year old daughter (Talia) to play. I will be scoring this a 10 on the BoardGameGeek.com scale (1 through 10, where a 5 is I would play it 50% of the time it is mentioned for playing). This score is based only for families with small children. I am not going to have anyone compare it to solely adult skill level games, with that being said this deserves a 10 out of 10. Why the high score? First, it has an easy learning curve, where both of my children picked up how to play the game in only a few moments. Second, the theme and fun match. My kids were giggling, my wife and I were giggling, and when anyone stole a fishy, there was all kinds of noises being made. Third, the size of the game. Toby focused on making a great game, that could travel with you, and be part of your collection, and he did that very, very well! Fourth, the quality of the parts mean this game will hold up for a long time, and that is what I want in a game. Fifth, it is very colorful, as the fish look like they are swimming around, and the color palette is eye catching.

In conclusion, this is a MUST for those families who want to bring their little ones to the table. Maybe you want to teach them to socialize, or maybe help them with their Math Counting skills. Maybe you want to teach them about making strategic decisions in a very light hearted, non threatening way. It could also be that you want to play a game that is very quick, good for laughing, and simply enjoyable. Look no further, because this will be a great family game to play amongst parents and their children for years to come!

Thank you so much for reading this report on Fishy Tactics!

I hope you will check out my PaladinElliott Blog at:

https://paladinelliott.blogspot.com/

check out some of my videos at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58qYf_vaCaCnu6qvd-WpKw

and check out my Ready To Game Podcast at Soundcloud and/or Itunes:

https://soundcloud.com/jason-elliott-641636807/ready-to-game-podcast-three-may-25-2016

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ready-to-game-podcast-episode/id1111793358?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

and remember I am always....READY TO GAME!!!

RET. SSG Jason L. Elliott (PaladinElliott)

The Oregon Trail, Produced by Pressman (2016), Reviewed by Jason Elliott from PaladinElliott Productions

The Oregon Trail, Produced by Pressman (2016), Reviewed by Jason Elliott from PaladinElliott Productions

What are the recommendations for this game?

Number of players: 2-6

Time of game: Not stated (our games lasted roughly 45 minutes each)

Age recommendation: 12 years and older

The back story: 

It is the year 1847, you are a family travelling across the United States, going from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette Valley, Oregon. You must get your families safely to Oregon, outlasting many perils on the journey, including: starvation, snake bites, Cholera, Typhoid, oxen dying, extreme cold, being stranded, Measles, thieves, Dysentery, broken bones and bad drinking water. You will need to keep at least one family alive through to the end of the journey in order to win the game.  This game is based on the old computer game that was played in many schools in the 1980's.

What comes in the game?

Rules Booklet

One double sided, laminated board.  One side is the members of the party where you write their names, and the other side is their tombstones where you can write an epitaph if they die during the game.

1 Erasable Marker

1 six sided die

58 Trail Cards

32 Calamity Cards

26 Supply Cards

What is the end game objective? What am I striving for?

Keep at least one person alive going through a journey that will be 50 trail cards (this counts Towns and Forts, and not counting the start and end cards). There will be times when the strategy will dictate letting someone die to increase the chances of the rest making it.

How do I set the game up?

Write the names down of the party members (and no you don't have to use your real names). Place the start card (Independence, MO) and the finish card (Willamette Valley, OR) about 3 feet apart from each other on the game board. You will sort cards out into stacks of Supply, Trail, and Calamity. You then deal each player 5 trail cards (no matter the number of players). Then deal out supply cards, based on the number of players, as follows:

6 players - each get 3 supply cards

5 players - each get 4 supply cards

2, 3, and 4 players - each get 5 supply cards

You can look at your own supply cards and trail cards at any time, but others don't know what you have. The youngest player is the shopkeeper (you can trade two supply cards with the "shop" for the one you need or you can stop at the "shop" when you are in a Town or Fort). Once the initial supply cards have been dealt, you sort them into stacks (Medicine, Clothes, Food, Clean Water, Oxen, 100 Bullets, Spare Parts, and 200 lbs food).

Now to play:  

The first player is the one born closest to Willamette Valley, Oregon. You start with any trail card and connect it to the start (before the start, as if you just came into town). As a tip, play a trail card that says you have to draw a calamity, for in this way you will avoid it. No harm is allowed to the party when starting the game. Then you will have two choices on your turn, where you can play one trail card, or one supply card, not both. Any trail card will connect to  a Fort, Town, Start, or Finish regardless of the trail's orientation. These orientations can be on one side of the card or to the middle, so if you were looking at the trail from the rear towards the forward, you might be veering left, right, or back to the middle. This is important as you have to play a trail card that connects to the previous one. The cards must be lined up, and the rules do a very nice job of showing exactly what they mean. You are allowed to turn the card one way or the other, whichever you believe to be the best move. The reason you would be opting to play a supply card is to remedy a calamity that is in effect either for a player, or for the entire group. Always pay attention to these, as many stipulate if certain conditions are not met within one full round (each player gets one turn) the whole party will die. If you don't have the right supply card, you are allowed to trade to the bank (shopkeeper) at 2 of your cards to 1 that you need. This can happen at any time as a free action, and in addition it can be 1 card from player a and 1 card from player b, but the two players must decide who gets the supply card that is coming back. If you don't have a legal trail card, and you don't have the supply card you need in response to a calamity, then you must draw one trail card, and end your turn. When a supply card has responded to a calamity card, place it beside the calamity, because in some cases it will take 2 cards to be dealt with. Once a calamity is dealt with it does not come back, but all supply cards go back to their respective supply decks and are immediately available. Once you have played 5 trail cards side by side (in this case we will say "a,b,c,d,e") you will stack them with "a" being the top and continuing in order. You will need to have 10 stacks of 5 cards to accomplish the journey (that is your 50 cards traveled). If at least one player is alive when the 50th  trail card is resolved, the players win!

Special Note: if the game is only two players, or the group is brought down to two players, then each player is allowed to play two cards instead of one.

Special Note: Some trail cards will use the die, and depending on your roll you might succeed, fail and lose a supply card, or fail and die.

When does the game end?

The game either ends when the entire party is dead (players lose) or when a living player reaches the 50th Trail card (players win)

Are there any variations for this game?

You could lower the total distance you need to travel to make for an easier game, and I am sure some players will consider this. This game is based off of its original computer version (which was a pain in the...) so some will find this game quite difficult.

Some game results:

Our four players decided from the onset that all decisions would be made for the whole of the group for a win, no matter what. On top of that it was decided that it would be a four player game due to getting the most supply cards. 2 players get to start with a grand total of 10 supply cards, 3 players would start with 15 total supply cards, 4 players would start with 20 total supply cards, 5 players would start with a total of 20 supply cards, and 6 players would start with a total of 18 supply cards. We felt that we maximized our chances and yet one died of a snake bite (automatic) and one died of Typhoid as we had neither the right supply card, nor enough to trade for the right one). Even with all of our measures we finished with two people alive to win, with one player having one trail card, and the other player having one supply card. In other words we barely made it!

Final Thoughts:

I would easily say this game is going to be hard for some groups, maybe too hard. It has so much chance that groups who want more strategy are going to look at this and take a pass. The luck is mitigated by choice initially, but from about halfway to the end game you turn mostly to luck. Your strategy will be more in letting someone die at the right time to save the party, or the moment when it is decided to do the 2 for 1 supply trade because it will be the best outcome.

The game stays true to the spirit of the original computer, with lots of chance, and not being easy. That being said scores at the table put the game at an average of 5 out of 10 (boardgamegeek.com scale), so this game is easily not going to be for everyone. People who enjoy will be nostalgic about the original computer game, who like the theme no matter what, and people who love card games no matter what.

I am personally giving this a 5 out of 10, as I would play it 50% of the time someone says "do you want to play it?". I would advise everyone out there to preview this one first, because it may not be to their tastes! It also may be hard to have little ones to play since everyone has to be on the same page to win.

Thank you so much for reading this report on The Oregon Trail!

I hope you will check out my PaladinElliott Blog at:

https://paladinelliott.blogspot.com/

check out some of my videos at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58qYf_vaCaCnu6qvd-WpKw

and check out my Ready To Game Podcast at Soundcloud and/or Itunes:

https://soundcloud.com/jason-elliott-641636807/ready-to-game-podcast-three-may-25-2016

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ready-to-game-podcast-episode/id1111793358?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

and remember I am always....READY TO GAME!!!

RET. SSG Jason L. Elliott (PaladinElliott)

Junior Labyrinth, Produced by Ravensburger, Reviewed by Jason Elliott from PaladinElliott Productions

Junior Labyrinth, Produced by Ravensburger, with Design by Max J. Kobbert &, Artwork by Joachim Krause

Reviewed by Jason Elliott from PaladinElliott Productions

What are the recommendations for this game?

Number of players: 2-4

Time of game: Not stated (our games lasted roughly 15 minutes each)

Age recommendation: 5 years and older

The back story: 

You are ghosts in a maze. This maze is ever shifting, and to escape all of the important items/creatures/people must be found. The twelve that must be found are:

A jester, a dragon, a lute, a dagger, a clock, a treasure chest, a knight's helmet, an owl, a mouse knight, a frog, a candelabra, and a throne.

What comes in the game?

Rules Booklet

One game board

12 secret tokens (the 12 items/creatures/people mentioned above)

4 Ghosts with stands to serve as player pawns (one each of red, blue, green, and yellow)

17 maze cards

What is the end game objective? What am I striving for?

In this game you want to collect the most tokens, for when the last one is claimed by one of the players, the player with the most tokens wins. Each token can be considered as 1 point.

How do I set the game up?

Set the board up, and notice that there will pieces locked into place, players will be moving pieces around them. Make sure your pieces are accounted for, and the ghosts are in their stands. You will shuffle the maze cards and place them face up on the board, this makes it so that the game board is different each time you play. One maze piece will be left over.  Players will insert this piece into the maze, causing a row or a column to move either up/down/left/right and pushing another maze piece off the board. You will mix the 12 secret tokens face down beside the board. Players will draw from this pile which will tell them what item/creature/person they have to rescue. Place your ghost on the corresponding space on the corner of the board.

Now to play:  

The players determine who is the bravest to start. Turns will continue in a clockwise fashion from this point. You will take the extra maze tile and place it in such a way that your ghost will have a clear travelling path (or as close as you can get) to the matching picture of the secret token you have drawn. There are arrows on the board to assist you on what rows and columns can move, and in what way. The maze tile that is pushed off must be used by the next player. You will move to whatever position you deem is best to try and reach the symbol that you have drawn. Walls will stop your movement.

Special Note: A maze card can't be pushed back in at the same place where the previous ghost sent it off the board.

Special Note: If a ghost is pushed off the board, they are then placed onto the tile that was added back to the board.

Special Note: If a ghost is pushed off the board, and placed back on the board, this moving of a playing piece does not count as a turn.

Special Note: You can be on a space that is occupied by other players.

If you reach your goal, then score your token (keep it in your personal space at the table) and end your turn. Otherwise, you will say your turn has ended when you stop your ghost in what you believe to be the best position possible. The next player will continue the hunt of the drawn token, and if they are able to reach it, then they take the token for their own.

When does the game end?

When the last token is claimed.

Are there any variations for this game?

You could mix up the tokens and distribute them out to all the players. Once a player completes all of theirs, everyone else who hasn't played in that round will get to respond. The highest score at that point wins. Another way is with the tokens only known to you, going from the previously mentioned distribution to all players. When a ghost completes a token, then it is revealed.

Some game results:

First game, our 5 year old daughter Talia beat me 5 to 4, as we had to cut our game short due to an emergency. She had collected the Frog, the Dagger, The Candelabra, and the Helmet. I had the Jester, the Clock, The Treasure Chest, and the Chair. She was the blue ghost, and I was the red ghost.

Our second game was daddy winning 7 to 5, and it played about 20 minutes.

The third game was my nephew Ian against myself, and I had won 7 to 5 as well, in about the same amount of time. Ian was also able to easily pick up the rules of the game, and he is 9.

Final Thoughts:

First, let me be very clear that I am scoring this as a Family Game, with small children. My boardgamegeek score would reflect that some or all the players would be children. I would not expect a group of all adults to play this version of Labyrinth. That being said, on a family adjusted scale this game is a solid 8 out of 10. There have been a few times that the kids wanted to play something else, but about 80% of the time they will play it. The learning curve is not overwhelming, but for some, making the spatial recognition and connections might be a little bit of a struggle. For little ones, it can possibly be taxing due to the ability or inability to see moves ahead in one's mind (if I do this, it will lead to that), and not everyone easily picks that up.

I fully believe that this is a great family game that deserves at minimum a look, especially if you are trying to play games with your little ones that help them develop skills to look ahead.

Thank you so much for reading this report on Junior Labyrinth!

I hope you will check out my PaladinElliott Blog at:

https://paladinelliott.blogspot.com/

check out some of my videos at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58qYf_vaCaCnu6qvd-WpKw

and check out my Ready To Game Podcast at Soundcloud and/or Itunes:

https://soundcloud.com/jason-elliott-641636807/ready-to-game-podcast-three-may-25-2016

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ready-to-game-podcast-episode/id1111793358?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

and remember I am always....READY TO GAME!!!

RET. SSG Jason L. Elliott (PaladinElliott)