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Overland Gamer The Podcast Episode Release - Board Game Spotlight - Tiny Epic Western

7/28/2020

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Overland Gamer The Podcast released a new episode. 

- Board Game Spotlight -
​Tiny Epic Western from Gamelyn Games

Lisen to it here

Anchor.fm
Google Podcast
Apple Podcast
Spotify
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Board Game Spotlight - Brass Empire from Rock Manor Games

7/25/2020

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Board Game Spotlight where we take a brief look at games that have come across our table. Today we're taking a look at Brass Empire by Rock Manor Games

Brass Empire

1-5 Players | 30 - 60 Min Playtime | Ages 10+
Designer: Mike Gnade

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Brass Empire (http://rockmanorgames.com/) is a 1-5 player deck-building game from Rock Manor Game. In Brass Empire players start by taking the roles of different corporations in the fictional world of Cobalt. Through the course of the game players will use resources to add to their corporations, that is their starting decks in order to be the player with the most brass at the end of the game. 

Brass is the heart of the world of cobalt. The kickstarter describes Brass as not only fueling the economy, but literally fuels the technology and transportation of the world.” The world of Cobalt is very interesting. Bits and pieces of the world can be seen through the cards played. 

Brass Empire is fairly simple to pick up and play. It plays like most deck builders where every player starts with a deck of cards that are identical. The major resources of the game is construction, labor and of course Brass. You have a starting faction reserve deck that only you can buy from, or you can purchase from the labor market (top row) and the design department (bottom row). The labor market is where employees can be found. All factions make an appearance here, with the addition of a grey neutral faction. The design department is where you will gain units or buildings. 

The game is competitive with all players competing for brass. The game can be quick, or if you have players who like messing with the others, it can take quite a bit. The corporations synergize well with each other, while it can be fun to mix things up a little bit with hiring or building other corporation cards into your deck. 

The artwork on this game is really good. It brings about the love of the ingenuity and unique designs that the steampunk genre is noted for. I really dig the different corporation cards and how the artwork seems to fit their style.

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Out of the box you have the base game mode. It does come with several variant modes to be able to play. The Reserve Deck Customization Rules allows you to customize your starting deck with faction cards with rules describing how to keep that balanced. There is Team Play, Battle Mode, and solitaire mode. 

I have played this game a few times, and it’s definitely a fun game It could use a bit of tweaking though. We have ran into an issue several times when the Labor Market becomes flooded with Managers. The only way to resolve this is to buy more managers. Which does help your deck, but it slows the game a little bit. Beyond that the game is really fun to play. If you like steampunk and deck-builders this is definitely one you should try. 

The game has 1 expansion out there with Brass Empire New Canton. This provides a sort of story driven mode as players unveil stories of the different factions. It was kind of a sucker punch with some of the story elements but I won't spoil that here. 


Game or Developer Games - (http://rockmanorgames.com/)
Board Game Geek - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181393/brass-empire

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Joseph DeMarco

Author:
Joe DeMarco a single father, freelance writer, game designer, quality assurance software tester, and business analyst. I am a big-time gamer, and really enjoy checking out all kinds of games available. Putting my curiosity to the app store I find random games to check out.
​
If you have a game you'd like me to review, contact me and let us see how we can work together.
Follow Joe on Twitter @shad0fx
More about Joe
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Board Game Spotlight - Fallout from Fantasy Flight Games

7/14/2020

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Board Game Spotlight is where we share some of the games we have come across. We talk a bit about the game itself, what our thoughts are on it. This week war never changes as we take a look at Fallout The Board Game from Fantasy Flight Games.

Fallout The Board Game

1-4 Players | 120 - 180 Minute Playtime | Ages 14+ recommended
Designer: Andrew Fischer and Nathan I. Hajek
​Artists: Andrew Fischer, Nathan I Hajek, Brian Schomburg, Evan Simonet, Ben Zweifel.

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Set in the universe of the Fallout video game series Fallout the Board Game from Fantasy Flight is a scenario driven game. In the base game players are competing to push their factions to the most power. In the new california expansion it introduces one scenario that makes the game cooperative. Each player starts as a survivor on the edge of unexplored territory. Each turn players will explore the board, interact with creatures, and go on quests to unlock the stories of the wasteland. 
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This game is a doozy for time. With solo play i can get it done in under 2 hours. With 2 players, It averages around 3 hours. With 4 players it can take better part of an afternoon. The game also takes up a lot of space at the table. Our little table barely holds the map and two player boards. I have an organizer being 3D printed but i’m not sure how that will help with the table organization. It’s mostly for the box organization. 
I really enjoy the stories in the game. Being able to play through the same scenario multiple times and get multiple elements of new stories coming through depending on what the cards give you. I played the game through 3 or 4 times before I finally hit a quest line that gave us a vault quest line where we could explore the vaults. 
Another issue with the game is the rule book is complicated when you get going. It took me a lot of plays before I got the hang of the different nuances of the rules. When certain things trigger was another big thing. The game didn’t get a lot of play when it was just the base game. Folks I played with just weren’t interested in the competitive modes available.
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The New California expansion gave us a single cooperative mode which helped to bring the game to the table more often.
From the Fantasy Flight website it shows that a new expansion is coming later in 2020 that gives us more cooperative game modes.
This game has it’s quirks. For myself it makes up for those with the story elements. Presenting the story to you in such a way that keeps you going forward. As I mentioned before I enjoyed getting different story elements even with the same scenario. To be honest I could see this mechanic of presenting a story being used without the game board and figures. Just telling a story. I enjoy the figures that are well crafted. The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. tokens and the leveling system are fun.
For me this game is always a fun one to bring to the table. For others, it has it’s glitches that folks playing didn’t enjoy it as much.
​

Fantasy Flight Games - https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/fallout/
​Board Game Geek - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/232918/fallout



We did a 4 part play through with 2 players on Overland Gamer The Podcast. 

Board Game Spotlight Review Episode
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4

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Joseph DeMarco

​Author:
Joe DeMarco a single father, freelance writer, game designer, quality assurance software tester, and business analyst. I am a big-time gamer, and really enjoy checking out all kinds of games available. Putting my curiosity to the app store I find random games to check out.
If you have a game you'd like me to review, contact me and let us see how we can work together.
Follow Joe on Twitter @shad0fx that’s S H A D ZERO F X
More Information
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Pokemon Workout

7/6/2020

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Get your workout on while playing Pokemon

Note - I am not a personal trainer. I am not an exercise expert. Consult your physician before starting any workout routine. I am not held responsible for injuries that may occur while doing these exercises. Change up the exercises as needed.

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So you’re playing pokemon and needing to get some exercise on. Here’s a workout that might help you accomplish both goals. 
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​When you start the game you have to get to the Professors lab. Count how many steps it takes you to get there. 
Exercise options - 
  1. Steps in game x10 = This is how many steps you have to take in real world. 
  2. Steps in game = jumping jacks.
  3. Steps in game = Lunges
  4. Steps in game = Mountain climbers
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Once you get through the dialogue to pick your pokemon you have 3 choices. 
The choices you have determine the type of exercises you will progress through. 
  • Fire - Strength
  • Water - Cardio
  • Grass - Endurance

The type of exercises (Strength, Cardio, Endurance) are just examples of the kinds of exercises you can do with the the chosen pokemon. 
Strength - 
  • Squats, 
  • Lunges,
  •  Push ups 

Cardio - 
  • Punches
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Burpees

Endurance 
  • Pushups
  • Squats
  • Planks
  • Mountain Climbers

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Now it’s time to get into your first battle. With your rival. 
The attacks you select determine the exercises you do. The amount you do is based on your pokemon’s level. 
Pick exercises that fit your chosen pokemon. Or choose 4 exercises that you want to improve upon. 
For this example we will use 
  • A - Jumping Jacks
  • B - Lunges
  • C - Squats
  • D - toe touches

Example - I want to use scratch against my opponent. It is the top attack available. My bulbasaur is a level 5. So I do 5 jumping jacks then select the attack. The opponent does their movement. I select Scratch again and do 5 more jumping jacks.

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You can add weights as necessary. You can change up the exercises as necessary. After the battle, the player ventures out into the world. In pokemon blue/red you travel north towards the next town. Count how many steps it takes you to get from a location to a random encounter or another building. That’s how many steps you have to do. When you leave town and get into grass where random encounters occur you simply walk the number of steps it takes between random encounters. You can multiply this by your main pokemon’s level, or by the number of badges you have, etc. ​
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Progress through the game, change exercises up as desired. Battle, exercise, and change your life. ​

Note - I am not a personal trainer. I am not an exercise expert. Consult your physician before starting any workout routine. I am not held responsible for injuries that may occur while doing these exercises. Change up the exercises as needed.

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Joe DeMarco

Joe is a father, writer, game developer, quality assurance analyst. Joe is trying to get healthy and better his life. Finding fun and creative ways to get healthy Joe shares his experiences with you. 
Shad0fx
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    Shad0fx

    Joe DeMarco (Shad0fx) is a father, writer, game designer, and podcaster. 

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