Got any Spies and Turncoats?

“These are the times that try men’s souls.”

I’m sure many people may have uttered that phrase this past year. But we’re not here to talk about last year. Instead, we’re looking back to 1776 when Thomas Paine penned those words in The American Crisis.

Of course, we’re not here for a book report either, but instead to look at a social deduction card game set during the American Revolutionary War — Patriots & Redcoats by Green Feet Games.

In the game, players take on the roles of the Americans fighting to win independence and the British fighting to stop the rebellion. And like in typical social deduction type games, players are secretly assigned which side they’re on and must figure out who to eliminate to win.

But, be careful because players may also change loyalty along the way!

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Fairy Season Card Game Review

Do you know how to catch a fairy?

Apparently, it’s pretty easy.

Sprinkle a little fairy lure around the jar and over the window sill. Carefully place a tiny piece of cake or pastry in your jar and wait. The fairy will be attracted to the shiny fairy lure and then fly into the jar to eat the treat. When it does, just pop the lid on as quick as you can!

Welcome to Fairy Season from Good Games Publishing.

In this 3-5 player game by Gavin Jenkins and Dan Fish, players will use traps and their wit to capture the best swarms.

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The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth board game review

It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed an epic board game. Well, we’ve got a doozy for you today!

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth is a monster of a game from Fantasy Flight Games that we included in the Gamer Games section of last year’s Board Game Gift Guide.

It’s an epic game based on an epic story. But although the characters and themes are based in The Lord of the Rings lore, the adventure is completely new.

Like the Fellowship itself, the game is a cooperative experience for you and up to 4 of your friends. You’ll battle powerful foes, discover lost treasures, uncover forgotten lore, and customize your skills according to your role within the Fellowship.

Darkness will rise, shadows and corruption will expand and you’ll have to take a stand to survive.

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Funfair Board Game Review

Funfair from Good Games Publishing is the follow up title to their award winning game — Unfair.

In Funfair players compete over 6 rounds to create the most popular theme park in town. They’ll build attractions like roller coasters, theaters, restaurants and a special Showcase. They can then upgrade those by adding exciting themes, guest services and features to make them more attractive to their customers.

The player to do this the best will be the next Walt Disney or maybe just the next winner of the game.

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Metro X Board Game Review

Years ago, when my wife and I took our long-anticipated trip to London, we were super excited to see so many sites. But we knew the first step to seeing them would be getting there!

So we headed to the Underground and pleasantly discovered the wonderful world of the Tube.

And now when we play Metro X, we can’t help but recall our fantastic week in London.

That’s because the Metro X board game is all about navigating your subway map in optimal fashion!

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Cubitos – a fun dice-building, racing game!

It’s time to get your race face on.

Because today we’re sharing all about this dice-building, dice-rolling, power-upping, push-your-luck, racing game!

It’s a new game by AEG called Cubitos.

And if you think you’re staring at SpongeBob SquarePants on the cover of the Cubitos game box, you’re not. What you are staring at though is a really big chunk of cheese wearing lederhosen!

Why? We have no idea.

But it definitely grabs attention. And if you’re like us, it makes you very curious about what’s inside. So, let’s dive in!

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Photosynthesis: Under the Moonlight Board Game Review

Photosynthesis, from Blue Orange Games, is a beautiful and elegant game about using the sun’s power to grow majestic trees.

In the expansion, Photosynthesis: Under the Moonlight, players will not only be using the rays from the sun, but they’ll also harness the light from the moon to activate powers of their unique forest animals.

Photosynthesis: Under the Moonlight is actually 3 expansions in one; Forest Animals, Moonstones, and the The Great Elder Tree!

You can play all of them at once or À la carte, it’s up to you.

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Butterfly collecting isn’t just fun for kids

Did you ever wander through fields swinging a net trying to catch butterflies?

Or if you haven’t experienced that joy, I bet you can still picture kids having fun in such an activity.

But can you imagine adults doing that same thing?

For some reason, it’s hard to imagine adults wandering around a field swinging butterfly nets to catch the flying insects.

So when we received the game Butterfly by Rio Grande Games, we just assumed it would be a game only kids would enjoy. But we were wrong!

Butterfly can be enjoyed by players of all ages.

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Meeple Land Board Game Review

In Meeple Land players will be creating their very own amusement park by purchasing a variety of attractions and services while luring in lots of paying customers.

Attention will need to be given to how things are laid out, making sure services are within reach of visitors, and paths don’t lead to dead ends.

The game ends after 4 rounds, at which point the player with the most reputation points wins. Reputation is earned from a diverse collection of attractions and services, number of visitors in the park, and lack of dead ends and stranded visitors at the entrance.

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Cloud City Board Game Review

Cloud City, a board game from Blue Orange Games, should not be confused for a Tibanna gas mining colony floating in the clouds of the planet Bespin run by a smuggler named Lando.

Although that might make a really cool game…

In the game, 2 to 4 players ages 10 and up, take on the roll of architects vying to win city council votes to become the best city planner. They will zone land, build skyscrapers that reach the clouds, and connect them with spectacular walkways high above the ground. The player to do this the best wins.

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