Let's Travel in Time, Point and Click Style!

So I saw this game online somewhere while browsing Reddit probably. The game was called T.I.M.E. Stories. Upon first glance, you might think: 'Hmm... This game has absolutely nothing on the cover but a stranger device, which I cannot fathom what in the world it could be.' Looking at the back of the box, it reveals some more details of the game but nothing really intriguing enough for someone to make an impulsive purchase. But let me tell you right now, if you love the classic "Point-and-Click" games on PC back in the nineties, this game is most definitely for you. Let me get into it.

Upon first glance, you probably can't tell what the cover art is about. I'll tell you so you don't have to guess what it is. It's a capsule to transport your mind back in time... to... do stuff. The circle thing at the top of the picture is the pivoting point of the capsule, and the black part is the view glass. But that's about as detailed as I want to get about that.

SUMMARY:

Anyway! The game is ALL about story telling and figuring out certain mysteries that are presented before you in the form of giant flash cards. The flash cards are laid out on the board and the other side goes into detail what you're investigating if you decide to investigate the location represented on the said card. The players take role of minimum 1 character to 2 (if you're playing 2 players) and try to solve mysteries by prying into things you're not supposed to be prying into and resolving conflict of some sort. You obtain items as you would in the "Point-and-Click" games and use the said items to open or further progress the story to reveal more of the mystery. The game is quite easy to learn and easy to master. The fun comes in NOT knowing what is waiting behind each location and the twists and turns of the story.

Now, the one caveat to this game is that once you play through it once and beat the scenario, it has zero replayability value. I am an adamant advocate for replayability in a board game, but this is the only game I will forgive. I think for the price, I got enough play time to say it was worth it, and it was just like playing a computer game. Currently the game has 3 expansions on top of the first scenario that comes with the core game.

I cannot say much more for the fear of giving away any of the game details in this review. Even the rule book is kind of confusing to read because they're trying to keep all the stories a secret. But once you get how it works, you'll realize that it's really easy to play!

JUDGMENT!

RECOMMENDATION:

So I would recommend this game to anyone who heavily enjoys narrative game over competitive games. This game is most definitely the most immersive experience I had playing a board game ever. Our house rule between me and my wife is that we have to read the story in an epic voice that matches the theme of the scenario which we are playing and play some ambiance music in the background. There were some jaw dropping moments in my game and some WTF moments that pissed us off, but all in all, a wonderful game. I would highly recommend this game to all those who enjoy a good story time. 

Thanks for taking your time to read my reviews! I hope they are helpful if you were on the wall about making a certain purchase. If you have a certain game you'd like to have reviewed, feel free to leave a comment! Thanks again!

Star Wars: Rebellion a Game of Galactic Conquest!

This is a game that probably doesn't really need any introduction. If you have been into developer board games, this is something you might have been looking forward to for a long time. Well, for me, I am an avid Star Wars fan to put it mildly, and I own almost all the Star Wars game that Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) has published so far.

Now this game, to put it simply, is a game of hide and seek, warfare, and tactical battles put into one tightly packed board game. As I was playing it I felt a little bit of a few different FFG game flavor in it, but I'll get to that later in the review.

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SUMMARY:
The game basically depicts the galactic struggle the Rebel Alliance goes through to overthrow or at least deal a heavy blow to the support and power that the Galactic Empire holds in the universe. As the Rebel Player, you are trying to gain enough reputation and support throughout the galaxy so that the alliance can get a foothold into fighting back the empire. The Empire wants to find out there the secret rebel base is and either wipe out all the forces on the system or blow it to smithereens with the death star.

You can see how big this game is based on my wife at the bottom of the picture. But don't be put off by the sheer amount of stuff on the board. It's NOT that complicated!

As the Rebel Alliance, I felt very over whelmed by the sheer number of units that my wife had placed on the board, but at the same time I had to keep her on her toes at all times because the Rebel Alliance abilities are played under the nose of the empire, sabotaging their production, causing insurrections in systems to fight against the empire, etc.

The overall feel of the game feels like White Chapel and Fury of Dracula (Both are also FFG games) in that the Empire is constantly searching for that blasted Rebel base. The combat and unit building and deploying has a feel of Forbidden Stars (also FFG game), and the heroes going around the board carrying out missions feel like Middle Earth Quest (ALSO FFG game). So basically this game is a mash up of all the things that made those games so great.

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JUDGMENT!

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RECOMMENDATION:
The time commitment isn't too great and I feel like every game play is a little different because of all the different mission cards and action cards that you can obtain throughout the game. I would really recommend this to anyone who LOVES Star Wars, and to those who don't really like Star Wars too! The only caveat is that the game says it's 2-4 players, but it's more 2 player game since if more than 2 players play the game, the players just divide up the actions that they can take in the game. Doesn't add any strategy or other game mechanic. I would definitely recommend it as a 2 player game and no more than that. Thanks for reading!