Weirdness Of The Day (9/30/09)

In honor of ZOMBIELAND opening this weekend and my friend Matt’s new video review series on the ZOMBIES!!! Board Game (here)…
Here is a disturbing little animated film called:
CHAINSAW MAID!
This is kind of like Gumby Meets Shaun Of The Dead.
(rated CG for Clamation Gore)

Dungeon Twister

The wife and I recently played a new (to us) game and I figured I would pass a little bit about it to all of you.
The game is called:

DUNGEON TWISTER!

(From BGG:)
“Dungeon Twister is a 2-player high level strategy game where 2 teams of adventurers with various powers are trapped in a dungeon. The board is composed of 8 rooms that can be moved and rotated by the players. Each turn, a player is able to spend actions to move around the dungeon, pick up and use items, battle with the opponents team, or turn and move the rooms of the dungeon.

The goal is to reach 5 victory points. Points are collected by moving adventurers out of the dungeon or by killing an opponent’s adventurer. Treasures are disseminated across the whole dungeon and will bring the adventurers well-needed powers.

Each player has the same characters, each with different powers. Some run fast, some fight or disarm traps. The cleric heals, magician burns everything in sight and the goblin is so weak that the simple fact of getting him out will bring you two victory points.

Combat and actions are managed via cards. To move, fight, heal or turn a room, you must manage action points obtained by playing cards. Those cards are not drawn but selected from a set of cards by both players. Both players have access to the same panel of cards at the beginning of the game so the game is really about managing the resources and adapting to the changing environment.”

The following is a quote from Tom Vasel: “I don’t think Dungeon Twister is for everyone – some may be turned off by the dungeon theme, others may not like the dizzying array of choices each turn. Still others may not like the odd merging of fantasy and strategy. But for me it was a tremendous pairing, a dungeon game that I could tout as having a lot of strategy; fun, but full of depth at the same time.”

I feel much the same way… There is a pretty deep strategy game hiding in the theme of Dungeon Twister. This is an extremely fun game that both me and my wife have enjoyed so far.
I even had the fortune of getting all of the expansions that are currently available. Each expansion adds different tiles with surprising layouts and a variety of new characters… Each with different abilities and skills to help you escape the dungeon!

Dungeon Twister is a fun game with a good deal of strategy and endless replay options. Check it out as soon as you get a chance!

MR. JACK – IN NEW YORK

One of the first Board Games that I talked about on this site was MR. JACK… A fantastic 2-player game in whick one player plays Jack The Ripper and attempts to escape into the darkness while the other player tries to figure out who Jack is and capture him (or her).

Well…

“Jack is back, in a new game from designers Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc. Jack, of course, is Jack the Ripper, the central character from Mr. Jack, the 2006 release from Hurrican. In that game, eight characters move around the London gameboard, with one player knowing which character is Jack and trying to help him avoid being captured and the other player trying to figure out who Jack is and, more importantly, capture him. Each character has a different ability, and each round each player moves two of the four characters available, with one player trying to eliminate suspects and the Jack player sowing as much confusion as possible.

During the real investigation of the Whitechapel murders, a quack doctor named Francis J. Tumblety was arrested, not for the murders themselves but for “gross indecency.” Before he could be tried, however, he fled the country, ending up in the United States.

In Mr. Jack in New York, the New York police have been alerted to Tumblety’s presence and are on the lookout for this suspicious character, especially since crimes are being committed that are similar to those in London. Is Tumblety the person behind the crimes? Or is someone else causing havoc in New York?

The game play in Mr. Jack in New York is the same as in Mr. Jack, with four characters moving each round and one player trying to catch Jack while the other aids his quest for freedom. All eight characters have new powers, however, and the gameboard can evolve as well each round. An informant can provide information, and Jack can escape on a transatlantic steamer if he makes it to the waterfront safely.”

I really cannot wait for this!