Author Archives: Craig (shigadeyo)

About Craig (shigadeyo)

I'm an outdoor adventurer, kettlebell/strength enthusiast, foodie/beer guy, and a touch of geek all rolled together. Some of my many interests include: beer, homebrewing, fitness (kettlebell and barbell), travel, food and cooking, hiking, backpacking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), letterboxing and board and card games, of course!

Review of Escape Room The Game (NO SPOILERS)

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Craig (shigadeyo)

“Escape room game [in a box]” has apparently become the hot new board game genre of 2016. From virtual versions dating as far back as 1988 to real world escape rooms being created around 2006, it seems inevitable that a hybrid version of the concept would find its way into the growing board game hobby. Cooperative puzzle games have always been of great interest to many people and capturing the escape room feeling in a box that can be played anywhere is an exciting evolution.

There are already a handful of “escape room in a box” games available and Escape Room The Game is latest having been released in late 2016 in the USA by Spin Master Games. However, there are a couple key differences that set it apart from the previous games. First of all, Escape Room The Game contains not just a single escape room game, but four different Adventures that have varying difficulties and all look, feel, and play slightly different. Secondly, the game utilizes a unique electronic “Chrono Decoder” around which the game unfolds. It also helps pull the players further into the game so that they are anchored more to the game and the make believe “room” being created rather than arbitrary location where the game is being played. Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Review of Herbaceous

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Craig (shigadeyo)

Herbaceous is self-described as “a flavorful card game” in which players can “relax while enjoying this elegant game of picking and potting herbs.” The objective is to score the most points by potting the best collection of herbs. To do this, players take turns drawing and planting herbs into the Community Garden and their individual Private Gardens, and later picking those herbs to pot into various containers. Every player has an identical set of Container Cards, but each type of container has different requirements for what it can hold. Points are scored at the end of the game based on the number of Herb Cards potted in each container.

Herbaceous is the fifth game successfully crowdfunded by Eduardo Baraf and Pencil First Games using Kickstarter. The campaign ended on September 23, 2016 and was supported by 2,208 backers. The game shipped to backers in January 2017. Continue reading →

Posted in Kickstarter, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Escape Room In A Box: The Werewolf Experiment (SPOILER FREE)

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Craig (shigadeyo)

How to play Escape Room In A Box: The Werewolf Experiment is quite easy; just open the box, read the rules, choose a leader, start a countdown timer, solve the puzzles, open the locks and then win (hopefully). It’s that easy! In all seriousness, setting up the game and learning how to play is very quick and easy since there are only six rules along with a few “Tips for Success.”

Actually playing the game is not quite as easy, but it’s a whole lot of fun! Once the “Rule” panel is removed, the game has started and the clock is ticking… Continue reading →

Posted in First Impressions, Kickstarter, Preview, Puzzles, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments