The Rocketeer was a 1991 superhero film that I remember watching in the movie theater. Being a teenager at that time, the superhero story was probably appealing, but more importantly, Jennifer Connelly in the movie was most appealing. Honestly, I probably have not thought of the movie since then. However, there appears to be a constant interest in this film, and this phantom is evidenced by the rocking chair board game released in 2021. That is right, a board game tie-in to a movie that is more than 30 years old!
As I’m sure you know by now, attendance at SPIEL 2021 was impossible for me given the current situation of the COVID Pandemic. Our blog is blessed to have writers in Europe, and a few of them were able to go to the show, and they were gracious enough to help us get a huge parcel of games to play from the show. Continue reading →
Well, about a month ago, we (as a group) had a great idea to get a bunch of things written down and provide our readers with a nice gift giving list. Welp, let’s just say that we didn’t get our you-know-what together… So, instead of a big list, I have decided to just make some shorter posts with things that catch my eye (or things that I notice to be on sale). As I make these impromptu posts, I will try to stick to things which can be delivered prior to Dec. 25 — this likely means that they are things in stock on Amazon Prime. (All the Amazon links here are affiliate links, and the Opinionated Gamers may earn a commission if you buy from those links)
You know, some days you just want to give a gift that allows your gamer friend to proudly display their hobby on their chest (or feet or head or whatever). So, today, a list of gaming-related apparel featuring shirts with Game Titles and some non-licensed art. But, they’re all nice shirts to display your favorite games… Continue reading →
Well, about a month ago, we (as a group) had a great idea to get a bunch of things written down and provide our readers with a nice gift giving list. Welp, let’s just say that we didn’t get our you-know-what together… So, instead of a big list, I have decided to just make some shorter posts with things that catch my eye (or things that I notice to be on sale). As I make these impromptu posts, I will try to stick to things which can be delivered prior to Dec. 25 — this likely means that they are things in stock on Amazon Prime. (All the Amazon links here are affiliate links, and the Opinionated Gamers may earn a commission if you buy from those links)
You know, some days you just want to give a gift that allows your gamer friend to proudly display their hobby on their chest (or feet or head or whatever). So, today, a list of gaming-related apparel mostly on the funny/punny side… Continue reading →
When I (Mark) was a DM (Dungeon Master to those uninitiated in the Deep Magic of role-playing games) – which, let’s be clear, was a very long time ago – I carried around a pad of graph paper in my backpack and spent inordinate amounts of time during high school classes sketching out dungeon levels to bedevil my players… filled with elaborate traps, secret passages, and treasures guarded by fearsome monsters. You could certainly call me a dungeon scrawler.
That’s decidedly NOT what Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Undermountain is about. Instead, each player is an intrepid adventurer questing his way through a series of dungeons… via a dry erase marker. And scribbling… a lot.
Nobody trusts anyone, or why did they put tilt on a pinball machine?
Steve McQueen
Almost two years ago, I regaled you (our faithful readers) with tales of old-fashioned arcades and my relative lack of expertise at pinball… and I said some rather kind things about the sneak peak WizKids gave us of Geoff Englestein’s pinball-themed roll’n’write, Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade.
Some of the best board games about sports pull off a fascinating trick – they manage to capture the feel of the sport without getting bogged down in the details of simulation. For example, En Garde is a math-y little bluffing game, but the back & forth of the game feels like fencing. Streetsoccer is pretty abstract, but soccer-like tactics and strategy quickly emerge. And Baseball Highlights 2045 is definitely not a baseball sim – but it does exactly what it sets out to do: capture the highlights of a great World Series… albeit with robot batters and cyborg pitchers.
I bring up those examples in order to add Super-Skill Pinball to the list of games that just feel right – that get the essence of their thematic subject mixed perfectly with the mechanics of the game. In a simple roll’n’write, Geoff succeeded in adding multi-ball, the erratic behavior of bumpers, flipper management, nudging the table, and – sadly – tilting the machine.
Note: I still think “4-Cade” is a less than spectacular name choice… but I’m not sure what I’d replace it with.
