Dale Yu: Review of Cold Case: A Pinch of Murder

• Designer: uncredited
• Publisher: Think Fun
• Players: 1+
• Age: 14+
• Time: 1 hour on box, 43 minutes in reality for me playing solo
• Times played: 1, with review copy provided by Think Fun

In this game, you play the role of a police officer, who is looking though an unsolved case from the past, a “cold case.” As it happened more than 30 years ago, your only source of information is the file folder filled with the records, interview transcripts and other evidence that was collected back when the crime occured. You are tasked to examine the evidence in the file and see whether or not you can solve the mystery…

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Deckscape Crew vs Crew: The Pirate’s Island

• Designers: Martino Chiacchiera and Silvano Sorrentino
• Publisher: dv Giochi
• Players: 2 to 6 (split into 2 teams)
• Age: 12+
• Time: about 45 minutes
• Played with review copy provided by dv Giochi

Deckscape has been one of the enduring puzzle series out there – this one is I believe the 10th entry into the series.  We have played a number of them in the past and have reviewed them here, here, here, here, here, and here.

The Deckscape line from dV Giochi are a series of “puzzle” games and reside in the orbit of “escape room” games.  These sorts of things come in many varieties -some require apps and others physically can’t be played again because there are destructive or consumable elements- but what I have liked about the Deckscape series is the relative straightforwardness of the puzzles, a little dabbling in riddles, and the sense of adventure.  They insert you into a narrative and the illustrations of the cards carry you along.

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We continue with our look at gaming in the sixties.  Gimmicky and beer-and-pretzel games dominate the half decade, but we also have the birth of a major gaming craze, as well as the publication of perhaps the greatest book of original games ever.
   Larry

Nuclear War (1965)

I never owned this and only got to play it a few times in college.  It’s a great “activity” game, as the interaction with other players is far more fun than the game itself.  Props to embracing the whole idea of “I’m taking you down with me” aspect of the final turns of the game.  I can’t think of any other game that drills that home so nicely.
   Matt C.

A chaotic game for sure.  The whole aim is player elimination, if it is a quick game then there may be a winner, if it is a long game which is 15 minutes or more, then it is unlikely anyone will survive the final retaliations as player after player gets eliminated and takes others down with them.  We did have games where some people didn’t survive the secrets/propaganda round(s).  We used to play it 5+ players a lot.  Two favourite catch cries from those games were “I can’t pay!”, or “Have you got change of 25 million?”.  It was probably the first game I came across with programmed play, i.e. you are playing cards two moves ahead – and hoping your cards are still valid when they come to be revealed!  Narrator: Often they were not.

If playing Nuclear War, Nuclear Escalation and Nuclear Proliferation together, I would recommend culling some of the secret cards, there are just too many with three decks mixed together.

An interesting little bit of information – when Nuclear Escalation was released in 1983 there were calls, in Parliament if I recall correctly, for it to be banned due to its theme.  No mention of Nuclear War which had been available for the previous 18 years.
   Fraser

I played this hundreds of times and it was always a good laugh, and quick fun.
   Alan