Board Game Review: Hanabi | Celebrate the Fourth of July in style

Every year, thousands of Americans spend hundreds of dollars on fireworks for the Fourth of July. This year, I’ll be getting some extra value out of a $10.95 firework investment I made about a year ago. Why am I talking about fireworks on a gaming site? Well, that’s easy, I’m talking about the firework-themed 2013 Spiel des Jahres winner for 'Game of the Year,' Antoine Bauza's Hanabi!

Hanabi is a cooperative card game for 2 - 5 people, in which players work together to create a beautiful fireworks display; this is performed by playing different colors of cards in numerical order, ranging from 1 - 5 for each of the five colors in the game--there are three 1’s, two 2’s, two 3’s, two 4’s, and only one 5 in each of the various colors, and you can work on completing each display simultaneously. Once the fifth card is played, the fireworks in that color are successfully launched. Play a card out of numerical order and the fuse gets closer to exploding--you only get three mistakes before this happens, so be careful. Hopefully this doesn't sound too easy because, the catch is, you won’t be able to see the cards in your hand.

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Kickstarter Picks for the Week of June 30, 2014

What is this post all about? Well, it should pretty straightforward, but, if there's any confusion, this is where I'll be talking about a handful of Kickstarter projects each week, focusing on a few projects that recently launched and a few projects that are about to end. Will I be focusing only on projects in need of funding? No. I will simply be focusing on projects that interest me, regardless of whether they've only raised $5 or raised ten times that of their original goal. Anyway, I think it's about time I got to the actual projects, eh.

• Recently Launched

District-Z - Fight. Escape. Survive.

• Ends Wed, Aug 13 2014 8:57 PM CDT.

District-Z is a zombie-killing game--I know the zombie theme is beyond overused, but don't let that scare you away--for 1 - 4 players, where everyone works (semi)cooperatively to get from their starting point to the city's edge. The game, based off the rules, looks to be a nice, simple game that borders on being a filler game; it may, in fact, be a great filler for those wanting something with a bit more depth than the typical filler. Anyway, I like what I've seen and it looks like District-Z will be a good solitaire game in addition to being a cooperative game too, so, check it out and see if it's up your alley, whether you're into zombies or not.

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PSP #183: Luchador! Mexican Wrestling Dice, Scattergories, and the Point of Party Games

In today's episode, Marc talks about the quick, action packed, Luchador! Mexican Wrestling Dice, realizing he's unable to use the words, "die" and "dice" correctly, Scattegories--which he somehow never played until a week ago--and then goes into a little discussion on party games and why we play them, well, at least why he plays them. Anyway, that's it and that's all, folks, and, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s); it's not free to host the site, the show, to make and record videos, and everything in between, so, anything would be greatly appreciated, even if you just tell a friend or two about the site and show(s). You can also support the site by shopping at Amazon. Cheers, and have a lovely rest of the day. And if you're looking for solutions to the often horribly lacking internal storage inside board game boxes, Robert Searing creates some great-looking foam inserts y'all should check out (foam > wood).

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Kickstarter Picks for the Week of June 23, 2014

What is this post all about? Well, it should pretty straightforward, but, if there's any confusion, this is where I'll be talking about a handful of Kickstarter projects each week, focusing on a few projects that recently launched and a few projects that are about to end. Will I be focusing only on projects in need of funding? No. I will simply be focusing on projects that interest me, regardless of whether they've only raised $5 or raised ten times that of their original goal. Anyway, I think it's about time I got to the actual projects, eh.

• Recently Launched

Island Dice - Survive the Players, the Island, and the Dice.

• Ends Mon, Jul 21 2014 10:59 PM CDT.

Island Dice looks like it takes a lot of what people love about King of Tokyo and adds quite a bit of depth and options, meaning there's room for more strategy and more thought; though, all these additions also mean the game looks to be more complicated and not for casual players; funny, since the game comes from a company called, Casual Dragon Games. My one concern--though I don't know for sure having never played the game--is that Island Dice may be a tad overly complicated, but, until I play it, I can only speculate.

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New Kensei miniatures for June and a new Kickstarter campaign

I don't have much experience with miniatures (yet), but I can appreciate (and often do) quality miniatures for their sheer beauty; though, a great paint job goes a long way and most miniatures come unpainted. Anyway, Zenit Miniatures makes some of the best miniatures I've seen and if y'all are into that part of the tabletop, y'all should check out their miniatures for the game, Kensei; June releases for the game can be found below (and whoever paints their promotional miniatures is quite good with a brush).

Also, before I leave you with a bunch of pretty pictures, Zenit Miniatures recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for some new miniatures for the tabletop wargame, Nemesis, and they are unsurprisingly beautiful.

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PSP #182: Board Gaming with Origins 2014 and Board Game Hour

In today's episode, Marc talks about Origins 2014, answering a few questions before diving deep into what he saw during the convention--including the games, Kaosball, Paradox, Happy Pigs, Taiwan Snackbar, Pirates vs. Dinosaurs, Destination: Neptune, and more. After that, he talks about Board Game Hour--a weekly virtual get-together where a bunch of people converse about board game-related topics. Anyway, that's it and that's all, folks, and, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s); it's not free to host the site, the show, to make and record videos, and everything in between, so, anything would be greatly appreciated, even if you just tell a friend or two about the site and show(s). You can also support the site by shopping at Amazon. Cheers, and have a lovely rest of the day.

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Have any questions about Origins 2014?

If you said yes, then leave your questions here in the comments and, if possible, I'll answer them on tomorrow's episode of The Pixelated Sausage Podcast. I already plan on talking about a lot of Origins-related jazz tomorrow, but I'm more than happy to answer any specific questions if y'all have any. Anyway, that's it and that's all folks. (Also, tis nice to start feeling healthy again after my poorly-timed Origins illness.)

Kickstarter Picks for the Week of June 16, 2014

What is this post all about? Well, it should pretty straightforward, but, if there's any confusion, this is where I'll be talking about a handful of Kickstarter projects each week, focusing on a few projects that recently launched and a few projects that are about to end. Will I be focusing only on projects in need of funding? No. I will simply be focusing on projects that interest me, regardless of whether they've only raised $5 or raised ten times that of their original goal. Anyway, I think it's about time I got to the actual projects, eh.

• Recently Launched

Sugar & Spice - A Cooking Game

• Ends Tue, Jul 15 2014 8:59 PM CDT.

Do you like cooking? Probably not--I do, but I have a feeling a lot of board gamers don't, but please don't hate me for assuming--but, even if you don't, Sugar & Spice may be worth checking out. First, and like another pick this week, the art of Sugar & Spice is fantastic, making it a game that will always be enjoyable to look at, but is it also enjoyable to play? Well, I don't know--which is the case with most Kickstarter games and why backing any game, ignoring the potential production issues, is risky--but I like the idea of creating different meals and the game looks like something the whole family can enjoy; though, if you're not into light games, I highly suspect you won't like Sugar & Spice because it looks like a very, very light game (and there's nothing wrong with that).

More Kickstarter picks can be seen with a little bit of clickage.

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PSP #181: Board Gaming with Origins Prep, Suburbia, and Elder Sign

In today's episode, Marc starts off talking about a few changes/ideas for the site and preparing for Origins (and how he's already exhausted before he's even left for the convention). After that, he talks about Suburbia and Elder Sign before rambling on and on while failing to end the show. Anyway, that's it and that's all, folks, and, if you're feeling extra generous, donate a little money or subscribe to show your support for the site and show(s); it's not free to host the site, the show, to make and record videos, and everything in between, so, anything would be greatly appreciated, even if you just tell a friend or two about the site and show(s). You can also support the site by shopping at Amazon. Cheers, and have a lovely rest of the day.

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Kickstarter Picks for the Week of June 09, 2014

What is this post all about? Well, it should pretty straightforward, but, if there's any confusion, this is where I'll be talking about a handful of Kickstarter projects each week, focusing on a few projects that recently launched and a few projects that are about to end. Will I be focusing only on projects in need of funding? No. I will simply be focusing on projects that interest me, regardless of whether they've only raised $5 or raised ten times that of their original goal. Anyway, I think it's about time I got to the actual projects, eh.

(There haven't been many games that have grabbed my attention in the past week or so, in large part because I don't have much experience with miniature gaming and can't say anything other than, "Oh, those look nice...")

• Recently Launched

RPG dice for the visually impaired

• Ends Sun, Jul 6 2014 1:04 PM CDT.

"RPG dice for the visually impaired" speaks for itself and I don't see how anyone could be against something that solely exists to make gaming--specifically tabletop-RPGs--more accessible. Do I have any use for them? No (and you probably don't either), but that doesn't mean I can't love and support something that will help others be more independent when gaming. Also, you may find yourself gaming with someone who's visually impaired in the future and, if that day comes, you'll be happy to have something like "RPG dice for the visually impaired."

More Kickstarter picks can be seen with a little bit of clickage.

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