Dominion – Intrigue Card Game Review

The world of Dominion is about to get way darker and more sinister in Dominion: Intrigue, the first standalone expansion for the hit card game that took the world by storm. Mingle with shady conspirators, torturers and swindlers. Meet your contacts in the secret chamber or the shanty town. Make sure everyone knows who’s in charge around here. As they say, nice guys finish last. And the race for Dominion is about to get really dirty!

Dominion: Intrigue is a standalone expansion for the award-winning Dominion card game that shook the gaming world in 2008. Being a standalone expansion, it can be played together with the base game, but it can also be played just as well on its own. This review focuses on the Dominion: Intrigue expansion. If you want to know more about how the base game is played, please read our Dominion review.

As the name implies, the theme in Dominion: Intrigue is all about underhanded dealings and mysterious agents using covert tactics to help you achieve control. A large number of the cards in this set support that theme, actively tampering with your opponents’ hands and decks, and forcing them to trash valuable cards. A new card type is also introduced: cards that act as both victory cards as well as either treasure or action cards.

There are a number of dangerous-sounding cards in the set, with names like swindler, minion, saboteur and torturer. They also have dangerous abilities to match. The Saboteur is able to force opponents to trash an expensive card and replace it with something cheaper. For the same cost as a Silver, the Swindler lets you swap a card from opponents’ decks with another card of your choosing, in addition to providing you with 2 coins. The Torturer forces opponents to either discard 2 cards or draw a curse card, in addition to letting you draw 3 cards! These action-attack cards are just a few examples of the cards that will make life really difficult for your opponents. Some people have complained that Dominion is like a game of solitaire where you just focus on your own deck. Well, it’s evident that there’s going to be a whole lot more interaction in this expansion!

There is also a new type of card that was introduced in this expansion, or more accurately a new combination of card types. There are now cards that are a combination of a victory card and either an action or treasure card. Previously, players were hesitant (with good reason) to buy victory cards early, as drawing too many of them would mean you wouldn’t be able to play or buy anything. These new cards solve that problem. The Great Hall gives you an extra card and action in addition to a victory point, while the Harem gives you 2 coins and 2 victory points. These cards are a bit more expensive than comparable cards, but that’s the price you have to pay for flexibility!

There are plenty of other interesting cards in the set, including the Duke who is worth more victory points the more Duchies you have. There is also the Coppersmith that doubles the value of coppers, and the Bridge that makes every card cost 1 less. There is also the Wishing Well that rewards you if you can correctly guess the top card of your deck, and the Masquerade card that makes players give cards to each other. Plenty of fun to go around!

It is great to see Dominion grow with expansions like this, adding new themes and mechanics to an already-strong core game. The theme idea is really nice, allowing players to roleplay their quest for dominion, whether it be via open war or through subterfuge and stealth. There are also more thematic expansions coming our way; as of mid-2010, the Seaside and Alchemy expansions are available, and the Prosperity expansion is just round the corner.

Being a standalone expansion set with so many new game-changing cards, Dominion: Intrigue is awesome for both beginners and experienced players alike. You don’t need the base game to play it, but mixing the cards here with the core cards gives you so many more game variations and opens up very interesting strategies. And last but by no means least, this expansion allows up to 6 players to play the game!

Poker? Solitaire? The Must-Have iPhone Apps for Card Sharks

Card games are some of the oldest games known, and have the capacity to be anything from thrilling to relaxing, single player or massively multiplayer. Card games also appeal to all ages, whether you’re a toddler who can barely say “go fish” or a weather-beaten old crank at a blackjack table. The iPhone also appeals to just about anyone, and is about the same size as a deck of cards, so naturally they are a good match.

Read on to find out the best selection of card games for the iPhone or iPod Touch.

World Series of Poker Hold’em Legend

The World Series of Poker has gone from a minor annual Las Vegas event and late-night television show to an enormous enterprise. After the success of books, contests, and official home poker sets, here is the iPhone game, and it does not disappoint. The World Series of Poker app is the best way to play Texas Hold’em– the official poker variant of the series– either alone or in an online contest including thousands. Chips must be bought with real money from within the app, which is sure to make the experience more realistic and intense.

Sol Free Solitaire

Sol Free Solitaire is the free version of Solebon Solitaire, but it is an amazingly full-featured app in its own right. It includes six different kinds of solitaire, all within a tidy, minimal environment and with sound design that won’t interfere with whatever you’re listening to in the iPod or Pandora app. Sol Free Solitaire has great retina-display capable graphics, unlimited undo, stats, and all the bells and whistles of a much more expensive game. It is definitely worth the download.

Video Poker

The name says it all. Video Poker is a “Jacks or Better,” slot style game that doesn’t mimic real cards as much as it mimics the feel of a dated old video poker machine in a real, off-the-strip casino. Mobilityware, the app’s developer, got all the details right, from the harsh blue background to the pixelated graphics on the cards. It doesn’t look good, but it looks so accurate that anyone who likes video poker is sure to love it.

Blackjack 21

It’s rare to find a fresh take on the virtual card game, but Blackjack 21 has done it in spades– no pun intended. What sets this game apart from the pack is the inclusion of true-to-life blackjack gestures, just like you would use in the casino. Players can tap the touchscreen to place a bet, and swipe down to hit. Even apart from this novelty, the game animations look great, and countless new table and card themes are available for download.

Card Tower

The House of Cards: Sometimes the most fun you can have with a deck of cards is in simply trying to build a precarious house out of them. Now, you can take this rainy day fun with you anywhere, with Card Tower: The House of Cards. If you look past the redundant name, you’ll find a game with a clever touch interface and smooth 3D graphics. It’s silly, but it’s also strangely compelling. Maybe that’s why, against all odds, it’s consistently in the top 10 list of card apps in over 30 countries.

At the Gates of Loyang Board Game Review

Loyang has become the new capital of the Han Dynasty in ancient China, and it is time to make your mark At the Gates of Loyang. As a farmer, you need to supply the growing city with your harvested crops. Buy and sell seeds, expand your land, hire traders and experts, and sell your harvested goods to all types of customers. Compete against other farmers on the Path of Prosperity, and become the most successful farmer in this economic strategy board game!

At the Gates of Loyang is a board game by Uwe Rosenberg, the creator of Agricola, one of the most popular strategy board games of all time. Loyang is Rosenberg’s 3rd board game with an economic theme, after Agricola and Le Havre, both of which have become hugely popular with legions of fans. Loyang continues this tradition, but this time with a different setting: Chinese farmers out to make as much gold as possible. In addition, the game is less complicated than the other Rosenberg games, with fewer mechanics and victory paths to worry about.

The game is set in ancient China, and you are one of many farmers supplying the new capital city of Loyang. With a rapidly-growing market, this is your chance to make it big and put yourself on the Path of Prosperity, earning oodles of money and ensuring a life of luxury for you and your family. But what is business without a little healthy competition? In Loyang, the winner is the player that finishes the game furthest along on the Path of Prosperity, and thus becoming the most prosperous and successful farmer.

Each player gets a “board”, which is basically a T-shaped panel that contains the Path of Prosperity track as well as an individual market shop in which you can buy and sell your crops. You also get a home field card and a stack of 9 semi-random field cards that can be used to plant different types and amounts of vegetables. There are 6 types of vegetables, ranging from the cheaper wheat and pumpkin to the more expensive and rarer beans and leek. The game lasts a total of 9 rounds, and at the start of each round, every player harvests one crop from each of their fields that aren’t empty or fallow. They then reveal a new field from their personal stack, ready for new vegetables to be planted.

The next part of the round involves drawing cards from a deck. There are additional field cards which allow you to plant more crops. There are market stall cards that allow you to trade one or more of your vegetables for another specific type of vegetable. There are various helper cards that produce a huge variety of effects which usually involve making your crops more efficient or interfering with your opponents’ plans. And then there are 2 types of customer cards. The regular customers accept up to 4 sets of 2 vegetables, paying you each time you sell them a set of vegetables. However, they will get angry if you don’t sell to them each round. The first time you fail to sell crops to them, they just get angry. Subsequently, you get charged a 2 gold penalty fee for not being able to supply them. The second type of customer is the casual customer. They are patient, but require a set of 3 vegetables and go away once you fulfil their order.

The act of obtaining the cards is interesting. Each player draws 4 cards, and a drafting session starts. The first player discards an unwanted card onto the table. After that, players take turns to either discard an unwanted card or take one of the discarded cards from the table. Once you take a card from the table, you are out of the draft and must play the card immediately onto your board. At the same time, you must also choose one of the cards remaining in your hand, and play that card too. The rest of your hand is discarded and available for other players to choose from. Each player therefore ends up playing 2 cards each round during this phase.

The next phase is the action phase, and the play order depends on which player played their cards first in the card selection phase earlier. In a unique twist, each player performs ALL his actions before the next player gets their turn. This isn’t too bad, since there aren’t that many cards that interact or interfere with other players. Available actions include planting crops; buying, selling and trading crops at the market or stalls; using helper cards; selling vegetables to your customers; and paying gold to draw more cards from the deck.

The money you earn here is crucial. It is used to buy more crops to plant, but more importantly is also used to move you along the Path of Prosperity. The Path of Prosperity is a funny mechanic, being harder to advance in the late game compared to the early game. The Path goes from 1 to 20, which represents the cost of moving to that position. So moving from step 1 to step 2 costs 2 gold, while moving from step 15 to step 16 costs 16 gold. However, your first move each round only costs 1 gold. This opens up a few different strategies on how to pursue victory. Once the game ends, the player furthest along the Path of Prosperity wins the game.

Loyang is a very streamlined game. Unlike other similar games, there aren’t many different paths to victory here. Money is your main focus, since it is used both as a currency to expand your empire, as well as to gain victory points via the Path of Prosperity. The game is also not too interactive, being similar to games such as Dominion or Race For the Galaxy. You mainly focus on maximizing the efficiency of your farms with little interference from other players. However, a big plus for Loyang is its great production quality. The boards and cards look great, and each vegetable and Path marker has its own well-designed wooden tokens.

Loyang is a fun game that doesn’t take long to learn, and acts as a good introduction to the more complex economic strategy games. It is also appropriate for players of all experience levels. You will enjoy At the Gates of Loyang if you like similar farming or economic games such as Puerto Rico and Agricola.

Family Fun Places, Game Tables And Chairs

One of the single most important factors of the family unit is for family to spend time together. However, at times there seems to be an influx of interferences that take this time away.

While the excuses range from lack of time to the expenses that family time can sometimes generate, during these times, money is a general concern for many families. But with the right attitude and the right equipment, great, healthy family time can be had right at home.

Carving out time and designating a special place that promotes special family fun is the first step to enjoying fun-filled time with family. The right game tables and chairs can turn any dull, seemingly useless part of your home into a center of entertainment for the family to enjoy.

Simple games can be set up anywhere there is free space in the home and is very affordable and attractive. An investment such as this is sure to be well worth it in the long run. There are countless numbers of games that can be enjoyed by all ages in this specially designated area for family fun. Be it the family room, basement, or even the backyard, it is all just a matter of picking out the right spot and filling it with the necessary tools.

There is no need to shell out a ton of cash to be blessed by the company of your loved ones. When your special place has been set up to you and your family’s liking, you can all begin enjoying the fun family time that is sure to become a staple in your home life.

Engage in an exciting night of card games or challenge your family to your favorite board games. With simple game tables and chairs, you can even have the freedom of setting up small home tournaments that will delight and entertain the entire bunch.

With your fun new furniture, gather the gang and talk about just what sorts of games that everyone would love to partake in. Together, you can all design endless nights of fun at barely any cost.

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