Sirlin Games Week - Day 4 - Pandante

Pandante (First Edition - Deluxe)

Designed by David Sirlin

Published by Sirlin Games

2 to 6 Players

30 to 40 minutes

Gambling (Poker), Player Abilities, Bluffing

(8/10 Stars)

Have you ever heard of a gambling panda bear? Chances are that if you have, you are already familiar with David Sirlin's other Fantasy Strike games which feature a gambling panda bear - who, just also happens to be a good fighter. :) Pandante is a game that is very different from the fighting games Yomi and Flash Duel. It still has the wonderful bluffing that is so prevalent in his other games and it is a fun unique twist on Texas Hold'em Poker. Clever name too! "Panda" and "ante" combined together...very cool.

 If you don't enjoy playing poker, don't leave yet - because Pandante provides some really great mechanics that may just change your mind about poker - well... at least the way the pandas play it. I have had friends who don't really enjoy poker play Pandante and they ended up having a blast. Pandante overs a unique deck of cards to start - 6 different colorful suits with numbers 1 to 10 with 1 Joker. 

There are a few more possible poker hands as well including a 4 of one color (a Floosh) and a Rainbow Straight. Players are dealt 2 cards that are kept hidden, and as the game progresses, 3 cards are flipped over to create The Splash (community cards that everyone can utilize - similar to Texas Hold'em). Players ante before each Gambit and players place bets and have the opportunity to draw and discard a card by "snacking." Another card is flipped over and added to The Splash - this is called The Paw. When players make their bets, everyone is betting exactly 2 gold on a certain hand indicated on their player board. Everyone goes around once, so there isn't the back and forth from matching bets and raising bids. "Snacking" is available to everyone, but the person who bid the highest hand gets to "snack" for free by drawing a card and discarding a card face down.

Other players will need to pay 2 gold for every step down in value their hand bid was to the highest one. This game mechanic is brilliant as it encourages players to bet bigger earlier. There is a lot of bluffing in this game, so watch out! Players can fold during the game, but it really is a lot less likely than regular poker. For one thing, all players will have a chance to perform some special abilities each turn. These can greatly swing the tide in your favor at the last minute. One of the other cool things is the Gold Fairy that keeps people in the game even if they lost all their gold in a previous Gambit. This is a nice change as it keeps everyone involved in the game.

I really enjoy the components of Pandante. The cards are colorful and well laid-out. The deluxe version has an amazing faux leather feel to it with magnets to keep it closed. The poker chips provided are very nice quality - pretty much the best poker chips ever! The cards are nice quality for traditional type cards and the rule book is well done.

Currently Pandante: Light and Dark is on Kickstarter (for about the next week) - and it is sitting around 34k of 50k for funding. Light and Dark is a great opportunity to get in on the Pandante action. David has updated the base game rules with many little things that will make the game even simpler and better! One thing is a centralized play mat where all the betting will take place. Rules simplified, central mat, and new Casino type cards - this expansion is a no brainer for fans of Pandante and if it looks like you could enjoy Pandante, it is a great time to get the updated version with the Light and Dark expansion. And if you are feeling lucky, you could always get the deluxe! And as a special treat, David announced a few days ago that he is giving some stretch goals for free (or free upgrades)! Very cool. You can read about those in the updates section or by clicking HERE.

Pandante at its core is a game of bluffing...well, bluffing, and pandas...and poker. Pandante is a fun poker variant that I think everyone should at least try. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy panda poker and that is How Lou Sees It! (Check out the more detailed video review below!)

I was given a copy of Pandante (First Edition, Deluxe Version) by Sirlin Games for the purpose of this review.

Sirlin Games Week - Day 3 - Flash Duel

Flash Duel (Second Edition)

Designed by David Sirlin

Published by Sirlin Games

1 to 5 Players

5 to 10 minutes

Hand Management, Player Abilities, Bluffing

(8/10 Stars)

Flash Duel is a great little game that offers many variants. As the name suggests, Flash Duel is a quick game that allows you to play multiple games in one sitting. It provides some great bluffing opportunities and the gameplay is simple. It really makes for a great light filler type game.

Players move along a little board back and forth trying to gain the upper hand by playing just the right combination of cards to perform an attack that can't be blocked or retreated from. These one hit rounds provide for quick play - it is suggested to play best 3 out of 5 - and trust me, I think you definitely will want to for sure! I really enjoy the fact that there are different modes, from the full game (which includes character abilities) to a simpler version (played without abilities) and even a 2, 3, or 4 against 1 mode (and in that mode the 1 player is a crazy powerful dragon...yeah, pretty awesome). There is even a solo version provided (I wish they would have provided a reference card for the solo version to include in the travel deck box). And for the raid on Deathstrike Dragon mode, there is even a traitor variant you can play too where one of the team members is secretly trying to help the dragon player.

Everything you really need for the full version...Travel Size! Awesome!

Not only does this little game offer many different possibilities with game modes, but the game has 3 special action cards for the 20 different Fantasy Strike universe characters. And on top of that, the game has a very compact travel version that allows you to play the full game with any different player combinations pretty much anywhere. I think the "punch" that Flash Duel gives for its size is very impressive. I honestly haven't played the raid on Deathstrike Dragon version very often, so I will have to say that a normal full game 2 player game is my favorite way to play this game. I think mixing up the character abilities is fun and provides so much replayability. The solo version is ok, but I think there are just too many other solo games (such as Friday) that I would choose to play over this one solo.

One of the powerful Deathstrike Dragon ability cards.

I LOVE this ability!

The game is a solid, quick game, that provides a lot of bang for its buck. The quality of components are great and I really love the travel version a lot. 20 different characters to choose from and mixing and matching their abilities will provide you with great enjoyment. While I love the versatility of the game, it just doesn't get up to the level of Yomi or Puzzle Strike in my opinion and that is How Lou Sees It! (Check out the more detailed video review below!)

I was given a copy of Flash Duel (Second Edition) by Sirlin Games for the purpose of this review.

Sirlin Games Week - Day 2 - Yomi

Yomi (Complete First Edition)

Designed by David Sirlin

Published by Sirlin Games

2 Players

30 Minutes

Hand Management, Player Abilities, Bluffing, Rock-Paper-Scissors

(9/10 Stars)

The first Sirlin Game I look at is Yomi. A game that captures the feel of a Street Fighter type video game - with a simple and yet deeply strategic card game (yes, I would say strategic even with the heavy bluffing/luck element of card draws). Based on a simple Rock, Paper, Scissors mechanic (that works really well in my opinion), the game goes beyond that to include combos, specials, and lots of bluffing.

The game is fantastic. The quality of the cards are nice, although missing that really deluxe feel, they are basic poker card quality and I think they hold up really well. The artwork is top notch, especially for the face card special moves. I really like the different decks available and that they are all built such that they feel like the characters they are trying to portray. Each character, 20 available in all, provides different types of strategy, and that strategy may change depending on what opponent character you are playing.

While there are some aspects of the game that may take a little bit to get the hang of (combos, charging up, knockdowns, etc.) - I love that the main mechanic of the game is so simple, and yet it makes sense for the fighting game. Blocks beat Attacks, Throws beat Blocks, and Attacks beat Throws. There are Dodges in the mix too along with special action type cards that can be played.

Yomi offers a richly thematic and well developed gameplay experience that I think most everyone could enjoy. If you are not a big fan of fighting games, it may not be your cup of tea. The game is one big bluffing game though, so if you like a good bluffing game, this may be the game your looking for.

I am not a huge fan of the female artwork on the cards. They match normal fighting game artwork styles, but I just wish I could buy more modest versions of the female decks. I enjoy playing the defensive type characters along with the more well-rounded types. Playing the Panda is always a fun time (wait for the Pandante review later this week).

The decks are so well balanced for the different play styles and having most cards have two choices of play provides the fighters with lots of options so that players rarely feel limited by "no good choices" in their hands. Even the Power Up phase where you can trade in duplicate cards for powerful Aces...everything just makes sense - the game plays like a well oiled machine! It can get frustrating at times when you always seem to pick the wrong type of card however, the odds are that you will have your winning streak as well. A great game and that is How Lou Sees It! (Check out the more detailed video review below!)

I was given a copy of Yomi (Complete First Edition) by Sirlin Games for the purpose of this review.

Mages Profit from Bluffing and Cheating

Cheaty Mages

Designed by Seiji Kanai

Published by AEG

3 to 6 Players

30 to 40 Minutes

Hand Management, Bluffing, Wagering, Take That

(8/10 Stars)

Cheaty Mages published by AEG with original Japanese artwork.  This is a really fun and interesting strategic bluffing game with good player interaction.  The game is easy to learn and quickly enjoyed by a nice range of individuals.  While players make strategic choices and try and bluff their way to victory, the game also provides some luck element from card draws and sudden changes from certain spell cards.  The game is very fun and I would recommend to those who enjoy games such as The Coup, The Resistance, Killer Bunnies, and/or Munchkin.  Designed by the same designer who brought us the huge hit Love Letter - this is definitely another top notch game.  AEG also does a great job with the production quality providing a great gaming experience that you will not be quick to forget - unless a mage casts a forgetful spell on you that is...and that is How Lou Sees It!