Disc Duelers Dexterity

Disc Duelers

Designed by D. Brad Talton Jr.

Published by Level 99 Games

2 - 21 Players

30 - 45 Minutes

Dexterity Battle, Flicking Discs, Variable Player Abilities/Items

(7/10 Stars)

A Very Nice Deluxe Box of Noir

Noir: Deductive Mystery Game (Black Box Edition)

Designed by D. Brad Talton Jr.

Published by Level 99 Games

Primarily 2 Players (with 6 games, Range of 2 - 9 Players)

Play Time Ranges from 10 minutes to 60 minutes

Strategic Deductive Card Game, Many Variants/Roles

(8/10 Stars)

Fun for the Third Time (x2)!

Lords of War: Templars versus Undead

Designed by Nick Street and Martin Vaux

Published by Black Box Games

2 Players

30 Minutes

Strategic Card Placement Game

(8/10 Stars)

Lords of War: Templars versus Undead is the third installment from Black Box Games in their Lords of War series. I really enjoyed the previous ones and you can check out my review and more of the gameplay at this LINK. Templars versus Undead continues with the great thing that they started with. I really like the theme and artwork for this set and the few movement cards adds a nice change. Black Box Games just continues with the goodness too with a Weather and Terrain expansion and more packs coming out as well. Lords of War is definitely worth checking out and the Templars versus Undead is a fantastic addition or stand alone version of the game and that is How Lou Sees It!

Pixel Tactics 3

Designed by D. Brad Talton Jr.

Published by Level 99 Games

2 Players

30 Minutes

Strategic Card Placement Game

(8/10 Stars)

The concept of Pixel Tactics really kind of blew my mind when I was first introduced. The game has so much replay value and so many choices to be had. Not only that, but they keep coming out with more and more amazing cards that just continue to add more variety and enjoyment. Pixel Tactics 3 is a great version or addition for anyone looking for a really fun 2 player strategic card game. I show you some of the cards in this new pack - and that is really just more to wet your whistle as they just funded a deluxe version and seem to have more on the way! Check out Pixel Tactics and I think you will enjoy it - Pixel Tactics 3 is a great deck of cards and the only thing you really have to worry about is too many choices. Pixel awesome and that is How Lou Sees It!

Argent: The Consortium Unboxing

Argent: The Consortium

Designed by Trey Chambers

Published by Level 99 Games

Around 30 Minutes per Player

2 to 5 Players

(Commentary/Unboxing)

I open up Argent and show you what is inside the box! Very excited to play this one. Look for a review after I get a chance to play it here on my blog, YouTube channel, and on Board Game Geek, You can check out my interview with founder and president of Level 99 Games, D. Brad Talton Jr., that I posted during the Kickstarter campaign by checking out the interview tab or clicking here.

Hopefully I can get back to posting reviews as I am very behind! Lots of games to review and little time to do it in. I guess we all have our struggles. :) Sickness has run rampant in my household for the last 3 months and life gets busy. Try and always make time for gaming and that is How Lou Sees It! 

Hop on the Magic School Bus!

Featured Kickstarter Interview

Argent: The Consortium

Game Designed by Trey Chambers
Published by Level 99 Games
Interview with D. Brad Talton Jr. (Founder and President of Level 99 Games)

Argent: The Consortium, one of my current Featured Kickstarters, has less than 14 hours left and I had the great opportunity to ask Brad, the founder and president of the game's publisher a few questions.

I for one am very excited about this game. Thanks Brad for taking the time to answer just a few questions. The project is doing so well and it has almost reached its final posted stretch goal. Congratulations! Let's start into the questions.

Q - I am very excited about the theme of this game. As I first read about the theme of Argent I personally thought about my growing up years reading Harry Potter and most recently The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson. What was the inspiration for the theme and did the theme come before, during, or after the actual game design?

Argent was actually where the World of Indines--the world of BattleCON, Pixel Tactics, and Disc Duelers--actually began. When I played Trey's (the designer of Argent) game at BGG.CON 2012, I knew that the game was a perfect match for the theme :)

Q - What one word would best describe Argent?

Vivid. The game really leaps to life, despite the stereotype of Euro mechanics. Everything you do feels like part of a vast conspiracy.

Q - If you were one of the professors or students at the school, what department would you be in?

My trade skill is computer science, so I'd probably be in the Department of Planar Studies.

Q - The game comes with so many goodies and I love that you already have an expansion ready too. How much will this thing end up weighing?

We're looking at 6 pounds, probably 7 with the Kickstarter bonus content we're planning (Summer Break).

Q - This game is chalked full of really interesting game mechanics and components.  Name and discuss 3 of your favorite components or game mechanics that set Argent apart from other games.

For me, I'd say:

1 - Secret Voters are the biggest one. Not knowing the victory conditions unless you do your homework, and not having VP as a pure gauge of progress is really refreshing.

2 - Spells are pretty huge. Having a tool belt of different powers and capabilities that will change in each game means that you have to adapt new strategies by what you have at your disposal.

3 - Variable Time Rounds really add pressure. In Worker placement games with removal, you usually play Chicken to see who will take the high-value spot first and get zapped. However, in Argent, the Bell Tower mechanic makes rounds end early, and means that you often have to seize opportunity while you can, or you won't get anything.

Q - Replay ability is a big factor for me and your Pixel Tactics games did such a great job providing huge playing variation that keeps each game fresh and always offering something new each time it's played. Does Argent have that same level of replay ability or more in your opinion?

I'd say Argent has more total variations, though two matches of Pixel Tactics probably feel more different than two games of Argent. With large games, you have to make sure the baseline is solid across multiple plays, so that skill and strategy have room to develop. But no two games will ever be quite alike!

Q - Artwork. Wow. I guess that really isn't a question. :)

There's an artbook/lorebook too! :D

Q - I really can't wait to see and play the final product, I think it is going to be epic. I really am in awe of this game and I can't stop thinking about it. It is doing so many things right. Any suggestions on what to do to pass the time between now and June?

Play BattleCON: Devastation! It'll be at your FLGS by the end of January!

I know many are excited for Argent to come out this year and can hardly wait, but playing Pixel Tactics or BattleCON as we wait doesn't sound half bad!  I hope to be able to provide you all with a review of Battle CON: Devastation! soon and I should be able to provide you all with a review of the final game come summer time when the final game is released. If you are interested in backing Argent on Kickstarter, you may only have minutes left! If you miss it, I'm sure you will be able to get a copy eventually, but why miss out on the great Kickstarter rewards and that is How Lou Sees It.

Pixel Tactics

Pixel Tactics

Designed by D. Brad Talton, Jr.

Published by Level 99 Games

2 Player Strategic Card Game

In Pixel Tactics, 2 players use identical decks consisting of 25 cards. The characters and game take place in the World of Indines (along with other popular Level 99 Games such as BattleCON and their game currently being successfully funded with many stretch goals, Argent). While the game has a certain amount of luck involved with the drawing of cards, the game is tremendously well balanced because each player is playing with the same deck of cards (now this can be modified with multiple copies or versions of the game if desired, but that most likely will happen after you get the hang of playing with one of the decks). 

What I find really cool is the fact that each card can be utilized 5 different ways. So, while players are using the same card decks, they will most likely be played very differently each time. The game provides many strategical choices to the players without having really any necessarily "bad" choices - each player must work on what strategy works best for them and their current situation (remembering to adapt to your opponents as well).

I really like this game a lot, my only concern stems from the amount of options presented to players which relies heavily on reading and remembering text (there are helpful icons used in the game, but until players are more familiar with the certain cards, games can be considerably longer as players are trying to understand all the options presented to them and how all the cards are going to interact while played).

To begin each game, each player looks through their starting hand and each player selects a "leader" that will stand in the center of their unit and which will greatly effect the strategy used by that player for that match. Each card has a "leader" side which has a special leader power. The goal of the game, to destroy your opponents leader while protecting your own. Your leader stands in the center of it all and all other cards are placed around that leader in one of 8 different locations. Each hero played will have different abilities or actions it can take depending on where the player decides to place that hero. The cards are themed very well and I am amazed at the plethora of special actions that were created for all of the cards. They are all pretty exciting and everything just works.

The game includes reference cards and tokens to keep track of damage points. The quality of the components are good and the instructions fold out to provide a playing mat (this can be helpful for beginner players). The general idea and concept of the game is pretty straight forward and the rules cover that pretty nicely. The real rule issue with this game comes from very specific questions that may arise about how certain abilities or cards interact. The game seems very prone to confusion as players get used to all the cards and associated actions. Most areas of question are discussed and resolved via boardgamegeek.com discussion forums or Level 99 Games is great at getting back to any questions you may have.

I won't get into any further details on specific rules or game play, but the game is very solid and I really enjoy all the different characters. Pixel Tactics 2 gives a new set of characters with even more possibilities. I think that whoever would enjoy Pixel Tactics would probably want to get a hold of Pixel Tactics 2 and any other sets (there will be more!) including some really fun promo cards (there is even a Tom Vasel - pretty great stuff). In closing, the game is really fun, but some may be turned off due to "option overload" and feeling like they have to keep reading card options over and over again and trying to keep track of what each hero can do. I will suggest to those who pull out Pixel Tactics to play it for the first few times to take time and enjoy reading and discovering all of the cool actions and characters. Don't view learning the actions and characters as a "chore," but take a minute to realize how great all of these characters and actions are. You can check out my video review of Pixel Tactics below. Definitely check out Pixel Tactics and that is How Lou Sees It!

Level 99 Games has another game, Argent: The Consortium, which is about to finish a very successful Kickstarter project with many cool stretch goals (including some Pixel Tactics cards). Only about a day left to check it out. I will be posting a little interview that I did with Brad later today or tomorrow!