Wednesday, May 9, 2012

"Midnight Tides" by Steve Erikson

I just finished "Midnight Tides" by Steve Erikson. While I love all of the Malazan books so far, this one was so far the most amusing, dramatic and interesting finish. I wish I could say more but I am afraid it would either give away spoilers, confuse or bore you. This is simply another testament to one of the best sword and sorcery series out there. I can not wait to start on "The Bonehunters"!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

A Game of Thrones Board Game (Quick Review)

I finally got around to playing A Game of Thrones Board Game the other night. I believe it is worth the money! The game took a significant amount of time to figure out, but once that was done it was a blast. The game forces the players to interact both on and off the game board, it also encourages teamwork and deception. The simple goal is to conquer 7 castles in Westeros, which is by no means an easy task. There are also random elements such as Wildling attacks that if not fended can cause havoc for the players who contributed the least to the Nights Watch. The cards and starting geography of the various factions allow for the development of unique strategies and alliances. The faction make up also coincides with the books pretty well, so on top of it being fun, the game is fairly accurate. Westeros is crowded, therefore the game is intense from the very beginning! The main piece of advice I can give after playing a few games, is be aggressive!