As you know, the world of board games is quite vast – there are so many games out there, I feel like I can barely keep up! So oftentimes when I come across a game, it’s not necessarily a new one. Enter Tides of Madness. It maaaay sound familiar, and…
Author: Laura Rodriguez
If there is a mechanic that we at Purple Phoenix Games seem to really love, it is card drafting. One such game that has been a big hit for us (well, at least for 3 of us….) is 7 Wonders. Draft a card, pass the rest to your neighbor, draft…
As I’ve said many times before – I am a HUGE fan of the Valeria-verse from Daily Magic Games. From the OG Valeria Card Kingdoms, to even the small dice game Corsairs of Valeria, the world, lore, and gameplay have me hooked. So when I saw a Kickstarter for a…
When it comes to game mechanics, set collection is my JAM. Auction/bidding and push your luck, not so much….. So when Alderac Entertainment Group brought TEN into my life, I was a bit wary at first. A game of collecting sequences/sets of numbers? Awesome!! Add in bidding for Wildcards or…
A few months back, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jason Tagmire (founder of ButtonShy Games) and talk about the company and the gaming industry. In that interview, Jason had hinted at a cute little solo game that was in the works. And guess what… IT’S HERE! Read…
One neat thing about the board gaming hobby is how many new games are designed/created daily. So much innovation, creativity, and hype surrounds new releases and helps keep us gamers hooked! That being said, what happens to older games as time goes on? Can they still hold their own over…
What is the thing that first draws you into a game? Is it talk of the gameplay and mechanics? Maybe you’ve had a good experience with the designer? Or perhaps the artwork is what catches your eye? For me, I’ve gotta say it’s not only the artwork, but the components…
As a kid, one thing my siblings and I used to do was play a storytelling game in which we created a (usually) hilarious story, one word at a time. You know the kind. One person starts the sentence with a single word, the next person in line adds a…
Living in Iowa/Illinois, the saying is that we only have 2 seasons: winter and road construction. Our winters can certainly be brutal, and our road workers and civil engineers deserve major props for the work they do for our communities! Let’s put ourselves in their shoes for a minute. Can…
Components are obviously an integral part of games. Some games are beasts when it comes to components – boasting large numbers of included components to bolster the gameplay. And then you have games that have mastered the art of gameplay utilizing a minimal number of components. Cosmic Run: Express is…
As you may have read in our bios, we are located in the Quad Cities – right on the border of Iowa and Illinois. If you’ve never been to Iowa, you may not believe me when I say that we are home to a theme park called Adventureland. It has…
Say what you will about social media, but all these different platforms have really allowed Purple Phoenix Games to grow into something pretty special. We get to share our love of games with everyone, and we get to communicate with fellow designers, publishers, and all-around board game enthusiasts! And that’s…
I think that I’ve mentioned in some of my previous reviews that I rarely buy games without first having played and/or researched them beforehand. Enter Breakdancing Meeples. One fine day, I was perusing the fine stock at my FLGS. While I was wandering and debating whether I should buy Reef…
Picture this – it’s a nice sunny day, playing at a park or going on a hike, and you find a shady spot to sit down and eat a picnic lunch. As you enjoy your meal, so do a handful of other creatures…..ants! A couple of crumbs here or there…