Author: Laura Rodriguez

February 23, 2021 /

Welcome aboard the Battlestar Galactica, a ship home to the remnants of the human race. After an uprising and near-annihilation by the Cylons (cyborg workers/soldiers created by the humans), the human survivors have taken to space to outrun their mechanical enemies and search for a new world to inhabit. Hardly…

February 17, 2021 /

In the expansion review series, we take a look at a game expansion to discuss whether it is a necessary purchase/addition to one’s collection. This breakdown is for the real-time tile placement game Jetpack Joyride, and its expansions: Vehicles, Lucky Barry, and Party. The Vehicles expansion adds several new cards…

February 16, 2021 /

Whether it lasted for days, months, or years, I’m willing to bet that you all have had some minor (or maybe even major) fascination with dinosaurs at some point in your life. I am definitely no exception to that statement. When I was younger, I absolutely went through a paleontology…

February 9, 2021 /

Greek mythology has always fascinated me. The adventures are awesome, the heroes are mighty, and the creatures are awe-inspiring. I often wonder what it would have been like to live in those ancient times, hearing those stories firsthand, and experiencing the excitement associated with such feats. Well, I may not…

February 3, 2021 /

In the expansion review series, we take a look at a game expansion to discuss whether it is a necessary purchase/addition to one’s collection. This breakdown is for the push-your-luck dice game Dungeon Roll, and the expansion packs: Booster Pack #1, Booster Pack #2, and Winter Heroes. Both Booster Packs…

February 2, 2021 /

I do not have any natural talent for art. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying it, though! Whether it’s coloring, painting, or crafting, I like to let my artistic side run free. So imagine my surprise as I was perusing Kickstarter one day and happened upon Canvas. A game about…

January 13, 2021 /

In the expansion review series, we take a look at a game expansion to discuss whether it is a necessary purchase/addition to one’s collection. This breakdown is for the city-building game Sprawlopolis, and these expansions: Points of Interest, Construction Zones, and Wrecktar. These 3 expansions add a number of new…

October 15, 2020 /

During my youth, the best way to settle a disagreement was with a classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. As I got older, that translated to the card game War. What would happen if you mixed the two into one hybrid game? You’d get Dogo Dash! Dogo Dash (2019) 2-5…

September 29, 2020 /

You know what’s super fun? Rediscovering one of your favorite childhood games. What’s even better is if the game itself lives up to your memories from when you were younger. Labyrinth is one of those games for me. My siblings and I played it a lot throughout our childhood, and…

September 24, 2020 /

Being based on the Iowa/Illinois border, Purple Phoenix Games is definitely headquartered in the good ol’ Midwest. We are not without cities and modern amenities, as some might suspect, but we are certainly accustomed to seeing farm life, rural communities, and rolling fields of crops. Figuring out how exactly to…

September 17, 2020 /

Let’s talk about dreams. They can range from simply reliving a stressful day at work, to remembering THAT embarrassing moment from your past, to maybe even discovering that you have superpowers. In your dreams, there are endless possibilities – but what if they meant something more? According to Dreams of…

August 27, 2020 /

2020 is a year that will definitely go down in the history books for many reasons. Amidst a global pandemic, a growing civil rights movement, and a hurricane-like storm that ravaged the state of Iowa on August 10th, we ALSO find ourselves in an election year. As if things couldn’t…

August 20, 2020 /

Playing games is so much fun, sometimes I wish I could play two games at the same time! Enter Ninja: Silent But Deadly. From the people who brought us Pretense, Button Shy Games delivers again with another meta-game card game that lasts the entire game night. So don’t get too…

August 13, 2020 /

Moving components around the board/play area is a staple of most board games. As board games have evolved, that mechanic has maintained an integral role in many games. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Well just because it’s not broken, doesn’t mean it can’t use a little innovation….and…

August 6, 2020 /

One of my favorite classic mass-market games is definitely Clue. Murder, mystery, and a bit of deduction make for an engaging and entertaining game! That being said, even classic games can use a little updating from time to time. Allow me to introduce to you a Clue-on-steroids kind of game…