review

After my previous three reviews of Looney Labs games I feeling a little burned out. I decided that I didn't want to review Family Fluxx when I wasn't able to give it a fair chance. Well I am all refreshed and ready to get back to reviewing. This is the forth game that was sent to me in my latest package from Looney Labs.

This version of Fluxx like the name says is designed for the whole family to play. The rules are a bit simplified and there is less of a politcal slant to it. Don't get my wrong I actually quite enjoy the slight poltical stances in other Fluxx versions like Stoner Fluxx but I can see it being a little hard to explain such things to children.

The deck is a little smaller then other versions with only 56 cards in it but I think that helps with making it easier for children to play. This version does not include any creepers or really any special keepers. The Keepers are all objects, pets, and other things that kids can easily identify and the other cards are simple. Don't expect anything like the "My Hovercraft is Full of Eels" card from Monty Python Fluxx.

Besides using this game to play with children I found another use for this version. When I want to introduce new people to Fluxx I use this version. I play a couple rounds with them using this version and then move on to another version. It's a nice way to introduce people to the game so they don't get as overwhelmed as Fluxx can tend to do sometimes.

okay, so alex is television person and i have a small apartment and school work. so sadly, i'm not sure if the book of the week thing is going to work, but i'm still going to review books semi-weekly, and maybe at some point i'll get it together. this is why it's called a goal, yes?

I had played Chrononauts a bit when I used to live in Eau Claire but I never really got a chance to play it a lot. Still it caught my interest back then so when I heard that Looney Labs was releasing a new version I asked if they would send me a copy to review. As what most often happens when I make a request like this I did receive said game.

The changes for 1.4 are very minor so I think I will review the game as a whole an not compare it to older versions. They added four cards, nothing major. I do know that a lot of people even Looney Labs fans have not played this game so I think now is a good time to introduce people to the game.

Chrononauts is pretty much unlike any other game you have ever played. I believe the introduction on the back sums up the awesomeness well. "So, you want to be a Time Traveler? Messing with history can have it's consequences. For starters, your reality no longer exists. Then there are the Paradoxes - holes in the Space-Time Continuum that threatens to destroy the Entire Universe. Can't find your way back to your original reality? Then maybe you can win by collection the right collecting the right combination of amazing artifacts that only a chrononaut could acquire. So shuffle up this time-machine-in-a-box and start changing history!"

EcoFluxx was another game sent to me by Looney Labs. I quite enjoyed this nature themed version of Fluxx and am glad they sent it. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to play the first version of this game so I will not be able to point out the differences between the two.

One thing I quite enjoyed was that Looney Labs sent with it a promo postcard for the card "Recycling." Recycling is a new rule card that says "Once per turn you may discard a Keeper you have on the table and Draw 3 extra cards."

What's really nice is that Looney Labs is using a new system for their postcards that uses a peel off sheet that holds the card to the post card. This means the cards don't have those punch out edges any more and can actually be used in the game. Allison from Looney Labs recommended that you peel from the side and not the corner with the new postcards to prevent possible splitting.

So in my quest to blog more, and my quest to spend less time on random internet sites that are bad for me , i'm going to try something new and review a book every week. i've been able to read 2-3 books a week at my top speed, so it shouldn't be too hard. i hope you all like it out there in computer land.

This week's book is On Demand by Justine Elyot . it's an adult book, and i'll try to keep this review as pg-13 as i can, but you may not want to click read more if that's not your thing.

I have always been a huge Aquarius fan so when I heard that Looney Labs was coming out with an updated version I was giddy with happiness. Looney Labs sent me a review copy of Aquarius but it got lost in the mail so they sent me another one. Luckily this time I received it.

For those who don't know Aquarius is a neat game that's sort like a hippie version of dominoes. Basically you have a secret goal that you try to keep people from knowing. This goal is one of five elements. Then you use the element cards that connect in various ways like dominoes to connect seven element cards together. The first person to get seven panels connected via their element wins. Some nice added fun and complexity is the action cards mixed in like "Zap a Card" that allows you to pick any element card off the table and put it into your hand. Or cards like shuffle goals that allow you to change someones goal. Let me tell you it really stinks when you get one turn away from making your seventh connection and someone plays "Trade Goals" on you.

Moving on to what makes this version better then the original version. The game is still pretty much the same basic premise, that have just added a couple of things that make it interesting. One great addition to the game is diagonal cards. In these cards the elements are split on the card in triangles instead of in squares. This adds new way to grow your connections.

I am happily listening to my DVD/CD from Serj Takian's Elect the Dead Symphony. For those that don't know Serj Tankian (singer for System of A Down) teamed up with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra to do a concert. They also released a DVD/CD combo which I pre-ordered. I just received it and I freaking love it. I would highly recommend any Serj Tankian fans or just general music lovers to check it out.

So yeah USPS lost my review copies of Chrononauts and Aquarius so their reviews are going to be delayed. After talking to Looney Labs they decided to wait and ship them out with the new versions of Eco-Fluxx and Family Fluxx when they become available. They also requested I review them separately so I will be reviewing all Looney Labs products separately per their request.

I have review copies of the new versions of Chrononauts and Aquarius on their way to my door as we speak. Once I receive them and get some time to play them I will be posting another double review. I love both of these games especially Aquarius and am looking forward to getting to play the new versions.

When I was at DaishoCon I was able to pick up two new games to review. The first being Stoner Fluxx which I bought from my good friends at ChAdam Games, and the other one being Martian Fluxx which I bought from Gnome Games because the vendor room was closed. I picked both of these games up for a reasonable price and was able to find some people at the convention to try them out with.