Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Off the Grid reviews Zombie Fluxx]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/15/off-the-grid-reviews-zombie-fluxx/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/15/off-the-grid-reviews-zombie-fluxx/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/15/off-the-grid-reviews-zombie-fluxx/#commentsFiled under:

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

I'm a little late for Halloween, but that shouldn't mean I have to miss out on all the spooky fun. Luckily, Looney Labs have sent along Zombie Fluxx, a standalone expansion to their ever-popular card game with the ever-changing rules.

Zombie Fluxx isn't just a clever re-skinning of the original, but rather a new set of rules and cards built on to the existing mechanics. The base game remains the same: 2-6 players amend and append the game's starting rules, while attempting to win by collecting Keepers to meet the conditions of the goal, which is constantly in a state of, well, you know.

This time around, Looney Labs have included some new mechanics to spice up the gameplay. Zombies enter the fray as "Creeper" cards. Unlike the helpful Keepers the Creepers can actually prevent players from winning, as some goals dictate that a player needs to be zombie-free to claim victory. Unlike all other cards, Creepers go immediately into play once drawn, rather than into the player's hand, making every draw from the deck a possible immediate zombie encounter.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews Zombie Fluxx

JoystiqOff the Grid reviews Zombie Fluxx originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>card-gamescardgamesfluxxlooney-labslooneylabsoff-the-gridoffthegridzombie-fluxxThu, 15 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Off the Grid reviews Chrononauts]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/off-the-grid-reviews-chrononauts/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/off-the-grid-reviews-chrononauts/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/23/off-the-grid-reviews-chrononauts/#commentsFiled under: ,


Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor.

Looney Labs -- makers of Fluxx and those bizarre Icehouse pieces -- are once again in their element with Chrononauts, a time-traveling card game that is almost too clever to work. Almost.

Unlike other games, it's the complexity of Chrononauts that saves it from mediocrity. With a heady central "timeline" mechanic, and a 44-page booklet of rules that reads like an operations manual for the Flux Capacitor, it would be pretty easy for the crunchy game to fold under the weight of its own ambition. Luckily for Looney, time travel was never meant to be easy, and it's too damn fun hopping through history to allow a little bit of complexity to get in the way.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews Chrononauts

JoystiqOff the Grid reviews Chrononauts originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 Aug 2007 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cardgameschrononautslooneylabsoffthegridtimetravelThu, 23 Aug 2007 13:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Off the Grid plays with Icehouse]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/30/off-the-grid-plays-with-icehouse/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/30/off-the-grid-plays-with-icehouse/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/30/off-the-grid-plays-with-icehouse/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor.

Just so we're clear, Icehouse isn't a game. Well, technically that's not true. Icehouse was a game, designed by John Cooper of Looney Labs in the late 80s. Now, Looney Labs uses the term "Icehouse" to refer to unique pyramidal game pieces invented by Andrew Looney to play that game. So to call this a review of Icehouse wouldn't be inaccurate. Except we're not reviewing the game today; we're reviewing those pointy pieces.

From the same people that brought us Fluxx, the Icehouse pyramids are small, plastic, stackable pawns grouped in sets of three from largest to smallest. Each set of three can be nested like russian dolls -- with one inside another inside another -- or they can be stacked in inverse order, making adorable little christmas tree formations. The pieces have a unique aesthetic for gaming, but looks can only get you so far. What really matters is how they play, and that depends on the game.

Continue reading Off the Grid plays with Icehouse

JoystiqOff the Grid plays with Icehouse originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andrewlooneyicehouselooneylabsoffthegridtreehouseMon, 30 Jul 2007 13:24:00 EST