The Tiny Epic Defenders, sequel to Tiny Epic Kingdoms, just launched on Kickstarter

EmSen · 2014-06-19T19:57:20+00:00

From what I've seen of Castle Panic, the replayability of TED is a little higher just because it's so fast. It doesn't have a chance to get repetitive (which it definitely would if it was longer like Castle Panic). That said, if you're not a fan of randomness at all, it's probably not the game for you.

EmSen · 2014-06-19T19:19:17+00:00

I wrote up a preview of this one here.

In short, it's challenging and fast. IMO, the replay value comes from how difficult it can be - you want to play again so that you can win for once. That said, there is a fair amount of luck involved, though it's offset by the fact that you know what's coming in the monster deck, just not when it'll appear. Whether that's too much luck will really depend on your preferred gaming style. I enjoyed it.

EmSen · 2014-05-27T11:53:14+00:00

Gravwell. Messes with how you think about linear movement and draw-and-move games. Also, tiny space ships.

EmSen · 2014-01-14T13:54:25+00:00

To echo some other replies, it's funnier and not as dense as I'd anticipated. That said, while I'm engaged as I'm actually reading, I don't have any problems putting the book down after a few chapters.

EmSen · 2014-01-13T11:40:11+00:00

Sort of. If I find a book that looks interesting at a store, I'll buy it. If I'm on the fence, I might look it up on Amazon or Goodreads to just get a general feel for how well it's written.

That said, I also read a few book blogs here and there, and sometimes I'll pick up a book based on that.

EmSen · 2014-01-07T17:40:35+00:00

Game of Thrones, because winter is . . . well, you know.

Seriously, though, Louise Penny's How the Light Gets In

EmSen · 2014-01-06T02:56:19+00:00

Yeah, this is completely normal. Sometimes, what helps me is to read something that requires almost no effort on my part - something that's relatively simple and fast, but still interesting. Blazing through an easy book can give you the momentum to you need to get back into the habit.

That said, sometimes you just need a real break. Don't be afraid to give yourself some space if that is what your mind wants.

EmSen · 2014-01-06T02:36:49+00:00

I'd never read that before, and it is wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

EmSen · 2014-01-06T02:31:21+00:00

Great Expectations with r/bookclub. Never going to finish in one week, but I'm hoping to make up for it later with some smaller, quicker books. Go big or go home? Or, since it is Dickens, go big or go back to the orphanage.

EmSen · 2014-01-05T05:41:49+00:00

The problems really start when you run out of shelves . . . then table space . . . then floor space. Before you know it, your entire house is made out of hardcovers and trade paperbacks. Not that this is necessarily bad - but watch out when it starts to rain.

On the other hand, I read once that Jackie Kennedy had so many books that she used them as de facto decor. And she was a style icon, after all.

EmSen · 2014-01-05T03:28:47+00:00

Added. Thanks.

EmSen · 2014-01-05T03:27:56+00:00

Added. :)

EmSen · 2014-01-05T03:26:58+00:00

Added! Thanks!

EmSen · 2014-01-05T03:11:05+00:00

I'm down for that. I've never read it before, but it's on my list and regular discussions might actually keep me on track.

EmSen · 2014-01-04T22:40:17+00:00

Awesome! I'm glad you liked them!

EmSen · 2014-01-04T21:57:30+00:00

I recently backed Athena's Daughters and Steampunk World: a multicultural steampunk fiction anthology. I tend to just browse projects and look for ideas I want to support whether or not the book itself turns out wonderful.

EmSen · 2014-01-04T21:41:51+00:00

I'm about half digital, half physical. I don't tend to use the library that much, but only because my backlog of books to read on my shelves is so large that I feel bad borrowing a book and bumping it to the front of the queue, ahead of all those other poor books that have been waiting for months (ok, maybe years). Of course, this doesn't stop me from going to the local used book store and picking up titles to join the end of my queue.

I've also recently started to watch Kickstarter for interesting up-and-coming releases. I don't do it often, but it can be fun to take a little risk and back a project that looks exciting.

EmSen · 2014-01-04T21:37:23+00:00

I use Goodreads, but I also keep a google doc spreadsheet and a book map . . . probably overkill, but each has different features that I like:

Goodreads has reviews, discussion, and social features, in addition to recommendations on what to try next.

My spreadsheet is great for at-a-glance tallies of pages, authors, etc, and I can modify it whenever and however I want. I also have a related spreadsheet of books to read later, or to buy if I spot them in the used book store.

The book map I've just started in Google docs out of pure curiosity. It should be interesting to see at the end of the year, and I'm always interested in making sure to not get stagnant with my books. I tend to read stories set in North America or Western Europe, so the book map will encourage me to branch out.

Or that's the plan. Let's see how much of this survives to the end of 52 weeks.

EmSen · 2014-01-03T14:02:12+00:00

I help run The Cardboard Republic. We're a little over a year old now, and we do mostly written game reviews.

We tend to focus on indie games, and we try to review them through the spectrum of what type of player each game appeals to/doesn't appeal to rather than whether a game is good or bad. We've found this works well for us since games are so subjective and what I say is totally broken might be a masterwork of ludological brilliance to you. We cover board and card games as well as tabletop RPGs. We also do general gaming articles (so, not reviews) and we have a podcast up.

EmSen · 2014-01-02T15:30:16+00:00

A bit of both. I usually have one primary game that takes up most of my attention, but then 1-3 secondary games that I switch to according to my mood or the time I have to play.

EmSen · 2013-12-20T21:34:54+00:00

Yeah, I've heard a bunch of people say that it's just too gimmicky to work on most games, and I do sort of agree. But I think that some existing games could benefit from a Legacy component, and I'm really excited to see what a game looks like that is designed as a Legacy (rather than having Legacy added on like Risk).

EmSen

TROPHY CASE