Day Eleven!!!

Board game - Bristol 1350
I initially fell in love with this game because the packaging looks like a book, I have 4 of the games in the series and still need the last one. What can I say, I’m sucker for great packaging.

The gameplay itself is fantastic too.

The plague has arrived in Bristol and you are desperate to escape! If you manage to escape Bristol with everyone in your cart healthy, you win (and so does the other players who managed to escape with you). However you may not know that someone on your cart is infected due to the other players. On the surface it may seem like a cute co-op game, but in reality it’s about survival at the cost of others.

The pieces of the game are cute, and the roll out map is a great design. The more players you have the more interesting the game can be, but this can also be played solo and it’s just as enjoyable.

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/308989/bristol-1350

Oct 10, 2024 16:39:44 GMT Emperor said:

You play an awful lot of board games!

The only one I know from your recent batch is Ultimate Werewolf. I'm not a huge fan of Ultimate Werewolf, I find it a bit of a limited game because there's not too much variety in the discussion you have. Plus once you're dead you can't really contribute. A similar but more complicated social deduction game has become popular in my city recently. The first time I tried it I wasn't too optimistic because of my Werewolf experiences but surprisingly I enjoyd it and can't wait to play more - although it can be similarly limited depending on what role you get. I imagine this game is on your list.

Hahaha I love my games! I definitely understand what you mean about Werewolf, I find the group you play the game with makes it better only because of how outrageous it can get. My group of friends somehow got into arguing about the towns politics and someone being royal blood so he couldn’t be the werewolf 😅
If I don’t mention it, you’ll definitely have to let me know 😊

Day Twelve!!!!

TV shows!
This one I’m cheating slightly because it’s 2 spinoff shows to shows I’ve already mentioned Angel (spinoff from Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and The Originals (spin off from The Vampire Diaries).

While I do enjoy both shows, it seems repetitive to do their own post when I’ve mentioned their major shows.

Angel, while a decent show is nowhere as good as Buffy imo. It definitely leans on the funnier/weirder side of things, the episode where Angel becomes a puppet definitely springs to mind. If you liked Buffy, there is a chance you’ve watched Angel but even the hardcore fans hated a lot of the storylines especially where Cordelia and Connor were concerned. Lorne is the best character though!

www.imdb.com/title/tt0162065/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk


Next up The Originals, this went harder into the witchcraft/nobody is safe storyline’s and away from the romance compared to TVD. There is still romance of course but where TVD is seen a teenage girly crap (my brothers words 😂) The Originals is seen more as an adult show (again my brother loved this show and it blew his mind when I told him it was a spinoff 😂). I still hate how the show ended, but Klaus always made some memorable episodes.

www.imdb.com/title/tt2632424/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Day Thirteen!!!

Board game pick for the day!
Costume Party Assassins 😁

One of the most simplistic board game styles, yet this one offers a unique twist that is still incredibly fun no matter how many times I play it.

Each person playing is given a character card, you keep this secret.
The cute costumed meeples are spread out in the different rooms of the house, each room with its own colour, and there is one dice.
The dice has coloured sides.

When it’s your turn you roll the dice and depending on the colour is where you must move a meeple to or from. If you roll the black you must assassinate a character that is in the same room as you. This will give away where you are located, but it also gives you a chance to murder the other players and try to be the last one standing!

This game is brilliant for all ages, just instead of murdering characters you just make them leave the party early 😉 honestly this game is so good that in my friend group 3 of us have our own copies even though we basically always play together 😂

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/232353/costume-party-detective

Day Fourteen!!!

TV Show: Midnight Mass, yet another brilliant show from Mike Flanagan. I will admit this one did take me awhile to get into because of the extremely heavy religious tones, but like most shows there is a point that just grabs you and you can’t let go of how amazing the show was.

I don’t even know what the moment was exactly, but the scene that truly stands out is when Riley catches on fire while in the boat. The performance, and the absolute emotion.

The ending of the show was also brilliant. I want to talk about it more but I don’t want to give away (other) spoilers, this is something you should experience going in blind.

If you like Flanagan’s other shows, and the incredible cast. Definitely check it out!

www.imdb.com/title/tt10574558/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Day Fifteen!!!
Board game - 221B Baker Street

There has been a murderrrrrrr (or another crime of some sort).
You are tasked with travelling to different locations across a map to access clues, some that are straight forward, others can be riddles, or some simply say this isn’t a clue. You keep all clues secret from those you play with as it’s a rush to solve the crime and be the best Sherlock Holmes!

There is multiple cases to be done, and they do get harder as you play. You start from case 1 and work onwards. We made the mistake of jumping forward as we wanted a random case and it turns out they are sometimes connected.

This game is absolutely brilliant.
Sometimes it can be extremely difficult and you have to read into the clues. Other times it’s simple but if you read into it too much you can screw yourself over.

The only problem I have with the game is it gives you one D6 so it takes forever to move around the board, and there is one booklet for all the clues so sometimes gameplay is paused if multiple people reached the room at the same time.
I added a second D6 to my game and it’s improved it, I would love to get another copy of the clue book too but for now it’s just a small inconvenience.

Has anyone else played this?

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1275/221b-baker-street-the-master-detective-game

Day Sixteen!!!

TV Show: The Fall of the House of Usher

I was slow to get into this one but I was hooked at the idea of all the characters being dead (well almost all) but not knowing how they died/why and each episode concentrating on one character and revealing their death.

It was brilliant storytelling, and the fact one of the first episodes showed them as a ‘crappy’ people but not necessarily bad/worth their terrible deaths to come, they ended up showing their true colours throughout the episode and well… some absolutely deserved it.

There was one character who didn’t deserve it, and that death wasn’t revealed until the whole reason everyone died was revealed. Sad reality that people are selfish for their own gain, and don’t consider how it effects everyone else, even the good people.

Performances were outstanding, especially by Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, if you haven’t seen this one (which I didn’t until this month)I recommend checking it out.

www.imdb.com/title/tt15567174/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

DAY SEVENTEEN!!!

One of my absolutely favourite board games to play that I don’t actually own!

Nemesis!

You are part of a crew on a ship that has been attacked by the wonderful Xenamorphs. The Queen will fuck your shit up.

You can play co-op mode where you share objectives, as well as having personal objectives or you can go against each other and keep your objectives hidden. Each character has a special role they play, you can choose to fight the aliens or try and sneak away but be careful because you do have a noise check to complete and they love to swarm you!

Each mode is fantastic, whether you decide to help each other or not. It’s absolutely fun and chaotic. There is great expansions as well that changes how the aliens function, lets the first player to die - play as the aliens, and adds other aliens into the mix!

It’s a chunky boi, and pricey but extremely worth it!

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167355/nemesis

DAY EIGHTEEN!!
Not even sure why I keep bothering but anyway!

TV Show: CHUCKY
I honestly didn’t have high hopes for the television show considering I wasn’t much of a fan of Cult and Curse, but the TV show has been absolutely brilliant. It has a great balance of story/characters/comedy and brutal deaths.

It manages to connect to all the movies, brings back characters from previous movies, has some weird and wonderful moments and honestly I love the cast and it cracks me up that even when a character gets brutally murdered that actor returns as a completely new character like it’s completely normal 😂

If you love the movies I highly recommend checking out the show. Absolutely devastated it just got cancelled after season 3 though, hoping another network picks it up as my mum adores the show.

Special shoutout to Fiona Dourif who does a brilliant job acting as a young Charles Lee Ray and you get her brilliant father still as the voice of Chucky.

www.imdb.com/title/tt8388390/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Day Nineteen!!!

Board game time once again!
The pick of the day is the ever weird Gloom - the goal is to make your family absolutely miserable before killing them off.
It sounds strange, but this is where everyone’s imagination truly makes the game.

The cards are transparent with little information, it says what happening to make them unhappy/happy, it’s your goal to put a quick story to it to make the game more fun!

You want to try and make your opponents families happy and kill them off as you can ‘attack’ each other but telling the story of your weird family is the true shining moment. I find that while the game is very basic gameplay, it helps get the creative juices flowing to go into more difficult and imaginative games.

It’s honestly not the best game in the world, but I would recommend playing it at least once with a great group of friends to experience it yourself.

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12692/gloom

Day Twenty!!!!

Tru Calling - a unique and brilliant TV show in my opinion that never got the love it really deserved.

Starring the gorgeous Eliza Dushku as Tru, she works in a morgue has the ability for the dead to talk to her and asked to be saved. This then forces Tru to repeat the day in an effort to save the person whether it would be a murder or a disaster.

It’s also the show that introduced me to Zach Galifanakis - who is actually a pretty serious person in this, so was very weird seeing him in The Hangover years later. Also Matt Bomer who I would later fall in love with again in White Collar, and Eric Christian Olsen who is better known as Deeks in NCIS LA.

Sadly the show was cancelled early as the network thought another show would be more successful (it was not) but at least with this show ending Eliza was able to do Dollhouse which is another pretty brilliant show. (Which was also cancelled way before it should’ve 😒

If you haven’t seen either show I recommend checking them out if you can, especially Tru Calling!

www.imdb.com/title/tt0364817/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

I'm reading along with your posts, it's great to see your enthusiasm about the things you love. Sadly I don't have much to say because I haven't played or even heard of the games you've mentioned recently. I don't watch much TV either :lol:

I've still got that Werewolf-like game in mind, plus another horror-themed board game you haven't shared yet.

DAY TWENTY-ONE!!!

Board game! Well technically 2 board games because they are similar and were both pretty huge hits during Covid!

First up: Pandemic, there is a virus that has taken over the world and it’s your job with your fellow players to stop it and cure it. It’s a co-op game so you must work together otherwise you all fail. Each character has a special ability that helps with the game.
It can be a pretty difficult game to play and most of the time the world will succumb to the illness. There is a lot of different variations of Pandemic but the original is always the best.
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic


The next game which is actually my favourite out of the 2 is Plague Inc! This one was more popular as a mobile game/video game before becoming a board game, but it’s so much fun. This time you make the virus! And it’s your job to spread over the world, adapt your virus to different climates and abilities, kill off your opponents viruses and be the main one standing when the world collapses.
It’s a lot of fun, and being that you’re against each other and the world it makes it pretty exciting.
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/195162/plague-inc-the-board-game

DAY TWENTY TWO!

Another brilliant TV show that is somewhat similar to Tru Calling in a way that they work on a morgue and are solving crimes with a use of the victim is iZombie!!!

Liv works in a morgue and she’s a zombie!
She eats the brains of the victims and this gives her the personality and memories of the victims that allows her to assist the police in solving the crimes.

The show is charming and funny, while also being a bit gruesome at times. It deals with bad/good zombies, and the cast is just fantastic.
I absolutely adore this show and was sad when it ended, but I think it picked the perfect duration.

If you like zombies but don’t want your typical horror zombies - I definitely recommend checking this one out.
www.imdb.com/title/tt3501584/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

I played Pandemic once, a long time ago. I don't remember anything about the mechanics. I know there's a version on Board Game Arena so I'll have to pick it up again.

Plague Inc the video game is so much fun.

Fuck Greenland though

Oct 22, 2024 16:05:52 GMT Emperor said:

I played Pandemic once, a long time ago. I don't remember anything about the mechanics. I know there's a version on Board Game Arena so I'll have to pick it up again.

The mechanics of the game could be better, but I think it works as well because it forces you everyone to work together. There is a lot of games that use it better now imo but definitely a classic

Oct 23, 2024 2:06:46 GMT System said:

Plague Inc the video game is so much fun.

Fuck Greenland though

The video game really teaches you patience and then instant panic when you’re racing against the cure 😅 thankfully I’m better at the board game lol

DAY TWENTY THREE!

Board game time! MARVEL ZOMBIES
It has similar board game mechanics to many of the games I have already listed, so the gameplay is nothing spectacular but it can prove challenging trying to save innocent people when you are suddenly swarmed by zombies. Not to mention maybe you had to abandon your fellow avengers to attempt this save and now they are faced up against Zombie Doctor Strange!

Enhanced superheroes becoming villains. Yep it’s not always the best fun 😅 there is a lot of challenges and modes that will test you but also keeps the game fresh. There is a lot of expansions as well that change it up.

My friend loves Marvel so we always get into a lot of the Marvel games and this is the most recent favourite

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/351817/marvel-zombies-a-zombicide-game

DAY TWENTY FOUR

TV SHOW!!
On the theme of zombies still we have The Walking Dead!
I have a love/hate relationship with The Walking Dead now, on one side of things I love this show because it has some of my favourite episodes of television ever, my favourite opening of a show, a great cast and the characters develop is always fun to watch BUT this show also went way longer than it should have, they made awful decisions killing off particular characters, they dragged out villains storyline’s way too often. I know they tried to stay somewhat faithful to the comics but when it comes to a TV show when a lot of fans only watch the shows and don’t care for the comics you have to balance the likability of a characters story.

They struggled to do this a lot.

Season 1 - 3 have always been top tier for me.
The seasons after that have a lot of up and down moments, but there is a lot of memorable moments that especially with Rick, Michonne, and Carl.

The show suffers immensely when Carl dies, which is strange since he was a major pain in the ass most of the time and then it became a train wreck mess after Rick left. I finished off the main show as I did want to check out the spin offs but I think announcing the spin offs before the show ended greatly hurt it too, you knew these characters were safe and so it took a lot of the tense moments away.

I never watched Fear The Walking Dead or Beyond The Walking Dead other than 1 or 2 episodes of both. I may check them out eventually.

Now you have The Walking Dead: Dead City which I honestly thought was boring and stupid, why is Negan and Maggie working together. Was there absolutely no other characters they could’ve paired together with either of them? Then Daryl Dixon - I love Daryl but I still haven’t really bothered to watch it, I watched the first 2 episodes and found it pretty boring and the fact second season has Carol I definitely don’t care. I can’t stand her character tbh.

Then the best spin off show finally! The Ones Who Live - Rick and Michonne are reunited finally!!! It was so amazing seeing Rick back on the screen, and seeing what he has been through and how it impacted him, and seeing Michonne and Rick reunite but still need to fight/work together, you didn’t know exactly what was going to happen and it brought the suspense back that made the original show so great when it started.

How did you feel about The Walking Dead - did you keep watching it to the end or like a lot of others gave up? Have you seen any of the spin offs?

www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

DAY TWENTY FIVE:
RISK - The Walking Dead
There is a lot of versions of this board game, the most popular would be the original but they also released a lot of theme ones. System owns Metal Gear Solid which is actually a great version and the one we’ve played the most. I own The Walking Dead version that System bought for me as a Christmas present years ago.

The game itself Risk - is about dominating your opponents and taking over the most locations. Whereas The Walking Dead you need to destroy your opponents as well as fight against the zombies. Sometimes you and your opponents need to work together to get rid of the zombies first, but it also benefits you to let your opponent suffer as the zombies attack after every single turn.

It’s a hard game, and it’s very lengthy. I love the idea of it, and I did enjoy playing it but when you are constantly getting beat on every sides it’s hard to fully enjoy it. It’s been awhile since I played it, I really need to give it another go soon.

If you are looking to give Risk a try, start with the OG but there is no denying that the themed versions always add that extra excitement.

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/147568/risk-the-walking-dead-survival-edition

DAY TWENTY SIX
The brilliant show Hannibal, if you like Dexter you are sure to enjoy Hannibal. Starring Mads Mikklesen and Hugh Darcy, their chemistry is amazing and they show the brilliant beginning of Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter.

A lot of the crimes and death scenes shown are not for the lighthearted - the same length that Dexter could be.

I do feel like the show had a lot of down moments while also up, and the chemistry is probably what kept it alive the most but they did such a great job working the 3 seasons run.

If you enjoy Silence of the Lambs but you wish you had more about the actual Dr Hannibal Lecter this is perfect for you.

If you like shows like Dexter, this is absolutely worth checking out.

www.imdb.com/title/tt2243973/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

DAY TWENTY SEVEN

BOARD GAMES. Though this can also fall in a category of video games too because we have DARK SOULS and BLOODBORNE.
I love the video games, I love the board games, and I love the card games. There is a lot!

The Dark Souls board game was a wonderful Christmas present from System and it’s a very big boi, I’ve played around with it myself a few times but I haven’t had the chance to play it with anyone else. The miniatures are absolutely wonderful and I’m excited to finally introduce it to others.

The card game, is easier in a way. Less space but there is a lot of variety thanks to the expansions that I’ve introduced. I’ve played this solo and enjoy it, haven’t had a chance to show friends yet because it’s a bit difficult to learn and sometimes I don’t have the patience to teach a game 😅

Bloodborne! I haven’t played the board game yet, the miniatures are incredible though and i just love looking at it. It’s a must play very soon. The card game on the other hand, my friends and I have played many times and absolutely love it.
Easily one of my favourite games and the game unsurprisingly can be pretty unforgiving but it’s the easiest to learn and master out of the 4.

If you like the video games I’d recommend checking them out if you are looking into getting a big game.

The first 3 mentioned you can play solo, the card game you need at least 3 people.


boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/197831/dark-souls-the-board-game

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/242667/dark-souls-the-card-game

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/273330/bloodborne-the-board-game

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/195856/bloodborne-the-card-game

DAY TWENTY EIGHT

TV Show: The Following
You have a charismatic serial killer who gets a cult following… nothing suss about that… so why is the FBI all over him.
Because Ryan Hardy (played wonderfully by Kevin Bacon) and Joe Carroll (played brilliantly by James Purefoy) desperately want each other.

Every episode there a murder, and it’s up to the FBI to find whether it’s a different serial killer, if it’s connected to Joe, or the cult. You are shown how many of the characters believe Joe blindly, and how some may question his beliefs and what consequences there are for the choices they may against the cult or with the cult.

It is an interesting look into serial killer cults that no other show has really dived into. Unfortunately the show was cancelled and so season 3 was extremely rushed but it was an enjoyable show.

If you like Dexter and Hannibal, this is another to watch.

www.imdb.com/title/tt2071645/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

DAY TWENTY NINE

This was quite easily one of the most depressing video games I have ever played, and the board game says faithful to that theme.
THIS IS WAR OF MINE

It is a heavy narrative based game, if you don’t like that aspect in your board games you definitely will not like this. There is a lot of decisions to make and it’s an extremely difficult game to survive.

It’s a strong theme, and extremely long so it’s not for everyone and it would be more difficult with a big group. As a solo game though, it’s an emotional journey that’s worth the effort of setting the game out.

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/188920/this-war-of-mine-the-board-game

DAY THIRTY

TV SHOWS FROM MY CHILDHOOD!!!
Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids - I don’t know what it was about this show but there is an episode about pasta that has always stuck with me? Some of the episodes were plain weird, some were boring, and others were downright terrifying. It’s a core memory regardless and I was excited to see there are episodes on YouTube to relive some childhood trauma.

www.imdb.com/title/tt0229132/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

And of course;
Freaky Stories! This is a true story, it happened to a friend of a friend of mine.
I honestly don’t remember any particular episode, or really much about the show but that line has stayed with me forever and I still occasionally say it 😂

www.imdb.com/title/tt0166432/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Special mentions to Goosebumps, The Trap Door, and Round The Twist

DAY THIRTY ONE!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃

One of my favourite board games that mentally broke one of my best friends and I still find it hilarious to this day is SUB TERRA!
A brilliant tile placing game, that you must weave yourself through the cave systems. Trying to avoid cave ins, floods, gas, and other terrifying nightmares.

It’s similar to the Night Cage but this one you do have a chance to win even if someone dies. You are on a mission to investigate the cave in order to find the exit and escape, the goal is for everyone to escape for top points. Each character card has different abilities, the expansions are also great. Highly recommend using the guy with the gas mask because the gas chambers are an absolute pain in the ass and the majority of people die from it - yay.

Where the game mentally broke my friend is the use of dice rolling and relying on luck, to use a rope to climb up or down you have to roll a certain number. After about 4 goes he raged quit against the game, especially when he decided to roll the dice for fun and got exactly what he needed 😂 the games do it to the best of us.

It is easily one of my favourite games, and the solo mode is pretty fun as well though you are controlling multiple characters at once so sometimes you need to decide who is worth sacrificing in order for the rest to try and escape and win.

Unfortunately it appears that Sub Terra has stopped printing in the lead up to the sequel being produced but it’s also restrictive in getting stock on that one. So while I do highly recommend the game, it’s tough to acquire right now so Night Cage which is similar in style but harder may be worth grabbing instead.

Either way you can’t go wrong with these beautiful games!

boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/204472/sub-terra

And that concludes my Halloween countdown of TV Shows and board games!
Let me know if you’ve watched or played anything I’ve mentioned and of course feel free to send some recommendations my way. Always happy to check out more shows and games especially when it comes to horror!!!

Which of your board games have I played?

Betrayal at House on the Hill - Already discussed this, a super fun game, I love the discovery aspect but I feel I haven't experienced the most interesting haunts.

Mysterium - Played it once, not my cup of tea.

Psycho Killer! - I believe I have played this once. I don't like Exploding Kittens at all. This is a more interesting version but still not something I'd play again.

Gloom - I was looking out for Gloom but must have missed it when you posted it. Another fun game that is a nice blend of creative roleplaying and simple strategy. I love the transparent cards, not seen a mechanic like it in any other game.


Which am I interested in?

Costume Party Assassins - Looks like a simple but super fun casual/party game. Hope to try it one day!

221B Baker Street - Mechanically the game sounds similar to Cryptid which is one of my favourite games. In Cryptid you are also rushing to solve a deduction problem where all players have different secret information.

Pandemic - It's high on my to-play list.


Which games haven't you mentioned?

I can only think of one horror-themed game not on your list.

Blood on the Clocktower
A social deduction game, similar to Ultimate Werewolf but with some different rules that make it more fun. The main difference is that dead people can still participate and vote. Additionally there are tons of expansions/mechanics and it gets crazy complicated. The base game has the concept of drunkenness where you are given false information which makes it more spicy. It's become super popular in my local area so there are regular events. There's also a great series on YouTube, I might even find watching other people play more fun than playing myself!

Nov 3, 2024 19:38:26 GMT Emperor said:

Which of your board games have I played?

Betrayal at House on the Hill - Already discussed this, a super fun game, I love the discovery aspect but I feel I haven't experienced the most interesting haunts.

Mysterium - Played it once, not my cup of tea.

Psycho Killer! - I believe I have played this once. I don't like Exploding Kittens at all. This is a more interesting version but still not something I'd play again.

Gloom - I was looking out for Gloom but must have missed it when you posted it. Another fun game that is a nice blend of creative roleplaying and simple strategy. I love the transparent cards, not seen a mechanic like it in any other game.


Which am I interested in?

Costume Party Assassins - Looks like a simple but super fun casual/party game. Hope to try it one day!

221B Baker Street - Mechanically the game sounds similar to Cryptid which is one of my favourite games. In Cryptid you are also rushing to solve a deduction problem where all players have different secret information.

Pandemic - It's high on my to-play list.


Which games haven't you mentioned?

I can only think of one horror-themed game not on your list.

Blood on the Clocktower
A social deduction game, similar to Ultimate Werewolf but with some different rules that make it more fun. The main difference is that dead people can still participate and vote. Additionally there are tons of expansions/mechanics and it gets crazy complicated. The base game has the concept of drunkenness where you are given false information which makes it more spicy. It's become super popular in my local area so there are regular events. There's also a great series on YouTube, I might even find watching other people play more fun than playing myself!

If you love the transparent cards with Gloom, I would recommend checking out the game Canvas if you haven’t. The idea is you create artwork that needs to meet particular criteria and it has gorgeous transparent cards as you line the art up together.

I was really interested in Blood on the Clocktower just based on the packaging initially because it looks like a giant book, the gameplay as well sounds fantastic. Admittedly I was thrown off a bit due to the price it is in Australia but hoping to one day try it 😊