Head games come to life
346371
The first half of the book is all inside the girl on the trains head.  No action until about half way through the book.  Probably make a better movie than a book.  I won't rush out to buy another Paula Hawkins book.
3459640
My 13 year old niece played this with me and we laughed out loud.  You pick who goes first by who recently said they were tired, you have "squabbles" with the player next to you, and "daydreaming" and "responsibilities" to add on.  Use your unipegasaurous to +1 your points and daydream!  Definitely a card game teenagers can relate to with lots of fun thrown in the mix.
  It will be one to pull out and play again and again.
3241420
Erebos is a fun, moody, thriller of a novel set in the world of computer gaming.

A mysterious disc is being passed around school, and students are being very secretive and acting strangely.  When someone passes a copy of the disc to Nick Dunmore, he finds an incredibly addictive computer game called Erebos.  The game wants to keep itself secret and seems to know things about him that it shouldn't be able to.  It assigns him tasks not only within the game, but in the real world too.  When Erebos's influence starts to have serious consequences in the real world, Nick must decide if he wants to win the game, or defeat it.

This is a fun book that does a good job of being exciting while also building a growing and pervasive sense of dread.  The characters are a little two-dimensional, but they are interesting and mostly believable.  Author Ursula Poznanski does a good job of creating a world and describing the moral dilemmas faced by characters in that world.  Actions are sometimes divorced from consequences in the gaming world, but are real life actions that different when someone is offering you a reward for a morally dubious or downright dangerous act?

Some of the character interactions and conversations, particularly outside the game, are a little stilted, especially early in the novel.  Some of that may be a result of translating the book from German to English.  The description of the game and the depths to which players sink into it seems a little more immersive than should be possible in a game played on a contemporary computer.  That being said, I was drawn into the incredibly compelling game within the book as well.

A game with a mind and a goal of its own is not exactly a new concept, but it is done well here.  The contrast between players trying to win within the game with others outside the game trying to figure out and stop the game from reaching its ultimate goal is an interesting dynamic.  The ending of the story raised my opinion of the book.  The author made some smart choices and it paid off.  I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.  Highly recommended.
816578
I don't play cards. I can't imagine playing all day, let alone all night.
 A good day for me is getting muddy on a mountain bike.  I like shooting through rock gardens just shy of the disaster threshold, and climbing until I feel sick. So it came as a surprise that Kushner's prose carried me away into this world of Magic players. Their awkwardness and their lack of social skills triggered painful flinches. Night after night I looked forward to Kushner's tale, his guided tour of the back rooms of game stores, to the awakenings of young boys finding their niche, and their transformation from misunderstood geeks to heroes. Their journey to manhood.
 The story has energy and organization. Kushner starts out in the passing lane, weaving his tale through obstacles with toe-taps on the break and precise jerks of the steering wheel. You ride shotgun through the maze of an unfamiliar world with it's vivid scenes, and three-dimensional characters.
Johnny Magic is in the casino doing the mental gymnastics of a small fleet of mortals, managing the complexities card-counting in one part of his mind and the dance of appeasing the pit boss in another. He teases invitation to "the back room for a little chat". Send in the thugs stuff. Physical danger.
And there is our former geek, stone faced and cool, playing his part, an actor in a play of his own making. The stakes are real-real money, real danger. As I read, the tension builds. Leave the table I think, I have got to stop reading, big day tomorrow. Johnny stays at the table, his play scrutinized by the pit boss, a thug in an expensive suit. Johnny keeps playing cards. The chips pile up. I loose sleep.
2415297
brilliant how they made this game. Having to make split second decisions makes it feel... very real? like the "which way" books when i was younger... great job.
4261
In Give Me the Brain!, the players are zombies working at a fast food restaurant. There's a lot of jobs to be done but most of them don't require any brains. Which is lucky because the whole group has to share just one brain. And you know how good zombies are at sharing!

Players are dealt seven cards which they will want to get rid of as fast as possible. The cards include Job cards, which are various thankless tasks in the restaurant. Some require only one hand, some require two hands, and some require brains. These Job cards also have special instructions, like "exchange hands with another player" or "draw a card" or more complicated tasks. Some Job cards are actually Object cards, which give special powers, like having a third hand or having a spare brain. The deck also include Bid cards valued from 1 to 30 used to bid on getting the brain.

The brain in the game is a six-side gray die. At the beginning of the game, the brain is on the floor and players bid on who will pick it up first. A player doesn't have to bid but having the brain is required for some Jobs. Even if the player can't outbid others at least they can discard a card from their hand. Whoever wins the bid picks up the brain/die and goes first.

The player can play at least one Job card (though he could play two Jobs if each requires only one hand) and follow the card's instructions. Or he plays no cards and takes a Loafing turn. If the player Loafs around, he either draws a card or discards his current cards and draws the same number of cards plus an extra card. Play proceeds to the left. Jobs that require the brain also have a number on the card. The player must role the die and get a number equal to or higher than the card's number or else he drops the brain and a new round of bidding begins with the player who dropped the brain.

If it sounds chaotic, then I have describe it correctly. The game is a bit like Fluxx with lots of sudden changes to what's going on. It's also like Uno in that the ultimate goal is to run out of cards. The game is fun, fairly light, and fairly quick.

Zombie Apocalypse Appropriateness: This game requires at least three players, so it might be tough to get a group together. Since people's cards are hidden from one another, it would be difficult to play solitaire. On the other hand, it's just a deck of cards, a die, and a rule book, so it is very portable. The zombie restaurant theme is a fun idea but gives no practical skills in the event of a real zombie apocalypse.
1367016
If you've ever seen Pyramid the game show, you'll already know how to play, almost. In this game, you divide into two teams and sit every other team member in a circle. One person starts with the gadgetmerbobber, and a word is given, like "France". You've got to get your partner(s) to say it without saying it starts with F, rhymes with pants, or any part of the word! Quick! Pass it, your partner got it. Once the timer goes off, points are awarded. A great game for the whole family! Only one downside, the cards don't last as long as you'd like, so you'll have to purchase more, and there are ordering instructions along with the game.
4705434
First, let me say that this is NOT an easy game to understand NOR win. The rules (and even the online videos such as Tabletop and Watch It Played) do NOT give clear directions on proper use of the components. This is because there IS NO proper use of components. Game sessions will depend solely on player imagination.

This is a game of creative thinking and knowing your friends. You are given a word, phrase or title to convey and you must get your team to utter that idea by ONLY using the provided board of generic icons. Sound complex? It is. But it is also amazingly fun.

After a few confusing rounds, we settled into a common understanding of the game and began to get the hang of it. But while we love it, understand that your mileage may vary based entirely on with WHOM you play. So pick your team carefully.
3543707
This game is amazing! It is a mixture between charades and Taboo. Headbands is the calmer version of this game. This will have you on the floor laughing; whether you are playing or just watching! It truly is hilarious!
3351923
I got this game over a year ago with a 33% coupon at the now defunct Borders store. I finally got around to playing it at a game meetup. Each card has three statements and two choices on it, like Presidential Nickname or Professional Wrestler. Two answers are read, A and B. Using your A and B cards, you declare which is your choice. If you're right, you get to fill a letter on your score sheet, which spells "I made the ultimate Split Decision." The first player who fills out that entire sentence, which takes 29 right answers, wins.

There are also Challenge Cards where two players go one-on-one against each other. No one else plays. Here, a correct answer earns the challenged player a point, a wrong answer earns the question reader a point. These are general knowledge questions. For the cards with two choices, the reader does NOT score points, since he/she can see the answers on the cards.

The one time I played this, there was a three-way tie in filling out the card. We keep asking questions till we had a winner. That took about four questions, but it was exciting. The game comes with a dinosaur named Edgar (yes - I'm not kidding). Edgar is moved throughout the game to the player whose turn it is. The winner gets Edgar and the opportunity to re-name him for the next game. The winner in our game chose to let Edgar keep his name. The rules also state a unique way to determine who starts the game - no other game I played had this as a way to start. You gotta get the game and read it for yourself. All right - here's a clue. Are you a fan of Gene Simmons of Kiss? If you are, you'll love it.

Overall, a nice fun game that can get very competitive. I recommend it for something new for your game night.
4044779
"Apples to Apples" is a simple game of comparisons. In five minutes, both the rules and the genius of the game are clear. Each round requires a new judge to pick which anonymous answer is the best, and the player who provided that answer gets a point. The beauty of the game is its subjectivity; there are no right answers. It's up to the judge to decide whether the answer of "snakes" is better than the answer of "Michael Jackson" when the category is "terrifying.

Players are limited in the number of words they can play by random draw and are thus required to fit some square pegs into round holes and hope the judge sees the brilliance of their reaching metaphor.

Each round inspires discussion and playful arguments (maybe not so playful for super competitive players). The greatest feature is that (a la The Newlywed Game), people who know each other tend to supply answers to "inside jokes" that the judge will recognize. When I was the judge, someone played a "cockroach" card when the topic was "annoying". The person playing the card knows I have been battling an insect problem for some time and thus won the point "playing the judge".

Such nuance turns playing this simple game into a very enjoyable experience (although some of that is lost when played by strangers).
659087
If you're a fan of word games, Show Me The Kwan will get you and your friends rolling the dice and perhaps rolling on the floor laughing within the first few minutes of play. It may look like just another word game, but the mechanics are ingenious, you don't necessarily need to be the best speller in the known universe and some of the included question cards offer up hilarious to awkward suggestions from which to gather your words from.

The aim of the game is simple: score more points than the other players by using words where the first, second or last letter is part of the word. it sounds unusual and limiting, but it's actually thrilling even if you bark out a mistake and everyone else corrects you as that letter die you've grabbed is taken away and placed back on the table. What's a one word Reason to Stay in Bed? How many words can you associate with Vampires? Got a favorite breakfast item?

300 questions divided into Easy and Hard categories means that Kwan is great for kids and adults, but I'd say don't make this a drinking game for either group. The kids would have to keep taking bathroom breaks and the adults? Well, have you ever tried to spell anything after too many daiquiris? Yeah, I thought so.

The game is packed in a nice cloth travel case and comes with the letter dice and a red die that determines whether the first, second or last letter is the one to shoot for. You also get a sand timer, but feel free to use a stopwatch or other timer if you want to bend the rules a bit and make matches last shorter or longer. The only drawback to this game is smarter people will eat the lunches of ones who can't think fast enough, but having played MANY matches with a few different folks, you'd be surprised when that guy or gal who seems slower to pick up the game suddenly gets a category he or she excels at and wipes the floor with everyone else. That's the mark of a great game and Show Me The Kwan IS indeed a great game that you'll go back to time and again.

Highly Recommended!
1829910
This game is a blast. Been playing it with the sons of a friend of mine. The strategy and requisite skills are perfect for a game in which a kid (or even an adult!) can submerge, and use and hone important logical and deductive skills. Great job of making improving one's mind fun!
3865347
The game is addictive and lends itself to lots of social interaction.  Hint... Play for dimes or quarters, you will love it.
3236448
A nice new addition in the family of Brain Age games. 3DS game now, so you can see Mr Floaty head in 3D. The new Devilish training is true to its name, twists on various mind games to keep you thinking. Additonally, they adapt in difficulty in response to how well you do.

Overall fun games that tax your brain to keep it in 'shape'. Only thing I don't like is the guy says I have a brain of a 60 year old (nowhere near that in physical age.) :(. Though he may be referring to the fact the older you are, the wiser you are. Hmm...
2806893
Very cool, I enjoy brain games and optical illusions
1650008
Instead of a solo player going for the million, multiple players or teams can go for it. Every question is read on the screen with the four choices. As you advance higher on the ladder, videos of Meredith reading the questions are provided. The process for each question is the same throughout the game: question is given, place your answer card face down on the table, Meredith asks if a player used their lifeline card, got the question wrong, or has walked away.

The show uses real audience footage for "Ask the Audience", and you choose between 3 people planted into the game for "Phone a Friend." The game is fun as you try to beat your opponent(s). Real music from the show is played during questions, and the on screen graphics are very well done. I played the game many times, and no questions have repeated yet. It's a well made trivia game for all those to enjoy.