The Joy of Gaming - Ice and Mice and Mystics

We were hit with an ice storm and it became a day of canceled school for both myself and my daughter. We didn't get to play Mice and Mystics over the weekend, because my daughter was visiting with her Meemaw, so I took the opportunity today to catch up. We're stuck on Chapter 3, because the final battle is rough!

I love playing this. I'm Filch the Scamp. Until the scenario says Filch cannot be part of it... I will be Filch. I even have a hoodie I like to wear when I play him. It feels silly, but in a good way and my daughter seems to get a kick out of it. Plus we sometimes like to voice our characters if the mood is right. So fun.  My daughter loves Lily and Collin. I'm a fan of Nez and... hmm... I'm not really sure who my husband prefers, but he takes whoever is left. Could be Nez or Maginos or Tilda.

It's been great to play as a family and has that easy RPG feel that I really like since we're in-between out Marvel TSR scenarios.

Mice and Mystics (2012)
This cooperative play game provides each player with a character and, together, you play through story scenarios in the book that accompanies the game. Each mission is laid out for you, so it's really easy to pick up and play. There are even wonderful story set-ups to read (accents and voices recommended) and you try to complete the story. There are encounter cards and items to search for. Battles, movement, and searching are all done through dice rolls. Be careful with those rolls, though, because while I want to roll cheese, when the enemies roll cheese it'll be added to a wheel that could mean added pressure and more villains. Choose the right combination of mice for each mission and defeat the evil Vanestra and her minions!

The Joy of Gaming - Diner and Breakfast

I woke up on a Saturday morning with a fun idea to make a new breakfast dish I'd been dying to make and then play Diner with my husband. Not that it pertains to games, but my husband and I are doing the Keto Diet, so I've got to get creative with food sometimes. Today I was going to make a sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich - like what'd you get when you go out to eat. Not quite at a diner, but I would totally eat it if a diner offered it.

Diner (2015)
Back in the day, I Kickstarted Dice Hate Me Games campaign that offered a really nice selection of thematic games. I felt they were channeled creative inspiration in a way that hadn't been seen before and I couldn't wait to have some smaller, yet challenging games. I was not disappointed. Diner, designed by Matthew O'Malley, is a real-time speed game that utilizes the fast-paced nature of the food industry. Passing action tokens in order to take tables, fulfill orders, and gather the food items keeps your mind as busy as a server. With two people, it's a quick play, but that's okay, because it's fun to go back for seconds... and thirds... sometimes even fourths.

A Very Gaming Christmas

We had an absolutely lovely Christmas this year. My daughter and I did Lego Advent Calendars. I got my husband two geeky ornaments, but other than that we didn't have to really make any holiday additions this year. If I'm being honest, it was a bit rough getting into the holiday this year for various reasons, so our decorating was a bit lackluster, but we had enough to make our home a cheery little place.

Christmas Eve we opened a few gifts from each other and made cookies for decorating on Christmas. Took my daughter to look at lights in the neighborhood and then it was time for bed. We set up and got things straightened out and then it was bed time. Shockingly, I was not woken up and when I came downstairs, my daughter had not ripped into any presents! Apparently Santa forgot to wrap two of her presents and she was busy playing with them.

We did some Santa present opening and then it was time to get ready for my mom to arrive. When my mom arrived, then it was PRESENT TIME! And it was epic! Friends and family had sent up gifts for us and then my mom, who always splurges at Christmas, had many gifts to share. I won't share all of it here, but I'll share our game haul, which was seriously EPIC!

Santa, though, gave our daughter the Toy Story: Land that Time Forgot toys (not ALL of them, but the primary ones). She loved  them and she got several other awesome gifts from her Meemaw. That kid is seriously spoiled and I'm at least glad to say it's not by us. Now to deal with the day-after being overly spoiled.

So here it is. . . our Family Gaming Christmas Haul!

For Our Daughter
Tales & Games: The Tortoise and the Hare
Robot Turtles
Banana Party

For My Husband
Tales & Games Three Little Pigs (technically for our daughter, but was given to daddy from her.)
Age of War
Mr. Jack
King of New York
Ca$h n' Gun$
Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar
7 Wonders: Babel
Machi Koro
Fortune & Glory
Elder Sign: Unseen Forces
Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm
Team Manager – The Card Game – Sudden Death
Senji
Dixit Odyssey

For Me
Paperback
Legendary: Dark City
Legendary: Fantastic Four
Dominion: Hinterlands
Sentinels of the Multiverse
Shadows over Camelot
Mage Wars
Maha Yodha
Pathfinder: The Rise of the Runelords RPG Adventure

Kickstarter Arrival on Christmas Eve
Diner
Pie Factory
Brew Crafters: The Travel Card Game
The Fittest
Isle of Trains
Easy Breezy Travel Agency


Some other awesome geeky items of note:
Bag of Holding Backpack
S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
LG Wireless Samsung Blu-Ray DVD Player
Chromecast
A ton of comic books my husband got for me on my kindle.

Meet Me at the Table: December Game-a-Day Challenge - Day 11: Mint Tin Aliens

Mint Tin Aliens (2014)

A while ago I backed this game on Kickstarter. I am always looking for quick games that would definitely appeal to the students in my Tabletop club. So when I backed this, I backed it for 2 copies of each game. Well, David Miller contacted me to compliment my Kickstarter image and I message him back explaining I was a teacher. He then also offered me extra pieces for the copies for my kids in the club. If you have ever extensively played with kids, you know how easy it is to lose pieces, even with the most well-trained gamer. I thought this was above and beyond awesome.

Because of this great experience, I couldn't wait to play the game when I saw it had arrived in my mailbox. I rolled to choose between Pirates and Aliens and Aliens won out!

Mint Tin Aliens is a mini game in a tin with a small set of cards, 3 mini meeples, and two 10-sided dice. The dice are counters for when you cannot play a set of matching cards. The meeples are to earn points for the first and second people to collect full sets of Merit Cards. The game itself is 2 players and a set drafting game to complete goals to earn points. It plays quick but offers enough challenge to play often. The artwork is very nicely done and the cards and meeples are well made.

I am definitely looking forward to sharing this with my kids at school.