878: Vikings – Invasions of England

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The year is 878. For the past 75 years, Viking raiding parties from Norway and Denmark have been terrorizing the coasts of England with ‘hit and run’ attacks. The treasures and stories gained from these attacks have allowed the Norsemen to raise huge hosts of eager men seeking glory and riches. These armies now stand poised to thunder across England where they will settle and farm the fertile land they conquer. The divided English kingdoms are unprepared for this impending onslaught. The Vikings are coming!

In 878: Vikings – Invasions of England, players control the invading Vikings or the English nobles who are trying to withstand the invasion. Viking players either play as Norsemen Viking freeman or as the fearless Viking shock troops known as Berserkers. The English play as the Housecarl, the Kings’ household troops, or as the Thegns who were regional noble Leaders. The English players will also be able to call up the peasant levies, called the Fyrd, to defend their cities.

Players for each side strategize together in order to coordinate their strategies. Each side attempts to control Cities on the map to win. The English start the game controlling all of England but a Viking Leader will invade from the sea each Turn. The English players raise reinforcements from cities they control, while the Vikings must wait for a new invasion for reinforcements. The game ends when the Treaty of Wedmore is called and the side controlling the most cities wins the game.

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Crokinole

Crokinole is big, it’s bold, it’s 150 years old, and a good board will cost you $300. Those are some very frightening numbers. Could this ever be a reasonable consumer purchase? Click play, and find out.

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Review: Crokinole

Today, we’re proud to present the finale of Chronicles Month, as we poke our flag into a most elusive game in the BoardGameGeek Top 100.

Crokinole is big, it’s bold, it’s 150 years old, and a good board will cost you $300. Those are some very frightening numbers. Could this ever be a reasonable consumer purchase? Click play, and find out.

Huge thanks to the fine people at Woodestic Crokinole for providing us with a discount on our board. If you live in Europe and were interested in a Crokinole board of your very own, make them your first port of call.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

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GAMES NEWS! 24/06/19

Header image courtesy of Steph Hodge photography.

Ava: Oooh, it’s officially summer (happy solstice everyone) and I’ve had two sunburn near-misses already. I reckon it’s a perfect time to cosy up with a tasty brew, pop my feet up and lean into a cosy warm bed of news.

No time to sleep though. The news waits for no-one. We’ve got gods, gardens, angels, sharks, sails, aliens, objects and finances.

Let’s have a look.

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Articles

Filter CategoriesAll ArticlesOur FavouritesReviewsSpecial FeaturesNewsImpressionsTactics & Tactility “Shut Up & Sit Down Presents” Incredible New Games with Play to Z Shut Up & Sit Down, Quinns Quest, and The Year Ahead This October in Shut Up & Sit Down! Pod-pause This September in Shut Up & Sit Down! Monday! Monday! This July In Shut Up … Read more

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SU&SD Play… Space Alert!

This weekend, please enjoy a video plucked daintily from our Twitch channel.

For as long as SU&SD has been around, we’ve been fans of Space Alert. Even today, it might well be the most ridiculous, challenging and inventive co-operative game ever… erm, invented.

For anyone who missed it, you’ll find our review of Space Alert all the way back in this SU&SD episode from 2011, where we also reviewed Twilight Imperium and Race for the Galaxy. Classics, every one.

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Welcome to Dino World

Build and manage your own dinosaur park in this strategic roll and write game for 1 or more players.

Roll dice, draw pens and try not to let any dinosaurs escape!

Each turn players share an expanding dice pool to work through three phases: add dinosaurs and buildings to the park, draw paths connecting attractions to the entrance, and control dinosaurs attempting to escape.

The game ends whenever a player runs out of space in their park, or has had too many dinosaurs escape.

The player with the most fame from dinosaurs/attractions and the fewest penalties from breakouts is the winner!

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Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid

Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid gives each player the chance to take the role of a Power Ranger, the heroes of Angel Grove who defend the earth against the evil Rita Repulsa and her nefarious minions. Each Ranger comes with a unique combat deck representing their special skills and fighting style. From the Red Ranger’s leadership karate skills, to the Yellow Ranger’s Sabertooth ferocity, to the Blue Ranger’s tactical mind, each ranger brings a unique set of skills to the table. You need to use your powers well if you intend to save Angel Grove!

In each game, you need to protect four combat zones that are being targeted by the evil Rita Repulsa. Each round, enemy forces deploy onto these zones and cause chaos among the populace. Who knows what sort of strange monsters Rita has cooked up for the Rangers this time?

During play, Rangers must manage their actions and coordinate their defenses, moving to the locations under the most threat and doing battle with enemies. Finding time to rest and recover between engagements as they prepare to defeat the mastermind behind this plot.

During battle, each Ranger and each enemy in the location participate in the combat sequence. Enemy cards represent enemy actions and health. Rangers can attack these cards to disrupt their attacks. Each minion card the rangers defeat removes one minion figure from that location. Monsters are much deadlier foes with a variety of special attacks that you’ll need to deal with and defeat before you send them packing! A Ranger’s combat deck represents their health, with each card played and blow sustained slowly whittling away at their options. They’ll need to find time to rest or power-up at the Command Center if they want to stay fresh for the next fight!

As the Rangers defeat enemies and progress through the game, they’ll unlock Zord cards which provide them unique abilities and special actions they can perform. Eventually they’ll be able to unleash the full power of the mighty Megazord!

Each game reaches its climax with a confrontation with the enemy Master, a devastatingly powerful foe who must be thwarted if the Rangers wish to save the city! Do you have what it takes?

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Letter Jam

Letter Jam is a 2-6 player cooperative word game, where players assist each other in composing meaningful words from letters around the table. The trick is holding the letter card so that it’s only visible to other players and not to yourself.

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Podcast #97: Meeting Your Shadow Self and Other Excitements

Fans of our award-winning board game podcast should know that the pod-apult is armed and ready. Contained in today’s payload are impressions of the party game Stay Cool (02:45), the excellent Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid (09:01), the frighteningly intense Letter Jam (21:42), the adorable Welcome to Dino World (29:22), the heavy roll’n’write Rome and Roll (38:19) and the world’s first “boxed megagame”, Vampire: The Masquerade – Blood Feud (43:28). Finally, following on from team SU&SD having recently discovered the joy of using pencils to write on paper, we’ve just now learned about BOOKS! Specifically, the book Top 10 Games You Can Play In Your Head, By Yourself (49:35). Enjoy, everybody.

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