Pocket Madness

Pocket Madness is really a a sweat

little game about, well, insanity. This is another game inspired by HP Lovecraft, so you know it's going to be good. Ok, so it's a little creepy, but look at that adorable art! look at that staring eyeball! Look at those cute little green cubes! It's almost worth it to collect the madness cubes just to shuffle them around and hear the satisfying clinking. Sure, it makes you insane but, some things are just worth it, you know? I fully enjoy this game, not just because of the cuteness, but also the gameplay is quick and engaging.


TGN score:

Story - 8
Because this is a Cthulhu game, it comes with a built in story. You are trying to invoke the Ancient Ones' powers using card sets to drive your play fellows insane. fun, right? The story isn't incredibly complex, but it enough fantasy and paranormal horror to drive up the score.

Immersive - 4
Not counting the artwork, the gameplay doesn't really have anything to do with the theme or premise. You cou
ld probably remove the paranormal elements and it wouldn't change gameplay at all. But on the other hand, there are elements that add to the immmersiveness (immersivity?) of the game. Not even counting the artwork, the collecting of the madness cubes keeps the theme in the forefront of your mind.

Learning Curve - 3
Because this is a numbered card came, it is similar enough to traditional card games to be fairly easy to learn. The rules take a few minutes to get the hang of, but reading the rulebook itself goes quick. This may take away from the nerdiness a little, but it is definitely a positive in this game.

Time - 4
Takes about a half hour to play. Again, this short time may take away from the nerdiness, but it does not take away from the enjoyment of the game. Sometimes you just need a quick little game with some nerdy themes, right?

Final TGN score - 4.24
All in all, this could be played by a wide range of players, even non-gamers if they can get past the initial nerdy theme. It makes it a perfect game to play with your friends as a gateway nerd game, or if you are getting tired of the hour long set up for Runebound and need a breather.

The Oregon trail

The Oregon Trail is one of those games that is as much a draw for its nostalgia as it is for the gameplay. Even if you've never played the original computer game, it still feels like you are playing an 8-bit kind of game, which is nostalgic all in itself. I love co-op games, and Oregon Trail does co-op in the best possible way. It manages to give everyone something to do without pitting you against each other. It is both challenging and silly. My only complaint against the game is all the constant dying. Knowing you can catch dysentery at any moment is funny and adds risk, but I hate when teammates are eliminated from a game and just have to sit and watch the rest. Lots of games do this , but it bothers me. It was my main complaint against Exploding Kittens too. At least in The Oregon Trail watching after you die is still pretty engaging.

TGN scale:

Story - 5
Ok. There is a story here, characters even, and even story progression beyond the initial premise. You are a group of people trying to follow the Oregon trail without dying completely out along the way. Well, actually you are a bunch of gamers playing a video game about people trying to follow the Oregon trail without dying along the way. Too meta? . . . No. It's fun.



Immersive - 7
The setting and story progression are absolutely what this game is about. No, you don't feel the pain of the sicknesses or the animal encounters, but you sort of feel like you do. This game draws you right into the story, and doesn't release you till it is over. The game is basically just drawing cards, but somehow it draws you in all the same.

Learning Curve - 2
There isn't much to this game, when it comes to gameplay. The cards tell you what to do, and as long as someone there knows how to play, the explanations can be minimal to the rest of you. Nor is there much strategy to learn.

Time - 4
You can expect the game to take about a half hour to an hour, depending on how many people are playing. And how anal the group is about straight piles and lines.

Final TGN score - 4.75
Like I said, most of the nerdiness draw comes from the nastalgia. But because the game goes pretty quickly and takes almost no time to learn, I think it could be interesting to just about anyone who likes games, even if they haven't ever played the computer game. So that puts it around the same level as Dominion or Forbidden Island or Flash Point, slightly above games like Settlers of Catan or Ticket to Ride, but below some more complicated games like Legendary.