Smash Up

By Josh Vollmer

Smash Up is the latest entry by the Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), makers of the game Thunderstone. It's an easy to learn, card-based game for the distinguished thinker. The type of people who like to spend their time pondering the deeper questions of life, such as 'If Wizards teamed up with Aliens, could they defeat an army of Ninjas and laser wielding Dinosaurs?'

On the front of the box, AEG touts Smash Up as "The shufflebuilding game of total awesomeness." With such a fun premise, it's difficult to argue the point. The game is essentially an all out brawl between 2-4 players, wielding teams of eight different factions. There are the previously mentioned Wizards, Ninjas, Aliens and Dinosaurs, as well as Pirates, Zombies, Robots and Tricksters (leprechauns, gnomes and the like). Every faction has a unique 20 card deck, each with their own varying abilities. Each player chooses two factions and shuffles them together into one forty card deck. The concept of smashing two decks together not only serves as inspiration for its name, but also gives Smash Up a lot of different card combinations to explore, keeping things interesting.

There are three types of cards. The first type is Bases, and these are kept separate from the faction decks. When the game begins four Bases are revealed, forming the battlefield the players will be contending over. The other two types, Actions and Minions are what make up the faction decks. Every turn each player may play one Action and one Minion in any order, and then draw two replacement cards to end their turn.

There are a few downsides to the game. For one, a lack of any score cards or other methods to track victory points forces players to use pen and paper. Not a deal breaker, but it would have been a small thing to include. As one may expect in a game of this type, there are a few minor balance issues, with some pairings seemingly stronger than others. While all the combinations are valid, someone playing the numerous smaller minions in a Robot/Alien smash up may have a tough time countering the big minions and catastrophic capabilities of a Pirate/Dinosaur team. Perhaps the biggest drawback, and this is dependent on the people you play with, is the resentment factor. A lot of the Actions and Minion abilities in the game revolve around destroying other players' minions and actions. This can lead to a kind of perpetual "screw your buddy" type scenario, which can leave a bad taste in some people's mouths. You know the people you play with, and the one that feels constantly picked on and teamed up against? Yeah, Smash Up probably won't be their favorite game.

There are a wide variety of Action cards, with many different results, such as extra Actions, destroying another player's Minion, or moving Minions from one base to another to name a few. Minion cards have varying power levels, and are played directly on Bases. Each Base has a breaking point, and when the power level of all the minions on a particular Base meet or exceed that breaking point, that Base is scored and replaced with another. Scoring is based on the cumulative power levels of a player's Minions camped there, so a player with one 7 point Dinosaur will get more points that the player with three 2 point Zombies. When the first player to reach 15 victory points ends his turn, the game is over.

Win or lose however, the game manages to retain player interest with all the different faction interactions and dynamics to explore. Would the brute strength of the Dinosaurs be better paired with the stealth and subterfuge of the Ninjas, or the wide array of bonus actions the Wizard receive? What will best compliment the Zombies' actions that let them play minions from the discard pile. Finding what works for you and your play style is a large portion of the joy you'll get out of Smash Up.

And as long as the people you game with have a good sense of humor, that joy is easy to discover.

Perhaps the biggest point in Smash Up's favor? Why argue about Pirates vs. Ninjas when you can have Pirates AND Ninjas. Pick it up today at your local Slackers!

Visit http://www.slackers.com for more great reviews!

How To Level Fast In WoW Mists Of Pandaria

By Sean Phipps

Probably the most often asked question by new World of Warcraft players is how to level fast in WoW.

You are no doubt wondering how it is certain players seem to be able to level at a pace much faster than everyone else.

You often hear claims of cheating or hacking of some kind because players do not understand there are some pro techniques and tools that make leveling a toon in WoW extremely fast.

Here are some of the top tips:

• Make sure you have bag space - This means making sure you have all your bag slots filled with the largest bags you can afford from the start. Constantly having to find somewhere to empty bags will take you off your questing routes and wastes time.


• Forget buying gear at low levels - The early levels are not really aided by buying gear and the time wasted running to an auction house can be better used completing a few more quests. You are going to find yourself spending a ton of time staring at the auction house window and wasting gold that is not going to serve any useful purpose.


• Make another toon just for mail - If you have a low level toon that stays stationed in a town that has an auction house you can continue questing and mail items. This allows for unlimited space as mail can stay in a box for 30 days. After 30 days it is mailed back to your character. This is a huge savings of time.


• Do not quest above your head - Dying is the biggest waste of time in World of Warcraft because you often have a long walk back to your body. Knowing the proper areas and quests for your level is critical to staying alive and leveling as fast as possible.

Making sure to follow all the tips above while using one of the better in game WoW leveling guide addons is exactly how pro players have been power leveling toons much faster than the rest of the World of Warcraft population for years.

These addon guides are programmed to take you through the most efficient questing routes in the game by use of a detailed guide window and a directional arrow.

It is all about the build

You will have some players tell you that leveling as fast as possible means that you have to select a certain build for whatever class you want to play.

This is simply not true as pro players are able to level any class with any build in the same amount of time using the tips outlined and a good in game guide.

World of Warcraft is about having fun and a big part of that is playing the character you want to play in the talent build you enjoy playing.

Probably the best in game guide for leveling is by ZygorsQuesting.com

There are many options out there, but many of the top players I have played with on several servers are using ZygorsQuesting.com to power level all of their characters.

Follow These 5 Steps and Be Ready For Diablo III

By Rob M Jamen

1. Buy And Obtain The Game

The first thing you will need to do is find the experience, obviously. The activity comes in two versions - the Conventional Version, which just contains the disc, and the Collector Version, such as the experience in a unique situation, a sculpture of Diablo's go, Diablo 2 on an amazingly formed usb generate, and many other offerings, such as an art guide and the soundtrack.

You can get the Conventional Version in suppliers or electronically off Blizzard's formal website.

If you're after the Collector Version you're going to have a more complicated time since they have marketed out, though you may be able to find it in shops on May Fifteenth.

Once you've bought the experience, Blizzard allows you to pre-download the experience customer, so you can be immediately prepared to go when the experience hosts go remain at 12:00 AM (Midnight) PST.

2. Make Your BattleTag

Blizzard needs everyone to develop one of these unique ID's to perform Diablo III. They anticipate that their hosts are going to be flooded when the experience is launched so it would be a wise decision to set yours up in enhance on the Fight.net website.

Be sure to make it something you like because whatever you select is long lasting and cannot be modified later.

3. Contact Off Tired At Work

If you've been preserving up holiday at perform, now would be enough a chance to use it. If that isn't a choice, it's a chance to sweep up your performing abilities, so you'll be prepared to contact fed up come Wednesday. Just wish your manager isn't a player too!:-D

4. Get ready Your Diablo III Success Kit

Head to the shop to inventory up on resources you will need. Some basics of the players eating plan consist of Doritos, Hot Pouches, Ramen, and Red Fluff. You'll need a lot of nutrition to be able to remain up all evening killing devils. Don't ignore the bathroom paper!

5. Get Zygor's Diablo III Guide

This one is a must have. The professionals over at Zygor Books have designed the end-all information for perfecting every element of Diablo III. These are the same people whose popular Stabilizing Books totally modified the way people perform Globe of Globe of warcraft. Their all new Diablo III information functions a complete walk-through of the whole activity, category and designing guides, supporters marketing, success, and more. Anyone who wishes to defeat Diablo III, especially on the shateringly challenging Terrible and Inferno ways, should select up this information before release day.

The #1 Best-Selling World of Warcraft Guides. Covering Leveling, Dailies, Professions, Achievements & More. Brand New Website http://www.theillestgamer.com

Celebrating the Diversity of Players

By Stacey J Thompson

"How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?" - Charles de Gaulle

Nowadays, to be classified as a gamer is about as specific as identifying them by their nationality. There are so many ways a person can be a gamer, and a good deal of us engage in more than one kind of game. There used to be a stigma associated with someone who games, but thanks to the march of modernity, most of the strange looks and condescending statements have died down significantly. Electronic gamers, in particular, have come to earn the kind of prestige previously reserved for the athletes and celebrities.

Let's narrow it down and focus on our beloved gaming category of choice, the tabletop roleplaying game. No two of us enjoy the hobby in the exact same way, and the extent of passion and dedication to this craft can vary. There are different types of GMs, and certainly different kinds of players.

I'm not here to enumerate the varieties as I'm sure you already have your own categorizations (and Google is your friend). What this little piece of mine is out to say is that having a mixed bag of players and game masters is perfectly alright! Let me make my case by using a previous gaming group I was in as an example.

Two GMs, One Game

Before anyone gets any barf-worthy imagery, let me explain. Marc and Marc (yes, they had the same first name) were two GMs running an "original" game world inspired by BattleTech, ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, and a touch of low-fantasy anime mecha-ness.

Marc 1 was the main GM of the campaign, and he was in charge of the narrative and the major NPCs. Mostly unburdened by the combat aspects of the game, he was able to focus on his assigned tasks, and thus was able to do his job, and experience his idea of fun as well.

Marc 2 had the tactical mind, so he reigned when it came to violence and conflict resolution (the bloody kind). Given that this campaign did take place during a full-on intersystem war, there was plenty of combat to be had. He also handled the loot management, as loot in this kind of setting often meant valuable resources and game-changing technology.

In this case, it was a great advantage that these two GMs had different styles, resulting in a great synergy that meant a better, more enjoyable game for the players. A lot of good fun can be experienced when people with different temperaments and specialities work together for a common goal.

The Mixed Bag of Players

Of course, there would be no game without the players. This particular group of players was comprised mainly of greenhorns, so they played their characters close to their actual real world personalities. Let me give a short description of each of their characters:

Frederick is the veteran of the lot, a quiet and composed man with a palpable aura of leadership. He keeps his ragtag squad of rejects in line, but he is not as stoic and as fearless as he makes himself out to be. He does, however, care deeply for the survival of his team members.

Cole believes he is destined for greatness, despite his ridiculously horrible luck with the dice. He portrays his character as a gallant and noble mecha pilot, but like in real life, his demeanor often annoys fellow men and creeps out the women.

Blue is as cool as the color he got his name from, but in a subdued, bohemian sort of way. He's pleasant with everybody and everybody gets along with him (much to Cole's annoyance), and problems seem to slide off him like water off a duck's back.

Kit is a nervous ball of energy. She has the potential to be a competent pilot, but she has a ways to go in building her confidence, and she could use a little more patience. She gets along with her team (despite Cole's contrived attempts at hitting on her), and believes that they can make a great contribution to the war effort.

Jed is a jaded individual. He has forgone forming social bonds with his teammates, and has devoted all of his waking hours on honing his combat skills. He's one of those deadpan, living-weapon wannabee types.

The Mixed Bag In Action

It is a given that the personalities of the characters (and the players behind them) are vastly different. Now, you'd probably think that it would be so much simpler and more efficient if everybody agreed on everything. It probably would, but also, the campaign would become an exercise in monotony. Trust me, when the most exciting thing happening in the room is the robot vacuum cleaner rolling under the couch to suck up dust bunnies, your tabletop game is in trouble.

One can't rely on the GMs and their NPCs solely for interaction (though I have seen a lot of spoiled players expect the GMs to generate all of the drama). This is where the mixed bag excels; the interaction is organic, it happens naturally.

Here's an example from my own adventures:

The players' squadron gets assigned to scout a nearby asteroid cluster for any potential threats. They are deployed near the outer rim of the belt, and after a wide array of scanning instruments yield nothing out of the ordinary, they are ordered to fly through the area to try to spot any enemy units that the scanners did not detect.

Frederick, not wanting the group become vulnerable while patrolling, pairs everyone up, with him taking one of the NPC pilots (a "redshirt") as a buddy. Cole is assigned with Jed, and Kit is to patrol with Blue. Cole makes some lame excuse that it would be better if Kit and him would be buddied up, Blue nonchalantly calls Cole out on his "tactical assessment," Jed, like deep space, is cold and silent. Frederick just facepalms.

Fifteen minutes into the patrol, the redshirt's cockpit is suddenly penetrated by a large-caliber projectile, resulting in explosive decompression and all hell breaking loose.

As expected, Kit simply freaks out and starts shooting at every suspicious-looking rock in sight. Blue calmly but quickly finds cover, Kit's trigger-happy mecha in tow. Cole stands his ground and barks out a challenge for the assailant to come out through all known communication bands. Jed instinctively determines the origin of the attack and begins hunting for the sniper. Frederick also finds a more defensible position, and calls the encounter in, as there could be more enemy units in the area.

Variety is the Spice

My experiences with a diverse bunch of gamers has firmly cemented the idea in my head that if the group isn't comprised of a hearty mix of varied personalities and playstyles, it will get dull rather fast. Granted, there are minor setbacks to having different tastes (thank the pizza gods for samplers), but most of these are trivial compared to the richness and fun-filled gaming to be had. For more mature gaming groups (no minors), adding some good, strong drinks into the mix also tends to make things a little more loose and festive. Moderation, though. Different people have different moods when inebriated.

So, that's it. Yay diversity. Now, go find different kinds of people to game with! May your dungeons be full of loot, your pizza without anchovies, and your beer frosty cold!

Stacey Thompson is a professional writer, marketer, entrepreneur, eclectic digital and tabletop gamer, and a lover of weird little animals. She has been out of the loop in regards to tabletop gaming since her old college group graduated, but she's working on getting back into the hobby. She is currently working on a blog with her friends, Word Baristas.

Halo 4 Tips - The DMR VS The BR

By Steven F. White

The two main mid and long range weapons in Halo 4 are the Designated Marksman Rifle and the Battle Rifle.

One of these weapons was obviously favored by 343 industries in making the game. We ran a series of tests on each weapon to determine which was better.

The old favorite the Battle Rifle was first introduced in Halo 2. The BR quickly became a favorite of Halo players across the world. The gun provided effective firepower at short, medium and long range when in the hands of a skilled user. This single gun arguably propelled the Halo franchise to heights never seen by another game.

The BR made its return in Halo 3 and was equally popular. Major League Gaming had the gun as the default weapon in all of their tournaments. This made the BR the most important video game gun for the competitive gamer ever.

The DMR first came out in Halo Reach. The gun was not widely accepted by Halo players who still favored the BR to a large degree. The BR was taken out of Halo and replaced by the DMR in Halo Reach.

The newest game Halo 4 offers both the DMR and the BR in online gaming. This means you can now choose which gun you prefer.

This article is here to help you make that choice and draw some comparisons. Let us start with the old favorite the Battle Rifle.

The BR fires a three round burst and takes five head shots to kill. The effect is also the same if you fire four head shots and one shot to the body. The gun has a upward bullet spread and therefore it is best to aim slightly below the head to ensure all three rounds are on target. This also ensures that at least one round will strike the head. The BR takes 1.8 seconds to fire five shots and this is it's optimal kill time. The battle rifle still has a great feel to it and is very effective at medium range.

The DMR fires a single bullet with each trigger pull and takes five shots to the head to kill. The same can also be said of firing four shots to the body and one to the head. There is almost no bullet spread even when fired at maximum speed. This means this gun is very accurate. The DMR is king at long range. For novice users the best method is firing body shots first and firing at the head for the kill shot. The gun fires five shots in 1.68 seconds and this is the quicker of the two in kill time.

In conclusion The DMR is a little harder to aim but is clearly the superior gun in firepower. For those who prefer the BR the gun is still great. The BR in the hands of a skilled user at medium range is still the most lethal gun due to ease of aiming. The DMR however is likely to become the new gold standard for Halo players.

My name is Steve F. White. I am better known by my gamertag Tc Fear. In Halo 3 I had a level 50 in every single ranked play list. I was in the top 1% of all Halo Reach players in the world. I've placed very well in many MLG (Major League Gaming) events. My team won the first ever online Halo 3 tournament and took home $6,000. At MLG meadowlands the first Halo 3 MLG event my team took home $12,000. I've also had numerous PRO placings. For more Halo 4 Tips visit my site Halo4tips.net

Top New PC Games of 2012

By Martin Swan

2012 began with a new set of anticipations among the gaming fanatics all over the world, as more and more new PC games, and also updated versions of the existing games were expected to hit the gaming arena in large numbers as compared to the previous years.

In fact, the 1st half of 2012 has been really great for all the gaming freaks; it has been a great time for all huge-budget, blockbuster PC games that most of the publishers forced well beyond the holidays in order to prevent crashing with other prominent titles, including "Call of Duty", and also for cool autonomously formed titles that normally fill in the remaining gaps in a sluggish release calendar.

Let's discuss in brief about the top new PC games for 2012 in the following sections. All the games that are discussed below are hugely adorned by gamers all over the globe -

1. Diablo III - Finally, after a long hiatus of nearly twelve years, the classic grind loot and level-up RPG has resumed back into the worldwide gaming arena. Diablo III has been fairly successful to re-capture the chair as the chief means to waste your several hours of time killing demons by just clicking the left button of your mouse. There have been an overwhelming number of advanced progression systems in the latest Diablo III game that will certainly keep the gamers completely entertained from first to last.

So far, the cinematics that have been released with respect to this game are simply breathtaking, and the standard gameplay has been precisely polished, and is highly satisfying.

2. Trials Evolution - In fact, I am not the only one to explain the latest Trials Evolution game as excite-bike on steroids, and actually no one could find a much better framework of the outstanding motorcycle feats as provided by this game in any other games available presently. The follow-up to Trials HD of 2012, the new Trials Evolution consists of a track creator, multiplayer option, and an even learning curve compared to its predecessors.

3. Fez - By the looks of it, the newest Fez similar to a pure puzzle PC game, is featured with a shrewd trick - the players can interchange their view of the 2-dimensional world to unveil new tracks, and hidden doorways. However, at the back of this alteration in standard perspective is a latest rabbit hole. Clearly, Fez has been the cleverest video game of 2012 so far; it is one hell of a game that can certainly crush your mind.

Check out the latest fashion designer games on fashiondesignergames.org

Logo Quiz Game - An Interesting And Popular Game

By Katherine Nelson

Games have always fulfilled the purpose of entertaining the people of all ages. No matter, you are a child or adult every individual enjoys playing games in order to get relieved from stress. Nowadays, most of the children prefer to play games on computers rather than enjoying outdoor games and this is the main cause for introduction of more and more games that not only serve as a mode of entertainment but also enhance the knowledge of the player. One such game that was recently introduced in the market is Logo Quiz Game. This is an addictive game and has become popular all round the world. This game is also available in the form of mobile apps.

There are various branded companies that spend huge finances on their branding and advertising campaigns with the only motive of making their brand name and logo recognizable by the customers. Well, you can now test your knowledge regarding the logos of different companies with the help of Logo Quiz Game available in the form of mobile apps and computer games.

Playing this game is very simple with simple and easy mechanics. The complete game is based on your guess and you need to identify the logos of different companies that appear on the screen. The company having a unique logo without their names is displayed completely but the logos that contain the name of the company like Pizza Hut or eBay are displayed partially. The players are awarded points for correctly identifying the logo and are progressed to the higher level and so on. The difficulty in identifying process increases as you progress to the next level.

Most of the individuals like this game and hence they are also made available for mobile phones. You can download this app for free. In order to have an ultimate enjoyment you should search for a Logo Quiz Game that incorporates a minimum of 250 logos and various levels. This makes the game more interesting and challenging. It can also provide you an opportunity to compete with your friends by giving challenges with respect to points earned at each level. There are various choices in this app. You can get a game that includes the identification of logos from a specific industry like automobiles, computer games, fashion brands and several others. You can select a game that involves the identification of logos of your interested area. This will also help you in enhancing your knowledge regarding that specific field.

The players can have a complete entertainment with this game if the interface is simple with clear graphics. Before downloading the game sure it provides clearly marked logos that can provide an ease in identifying them. Playing the Logo Quiz Game is very exciting as you might get stuck while identifying a logo and use hints and clues in order to recognize it. Some of the games have a connection to the internet while others are linked to Facebook or other social media sites allowing the players to seek help from their friends. This is an exciting game and you should also try it and enhance your knowledge regarding brand names and logos.

If you are looking forward to load your handset with an amazing Logo Quiz Game, then visiting might be an ideal option for you.

GMing Tips for Pen and Paper RPG's

By Oliver R Shead

There are a couple of ways you can GM a Pen and Paper RPG.

Prepared Adventures

A prepared adventure is one where everything has been worked out already. Usually down to the sequence of encounters the characters will experience, the events they will go through and how it will end.

It makes it a simple progression usually. No matter what the players do, they will pretty much always end up following your adventure's series of steps. And that works fine much of the time.

The great advantage of a prepared adventure is that everything is already set up for you. You have no mysteries and nothing that hasn't been worked out in advance. You're not going to wonder "what do I do now?"

But there are a couple of problems with the prepared adventure.

The main problem is that there is no real self determinism of the players. No matter what they do, the outcome will basically remain the same. The only choices they truly have are how to overcome what has been put up against them.

But if you've ever run a game before, you'll realise that players never do what you expect them to do. And that quite often leaves the adventure seeming a little off balance. The monsters are still waiting in a certain room, even though logically they would definitely have heard that the players were there, and probably either hidden or come looking for them!

That brings us to our second type of adventure:

"Story" Adventures

Story Adventures are those that are centred around the world setting and a situation. Essentially, you as the GM work out what is going on the players' world, and then present them with a situation. You might as well say that you create the world and the situation, then plonk the characters in the middle of it and see what happens!

This is a very free type of game, giving the players great scope of potential action. Literally, they could do anything and the GM will simply work out how that affects the situation.

For instance, if you decided that the situation was that they ended up in a turf war, you would present them with something that brought them into the situation, like a violent encounter with a rival gang member. Whether they maim, kill, disable or flee from this gang member would then determine what the rival gang would end up doing in revenge.

You would then work out whether the gang could track them down (making certain rolls - keep it honest! Remember, the pc's could just get away!). When they track them down, you would hopefully already have created some principal characters which could go toe-to-toe with the players.

And then from that encounter you would see another reaction. Perhaps the gang would become afraid of them. Or would try to placate them. Or another gang would want them to join up.

Essentially, this second method still requires preparation! But not like the painstaking step-by-step first method! You just need to prepare key areas, key NPC's, and know your world, so you can quickly work out reactions (and for that you could roll a die).

Would you like to become part of a Pen and Paper RPG movement?

Immersion RPG is a new Universal RPG System, allowing you total scope to play whatever game or character you want to play!

Sick and tired of being limited by your character classes? Want your character to be a living, breathing person?

Check out Immersion RPG.

We're currently looking for playtesters. So if you are interested in getting involved, we want to hear from you!

http://www.immersion-studios.com/