Turns out I like board games. Kind of a lot. I think the money spent on a board game is super well spent. A good or even half decent game provides hours of quality entertainment and together time, including interaction. As much as I love, not like, love movies I can't say that about them. They do provide quality entertainment but are lacking on the interaction and together time.
Over the past few years my love for and knowledge of boardgames has grown. So here I am to review one for you and help you make a good decision. The game being reviewed today is called Aye, Dark Overlord.
The Premise: One of the players in the game is Rigor Mortis
the Dark Overlord. He has a host of minions and resources at his disposal. The rest of the players are his minions, sniveling and incompetent. The minions have just returned from a task which the Dark Overlord assigned to them. And because they are sniveling and incompetent they have failed. And we all know what happens to a minion who fails at a task right? So now all the minions have to place all of the blame on another minion so as not to incur the Dark Overlords wrath.
Gameplay: If you like rules don't play this game. It has very few and is very open to interpretation. Basically the Dark Overlord come up with a task i.e. (this one is from sweet sweet Jo, all her own) "I sent you to the desert to get the magic blue sand, where is it?" (seriously no prompting or help from an adult, she's the best) Then the Dark Overlord questions an individual. They have to use information off of cards (Any part or combination of the title, the picture and the explanation) To come up with their excuse. "I was about to fight the giant scorpion for the blue sand, but My sword was the Dissolving Sword and it disolved in my sweaty hands." Then they play a pass the buck card, and another picture card to pass blame to another minion. "But that didn't matter because Bob, who was supposed to be distracting the scorpion, was busy sucking down some Dwarvish Beer, so it was his fault I didn't get the sand." Then bob has to follow that same order. Picture card fueled excuse, pass the buck, picture card fueled blaming of other minion.
The Dark Overlord has a series of three "Withering Looks" At his disposal. If, at any time, a minion displeases him he may blast them with a Withering Look. The first person to get three withering looks looses and the rest of us win! Hooray.
Other Stuff: One individual game takes about ten-fifteen minutes, but is really up to the dark overlord, sometimes they take three minutes. So generally we play multiple games in one sitting, having the looser be the next Dark Overlord. Plays 4-10, but plays best with a mid range of players, 5-8. We played it with my daughter Jo (5 years old) and she did great. But we have played it with older nieces and nephews (8-14) who had a hard time understanding and keeping the flow of the story. It consists of cards and runs around 20 dollars.
My Feelings: I really like this game. I thought it would be the type of game you would have to play with a very specific group of people. But I've played it with a few diverse groups and it has been a blast each time. It really is just a story telling game. But there is back stabbing and name calling, and hi-jinx, and yes even hilarity. If you want a light fun quick game pick this up.
Here is a review from Jo who asks to play the game every couple of days.
I liked it, and I think other people should buy it. Its kind of adventurey, thats all. I don't have a part that I don't like.
P.S. there are a few cards in the deck that we took a sharpie to. They weren't terrible but definitely needed some modestifying. And the pictures are fun and interesting and sometimes we pull it out and Jo and I just take turns turning over a card and telling a story.
