![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Sugar Coat
Mar. 15th, 2020 03:38 pmAn interesting and enjoyable last show at this year's Vaults festival:
http://london.fringeguru.com/reviews/vault-2020/sugar-coat
http://london.fringeguru.com/reviews/vault-2020/sugar-coat
Mar. 15th, 2020
Center Parcs reviews
Mar. 15th, 2020 03:56 pmThe first couple of days of our trip to Center Parcs have involved a lot of reading and a fair few new games for me.
Last night, I finished Ravenscliffe by Jane Sanderson, the sequel to Netherwood, which I very much enjoyed. This second book follows on only a couple of weeks after the end of the first one, with all the previous characters present and correct, and a few new ones to add additional interest. I love the world of these books - it's very immersive in a comforting way, even though there are a fair few tragic events as the story unfolds. As with the first book, it's occasionally jarring when the sedate, old-fashioned, historical style is interrupted by graphic description of events that would not have been included in a book of the period. But it means the story goes in some very unexpected directions and that's no bad thing.
This time around, I particularly liked the portrayal of Seth, who has a lot of feelings about what's going on, but can't always control his reactions. There's a brilliant section where he's making everyone (including himself) by being sulky about something, but he can't find a way out of the mood he's got himself into. It's a very familiar feeling, and very well evoked.
I have the third book in the series already ordered from the library and am very much looking forward to finding out what happens next.
New games discovered so far this weekend:
On Tour - a roll and write game where you have to plan a tour of dates across the US for your band, based on numbers rolled on dice and locations drawn from a deck. It's deceptively simple and fiendishly difficult to do well at. I really enjoyed it and have played it multiple times.
Just One - one player draws a card and identifies a word on it for the other players to describe by picking one word each of their own (the active player does not look at their card). Any repeat words are taken out of the set and the active player has to guess the correct word from the clues provided by the others. This is very definitely my type of game, and more collaborative that others of this type I have played before. We only had three or four players and I think it would be more fun with a bigger group, but I enjoyed it and it's a good one for late at night or filling a short gap.
Sheep & Thief - this is an interesting game where you have to plan out how to lay your cards down on a grid to keep your sheep safe from the fox, try to steal other players' sheep, and also attempt to complete certain patterns of roads and rivers. There's a lot to pay attention to, and it's quite complicated, but interesting and fun. Again, I think it would work better with more players so I'll be looking to play it again later in the week.
Last night, I finished Ravenscliffe by Jane Sanderson, the sequel to Netherwood, which I very much enjoyed. This second book follows on only a couple of weeks after the end of the first one, with all the previous characters present and correct, and a few new ones to add additional interest. I love the world of these books - it's very immersive in a comforting way, even though there are a fair few tragic events as the story unfolds. As with the first book, it's occasionally jarring when the sedate, old-fashioned, historical style is interrupted by graphic description of events that would not have been included in a book of the period. But it means the story goes in some very unexpected directions and that's no bad thing.
This time around, I particularly liked the portrayal of Seth, who has a lot of feelings about what's going on, but can't always control his reactions. There's a brilliant section where he's making everyone (including himself) by being sulky about something, but he can't find a way out of the mood he's got himself into. It's a very familiar feeling, and very well evoked.
I have the third book in the series already ordered from the library and am very much looking forward to finding out what happens next.
New games discovered so far this weekend:
On Tour - a roll and write game where you have to plan a tour of dates across the US for your band, based on numbers rolled on dice and locations drawn from a deck. It's deceptively simple and fiendishly difficult to do well at. I really enjoyed it and have played it multiple times.
Just One - one player draws a card and identifies a word on it for the other players to describe by picking one word each of their own (the active player does not look at their card). Any repeat words are taken out of the set and the active player has to guess the correct word from the clues provided by the others. This is very definitely my type of game, and more collaborative that others of this type I have played before. We only had three or four players and I think it would be more fun with a bigger group, but I enjoyed it and it's a good one for late at night or filling a short gap.
Sheep & Thief - this is an interesting game where you have to plan out how to lay your cards down on a grid to keep your sheep safe from the fox, try to steal other players' sheep, and also attempt to complete certain patterns of roads and rivers. There's a lot to pay attention to, and it's quite complicated, but interesting and fun. Again, I think it would work better with more players so I'll be looking to play it again later in the week.