Top 3 Board Games Of The Week - January 3rd

Sometimes new, sometimes old, sometimes overlooked - but always worth a second look - these are Pair Of Dice Paradise’s picks for the Games Of The Week!
The Infinity Stones saga may have come to a conclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the struggle still lives on in 2018’s Thanos Rising: Avengers Infinity War, published by USAopoly (also known as The Op.)
In this cooperative game, Thanos is preparing to enact his magic-mitten-based master plan, and it’s up to the players to assemble teams of the universe’s greatest heroes to face off against Thanos and his villainous allies. Conveniently, the universe’s greatest heroes nearly all live on Earth (a majority of them in and around New York City), making them relatively simple to assemble - allowing players to instead focus their attention on preventing Thanos from collecting the six Infinity Stones that he needs to power the Infinity Gauntlet and wreak havoc on the very fabric of reality.
Defeating the Mad Titan will require each player to optimize the strengths of the characters that they recruit into their team, while also coordinating with the other players to address additional threats that appear on the board, and mitigate the damage taken by their characters - all the while working together towards their ultimate, common goal.
Thanos Rising: Avengers Infinity War is a cooperative game for two to four players that features forty-two hero and villain cards, a variety of tokens and counters, and seventeen custom dice. Now, if I had my own Infinity Gauntlet (allowing me to bend the Universe to my every whim) I would use that power to create at least one expansion for this game, adding more hero and villain characters and support for a fifth player. OH! Yeah, I’d also fix all suffering in the world, of course. Sure, I mean, that’s a given. Obviously. But the expansion, yeah, that would be on the list, too.
Here’s something you should know about dog sledding: Huskies only have ONE setting and that is full speed! So, if you’re going to enter or a board game’s generic equivalent of the grueling Iditerod sledding race, it is CRITICAL that you master using your sled’s brakes - because once them dogs start running, they don’t stop.
Snow Tails is built around a card-based movement mechanism. Players each have a dog sled with two dogs and a brake. Each player has the same deck of cards (made up of five sets of cards numbered one through five) which they will shuffle and draw a hand of five cards from.
The courses that players navigate are built using modular track pieces, allowing a variety of different courses. But no matter the course they traverse, the goal is always the same: navigate wisely enough to be the first player to cross the finish line!
The game Do You Look Like Your Dog? wants to know “Why DO people look like their dogs?” This game explores the intense bonds we develop with our canine companions, to determine whether this facial phenomenon (which apparently is now wide spread enough that it can be considered a phenomenon?) is due to shared personality traits, barely suppressed narcissistic tendencies, or because people and their pets grow together over time, like old married couples?
In Do You Look Like Your Dog?, featuring photographs by Gerrard Gethings, players match dogs to owners and owners to dogs, and try to earn bones from other players, who vote on the best matches. Players have 30 seconds to state their case and bury their bones. But wait, just when you think you’re home free, the game’s press release states that you may find your opponent sneaking into your doghouse, and referring to you as a Shih Tzu. But, what do I know - I have no idea what’s going on anymore.
#GameOfTheDay #GamesOfTheWeek #BoardGames2020
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More board game component upgrades Chaz recommends: www.pairofdiceparadise.com/recommendations
Board game component upgrades sponsored in part by: TopShelfGamer.com
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[@zakkoehler6820]

Ironically, Thanos Rising was the first game of the year I played. :)

[@GameNightPicks]

We're tabletop twinsies! 😀😃

[@zakkoehler6820]

Chaz- Where did you get those Guardian Posters?

[@GameNightPicks]

It was a few years ago, but I think I found them on Amazon one day? They're actually printed on press board instead of paper, so they don't require frames. If I stumble across the page where I found them, I'll post the link.

[@richardsaunders9214]

In the comic book world, the infinity gauntlet was followed up by the infinity war and the infinity crusade. Maybe those could be the next expansions for a Thanos Rising? Oh yes, I have Thanos Rising.

[@martinlarouche4418]

I got Snow Tails last week on sale. I agree it's a great game. Wrapping your head around it's simple mechanism is not that easy however.

[@LeeroyPorkins]

There's also Empire Rising (Star Wars). Now we need: Cthulhu Rising, Sauron Rising, Zombies Rising, Xehanort Rising, Picolo Rising

[@GameNightPicks]

(cough cough) Cobra Rising (cough)

[@LeeroyPorkins]

@@GameNightPicks Skelator Rising, Alduin Rising

[@Jamuskin]

Just added Thanos Rising to my collection this Christmas

[@martinlarouche4418]

Thanos Rising has been on my wishlist for a while... but since i prefer Star Wars to Marvel and since it's Star Wars retheming as Dark Side Rising exists...

[@Quicksand2002]

I definitely agree I wish they would make an expansion for Thanos Rising. I mean the Harry Potter and Star Wars versions are nice, but I don’t really want to buy either when I have Thanos Rising.

[@zakkoehler6820]

If you contact USAOpoly they will send you promos for free if you don't already have them.

[@emmanuelcabuena9486]

Thanos Rising is an excellent game. I just don't like it when. I can't recruit any heroes for a few turns because of bad rolls. If you guys emai Usaopoly, they might mail you promo cards.

[@Shugenjya]

Veebug looks strange in this vid! :P

[@Hermes4939]

Snow Tails was always a game that looks great. :)

[@GameNightPicks]

It's a game that I think is worthy of a reprint. No word though as to if that's in the works.

[@gamera2351]

Does anyone else find Thanos Rising to be to easy? I've never even come close to losing that game. I don't like uber-difficult co-ops like Ghost Stories, but I don't like really easy games you know you will win either. I like that nice middle ground where you may or may not win, like Castle Panic.

[@norty6357]

I would double check the rules, only because I thought the game was a little too difficult and swingy based on dice. It’s been awhile since I played, but Thanos attacks everyone in the sector. That’s the nasty rule I remember. Then again, maybe I just stunk at that game 😀

[@GameNightPicks]

Our games have had about a 60/40 win/loss ratio. In most of the games we've lost, I'll agree it's seemed easy up to that point, and then we ran into a string of bad luck that completely decimates us. (But those losses didn't feel too luck-driven.)

[@zakkoehler6820]

It can swing on a dime especially if you have bad guys in every quadrant to start the game

[@axhindtroll]

Hey Chaz, it's good to see Filthy Rich, even if it's only for a few seconds, I just got it for Christmas (finally)

[@nikolajbuch5245]

Do I look like my dog - I think not. Yes it is a naked Xoloitzcuintle, and yes I am bald, but... she has fur on her tail and I most certainly have not (at least only a little...)