In this article I will talk about the game "The Pursuit of Happiness" . I will say right away that I did not play purely in the basic version, but immediately mixed both additions, so I will talk about the game with add-ons. Grab some tea, cookies, and we'll get started. WHAT IS THE GAME ABOUT?  The Pursuit of Happiness is a Euro game for 1-5 players (5th player added in add-on) that simulates the life of a real person. The game lasts up to 8 rounds, which are divided into three periods: teenager, adult and senior. This game is a sandbox where you are free to create your own destiny. SHORT RULES Each round, the player has an average of 6 actions (their number may increase or decrease), which he spends on "living" his life. You place your hourglass token on one of the actions and perform it. You can get 3 units of one of four types of resources (knowledge, creativity, communication and money).  You can start any projects or hobbies. Projects are short-term (they are done once and reset), shared (multiple players can participate in them, for example, "start a music group" or "found a political party"), and long-term (these projects remain with the player until he masters the skill , such as "start writing a novel" or "learn to play the guitar"). You can also buy various items, get pets and many other interesting things. As soon as we move into the "adult" stage, things like "getting a job," "starting a relationship," and "working overtime" are open to us.  The job will earn the player money every round as long as he fulfills its requirements. You can start a relationship, and in the future create a family and have a child.  Work Overtime: The player gets two extra actions, but also increases their stress level. As soon as the players enter the "summer" stage, this opportunity is closed for them.  Also, players can travel to different places and participate in community projects, increasing their popularity. You can go to the city Saturday festival or take part in a quest. All this increases your popularity and brings resources and victory points.  Two important scales in the game are Mood and Stress. For a good mood, players receive a discount on the implementation of projects, and for a bad one, on the contrary, they have to pay extra. Stress is probably the most important scale. A high level of stress robs players of action, and if a player crosses the red line, their character dies and it's game over for them. "Old" players automatically accumulate stress, so if you want to live longer, I recommend a healthy lifestyle (but this is optional - you are free to live as you wish). Eventually the game ends after 8 rounds or as soon as the last player's character dies. PROS OF THE GAME Simple rules. The game is a placement of workers, so there should be no problems with the rules. You can play even with beginners. Atmosphere. With the right approach, players seem to be living real life. You can become a famous blogger, a great lawyer or just a great family man. You can simply travel to different parts of the world or improve in different fields of science. Players can do whatever they want (if there are enough resources, of course). CONS The need for imagination. This game should be played like a life simulator. Some players play it like regular Euro, and from the mechanics point of view it is too simple, so it is quite boring for such players to play it. IMPRESSION Overall, I liked the game. After watching years of gameplays of various bloggers who fully played their lives, the game seems incredibly atmospheric. Either I have a problem with imagination, or I play it like another Euro, but I personally did not succeed in playing my role. If you like simple Euros or the computer game The Sims, I definitely recommend it...

 According to the official description, Legacy of Dragonholt is a narrative adventure game for 1-6 people. In fact, this is not an RPG and not even a tabletop as such. It's a big story book, kind of like the game books from the 1980s. The stories are divided between 5 small quest books and one thick one dedicated to the adventures in the village. Inside - numbered paragraphs. You read the specified paragraph, then choose one of the suggested actions, and then move on to the next specified paragraph. What is unusual is the creation of your character; approximately as in role-playing games, only according to a simplified model. You choose a race and profession from a large list, invent a name and biography for the character. After that, you choose a set of skills for him - and this very point will greatly affect the gameplay: the range of actions available to the character in the game depends on these skills. Fictional example: you want to cross a river, but the bridge has collapsed? Is there agility or athleticism? No? Do nothing, stay on the other side. Stop - maybe there is alchemy to create an ice bridge? Great, go ahead. This spectrum gives the game great flexibility. Of course, to some extent; the plot is still scripted, and you are just a character in the story.  During the game, you can learn new skills, as well as temporarily lose them. You can also find or buy items: this is a small deck of cards that either directly benefit or move the plot branches. Periodically during interactions, as well as after completing quests, you will have to make a corresponding mark (say, A5), which can play an important role later ("If you have A5, then... otherwise..."). Thanks to this, the game "remembers" the choices you made and the plot changes accordingly; brilliantly simple mechanics Sometimes it leads to unnecessary fuss, but for the most part it works with a bang. The difference between "Legacy of Dragonholt" and ordinary game books lies in the skills and marks. A simple and elegant system. The layout and assembly of the game is almost instantaneous; it is enough to open the desired page of the book and continue to follow the story, and, after a break, just make a bookmark. As for the plot as a whole and the NPCs, the game does not go beyond standard fantasy, but they are written well, so that you are guaranteed an exciting read and interesting choices.  The game also welcomes roleplay; make decisions that are like your character, rather than what seems true to you personally. Several times I doubted whether my character was doing the right thing, but I gave in to him. As a result, everything descended into chaos, which I myself certainly would not have wanted, but all the fault lay with my stupid cat person... in general, it turned out great. Although the game is formally designed for 1-6 participants, I would not advise playing with three or more; it's like reading a book together. The two of them are quite normal, but ideally alone. The retail price of $59 is clearly overpriced. It makes sense to take only with a discount. In addition, the game is essentially one-time, the main plot branches out minimally. Although, you may not see all the side quests the first time, and you certainly won't explore the entire village. It is also worth noting that the game has LGBT moments: some may not like it. I would like to believe that there will still be games based on the "Oracle" system; A Cthulhu, Android, or Twilight of the Empire setting would be perfect. In general, it is not cheap, but a pleasant book-game, which you can read to relax after a busy day...

 Hi to all! Over the past few days, we've received a ton of great games. Therefore, we are very pleased to inform you about fresh arrivals and product updates in our store. Get acquainted with the novelties and what's new in Lelekan-chiku. Hurry up, the games are great and will satisfy all tastes, be the first in time)..

ABOUT THE GAME  Dice Throne: Santa vs Krampus pits the hero of Christmas against his evil opposite. The game is independent; other boxes from the Dice Throne series are not required.  In this dueling game, players take turns rolling their character's custom dice pool—and can reroll up to 3 times—then distribute the rolled results to the abilities of the characters they want to activate. Landing a certain combination of symbols on the dice will allow more powerful versions of these abilities to be used. So, for example, the more ax symbols you throw out when using Santa's "Chop the Christmas tree" ability, the more damage the enemy will receive.  During battle, players can enhance their abilities using their character's decks of cards, replacing or enhancing certain abilities on the board. In addition to enhancement cards, each character's deck also has action cards that can be used to change roll results or gain some sort of advantage. The winner is the one who first reduces the opponent's life to zero. ABOUT THE CHARACTERS Santa Claus, Father Christmas, beats the enemy while doing traditional holiday activities: cutting down the Christmas tree, relaxing by the fireplace, playing with the reindeer and drinking the Christmas Egg-Nig cocktail. The sinister Krampus is in charge of deception and punishment.  Santa is an aggressive hero. He has a bit of draw and control, but even that he converts into extra damage in an attempt to end the game as quickly as possible. Despite the not-so-successful combinations of the required symbols and abominable defense, he can kill the opponent quickly - even on turn 5 if everything goes well, and his powerful ultimate allows you to deal a lot of damage if the opponent does not respond with anything. Unfortunately, it is not difficult to stop Santa, and then he will stomp in place, unless he is very unlucky. But if you like to put pressure on your opponents, then Santa is for you.  Krampus is no less aggressive than Santa, but he relies not only on large numbers of damage, but on his cute minions - the so-called "rejects" (Rejects), who do damage for him. Krampus is mediocre at best for the first few turns, but once he builds his engine, he can keep up with even the strongest Dice Throne heroes. Kind of like Doctor Strange (only his cards deal damage in a separate deck, not in the main deck), so if you like Strange, Krampus can fit in too...

 Hello, today we received a lot of great games, and we will immediately share the news with you! ..

 Hi to all! Over the past few days, we've received a ton of great games. Therefore, we are very pleased to inform you about fresh arrivals and product updates in our store. Get acquainted with the novelties and what's new in Lelekan-chiku. Hurry up, the games are great and will satisfy all tastes, be the first in time)..

Hello, today we received a lot of great games, and we will immediately share the news with you!..

 Nicholas is approaching, and Lelekan will help you choose a wonderful gift. A bunch of novelties and time-tested world hits came to us again. So it's time to update your collection...

Hello, today we received a lot of great games, and we will immediately share the news with you!..

 The world needs more board games spawned by nature documentaries. I think it wouldn't hurt designers to try on the theme of hostile creatures more often in their games. Kelp is Carl Robinson's first original work, developed and published in association with Wonderbow Games. Deeply asymmetric in design, Kelp pits a shark against a squid among seaweed, a cat-and-mouse game for two players. Deck building vs. bag building. Cards vs Dice. Lego (at least for a moment) vs. Mahjongg. OCTOPUS Squid game is a survival game. The kelp forest is divided into a 3 × 3 grid, each containing a tile facing the squid player. One tile is a squid. Other tiles are shells, traps and (potentially) squid food.  Players choose two actions in any combination: play a card, return a card to the hand limit, or discard to hide an exposed tile. Each card has a face value. Actions include learning (adding cards to the deck), swapping adjacent tiles, randomly shuffling tiles, hiding tiles, and eating. A squid has two goals: survive and/or eat. If the shark is exhausted in the hunt, then the squid wins. Eating all four food options also results in an instant win for the squid. However, in order to eat, the player with the tentacles must first add a food card and tile to the game through learning, and then reveal the location of the squid and food after eating. Each food consumed adds strength, creating all the motivation needed to relieve tension.  Aside from stealth, the squid's only weapons are traps. If the shark ever discovers the trap, it will have consequences that will affect the state of the field. Traps can also be obtained through training. SHARK The shark's moves are a bit more procedural, but also pretty simple. Toothy takes out two dice from the bag, which he throws and uses. The blue cubes placed along the lines of motion represent the currents that move the shark outside the designated space. When the currents are arranged on the map in descending order, they provide a chain movement. Yellow dice reveal squid tiles if they are tossed high enough to exceed the success threshold. The red dice, which also require successful rolls, allow you to strike a secret configuration of squid tiles.  If the squid itself is successfully hit, players engage in a battle of wits to decide the game. The squid has three special action cards for this circumstance, the shark has a counter card. Both players secretly choose a card and reveal it. If there is a match, the shark counterattacks and wins. The discrepancy allows the squid to perform an evasive maneuver while continuing the game. However, after this first duel, the matching set is removed, leaving only two matching cards and therefore a 50-50 chance of the next shark strike. The third strike is a guaranteed victory for the shark. The shark builds strength in two ways. Search dice used and the first activated current die in a turn are used to activate a series of abilities, each of which requires three dice to unlock. During the game, the shark gets the opportunity to roll the dice and improve with ease. The second way is the one-time ability card market. Any unused dice on the shark's turn go into their wallet, which the shark uses to make purchases based on the number of points. After three dice, a purchase is required. These market cards also add dice to the bag, shifting the balance towards search and strike.  The shark's weakness, however, is the eight-cube lane, which leads to exhaustion. Hit dice used automatically land on this track (removing them from the game). Each card purchase also permanently puts one die on the track. If you do the math, you'll see that upgrades and attack are limited. The shark must move with hasty precision. EXPERIENCE Playing Shark is an internal conflict from start to finish. You want to set the available current points on the board for the future, but you also want to use them early and often to activate those flips. You want to shop early and often for special cards and extra strike dice, but those purchases will lead to exhaustion and an early death if you also have a lot of terrible rolls in your wallet. When you have hit dice, it's tempting to blindly attack on a good hunch, but there are only so many opportunities to swing before you run out of gas. The squid game ends. Anything you want to do that is of any value requires you to disclose some information to the shark. It's very tempting to eat, but once you reveal your position, you must have cards to hide, shuffle and swap them to safety, or your opponent will eat you next.  Not only are the mechanics asymmetric, but so are the behaviors required on both sides. Every turn when the shark feels desperate, it's like you know your time is up from the moment the first die hits the exhaustion track. Even the fact that you have to swim forward all the time ("around" is prohibited) tickles the nerves. A squid, on the other hand, must remain calm, cool, and collected—or it will die of impatience. An untimely bite when the supporting arm is weak will only create a source of anxiety and a great opportunity for the enemy. As much as I love the feel of Kelp, I think people will be disappointed that the last moment of the game depends on flipping the map like an old school game of war. I understand the psychology of conflict: it's obviously best to move the shark to the other side of the board, but the shark knows that. Actually, the shark knows that I know that the shark knows, so I have to do it anyway, because that's the last thing the shark expects. The solution is always interesting, but that doesn't necessarily make it exciting. I think it fits the theme well, so I wouldn't suggest changes, but I wonder what the final answer will be. A great deal of systematic work can unravel in a hurry if the "wrong" map sees the light of day.  For all I know, my second potential problem may already be solved. I feel both sides, but especially the calamari, could use a little more spice. I'm not quite sure where it's needed, but it's needed. Team Wonderbow has already announced an additional deck of cards with a race for secondary objectives and long-term advantages. Maybe that's the answer, but the overall collection of action makes you wonder if there might not be another trick up one of the squid's many sleeves or something else to liven up the fact that your ultimate goal is hiding in the first place. Speaking of squid, eating as a strategy is an exercise in self-flagellation. In our first couple games when I was a shark, no one tried to do this. The cost seems too high. When I finally sat down like a squid, I went for it. When I raised my head to eat, I had hide and seek, swapping and shuffling. My location was compromised for the rest of the game. I lost. After that, I hesitated to do it again. Even with shuffling cards in hand, there were so many exposed tiles on the board that it was difficult to get back to the safety of the seaweed. I feel like a squid shouldn't try to eat unless all the food is added to the log, unleashing a maddened, overindulgent sprint to the finish line. Studying these food tiles on the map (even if the phrase is grammatically unclear) is the perfect way to put pressure on the shark and create an exciting duel. Squid maps have a delicate balance. If it is too easy to hide the tiles, the squid will live in an impenetrable secret. If the task is too big, the shark will have a full belly. Once you settle into that pocket, the difficulty with the squid is how passive the turns can be. There are back-to-back hide turns to just get through the deck and hopefully make the perfect hand. Such patience may not be for everyone. It wasn't for all my opponents. Shark definitely has options and feels more active from the start. It's just a matter of weighing priorities against the pressure of a ticking clock. I appreciate the extent to which Mr. Robinson imbues Kelp with the personalities of his characters. This sea teems with idiosyncrasies. ALGAE FOREST Kelp is every bit as intriguing as I hoped it would be when I listed it as one of GenCon's most anticipated games. I have never played a game like this. I'm really excited to see the final production - the prototype is nice (even the spare Lego shark is adorable). I am interested in the campaign and any possible future announcements...