Lords Of Fyre, новое видео FEUERSCHWANZ & LORD OF THE LOST, доступно для просмотра ниже.
#Feuerschwanz #FolkRock #Folk_Rock #FolkMetal #Folk_Metal
Видео: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJnlT_7YWmg
В ноябре в прокат выходит сиквел Ридли Скотта "Гладиатор 2" с Педро Паскалем, Полом Мескалом и Дензелом Вашингтоном. К участию в промо-кампании, которую проводит Paramount Pictures, присоединилась команда Ferrari.
На официальном сайте чемпионата продолжают серию весёлых интервью с гонщиками, и этот раз на вопросы отвечал Лиам Лоусон, вернувшийся за руль меньше месяца назад...
#55 Enlightenment - How to Let Go of Our Suffering & Live
The post #55 Enlightenment – How to Let Go of Our Suffering & Live appeared first on Enlightenment Podcast.
In 2005, Amazon introduced its Prime Free Shipping program. This yearly subscription program promised free two-day shipping on any purchase the subscriber made from Amazon. Five years later, 13% of Amazon’s 130 million active users are Prime members. More significantly, 20% of the subscribers who purchased products from Amazon in the last twelve months are Prime subscribers. These Prime subscribers purchase two to three times as much as non-Prime subscribers over the course of a year. This Performance innovation removes an impediment to purchasing on Amazon. In fact, it increases the odds greatly that online purchases will be made on Amazon rather than on a competitive site. This has been a blockbuster innovation for Amazon. The innovation holds a special appeal to the larger customers in the market. The Prime subscribers may also offer Amazon an entry into a business that it has longed to gain, for several years, subscription video rentals. It appears that Amazon will introduce a streaming video product for its Prime subscribers. This new product will not cost the Prime subscribers any more than their normal subscription. Netflix’s Watch Instantly service cost about $96 a year so Amazon may have a price advantage on Netflix. Of course, Convenience and Price are only important provided Amazon offers equivalent Function, that is, streaming video content. We don’t know about that yet. Still, Amazon has proven to be an innovative company who can find ways to build a business in non-traditional ways. It continues to grab market share in the retail business.
Alright, today we're going to cover some common questions you may have
about the Stage Shredded Status DVD's before
they sell out...
==> Click here to learn how this transformation went down...
If you've seen the video but have some questions before ordering:
Question: Is SSS a documentary of Vince Delmonte's transformation or is there an actual program included?
Answer: Yes, SSS includes an entire program (covered on 3 of the 8
disks) and it was filmed with former NFL lineman and NPC level
bodybuilder Ryan Watson! They are both pretty jacked up in this workout
so it's pretty motivating too!
What Vince is going to do for
anyone who orders is send you the printable workout sheets of the Stage
Shredded Status workout program! Just email him your receipt to the help
desk for proof of purchase!
You'll love this program because
it relies on a variance of rep ranges to target, specifically, the Type
11a & Type 1a muscle fibers which create the training effect of
hypertrophy and strength-endurance. The combos generate a lot of lactate
to boost growth hormone levels to assist in fat loss. You don't do
super heavy loads because heavy lifting does not involve enough
mechanical stress to promote fat loss.
Plus, you would not normally
lift super heavy when you get leaner because your joints have less fluid
and fat to protect them from the bigger forces.
Question: What if I have more than 50 lbs to lose?
Answer: Heck, Vince had 30 lbs to lose so you're programming
is going to be no different than his. The only difference is that you have an extra 8-10 weeks to travel. Let's go!
==> Get 6-Pack Abs By Summertime!
Question: Is SSS for a complete beginner?
Answer: If Vince only cared about selling his DVD's I would say yes but
if you have less than one year experience in his crazy fitness world,
you'll probably find his approach a little too hardcore for now. Sit
this one up unless you're absolutely intrigued to see how this goes
down.
The weight training program is far too advanced and you
would be better off learning the nutritional principles in No Nonsense
Muscle Building, which focuses on a balanced approach to eating. You
need to master a balanced
approach before implementing some of the more advanced things they did.
Question: I noticed you had an ENTIRE cupboard full of supplements.
Am I supposed to take all of those?!?!
Answer: When it comes to supplementation, that's a personal choice.
In the DVD's Vince explains WHY he takes what he takes and encourages
you to just sit back and consider it an educational experience. Then, as
you choose, start to add one new supplement a month and measure
the
response. There are SO MANY supplements he's interested in trying
himself but he likes to add one new thing at a time so he will get there
when he gets there.
Question: What if I only have 10 lbs of fat to lose?
Answer: Again, the same principles apply and you'll learn how Vince
adjusted his cardio intensity and frequency as he gets closer to the
show to ensure he does not lose muscle the last few weeks.
You'll see EXACTLY how he changed his diet from phase to phase (He
changed it three times throughout the 16 weeks) and you'll see some
creative ways to switch around your macros and food sources
that assist with fat loss, WITHOUT dropping your calories.
==> Get 6-Pack Abs By Summertime!
Question: Is Ben Pakulski in any of the DVD's?
Answer: YES! The first 2 DVDs start off in Toronto when Vince is
looking pretty bulky and they get 2 hours of coaching on the gym floor
with Ben & Intentions! If you bought MI40 then you already have this
footage but it's worth reviewing and owning it on hardcopy. I know that
every time I watch this footage, I re learn something new and then
BOOM, I have a better workout!
If you don't have this footage,
heck, the first 2 hours is worth 3x the price of the DVDs because Ben
bills $150 an hour! This is the kind of information that propelled him
into the ranks of the top ten bodybuilders in the world this past month!
Question: How long are the DVDs on sale?
Answer: It depends... we have about 550 left in stock now and the $50
off sale ends Sunday night or whenever he sells out... Whatever comes
first.
Trust that helps and THANK YOU for your interest in
Vince's work. This is, by far, the best fat loss resource he's ever
released. Grab it while you can!
Here is the $50 Off Discount link to get your DVDs shipped right now!
Get 6-Pack Abs By Summertime!
P.S. Vince ships all over the world!
The Facts You Need To Know About Supplements that have proprietary blends.
Nearly 75% of the world population takes some type of supplement each day. There are literally thousands of brands and millions of products to choose from. Is there really a difference between them?
The FDA allows questionable fillers and binders such as; cork by products, chemical FD&C dyes, sodium benzoate, dextrose, ethycellulose, and propylene glycol to name only a few. Although these ingredients may be legal, what are the nutritional benefits? Reports have indicate that some of these ingredients can be toxic at certain levels with prolong use.
The FDA does not monitor the contents or purity of a supplement nor the source of a nutritional ingredient.
Purity: What does it really mean? ---Defined: The quality or state of being pure or unmixed with any other element.
In most cases, Impure ingredients are used by many companies. The FDA does not require manufacturers to list these ingredients (on the nutritional labels) if they are not added when making the final dosage form. Many times the raw materials may contain only 90% or less of the listed ingredients along with 10% or more corn starch and lactose. Lactose and corn are known allergens for some people. These items have been known to cause digestive disturbances and weaken the immune system. A conscientious company will not compromise the integrity of a product with such raw materials. There are 3 types of grades but, we are going to talk about 1 here for the purpose of this article.
1. Pharmaceutical Grade supplements meet exacting pharmaceutical production standards.
Pharmaceutical Grade supplements are manufactured to a very high standards of potency, purity, dissolution, and a higher degree of bioavailability – the degree at which the vitamin is absorbed into a living system.The term pharmaceutical grade was originally taken from the standard of certification of the facilities in which pharmaceutical grade supplements were made. Pharmaceutical grade also refers to the ingredients in the supplement. Pharmaceutical grade vitamins meet the highest standards for purity and concentration.
Finally, pharmaceutical grade supplements have a high bioavailability. This means that when you take a pharmaceutical grade products, your body absorbs an optimal amount of nutrients. Better nutrient absorption means greater health benefits.
If you want to know what supplements to buy, look for the "GMP" or "CPMG" stamps on the container. These two stamps indicate that they were manufactured in a pharmaceutical company. Be careful with products that have proprietary blends. Proprietary blends have ingredients that are not listed on the container so you really don't know what you are consuming.
choose-health.org
pharmanutrients.com 2009
healingedge.net 2012
Quick, guess the lighting.
If you said two lights, and use of high-speed sync to get the shallow depth of field, that's a pretty good guess.
If you said zero lights and a rigid high-efficiency reflector, that's an even better (and correct) guess.
When working with an inexperienced assistant — or looking to introduce someone to the world of off-camera lighting — a rigid/high-efficiency reflector is a fantastic and inexpensive place to start.
Read more »
Hey gang, it’s David. It’s been a while!
In 2021, I archived Strobist as a completed project. I can’t honestly say that I’ve missed the breakneck pace of running a solo site. But I’ve definitely missed interacting with so many cool people all of the time.
That said, I am still teaching. X-Peditions gives me the twin advantages much smaller class sizes, plus being in Hanoi every fall. And that’s been wonderful.
Better yet, my new schedule has given me the breathing room to be able build my current project. Like Strobist, this project is designed for photographers. But unlike this website, it has nothing at all to do with flash.
Today I’m introducing my new book, The Traveling Photographer’s Manifesto. It aspires to be for traveling photographers what Strobist always tried to be for lighting photographers.
The premise of the book is that your camera can, and should, be much more than just a pricey recording device when you travel. It can also serve as a passport, opening up new connections and possibilities that otherwise might not have happened.
Using a photo trip to Southeast Asia as a framework, the book walks through many things that you can do to help this to happen.
I have uploaded three documents to help you to know if TTPM might be suited for you:
1. A 5-minute summary: This will quickly give you a feel for the book.
2. A 27-page supplement: Only a small portion of the book, which is unillustrated, is about camera operation. This visual supplement is available for readers who are more visual learners. And it will give you a quick skim of parts 4 and 5.
3. A sample chapter: How to become more comfortable meeting and engaging with people as a photographer.
As you'll see from the summary, most of the book is not about camera operation at all. It’s more about the countless little things that working photojournalists do while on assignment that an enthusiast might not think of.
These little habits, taken together, can start to form the impression of a photographer being consistently, conspicuously lucky. When in reality, luck had very little to do with it.
So, if this is the sort of thing that interests you, I hope you’ll give the book a spin. It is available now, on Amazon.com worldwide.
Just as with Strobist, I welcome your feedback from this project as well. My email is listed on the copyright page and elsewhere. And of course, I will read and take to heart every Amazon review. Because my goal is for the project to continue to evolve and improve over time, just as the material on this website did.
Thanks for your interest, and for your readership of Strobist. As always, please say hi at any time on Twitter at @Strobist.
Cheers,
David
The Traveling Photographer’s Manifesto (Amazon.com)
Hi Everyone, it's me, Grace. You might remember that a couple of years ago I earned my Canine Good Citizen award with my foster dad. Well, my mom said to me about a month ago, "Hey Grace, I know you already know this stuff, but what do you say you and I take the Canine Good Citizen test again?" So I told her I would do it again, just for her if it would make her feel good.
So we practiced all these things like sitting, staying, coming, not pulling on the leash, and passing by dogs nicely without staring at them. I didn't mind it at all, because she gave me lots of treats for doing it.
This past weekend I went with my family to this place with a ton of dogs. They called it a "dog show", but there was no TV there. Anyway, I had to wait for a long time and finally, I heard them call my me and my mom's names and we went into this fenced area. There was a lady with a blue shirt and she told my mom to have me do all these things. She kept saying "nice" after I did them.
After about 10 minutes of doing what she asked me to do, my mom looked very happy and gave me a delicious beef tendon and told me we had passed the Canine Good Citizen test. It was a great day.
Александр Буфетов, профессор РАН, рассказывает о Четвертой конференции математических центров России, прошедшей с 6 по 11 августа 2024 года в северной столице. Организатор — Санкт-Петербургский международный математический институт имени Леонарда Эйлера.
Сообщение «На рассвете, августовским утром…» Вольные заметки о IV конференции математических центров России появились сначала на Троицкий вариант — Наука.
Главным событием ближайших недель будут, конечно же, кометы: C/2023 A3 (Цзыцзиньшань — ATLAS) и C/2024 S1, также обнаруженная системой ATLAS 27 сентября 2024 года.
Астрономы обнаружили уникальную тройную звездную систему под названием TIC 290061484. «Трисолярис» (как в книге «Задача трех тел» Лю Цысиня) был обнаружен с помощью спутника NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
Последние исследования, проведенные с помощью спектрографа ESPRESSO, установленного на VLT (Очень Большом Телескопе) в обсерватории Паранал (ESO, Чили), после четырех лет наблюдений дали интересные результаты. У звезды Барнарда была обнаружена планета, получившая обозначение Barnard b. Этот мир, масса которого предположительно превышает массу Марса, относится к категории субземных планет.
Космический аппарат «Вояджер-2» вышел в межзвездное пространство в 2018 году. Для поддержания работы научных приборов стареющий космический аппарат, страдающий от сокращения запасов энергии, уже начал использовать небольшой резерв, предусмотренный бортовым механизмом безопасности. Поэтому инженеры миссии пришли к решению отключить один из приборов с целью сохранения общей работоспособности.
Изображение номера — пара взаимодействующих галактик Arp 107.
Сообщение Астроновости: кометы октября, рекордный «Трисолярис», планеты у Летящей Барнарда и продление жизни «Вояджера‑2» появились сначала на Троицкий вариант — Наука.
Любительская астрономия сегодня. Сюрприз микроквазара SS433, подробности миссии Artemis 3, пик солнечной активности… Слет специалистов по двукрылым. Дорога в космос. Принципу запрета Паули — сто лет. Революция в языке. Самоходные статуи в Сивцевом Вражке.
ТрВ-Наука № 416 от 5 ноября 2024 года в PDF
Материалы номера в HTML
Сообщение ТрВ № 22 (416) за 2024 г.: Не думай об аттосекундах свысока появились сначала на Троицкий вариант — Наука.
Learn Astral Projection Easily-CLICK HERE!
1. What is Astral Projection?
Astral Projection or Out-of-body experience is a process through which our consciousness leaves our physical body and is free to travel anywhere, unrestricted by our normal physical boundaries. We all unconsciously travel outside our bodies every night when we are asleep. But with the right guidance and practice, we can train ourselves to achieve this with 100% consciousness and awareness.
2. Is everyone able to do Astral Projection?
As I mentioned, everyone does Astral Traveling at night when they sleep. But since they are asleep, they are doing it unconsciously. And when they wake-up, their astral experiences get distorted and they feel they have just had a dream. But with training and guidance, almost anyone can have a conscious Astral Projection.
3. When one does Astral Traveling, what is it that "projects" out of his body?
We are made up of several bodies. The grossest and the densest body is our physical body. The next one is the etheric body or the astral body. This is much less dense compared to the physical body. So during Astral Traveling, it is the astral body that gets “projected”. I should also mention that for each these bodies, there is a corresponding “plane”. So there is a physical plane, astral plane and so on. So during Astral Projection, the astral body is projected into the astral plane.
4. Should we be really doing Astral Projection?
When we are born on this physical plane, we all come with a specific purpose. That purpose may be different for different people. But as we grow older, we forget why we are here. So we wander aimlessly and often end up wasting our lives.
Astral Projection is one way to help us know why we are here in the first place. So I sincerely feel we all should learn this amazing art and give a positive direction to our lives.
5. How much does Astral Projection cost?
You would be surprised, but there were actually 4 people who asked me this question!
The answer is - Astral Projection doesn’t cost you anything in terms of money. It is not something that you purchase. It is an art that you learn. The only real cost involved is your time, effort and dedication.
6. What is the best, easiest, infallible and fastest method that works for everyone?
Everyone is different, with different personalities and beliefs. So unfortunately, there is no best and easiest method that works for everyone. There are hundreds of Astral Projection techniques available. You need to see which one suits you best.
7. What are the best visualization techniques for reaching the vibration stage quickly?
As I said earlier, there is no best technique that will help everyone to achieve the vibration stage. However, Robert Monroe’s vibration technique is the most popular since many people have reported great success with it.
8. How can I learn to project quickly without having to take herbs such as Salvia
Divinorum?
I never recommend taking herbs or drugs to achieve Astral Projection. It is safest to practice without any external aids. Also, unfortunately, there is no “quick” way to achieve Astral Projection. You will require patience and dedication. But if you follow the right guidance, you can drastically cut down on your learning curve, and often see success in a few weeks instead of years. Also, I would recommend staying away from anyone who claims to teach you “techniques” that can help you project “instantly”
9. How to get into a trance easily for intentional OBEs
A good way to get into a trance is to comfortably lie down at night, and watch yourself going to sleep. Try to relax your physical body, but at the same time, try not to go to sleep. For the first few nights, you might end up sleeping. But with practice, you will learn how to control your mind and stay awake during the entire process.
10. Can Astral Projection actually be done?
Yes, Astral Projection is definitely possible, and can actually be done consciously. There are thousands and thousands of people who can do it at will.
移動映画館cinéma birdは東日本大震災以降に劇場の無い地域に劇場体験をお届けすべく鳥の様に自由に北海道から沖縄まで時には海を越えマダガスカルやパラグアイで飛んでいき開催してきました本来ならば今月の子供の日にもとある場所で開催予定だったのですが3月の段階で中止と言うか"無期延期"と判断しましたさてさてcinéma birdはいつも開催時に開場時間から開演時間の間にcinéma birdsなる出演者による即席bandを組みウェルカムソングを奏..
I had the opportunity to play a preview edition of Quests & Cannons: The Risen Islands from Short Hop Games in advance of the game’s upcoming Kickstarter campaign. Designed by Eric and Shannon Geller, the preview edition arrived in a bright and colorful cover box that hinted at the beautiful artwork within.
We got it on the table for a family game straightaway. As we unpacked the contents of the box, I was impressed with the quality of the wooden components. Especially for a preview copy, everything was incredibly well made and sturdy, which speaks to the care and enthusiasm Eric and Shannon have put into the game. The illustrations on the components are just lovely! The artists (Lily Yao Lu, Tony Carter, Regis Torres, Sita Duncan, and Lilia Sitailo) did a really great job integrating the theme into the materials.
Quests & Cannons is very easy to setup and the rules are straightforward, so you can get started playing pretty quickly; no one is going to be stuck spending an hour reviewing the rules upfront. The only thing you really need to work out is whether you want to play the game solo, cooperatively, free for all, or in teams. Regardless of the mode you choose, you’ll sit down as a leader of a kingdom, tasked with bringing prosperity (i.e. victory points) to your people as you explore new islands that have suddenly cropped up in the sea. The revelation of the islands has coincided with devastating famine and drought hitting the kingdoms to varying degrees, so you’re also on a quest to find a way to reverse these plagues.
And since prosperity can be gained through attacking other leaders during explorations, you’ll need to be thinking about battle defense and offense. My kids are teens, so they handled the attacks pretty well, but your mileage may vary with your youngsters, depending on their age and temperament.
The underlying mechanics of the game are pretty simple:
Players can do three actions on a turn, choosing freely between move, gather resources, and attack.
All of the how-to and particulars governing these actions are detailed in the rulebook (and in video play-throughs online). Variability in movement rules, attack/defense power, and resource storage capacity is dictated for each player by the leader card they’ve chosen at the beginning of the game (each one comes with special powers and differing stats) and the upgrades performed on their ship.I did find a few issues with the mechanics for the Geller team to address before the final version is distributed:
Outside of these issues, I recommend Quests & Cannons as a family game for gateway gamers (i.e. new to the hobby) or those who gravitate toward light strategy games. It’s kid-friendly and there isn’t any analysis paralysis inherent in the game. It plays in under 90 minutes, gives kids exposure to different play modes within the same game, tackles conflict resolution, and comes with a variety of board layouts to keep things interesting over multiple plays. Note that this is not a game I’d recommend for players who prefer deeper strategy. Highly experienced gamers drawn to seafaring themes and beautiful artwork can find similar mechanisms with a bit more depth and complexity in other games such as Islebound (designed by Ryan Laukat from Red Raven Games).
-------------------------------------------------
Publisher: Short Hop Games
Players: 1-6 (We played with 4 and 5)
Actual Playing Time (vs the guideline on the box): about 90 minutes per game
Game type: pick-up and deliver,hand management, action points, kid-friendly, solo
Rating for Gateway Gamers:
Rating for Advanced Board Gamers:
Rating scale:
OUI: I would play this game again; this game is ok. I probably would not buy this game myself but I would play it with those who own it and if someone gave it to me I would keep it.
OUI OUI: I would play this game again; this game is good. I would buy this game.
OUI OUI OUI: I LOVE THIS GAME. I MUST HAVE THIS GAME.
NON: I would not play this game again. I would return this game or give it away if it was given to me.
I really love the card game Lost Cities, designed by Reiner Knizia. When my husband Christopher and I were first getting to know each other, we used to meet up at Starbucks sometimes and play games. Lost Cities was one of our frequent picks. It’s a head to head, two player game in which both players are trying to outscore each other by laying down ascending runs of card suits on a small board between the two of them. There’s a theme laid over the mechanism (completing expeditions in the lost world) but it’s basically pasted on and so that is the last we will speak of it. So there we were, newly in love, eyeing each other across the table, smiling and flirting, and doing our best to beat one another at Lost Cities. It was awesome. And now, with the roll & write genre having made an impressive rebound a few years ago (let’s not forget the mechanism has actually been around since the 50s with Yatzee), Knizia has ported his award winning game Lost Cities into this format, releasing Lost Cities Roll & Write in 2021.
You can play the new Lost Cities with up to 5 players, but in an ode to our romantic beginnings, Christopher and I played it exclusively with one another in successive matches. The components are compact, lacking the pretty illustrations of the original game, and few in number – the rule book, a scorepad, three pentagonal trapezohedron dice (that’s 10 sided dice for the uninitiated), and three 6 sided custom dice with color suit symbols. Oh, and some pencils. That’s it. We could have played on an even smaller Starbucks table if we had this back in our dating days.
The cards from the original game (wager cards and numbered cards 2 to 10, in five different suits) have been translated into dice roll results. On each turn, one player rolls all the dice and chooses one of the six sided dice to represent the suit and one of the ten sided dice to represent the number. A zero on the number die can represent either zero (mimicking the wager card from the original game which serves as a multiplier for the total score in the selected suit) or ten (mimicking the highest card in each suit).
In place of the tableau built up on a central board, each player tracks the progress of wager and number cards they’ve collected for each suit in color coded columns on their individual score sheet. Wager cards have been transformed into little circular boxes to be marked off from a suit column when rolled, while the numbered cards from the original game have expanded to include the number 1 and are recorded as numbers written manually in the square boxes running up each column. Whereas in the original game, only cards higher than the last card played in a suit were permitted to be played on subsequent turns by the same player, in Lost Cities Roll & Write, numbers that are higher than or equal to the last number recorded for a suit may be written into the column after future dice rolls. Expanding beyond the concepts from the original game, Knizia has included artifact icons on select spaces in each column and when those spaces are filled by a player, they may fill in one of the jars in the artifact column. Likewise, he’s included arrow icons on select spaces and when those spaces are filled by a player, they may fill in the next box in one of their suit columns with the number from the previous box in the column – note that it does not have to be the same column in which the arrow was filled. There’s also a column for filling in dice shapes to represent rolls where a player could not or did not want to use any of the dice results. The latter column is particularly tricky to manage effectively, as it provides a similar point progression as the rest of the columns (negative scores for the first 3 boxes filled and then positive score for the rest) up until the last box in the column. If you color in that box, your score for the dice shapes column drops from 70 to 0. The bonus points awarded in the original game (20 points for laying down at least 8 cards in a suit) have been implemented in Lost Cities Roll & Write for each column (including the artifact and dice shape columns) as a 20 point bonus to the player who is the first to fill in 7 boxes in the column on the scorepad. The roll & write game ends when either both players have filled in the dice shapes column completely or all eight columns have passed the bonus point marker. In our experience, the completed dice shapes column is a much more common trigger.
I’ve played a ton of roll & write games over the past few years. Some are instant objects of adoration, while others are infuriating piles of poo (I’m looking at you Imperial Settlers R&W). Lost Cities Roll & Write is fantastic; a great addition to the genre. Knizia did an excellent job of translating the feel of the original game into the new mechanism. The iconography is clean and easy to read and the game can be taught and played in less than a half hour. And of course, it takes up very little table real estate, making it perfect for travel or tight spaces (when traveling as a passenger, simply roll the dice into the box cover). If you twisted my arm and forced me to choose between Lost Cities or Lost Cities Roll & Write, I’d be forced to pick the original, but only because of the lovely artwork on the cards and the sentimental value I have attached to the game after my love and I played it in our early days. But who would go around doing such arm twisting? Nobody. Therefore, with a retail price point under $15 for each of these, unless you’re down to your last $15, I recommend you pick up both. Play the card game with someone you love when you have a little more table space. Play the roll & write anywhere, with up to four additional friends.
-------------------------------------------------
Publisher: Kosmos
Players: 2-5 (We played with 2)
Actual Playing Time (vs the guideline on the box): about 20 minutes per game
Game type: roll & write, dice rolling
Rating:
Rating scale:
OUI: I would play this game again; this game is ok. I probably would not buy this game myself but I would play it with those who own it and if someone gave it to me I would keep it.
OUI OUI: I would play this game again; this game is good. I would buy this game.
OUI OUI OUI: I LOVE THIS GAME. I MUST HAVE THIS GAME.
NON: I would not play this game again. I would return this game or give it away if it was given to me.
The good folks at Stonemaier Games sent us a review copy of the newest expansion for Tapestry recently. We have the base game and the previous expansion, Plans and Ploys, in our game library. Arts & Architecture is designed by Jamey Stegmaier and Mike Young, with artwork by Andrew Bosley and landmark sculptures by Rom Brown. The expansion adds more of the familiar components: five new civilizations, six new capital city mats, 5 new landmark cards with landmarks, twenty new tapestry cards, and eleven new tech cards. Arts & Architecture also adds completely new features to the game, including an arts track with accompanying landmarks, twenty masterpiece cards, twenty inspiration tiles, and an upgraded science die to include iconography referencing the arts track.
The new arts development track is quite useful and thematically blends well with the overall concept of the game.
It gives you the opportunity to place more of your income buildings, score victory points for tech cards and exploration tiles, acquire masterpiece cards which provide benefits during income turns, and place inspiration tiles on your income mat over existing income tracks to improve the rewards gained during income turns. In the first few games I played (2 player), I concentrated heavily on the arts track, progressing to the end of it easily before game end, all the while also making steady progress on two of the base development tracks.
In the most recent game (4 player), I didn’t use the arts track much at all, which was a huge mistake, landing me in third place while the frontrunners leaned on the arts track significantly. I’ve previously noted in my review of Tapestry (https://www.thatswhatjennisaid.com/2020/07/board-game-review-tapestry.html) and Tapestry Plans and Ploys (https://www.thatswhatjennisaid.com/2020/12/board-game-review-tapestry-plans-and.html) that to win the game, you must diversify and progress on at least two tracks simultaneously, but to be careful trying to do much more than that or you’ll spread yourself too thin. With this expansion, I’ll amend that to note you’re unlikely to win the game unless you focus on the arts track as well as two of the base development tracks, as the arts track is really an enhancer for all the other tracks. It will be interesting to see how development track focus will need to be adapted when Stonemaier releases additional expansions for the game (anticipating a religion track at minimum; every civilization has its religious scholars).
The additions to the tapestry deck include a new ability type - continuous. These abilities begin when played and continue for the duration of the game instead of just the current era. There are also new tapestry cards that allow you to place landmarks on them for scoring as an alternative to placing the landmarks on the capital city (or on the map as some civ powers allow you to do). I did not have a chance to play any of the continuous tapestry cards during my recent games (although they look useful), and I passed over playing any of the landmark tapestry cards I acquired as they did not seem as beneficial as the other tapestry cards I had in my hand. I don’t think I’m a big fan of any of the cards that let you place landmarks on the for points (including the new tech cards with this feature); I prefer to prioritize my city map for landmark placement first. Maybe I’m just doing it wrong, but I haven’t made use of my landmark cards at all, even in the games where I won by a large margin. They seem to be an entirely optional aspect of the game and not necessary for a win.
One more change with the Arts & Architecture expansion is another refinement of the civilization adjustments first introduced in the Plans and Ploys expansion. This fine tuning of civilization powers comes as a result of extensive real-world player testing and aims to rebalance the game for greater fairness. I think it might need further refinements because my husband Chris played the Architects civilization in our last game and the adjustment afforded him 30 VPs at the start of the game as some sort of handicap to balance out perceived weakness, but his city mat was so perfectly attuned to his civilization (the mesa) that he won in a landslide (80 points above the second place player).
Overall, I think that the Arts & Architecture expansion is a great addition to the Tapestry portfolio. It adds more variety, layers in additional ways to strategize and score, and provides some new opportunities for player interaction on the map, without causing any additional complexity. While it’s not a must have for the base game, it’s certainly a nice-to-have addition that I’m happy to recommend.
Beyond the details of the new expansion, I did want to take this opportunity to mention that with repeated plays of the base game as well as across the expansions, I’ve noticed that 4 player games are much more competitive than two player games (at least in our household). There isn’t a single time Chris and I have played the game by ourselves that I haven’t walloped him by 100+ points, yet when we play at 4 players, he has won twice or been neck in neck with the winner, whereas my scores are significantly lower. That’s got to be tied to the dynamics of how this game plays at higher player counts because it doesn’t make any sense that all on my own I could go from being a genius at 2 player to just average at 4 player.
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Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Players: 1-5 (We played with 2 and 4)
Actual Playing Time (vs the guideline on the box): About 3 hours per game
Game type: tile placement, hand management, dice rolling, area control
Retail Price: $45 direct from the publisher https://store.stonemaiergames.com/products/tapestry-arts-architecture
Rating:
Jenni’s rating scale:
OUI: I would play this game again; this game is ok. I probably would not buy this game myself but I would play it with those who own it and if someone gave it to me I would keep it.
OUI OUI: I would play this game again; this game is good. I would buy this game.
OUI OUI OUI: I LOVE THIS GAME. I MUST HAVE THIS GAME.
NON: I would not play this game again. I would return this game or give it away if it was given to me.
