Turkey legs, mock combat, and anachronistic clothing. These are the things renaissance fairs are made of. You and your friends, new to the scene, try to blend in by adorning yourself with hats and tunics. A good costume is expensive though, and earning coin in a place like this requires some skill… Or daring.
In Ren Faire by Atlas Games, players put on performances, ranging from accents and puppet shows to arm wrestling and balancing acts for the audience to fund their costume building. The first to complete their outfit wins.
In our play through, the competition was tough. Each player chose to focus more on ruining each other’s outfits by buying t-shirts and other modern clothing, and stealing gold than on procuring their own costume. When challenges were made, such as the arm wrestling contest in the photo above, each pushed themselves to the limit to win. By the time our winning Ren Faire attendee, now a Scottish fairy jester, had purchased their last clothing card, our four player game stayed within the listed hour of gameplay, and tons of fun and hilarity had ensued.
This compact card game uses party game mechanics to bring new life to the simple act of piecing outfits together. In addition, the costume stacking element with transparent cards really works well, and capitalizes on a game element rarely seen.
In all, Ren Faire was a blast to play!
We would like to thank Atlas Games for this great donation, as well as their donation of Once Upon a Time, Murder of Crows, Gloom, and Lunch Money.
If you would like to give Ren Faire a try, or another selection from Atlas Games, they are available for check out here, at the UNT Media Library.
Season 1 DVD 14749 v.1-3
With Executive Producer Steven Spielburg, Falling Skies has become a major Sci-Fi television series. The world is left in tatters after a unexpected invasion by aliens, leaving the planet’s remaining human population to fight for survival against the occupiers. The aliens have cultures and identities all of their own, and are often portrayed as powerful, mysterious, and merciless. The story starts off by circling around Tom, a guy who is after the aliens that have captured his son and other youth, attaching them to controlling bio-mechanical harnesses. It’s got the survivor, familial, and guy heavy action like The Walking Dead.
The Killing is a murder mystery series based in Seattle, focusing on murder cases a little differently than your typical homicide TV series. The first season circles around the death of Rosie Larson. Episodes delve into not just the murder case but the girl’s family and their suffering, along with the detectives and other main character’s personal lives. With the dreary Seattle weather combined with foreboding mysteries, The Killing will always keep you wanting more.
Season 1 DVD 13870 v.1-4
Season 2 DVD 16467 v.1-3
Season 3 DVD 16468 v.1-3
The Killing is based on the original Danish series, Forbrydelsen, which holds the same basic plot. The Danish series is was a very well received series, known to be a cult classic in Europe, and recognized for acting and the original concept of focusing on one murder case throughout a whole series.
Danish Original Series: Season 1 DVD 13854 v.1-5
Boardwalk Empire takes place during the Prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s. Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, is a political figure facing his personal and political life dealing with mobsters, politicians, and others. If the idea of mobsters, politicans, guns, and sly talking well dressed people appeals to you, then you’ll enjoy Boardwalk Empire.
Season 1 DVD 13116 v.1-5
Season 2 DVD 14926 v.1-5
Season 3 DVD 14869 v.1-5
