Via Kickstarter

Let’s start here because there are a number of note. A quick rundown on these will be good, but a number of them I already talked about in Back or Brick.

Once Upon a Line – The Butterfly’s Breath

This one I wanted to back because it looked incredibly different. It talks about how it is so new with it’s scratch off stuff for a board game. That isn’t “new” but to build a whole game around it is definitely is. This is an adventure game where you try and scratch off words or shapes to progress story. The concept just sounded fascinating, but also like it was pretty straight forward.

For that reason I didn’t go all in on this one. There is going to be plenty of content in the base game. But I didn’t have enough confidence in the game beyond the interesting mechanic to say that I wanted it all. But I also think that this game is unique, so I want to try it.

Marvel United: Multiverse

It’s more Marvel United, of course I backed it. Marvel United: Multiverse really describes the core box. But, the rest of the expansions, around events like Age of Apocalypse, Annihilation, or Civil War, and there are more as well, are very interesting.

Plus the game adds in a few news things as well. Mainly it adds in equipment cards that you can swap in generically or for specific characters. And then campaign decks as well which will change up how you can play a series of games. I like that idea for the game. And while I still want a dungeon crawl style game with these characters, CMON did a great job of offering so many fun things.

Catharsis Sagas: Nocturne

This, honestly, was not going to be a back because I have to play Catharsis still. The game does look like a ton of fun, so I want to get it to the table and chuck some dice. But do I need more, the answer is really no. But it is cheap, so I grabbed it. It is more adventure for Catharsis and new characters to face off against, or play as, I’m not completely sure anymore as this one has wrapped up. And when a crowdfunding campaign wraps up, I kind of forget about it between updates.

Fork

This is a small back, as was Catharsis Sagas. Fork is a trick taking game where Fork stands for Fox, Owl, Rabbit, and Kale. And depending on what you play down, it determines who wins. The concept seems simple, but like there is enough game there and enough different of a twist to trick taking that I wanted to give it a try.

Stonesaga

I am lucky enough to know one of the designers and game with him often. So this is one I got to playtest already and actually get to see the prototype this past weekend at The Source in Roseville Minnesota. But this is a fun survival exploration game as you build up your society, gather food, and try and survive.

It is played in a legacy type of experience. So you create your character(s) throughout the game and develop the society your way. I think that the mini games you play are good and easy to follow what is going on. It isn’t a cheap game, but the components are nice and there is a lot in the game.

Chomp, Sail, Couture, and Mind Space

Finally, from All Play (used to be BoardGameTables.com) there is a set of four small games. Chomp, Sail, Couture, and Mind Space. Each of the games looks interesting. And I backed it for all of the games. A couple of reasons for doing that, the games do all look interesting. I am least interested in Couture, but when you want to get three of them, it is better to get all four because you get the upgrades for free.

Chomp has a fun dinosaur theme. Sail is trick taking, and Mind Space is a roll and write game. So I am definitely interested in how all of those will work. And Couture is an auction game which might be very interesting. It just jumped off the page less to me than the other ones did.

Gamefound

Gamefound is generally slower than Kickstarter. Though there are some good projects on there that I backed as well.

Arabella

This is an interesting one for me to have backed. It is a roll and write game, I love roll and write games. There isn’t anything interesting about that. But it is an 18xx train, stock game as a roll and write game. I don’t play 18xx games. They don’t interest me that much because it’s really a whole system to learn and get good at. And the people who are good at them are very good at them. Plus, probably one that is harder to play.

But as a roll and write game. Now it is a more interesting to me. I like the idea of taking a big game like that and making smaller. It might still take a while, but it won’t take as long. And I hope that it offers a very big and different roll and write experience.

Witchbound

Witchbound is another one that I got to preview and one that I am very excited for. This and the next one are two similar games. But Witchbound is a game where you are the first witch on Coven Cove in over 100 years. And it is a point and click adventure as you interact with people and locations and solve puzzles, fight bad guys and more.

What I like about this one, besides the fun theme. Is that it is a simple gaming experience with a lot of story. So I can pull it out as a solo game and play around with minimal setup. Plus then a good amount of story with minimal setup which I think is a lot of fun and a sweet spot that not too many games are in, Lands of Galzyr being the best example I have.

Robomon

Finally we have Robomon. This is one that I almost backed when it was active and then I late pledged. But Robomon is basically a Pokemon game with robots instead of creatures. But it looks like a simple adventure game, and while there is more going on mechanically than Witchbound, my hope is that it’s not too much.

The style of game and the artwork in the game work for me as well. Again, I hope it is a sweet spot of story but also then good game play and ease to get to the table. Another game that I hope is a good easy to the table game with story that is fun to play.

Final Thoughts on Crowdfunding

I picked back up some of what I have been backing. A few reasons for that, but mainly, I knew there would be a few bigger games to start the year that I wanted to back. I know that in March there is going to be another one with the Chip Theory Elder Scrolls game.

What games will you be adding to your collection that you’ve backed in the past few months? Any ones that I maybe missed that you should I should checkout?

One that I had backed and dropped my pledge is Andromeda’s Edge. I want it still, but space Dwellings of Eldervale. While that sounds fun, and I am sure it is more than that, do I need two games that are going to be similar? I ended up deciding no on that one.

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Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

I hope that you are enjoying the podcast. If you are, there are a few ways that I always talk about that you can support 10 Minute Marvel. Firstly, please consider sharing it with your friends. Word of mouth really is a great way to help more people find the podcast and personal recommendations are always great. As well as then subscribing or leaving a rating and review. Both of those make the podcast easier to find on the podcast services. You can find the podcast on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify.

We also run a Patreon and that is another way you can help support. The Patreon, found here, goes to help improve the quality of the 10 Minute Marvel Podcast, pay for advertising and more. It also helps improve the Malts and Meeples YouTube Channel and Nerdologists.com website. Thank you for considering supporting us financially.

Comments or Questions

As we looked at comic events this week, did you have a favorite? Is there one that you want to see the MCU tackle, or one that didn’t even make our list that you’d like to see?

And which Super Bowl trailer are you most excited for?

You can let us know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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This week, as part of that, we both go through our Top 5 MCU Projects. Whether they be Disney+ shows or movies, what are the Top 5 for each of us. Plus there is news about a potential Reed Richards or Doctor Doom. And Mephisto finally coming to the MCU? All of that and a bit more to talk about on 10 Minute Marvel.

Thanks for Listening to 10 Minute Marvel

I hope that you are enjoying the podcast. If you are, there are a few ways that I always talk about that you can support 10 Minute Marvel. Firstly, please consider sharing it with your friends. Word of mouth really is a great way to help more people find the podcast and personal recommendations are always great. As well as then subscribing or leaving a rating and review. Both of those make the podcast easier to find on the podcast services. You can find the podcast on iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify.

We also run a Patreon and that is another way you can help support. The Patreon, found here, goes to help improve the quality of the 10 Minute Marvel Podcast, pay for advertising and more. It also helps improve the Malts and Meeples YouTube Channel and Nerdologists.com website. Thank you for considering supporting us financially.

Comments or Questions

Let us know what works on this new format, what additional topics you might like covered, things like that? And how does your Top 5 stack up against either of our Top 5? Do you have any that you’d add to the list you prefer? Or which one would be most likely to drop off y our list?

You can let me know all of those things down in the comment section below. Or tweet them to me @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel.

Thank you again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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10 – Avengers: Age of Ultron

This movie is very underrated, I think, when it comes to the MCU films. I think that James Spader does an amazing job as Ultron. Just his cadence and delivery as Ultron works so well. I also like that we get to see Tony Starks biggest flaw really played upon and something that pays off so well in Avengers: Endgame. He’s trying to save everything and everyone and in the end, that doesn’t really work for him in this movie. Plus, we get the best version of Quicksilver to show up in a movie, much better than the X-Men one, and we get the introduction of Wanda and Pietro. This film just builds well and I think while there are some jokes that don’t land, it also has some of the most meaningful interactions between characters. I know some people have an issue with some of that, but I think that it’s great and it plays really well throughout the movie and in the context. A few jokes land a bit flat though.

9 – Spider-Man: Homecoming

Watching this movie again it dropped a little bit on my list because I think that some of the jokes don’t hold together as well as I remember. But with that said, it is still really good. The scenes with Peter and The Vulture both knowing who each other are is a really great scene. It plays off of the awkwardness that you’d have with meeting the parents for the first time, and so to everyone else in the scene that’s what is going on. But for both Peter Parker and The Vulture it’s way more than that. Tom Holland also just does such a great job of being awkward in the films and though he isn’t a high school aged actor, he fits into that way more than any of the previous Spider-Man actors.

8 – Spider-Man: Far From Home

Back to back Spider-Man films, I give the second one a little bit of a nod. While I really like the performance of the Vulture, I think that Mysterio is a better villain in my opinion. I think how he gets close to Peter because Peter was close to Tony is interesting and works well. I know that’s an issue for some people because they want it to be more Spider-Man focused and less about Tony Stark, I think that it’s a good balance of both. I also like it for how it uses or doesn’t use Nick Fury in the film. In terms of Spider-Man himself, I think that we get to see him a bit more in action and as a bit more important to the story versus kind of getting in the way as he was in the first film, or kind of being that B-level player, now he’s an A-level Avenger having gone through and helped in Infinity War and Endgame.

7 – Guardians of the Galaxy

It’s easy to like this one, it has a good blend of humor and action, and while it might be lighter on character development than the second Guardians of the Galaxy film, it still has one. I think in terms of the Marvel movies that really use humor a lot, this one is very good and doesn’t have the jokes fall flat or not stand out as much on multiple viewings. I also like that this is a team-up film but not an Avengers team-up, and in terms of the non-Avengers titles, so Captain America films and Thor: Ragnarok, this does the team-up one of the best of those. I think what really makes this work is how well they cast the main characters in the film. Chris Pratt as Star Lord just works and Bradley Cooper as Rocket is hilarious. While I think you get to dig more into their characters later, you start to see the depth of them and how interesting they are in this film.

6 – Avengers

It’s hard to go wrong with the original Avengers film, not the earliest of the films to grace my Top 10, but definitely worth talking about. We get introduced to Black Widow and Hawkeye, we get a well done Battle of New York where each of them has a chance to shine, and we get some solid humor and solid character interactions. I think that’s the piece that works so well is that it’s very believable that those characters would butt heads repeatedly, especially when meeting. It isn’t a team that comes together because they all immediately mesh, it’s because they need to come together to save the world. And I think that makes the most sense for how you create a team like that, they need the pressure cooker to pull them apart but also bring them back together. It is also nice because this is the first time we get a good Hulk on screen.

5 – Doctor Strange

Probably the shocker of the list, though Age of Ultron might have shocked some as well, but I really like Doctor Strange. A little bit of a spoiler for the list, but I like it for a lot of the same reasons that I like the next movie on the list, Iron Man. Both of these films have a villain who isn’t really the villain. Sure, Dormammu is a bad guy and Kaecilius is a bad guy, but the movie is about Stephen Strange coming to terms with himself not being who he thought he was and not being able to be as selfish. I think one way that this differs from Iron Man is that Strange is technically doing something that is good already, he is saving lives, but he’s doing it for his own selfish reasons. He has to find a way to let go of that before he can truly understand his real calling. I also like Wong in the film and even Baron Mordo and The Ancient One. I think they all play off of each other well, and especially Mordo and Strange have some good interactions.

4 – Iron Man

As I teased, Iron Man is up next. For being the original MCU film, this really hold up well. I like that it teases something that we’re eventually going to get a payoff for with the Ten Rings in Shang-Chi, probably not intentional at that point. But I like how it’s a pretty straight forward story of Iron Man and about how he has to overcome some obstacles but one of them is coming to terms with that he and what his company have done and the fact that they are profiting off of war and death. The opening with the capture and building of the armor just works so well, as well, and while Obediah Stane is underwhelming as a villain, it’s again less about him as a villain and more about Tony Stark having to overcome his own past and overcome what is happening to him. Shows a bit of the age of the film in some of the effects and things like that, but they did a good job and holds up well for overall.

3 – Thor: Ragnarok

I’ve talked about team-ups and humor, and in terms of a non-Avengers team-up, this film does it best, and in terms of humor, this film is again probably the best. I think that the jokes just land well and the team-up works. All of that for this over the top techno colored film, it still manages to have heart to it. I think that Skurge who is currently traveling with the Asguardians of the Galaxy in the comics, has a nice arc in terms of character and Heimdall is given more to do and work with in this film, which is great because Idris Elba is great. There’s just so much that works because we have the Hulk start to realize that there are things that can hurt him, we have Banner hiding away or more so Hulk taking control and just the changing and growing dynamic of the relationship between Thor and Loki. Plus we get Valkyrie who is awesome.

2 – Avengers: Endgame

I don’t think there will be much surprise for the two that top this list, maybe just some question about the order, but for me Endgame is #2. The reason for that is that the ending doesn’t really stick with you the way that it does in Infinity War. It pulls a little bit of a Return of the King in terms of how many endings it kind of has, but it feels right still to send off all of those characters the way that they did. It also does a really good job of bringing the heroes back together again. I like how they use time travel, I like how they use Ant-Man, and I think the whole thing just makes an odd amount of sense. But really, this film is about closure and passing of the torch for Captain America, and for Iron Man, finally being able to know that he saved everyone and that he did the right thing which is what he’s been trying to do, for better or worse – it’s worse – throughout all of the films, he’s always trying to redeem himself for what started in Iron Man with him finding out that his company sold weapons to the enemy.

1 – Avengers: Infinity War

Finally, we have Infinity War as my #1 film. I think so much of this works because we get to see into Thanos brain, and we get to see how he thinks he’s doing the right thing. Now, there are massive issues with his plan, though less absurd then trying to impress Death like in the comics, but he believes in it, and he believes that what he’s doing is the right thing and a good thing. And we get to see the start of the Avengers coming back together. I like that it isn’t them fully back together in mindset, that doesn’t come until much later in Endgame, but we get to see all the main players come together to do battle again, and this film has some epic battles, which I think Endgame is lacking in some ways, as it’s more of a very entertaining heist film. Finally, I like it that they don’t win, sure, they might win in the end, but here, they don’t win and they don’t just barely lose, they lose so much and, again, we get to see the fallout from everything that was lost in this film in Endgame.

So, that’s my list, I’m sure for a lot of people films like Winter Soldier or Civil War would make the list, and probably some like Age of Ultron and Doctor Strange would be off the list. It’s okay to have your flawed opinion, but I am curious to know how other people would put their top 10, any major surprises that would make your list from how the films are generally seen?

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Who is the Taskmaster? I talk about the newest Black Widow teaser trailer as well as break down the characters powers and some of their uses in the comics. Plus, there’s Eternals news, when does it fit in the timeline?

I just want to thank you all for listening to the podcast. If you are enjoying it, please consider leaving a rating and/or review. We are on iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify, and Stitcher, you can find links to those in the top right corner of the page. Those reviews help more people find the podcast and join the 10 Minute Marvel community.

If you want to get a hold of me, you can find me on Twitter @TheScando or by using #10MinMarvel. I’m always interested to hear from fans of the podcast as well as to get suggestions for new topics that I can cover on the show.

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Trade Paperbacks/Graphic Novels – Like I just got done saying above, this is probably not for the comic book fan, they are going to have a number of these, but there are plenty of options for people who like the shows or the movies to get them a trade paperback or two. I’d recommend sticking to some big storylines that the person might be a bit more familiar with, or the start of an authors run with a character. If you want to get a Thor trade paperback, don’t grab Thor volume 12, that might be confusing. But there are a lot of great options, volume ones for characters, or compendiums, as often those cherry pick out a few of the bigger story arcs for a character. But then there are bigger stories that you can look at as well. Infinity Gauntlet, Civil War, or Secret Invasion would all be good Marvel comics to get a fan of the movies. The DC shows are currently doing or starting soon Crisis on Infinite Earths, that’s a TPB you could grab, or an iconic Batman story, like The Killing Joke.

Funko Figures – You’re familiar with them, the big headed toys that are for a million different types of characters. I currently have two Stranger Things and Alice Cooper with me at work. But there are a ton of Marvel and DC ones for this. And you can even get it in game form if you want with the DC Funkoverse game. But you can also find unique ones to give as well, there was a whole run for Marvel Funko figures where they were all gold, so if someone already has some, it’s a unique different one. There is also Deadpool dressed up as Bob Ross. There are so many unique ones that it would take a while to list them all, and there can be rarer ones that, if you want, you can track down on eBay. I personally like them as something to put up in my cube at work, because they are pretty small.

Action Figures – Slightly different from Funko figures. Those are more of a caricature of the characters they are. Action figures are going to be closer to the comics and often tied directly into a storyline from the comics. I had a Magneto standing over a destroyed Xavier’s School for Gifted Children. Or Cat Woman stealing a gem from a safe in a Spiderman scene. These figures are also articulated so that you can pose them. Depending on what you get, they can run a little bit more than a Funko figure would. I personally really like the Diamond Select Marvel figures, which may or may not be made anymore, but I have been able to find on Amazon. DC has some nice ones as well. With these, since they can tie into a story as well, you can sometimes tailor it to a big event in the comics that is the person’s favorite.

Disney+/HBOMax – Give the joy of streaming this Christmas and give someone a few months of Disney+ or HBOMax, I could say, give the person a movie or a season of a TV show, but that is something they might already have. With Disney+ or when it comes out the new HBO streaming service (I believe it’s HBOMax) will have Marvel and DC respectively. If someone has been curious about the DC shows like Titans or Doom Patrol, that’s going to be a spot for them to check it out. Or if someone has been a Marvel fan for a long time, they can go back and watch classic episodes of the 1990’s animated Spider-Man or X-Men on Disney+. Plus, Disney+ has more streaming, like the majority of the MCU movies.

Marvel Legendary/Champions – I found a way to fit board games onto this list, and this is for someone who already likes board games. If they are a Marvel fan, both Marvel Legendary and Marvel Champions would be enjoyable for them. The games are two different types of deck builders where the players are trying to take out a villain and stop their evil schemes before it’s too late. Marvel Legendary is later in it’s life cycle where it has a million expansions, which aren’t needed. But if someone already has the game, you can probably find an expansion that they don’t have. Marvel Champions will be getting more expansions over time. The other good thing about Marvel Legendary is that you can tailor it, with the expansions, to make sure the person is getting their favorite character in the game.

Five Minute Marvel/DC Spyfall – Now, if you want lighter games, these are a couple of other options for board games. DC Spyfall is a social deduction game with the DC characters. You are trying to figure out who the bad guy is, but each character has their own unique powers as well that you can use. In Five Minute Marvel, it’s a very fast card driven game that plays, as the name says, in five minutes. It’s also where I got the name for my podcast #10MinMarvel. Especially Five Minute Marvel is going to be good to play with kids as well, because it is a fast paced game and the theme works while being a simple game. Both of these will work well with adults also, so it’s not just for kids, in fact, DC Spyfall, while being fairly simple, might be a concept that is a bit trickier for younger kids.

Artwork – I don’t think that you need to do commissioned superhero pieces, but there are plenty of cool art pieces out there. You can find unique ones on Etsy, or official ones, such as movie posters or even frame some comic books. In our house, we have a couple of pictures that are framed comic books. I have generally used a slightly larger frame with double glass, so no back cardboard on it, and then you just center up a comic in it. I also like using older comics as it gives the look a coop retro vibe. And while there are certainly very expensive older comics out there for beloved stories, you can find a lot of cheap ones that also have cool covers. This is a good option for someone who likes the comics and the movies, and has a lot of those things, but maybe is moving out on their own or needs someone to hang up.

There are going to be more options to give to that superhero fan in your life. Lego, for example, does awesome superhero sets, or there are video games, other board games, RPG’s (though not specific to Marvel or DC currently) and more. I think what I’ve listed out is going to do well for a good age range of superhero fans and you’ll be able to tailor it to them a little bit more. They are also not extremely expensive whereas some things, like Lego, can be quite expensive for larger sets. Hopefully there is some idea for that superhero fan in your life.

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That fact is reflected in the numbers, as it’s now being reported that Civil War came in with a projected $181.8 million at the domestic box office, following a spectacular bow overseas to some $202 million last weekend. That would make the film, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the fifth highest opening in the history of the industry, and the fourth Marvel title to enter the top ten best domestic opening weekends of all time.

http://collider.com/box-office-captain-america-civil-war-opening/

The trailer looks really damn good. I’m curious to see what sort of arc they are going to run with overall. And we see Spiderman!

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.

http://www.blastr.com/2015-12-17/official-captain-america-civil-war-synopsis-released

While somewhat different than the Graphic Novel (which is worth checking out), it should be a very interesting storyline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3vC6VaQ8ck