Unstable Unicorns from PLAY'nuff: Game Review

Why Unstable Unicorns is the Unicorniest Game of them All?!

Buenos Dias~

"Jinkies!" Y'all are in for a treat today! This post is sponsored by PLAY'nuff 

Thanks to them I get to feature & give you my honest game review of this card-based game:

Unstable Unicorns! from PLAY'nuff

BUILD A UNICORN ARMY. BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS. 

UNICORNS ARE YOUR FRIENDS NOW.

NB: In this review, you'll find mention to the card-based game, Yugi-OH. Since it's the only card based game I extensively & successfully have played.
SPOILER ALERT {I absolutely LOVE IT!!!} hahaha

As soon as it arrived I knew there was only ONE person who would appreciate & enjoy unboxing this game as much as I did. Cassarica Nadas!
If you recall, along with our other friend Sumarie, we came up with the

The Zemlja Dosta Chronicles

Chapter 1 - The Unicorn Queen, The Samurai & The Wizard

Chapter 2 - The Unicorn Queen: Ari's Origin

Chapter 3 - The Samurai: Eru's Origin

Chapter 4 - The Unicorn Queen, The Samurai & The Wizard Part 2

Chapter 5 - The Elven Trials

Chapter 6 - Hocirne's Return

And who better to play The Unicorn Queen, Ari than Cassarica who's love & obsession with unicorns is unprecedented & absolute. She's definitely the Unicorniest of them all.
So this past weekend I headed over to her place to unbox & play the game.

Watch this compilation video of our fun together 

{feat. voice of Cass's boyfriend, Gareth}

The way it begins...

Inside the box:
2 decks filled with both Unicorns {Baby, Basic & Magical} & Special effect cards
1 Guideline pamphlet with slight rules & instructions for the game

Not Included:
A game mat {not sure whether it's sold separately or at all but it would have been nice to have}


So we just made a makeshift one to play on.
Each face down card represents a spot in the "stable"/field that a Unicorn can be placed.

   
How to Play:



Gather all Baby Unicorns from the deck and place 1 in the "Stable" {refers to 1 of the seven spots above} of each player. Place the rest of the Baby Unicorns in a stack. This will be your nursery. Shuffle the remaining cards and deal 5 to each player. The rest of the stack will be your draw pile.
Additional rule: Each player receives a Neigh card. This is an "Instant" card which means it can be played during any turn and at any moment. This card allows you to STOP any card from coming into play. {E.g if your opponent is about to play a card to destroy a unicorn in your stable, you can use your Neigh card to STOP/DESTROY it.}
Sub-additional rule: {if there is such a thing} Now this might be more of a discretionary rule but you can use a Neigh card to cancel out another Neigh card and maybe even a second Neigh card to keep the card in play. Meaning if I play a destroy unicorn card & you play a Neigh card then I play a Neigh card to cancel out your Neigh card you can play a Second Neigh card to override my Neigh. Hope that makes Sense LOL!
The one with the Most colors on is considered the "Unicorniest" of them all and gets to play first. One guess who that is lol. Cass went first. She got to draw 1 card then either play a card or draw another card and end her turn.


From there it's all about reading the effects of the different types of Unicorns & special effects at the most strategic time, all the while keeping the ultimate objective of the game in mind. The nitty gritty & flow of the game will be figured out as you play along.

Focus on getting your 7 Unicorns in the stable.

The MAIN Objective of the Game is to get 7 Unicorns in the "Stable"/ on the field. Whoever lays down 7 first WINS the game.



Advice:
Play the long game, think 2 to 3 moves ahead & how an effect now might save you some trouble down the road or even bring you luck. Don't go for the immediate satisfaction of playing cards just to snub your opponent. Learn to anticipate what cards they may or may not have. And just like in poker, learn to keep your poker face on least your opponent discern your intentions.

Ps xxx I got to play my FAVORITE Unicorn card

UNICORN PHOENIX!!!!!!

Woooohoooo! I can die happy now. 

Review:
The boxing is convenient, compact & very portable which is a plus. Very travel-friendly. 
Upon opening & during those first moments of laying everything out I did think the game might be complicated. Only because my reference to card-based games is Yugi-Oh, since that involved Attack & Defence points it was pretty straightforward, the one with the strongest, most badass monster on the field won. But since all of the Unicorn cards had no Attack or Defence points {certain ones have special effects when played} I assumed that it would be difficult to play. However as soon as I saw that the objective was to get 7 unicorns on the field, it became less complicated & as soon as we started our first game, it exploded into Nothing but pure Fun & Excitement. I suppose this begins with all games but sometimes you never get to the fun part so I'm glad this game is so easy to get into & just play. We played well into the evening before realizing the time, clearly, this game is immersive. 
It brought back great memories of when I was pretty much a Yugi-Oh master player {not to brag or anything} as a kid. I got to tap back into that strategic side of myself & enjoy what I enjoy most about card-based games...THE COMPLETE AND UTTER ANNIHILATION OF MY OPPONENT muuuuahahahahahahah!!!

Lol just kidding....maybe :-p

Unstable Unicorns is a wondrous game that I'm shocked wasn't invented sooner seeing as how crazy I've seen people get over unicorns. I'm truly honored to have been given the chance to play this game. I feel like it's one of those amazing family fun typed games that can be kept for all sorts of occasions & played with all sorts of ages.

I; Enricoh Alfonzo; undoubtedly, vehemently, and whole-heartedly recommend this game to everyone.

ORDER Your UNSTABLE UNICORNS NOW FROM 

PLAY'nuff

orders@playnuff.co.za

or 

Visit their Facebook Page 
or Facebook Store

Mission

We just don't & we really should! From happy memories spent around the table with family and friends, for the child in or out of us all, for the love of games galore, the time has come to PLAY'nuff!

© Enricoh Alfonzo ~ Alfonzo Words

• I’d love to keep connected with you! 

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~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres

How to OverCome Self-Doubt: A New Perspective to 6 Tips

Buongiorno
It's a new week with a whole new set of probabilities & awesome paths your life can take.
Let's kickit off with #MondayMotivation

"Too often do we settle for less when More becomes exceedingly unavailable.
     Believe in More." ~ @Alfonzowords 

Today I'm talking about something personal and an old enemy of mine. Self-Doubt.

If I'm being honest though, it has been both my ruination & salvation at times. You can bet it's made me into the Writer I am today.

Self-Doubt to me is a mighty temptress, able to find you at your most vulnerable, often catching you unawares. She is quite possibly the Greatest enemy ever known to Creativity. Yet one cannot exist without the other. 

She's able to take your innermost fears & twist them inextricably until all you believe is that you deserve the life you're currently living and that this is as far as you'll ever go. 

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

My favorite quote from the movie: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

It has such deep meaning for us all. 

We really do accept what we think we deserve. 

Last week I fell pray to this mistress of deception. She tackled me when all seemed to go wrong in my life. And true to her seductive nature she lulled me into a sense of numbness whereby I was given tiny whispers that it's ok to be lazy, it's ok to take a break...and even to give up.

We've all had these moments haven't we? The ones where even when things are going great, even when we're offered Big opportunities, there's that one moment where Doubt creeps in. Slowly at first and not until it has its sharp claws deep within you do you feel that colossal wave sweep through you, that horrible pit in your stomach and that voice in your head saying "I'm not good enough." or my personal favorite, "There's no way I can do that."

It's like a never ending curse that we must all bare our souls to and somehow survive each time it happens.

Did you know JK Rowling, one of the most successful authors in history went through horrible depression and self doubt? Oh yes. Boy did she ever.
She was a single mom with little to no means of supporting her family and a very Real chance that they would be taken away from her. I can't even fathom what it would be like to be her at that very moment.
In fact, if you're a fan of the Harry Potter series, you'll notice that the Dementors were inspired by the turmoil she experienced whilst depressed. Ghoulish creatures that are able to suck every ounce of happiness you posses.

So let's get cracking on that Cure then shall we before those nasty Dementors return
I'm going to go through the number One google result for Overcoming Self Doubt and see what spin I can give.

6. Ask Yourself Empowering Questions.

Hmm this could be a new take on affirmations, instead of just saying the words you're now asking the questions of yourself and confirming the answers.
Allowing you to admit to yourself your strengths and weaknesses, fears and beliefs.
.
* Do you want to be responsible for your own life decisions?
* Do you have the courage to go after what you want and see it through?
* Can you accept that fear is part of the journey and move forward anyway?
* Can you recognize that fear is only your leader if you allow it to be?

The mind is a fickle thing, it can change so suddenly or just be a stubborn nail that you can never budge. So it's important to reassure the mind every day of it's true purpose. To remain strong for the dreams and passions you wish to pursue.

5. Decide You Don’t Have To Do Anything. 

"I wish to control the universe and make it so nothing bad happens ever again!"
Whether naive or mature, I believe at some level we all want absolute control.
This one seems to involve an excercise to show You that You have the power of Choice. That you can either choose to do something or not to do it. The choice and therefore responsibility is all on you thereafter.
This is hogwash ofcourse, this is the very problem that breeds self doubt, it's not that we don't feel in control or that we don't feel like our decisions matter. It's Because we feel the control and the responsibility that Doubt haunts us endlessly. It's because we feel like even if we make the decision, even if we take on the responsibility and put on that brave face, how are we suppose to Face it when it all falls apart or that our choices inevitably led us to that dark and dingy road of failure?

With this point I would say, screw control. You have enough on your plate with work, the family, the kids, the house, the food, the money, the retirement plan, the travel. And then on top of all of that you add the workload of pursuing your dreams...

Just Decide that no ONE decision is going to make or break you, decide that you'll have to take on this feeling of Self-Doubt each and every time, battle it just like the warriors in those Mythical stories. It's not about winning or losing, it's about surviving each time.

4. Build Your Confidence Muscle. 

Here they talk about how every obstacle, every failure, every setback builds your confidence muscle.
Confidence isn't created or bought or even bedazzled...it's Earned. I'm talking about true confidence. not the kind you get when you go home with a hot guy or girl at the end of a date or the kind you get when you can afford an amazing car.

True confidence can only be attained by force of will. By weathering the storms, by fighting through the obstacles, by smiling through the pain and by surviving. Because once you go through the trails and tribulations, I promise you'll love yourself more for making it on your own terms.

3. Change your attitude about failure.

In the highly popular Divergent movie series, the main character Tris often has this remarked about her:
"Fear doesn't shut you down, it wakes you up."

Thankfully these aren't just statements and the character proves this quality by action many times over in the books & movies.
There are honestly so many types of fears out there, it's mindboggling. So how are we suppose to conquer something that exists practically in every direction around the world? WE DON'T
The psychobible says that there are many ways to overcome fear but why should we overcome it? Why, when we can change it, mold it to our liking. Just look at that fear from a different perspective.

My favorite quote illustrates this perfectly:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

Such awesome meaning here! I love it.
Here we see that most people will have a fear that they are not good enough when in fact if you look at it from a different angle, it appears that we a more afraid of succeeding than failure.
Last week when the doubt set in, I wasn't depressed because I had failed I was depressed because I wondered more than anything what I would do should I become successful.
Would I be worthy enough to deserve that success, would I be humble enough that I honor that success. Would I be mature enough to own that success...

2. Talk to someone. 

Surround yourself with only those that are going to take you higher.
This could be the most difficult step for anyone. Because we so desperately want to believe in our friends to have faith that they will be there when we need them the most.
It's easy to make friends but it's not so easy to find the ones that are truly selfless in their actions towards you. Find that friend that's there in a heart beat, to Listen only, to allow you that opportunity to vent, to say everything on your mind no matter how ridiculous, dark or funny it may sound. They listen and comfort. They when all is said and done, they Support. They are that pillar that keeps you from diving into the abyss of doubt.

1. Make a Decision.

For pursuing your Dream. YOU ARE AWESOME.
Never, ever ever never ever never Never forget that. 
It's the start of a new week, it's a beginning of sorts. The perfect place to make that decision to TRY. For every great success on this planet began with that very same decision to TRY.

It's so so EASY for us to fall into rooted routines and accustomed paths that it's almost impossible to break free, to ignore that part of your brain that compels you to procrastinate or value other things in your life as of more import.
No one, no one can make this decision for you. You could read a hundred blog posts and a thousand self help books on overcoming doubt but you'll move no further than where you are now if you don't make a DECISION to TRY.

I say this in the hopes that now only you hear it but that I do too. For no one is perfect & even the most motivated people on the planet have darkened days of self doubt and reprimand. What matters most is that we ALL just keep moving forward, keep battling those demons, keep surviving and just plain ol' keep on keepin' on!

I really do Believe in all of you and the immense power you carry within your beating heart and fiery soul. We are all capable and the greatest disappointment would be to not honor the potential we have.

So I beseech you, start to Dream again, start to Believe in You because I already do. I have faith that all of you can & will accomplish incredible and insurmountable feats. Your dream is still there, I promise you it's still there. Reach out and Soar with it.
ROAR like the Lion you were always meant to be!

© Enricoh Alfonzo ~ Alfonzo Words

• I’d love to keep connected with you! 

Follow on Twitter | Like on Facebook | Join my Instagram community | Watch me on Pinterest | Subscribe to blog post Updates |

~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres