Fun in Funchal, Y'all!

Growing up in South Texas, we always anticipated the arrival of "snowbirds," or residents of colder states, starting in late Fall or early Winter. These snowbirds would spend extended times wintering in the warmer climes of our area and even further south, such as the Rio Grande Valley. We'd see license plates from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and so forth. Most of these were either huge RVs or trucks hauling the larger camping trailers. Our winters in South Texas usually lasted a month or so, and we rarely got freezing weather, much less snow. After spending a few years in the Colorado mountains, I can understand why our northern friends cough*Yankees* want to spend their winters in a warmer climate.

Late last summer, Cindy's sister, Connie, and her husband, Jeff, told us how much they enjoyed wintering in Madeira. They live in Cleveland, and the harsh winters are challenging, both physically and mentally. We visited them in Cleveland several years ago, in late October. Compared to where we live now, late October in Cleveland was already getting cold. You can read about our trip and the fun we had by clicking here. Since they had a guest room in the apartment they were renting, we had a place to stay if we wanted to go visit them and experience Madeira for ourselves. All we really had to pay for was airfare and some meals. Done! We immediately started planning dates, travel arrangements, and what we wanted to see and do. Yes, this included a multi-tabbed Excel spreadsheet that I prepare for every major trip we take. Mid-February of 2026 seemed to work best for all of us, so we finalized our airline reservations and started planning in earnest. A big reason for selecting mid-February was that we'd get to experience Madeira's version of Carnaval. Note: while both "Carnival" and "Carnaval" are used interchangeably in Madeira, I will use the more local, Portuguese-based "Carnaval" as the preferred spelling. 

As a reminder to all my faithful readers and my new readers (thank you!), any links in blue will open in a new window. You won't lose your place here. Clicking on any photo opens a larger version for better viewing in a new window. 

Funchal, Madeira

I will split this trip into several parts because of the number of photos and activities I want to share. This part will cover our trip from home to Funchal, with the other parts covering the rest of our journey. In all honesty, neither Cindy nor I knew very much about Madeira, other than it's the source for the famous Madeira wine. I'll cover that in more detail later. I also remember reading about Madeira, and its largest city, Funchal, in a couple of books from the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. Once again, historical novels have drawn me even further into their world by referencing real-life places. Our Italy itinerary was chosen specifically because it included Pompeii, which was heavily influenced by a historical novel I read of the same name. Really? Absolutely! I describe our visit to Pompeii and the impact the novel had on our visit here. Go ahead and give it a look. I'll wait here for you.

It's quite difficult to find direct flights from the US to Madeira. Most of these are seasonal,  and well, our timeline wasn't in season. No worries, we did the same thing when flying from Houston to Venice: booked a trip with several segments, or "legs," to get to our final destination. My regular readers know what's coming next, an "aviation nerd's novana" of flight details that will thrill those of like mind and bore others who only wish to get from here to there without slogging through all the minutia. For those who don't want to read all the aviation stuff, please feel free to scroll past. I promise it won't bother me. 

As much as we wanted to, we just couldn't find any reasonably-priced flights departing from Houston Hobby (HOU), just a short drive from us. We'd have to depart from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Our preference for HOU is an inexpensive Uber ride compared to IAH. We weighed the option of long-term parking at IAH versus a slightly more expensive round-trip Uber fare. Ultimately, we chose to use Uber, since the added convenience of not having to wait for a parking shuttle outweighed the extra cost. We would be getting back pretty late on our return, and that extra thirty-plus minutes waiting for the parking shuttle and then another hour's drive home convinced us Uber was the way to go. Book it, Dano!

Thankfully, our regular pet sitter, Jill, was available to look after Higgins while we'd be gone. She's a wonderful pet sitter, and Higgins enjoys being around her. Cindy took some prank photos of us with much more luggage than we'd actually be taking, and took another photo of Higgins with his travel bag. While I know I'm anthropomorphizing here, this photo really broke my heart. I could see the pleading look in his eyes to take him with us. Yes, I'm sure he knew we were going somewhere, but not where or for how long.

I wanna go, too!

photo by Cindy Newman

While Higgy didn't get to go with us, somehow, Stumpy Curlyshoe managed to find his way into my bag. How he did this, I still don't know. He managed to keep himself reasonably under control, but not by much, as you'll see later. If nothing else, that smug expression on his face was enough to make me want to flush him down the toilet. 

Ya better behave, Stumpy!

Cindy's zeal in finding the optimal flights yielded good results. We decided on American Airlines from IAH to Philadelphia (PHL), with a connection to Lisbon, Portugal (LIS). At this point, things became a little tricky because AA doesn't have any code-share agreements with airlines servicing LIS to Funchal (FNC). We'd have to self-connect in LIS, booking a round-trip flight with TAP Air Portugal from LIS to FNC and back. Generally, I avoid self-connecting flights, as there's no safety net if they get delayed. You're on your own at this point. That's what trip insurance is for, though. Like our Italy trip, once we booked our flights, we purchased trip insurance to cover any problems that might rear their ugly head.

Our Uber picked us up a few minutes early, and off we went. Just as we started our drive, it began to drizzle, turning into heavier rain. We had rain for pretty much the entire drive to IAH, and then it began to clear. I'm glad we got some rain at the house, though, as the yard was getting dry. By the time we got dropped off at Terminal A, the sun was shining. We built in plenty of time for a light lunch and a visit to a virtual geocache in Terminal C. Obviously, I wanted to find this cache to "log another smiley," but I also wanted to use it as a good spot to "dip" a couple of travel bugs (TB) to mark their location in their journeys. Our friends had a travel bug that wanted to go to Madeira and Portugal, so it was a no-brainer that we'd take it with us and drop it off in a cache once we got to Funchal. We took many photos of this TB before dropping it off. You'll see some later. 

Cindy with the TB at the virtual cache

It has been a long time since either of us has traveled out of IAH.  One BIG improvement is a "sky train" that will take you from terminal to terminal without leaving the secure area. Yay! After finding and logging the cache and having a light lunch in Terminal C, we made our way back to Terminal A to await our flight. Timing was almost perfect, as we only had a twenty-minute wait until boarding began. We'd have free Wi-Fi on all legs of our AA flights, which I really appreciated. Our boarding group just got called, so let's go!

IAH - PHL

AA678

N831AW (A319-132)

dep IAH rwy 15L, arv PHL rwy 27R

Yeah, I know, seriously nerdy stuff here, but that's me. I make no apologies for it, nor will I ever not do this when I travel. It's something that's always fascinated me since I was a little kid.

When I first noticed that we'd be flying on an A319, and an older one at that, I figured it would be just another cramped cabin, much like the B737 700 series. No self-respecting "aviation nerd" would forego a website as cool as Flightradar24. I'll refer to that site as "FR24" throughout my blog. You can track any commercial flight anywhere in the world in near real time. I visit this site daily, and even subscribed to one of their premium levels to access specific aircraft information and previous flights. That's how I knew how old our aircraft was. If you have even a passing interest in aviation, I urge you to check this site out. You can access a lot of info for free, without subscribing. 

Obligatory boarding selfie (OBS)

Imagine my surprise when we boarded and I found our seats to be quite....roomy. Apparently, this is one of their modernized aircraft. Cool! There are no IFE seatback screens, but each seat has a power port for your personal device. Since Wi-Fi is free, you can access AA's IFE over your own device. Just make sure to bring your headphones, earbuds, or something to listen to your device without disturbing others. Of course, it was an early afternoon flight in good weather, so I kept my nose pressed to the window for much of the flight. I would occasionally glance at my phone to compare what I was seeing outside to our track. 

Climbing to cruise altitude

Sunset during cruise

West of PHL

On approach to PHL, looking north

We wouldn't have much time in PHL before boarding our flight to LIS, but we still managed to check out the Chase Sapphire Lounge. The lounge was located two terminals over from where we arrived, and the brisk walk helped us stretch our legs. While I'm glad we didn't have too long a layover, it would've been nice to have another half hour or so to fully enjoy the lounge. We enjoyed the complimentary drinks and snacks during our time there and will happily plan for a bit longer layover whenever we pass through airports with these lounges. 

Sapphire selfie!

Five-spice honey soy chicken

Pastries galore!

Queen Bee cocktail

With a light lunch at IAH and dinner on our next flight, we wanted to save our appetites, so we limited ourselves to just a couple of plates of the chicken and pastries. To quote Jethro Bodine, "Hot dog! Them was some fancy vittles. Can I have more?" Jethro who? Dude, what are you talking about? If you don't know who Jethro Bodine is, you've been missing out. Click here and see what you've been missing.

The Queen Bee cocktail was interesting. It's a local creation, made with Ketel One vodka, Grand Marnier, honey, lemon, and orange. It was tasty, but in all honesty, I'll stay with my Dark and Stormy. 

Another brisk walk back to our terminal, and we were ready to get leg number two underway. We passed an intriguing restaurant on the way back, and I had to get a photo of it. Had we not snacked at the lounge, I totally would've stopped here.

The perfect combination!

I'm glad we had those long walks between terminals. With a six-hour flight coming up, we'd be doing a lot of sitting. We booked seats in premium economy, with a 2-3-2 configuration. Our seats were in the first row of premium economy, by the window, so we had plenty of leg room. 

PHL - LIS

AA258

N806AA (B787-8)

dep PHL rwy 27L, arv LIS rwy 21

Seats 6A/C

OBS

Remember when I mentioned that I prepare a multi-tabbed spreadsheet for each major trip we take? That's just the kind of traveler I am: lots of preparation and planning. Since we were self-connecting in LIS, with just over a three-hour layover, I knew we'd need every minute of that time to clear immigration, claim our bags, and re-check for the domestic portion of our flight. I monitored FR24 to determine the departure trend for AA258. This flight had many departures more than 30 minutes late. A bit concerning, but by the same token, this flight still tended to arrive somewhat earlier than scheduled. Thankfully, our flight pushed right on time. The weather in PHL was well above freezing, so we wouldn't need to de-ice.

As we started our takeoff roll, I was astounded at how quiet the cabin was. Compared to the A330 we flew from ATL - AMS, this 787-8 was very quiet. Even the wind noise was less noticeable. Once inflight service started, the cabin crew began dinner service. AA allows pre-selection of the meal before the flight, so both Cindy and I knew we'd get our choice. I chose the pot roast, and for the most part, it was good. The carrots still had a bit of crunch, and the natural sweetness balanced the savory pot roast. For "mass-produced airline food," I rather enjoyed it. The tiramisu dessert was near restaurant quality.

Dinner is served

Our IFE selection included movies, TV shows and music. Given that we departed late in the evening, I opted to just listen to some music and try to get some sleep. I picked a channel with instrumental music and made myself as comfortable as possible. Even in these larger seats, it was still difficult to get completely comfortable, but I was able to get in a good nap. 

I actually slept a lot more than I thought, because as I started to rouse from sleep, I removed my sleeping mask to look outside to see.....sunrise! About that time, the wonderful smell of warm cinnamon caught my attention. I can describe that sensation as "It grabbed me by the nose and said 'Wakey, Wakey!'" Black coffee and breakfast? Yes, please!

Breakfast

Those grilled tomatoes and ham complemented the eggs perfectly. The cinnamon roll in the top left corner was warm and flaky. Sooooo good! I traded my yogurt to Cindy for her cinnamon roll. Both of agree that it was the perfect trade. We were just over an hour from arrival, so once breakfast was done, we started getting ready for landing. 

Our flight arrived about 15 minutes early, so we had to wait for our gate to be available. We waited for ten minutes, when the Captain announced that the jet bridge was broken, and we'd have to taxi to the other terminal to deplane via air stairs. Air stairs? From a 787? How quaint. I glanced at my watch and started seeing our connection time getting shorter and shorter. We still had plenty of time for now.

Another advantage of Premium Economy is that we got to deplane just after first class. Down the airstairs to a waiting bus to take us to the terminal and immigration. This put us close to the front of the line, and with no other international flights arriving, I felt good that we'd make our connecting flight. Now that we were in the Schengen Area, the immigration line split into the EU passports and all others. Our line moved slowly but steadily, and in just over 15 minutes, it was our turn to go through passport control. I don't know if this is sad or funny, but while standing in this line, we heard another American couple behind us remark, "We have Global Entry, where's the line for that?" Seriously?? Another traveler informed them of the obvious. <sigh>

By the time we cleared immigration, we claimed our bags and headed to the TAP check-in counter to check our bags for our final leg to FNC. Our time cushion was steadily eroding, but our bags were in the system before the cutoff time. At least our bags would make it even if we didn't. There was still at least one more TAP flight to FNC if we missed this one. Cindy timed our passage through security, and it was just 20 minutes. 

I realize each country and each airport does things differently, but this was a new one for us. Once through security, we started to look for our gate. A huge departure board listed our flight as leaving from gate "S." OK, fine, but several other flights were departing from gate "S." This is a head scratcher. I know, more coffee, that'll help. No, not really. Lots of "S" and "N" gates. A few of the gates on the departure board indicated S21 or N15. Our flight still had just the "S" indicated. 

Then the lightbulb came on in my head.

Ding!

After looking at the actual destinations, the "N" gates were all to non-Schengen destinations, and the "S" gates were for Schengen destinations. As our departure time came closer, specific gate assignments started appearing on the departure board. OK, I get it now. It took me long enough to figure out. Now our specific gate assignment appeared, and off we went to the gate area. Once again, we boarded a bus that took us to an outlying stand to board our aircraft via air stairs. Two legs down, one to go.

LIS - FNC

TP1689

CS-TJL (A321-251N)

dep LIS rwy 21, arv FNC rwy 23

OBS

Pretty winglet

The airport in Madeira is known for its challenging approach, given the terrain and weather. Special training is required for crews flying into FNC, and many airlines require the captain to make the approach and landing. From what I've determined, the preferred approach is for rwy 05, which requires a 180-degree turn onto final. Click here to see a YouTube video of a pilot's view of landing on 05. Pretty cool, huh? FNC is a planespotters' paradise, much like SXM. From the outside, approaches into FNC are just as exciting (at least to me) to watch. Check out this YouTube video here to see what I'm referring to. Cool.....very cool! In fact, part of our planning for this trip included a few hours for me to do some planespotting. I booked our seats on this segment on the right side of the aircraft, hoping for a 05 approach and landing. Alas, we landed in the other direction, on 23. Not only that, but the flight crew made a silky smooth landing. Hey, that's a good thing, but I was hoping to get some good shots of our landing.

Since Connie and Jeff don't have a car in Madeira, they suggested pre-booking a transfer from the airport to their apartment. It would be about the same price as a taxi or Uber, with the advantage that the driver would be waiting for us in the terminal, with our name on a sign. Oh, hell yeah! I knew exactly what I had to do next! Let's take a trip down memory lane to the 90s, when Bud Light had these ingenious commercials. This specific commercial remains one of my absolute favorites, and I laugh at it every time I watch it. Every.time! 

Please click here to watch the video, otherwise you won't really get the next part. Trust me, and just watch it. It's worth the 30 seconds of your time.

See what I mean? Hilarious!

Most of y'all can probably tell what's coming next, especially if you know me personally.

After claiming our bags, we found our driver, holding our "P. Newman" sign. I opened my backpack to find what I needed, and our driver said, "Oh, sir, I don't need any paperwork from you." "It's not paperwork," I replied, handing him my own sign along with a 5 Euro note. I explained what I wanted, and he was all too happy to help.

Is that our driver?

photo by Cindy Newman

With credit to the Bud Light people, here's my homage to such a funny commercial. 

Well, that was fun. Let's get in the car and head to the apartment. Our drive took about half an hour, and we saw Jeff and Connie waiting for us outside. A cool breeze was blowing, and sunny skies promised a full afternoon. We dropped our bags and freshened up a bit before heading out with our hosts to explore Funchal. 

Let the walkies commence!

So there you have, my wonderful readers. Part one of our Madeira trip blog is now in the proverbial books. Part two is coming up shortly, and I'll add a link at the bottom of this page for easier navigation once I post it.

What did you think? I hope y'all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. The next blog will be very picture-heavy, especially of the Carnaval parade. 

Have any of y'all been to Madeira before? I'd love to read about it in the comments section below. Any comments, positive or negative, are always appreciated, and I make it a point to reply to each one as I see it.

Until next time....

carpe cerevisi

Advent Fiction 2025

Cindy and I were watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation last week, and the theme song really drove home that it is "that time of year." 

Many of our neighbors started decorating their yards and houses much earlier than "usual." We usually hold off until the day after Thanksgiving, but I don't begrudge anyone who chooses a different time to start the festivities. 

Once again, we find ourselves in the holiday season, hopefully enjoying all the Christmas treats that pop up this time of year. Did someone say "treats?" Why yes, I did, like right here. It's also time for that wonderful treat called Advent Fiction, which my friend Loren Eaton hosts on his website each year. I always look forward to this, both from the challenge of writing and the sheer enjoyment of reading some absolutely brilliant work by other writers. The challenge is to write a short fiction of exactly 100 words, no more, no less. The title is excluded from this requirement.

image from Google search

A quick reminder to my readers: Any links in blue will open in a new window. You won't lose your place here. Clicking on any photo will display a large format of it.

And now, may I present to you my humble offerings for this year's event:

Bows of Holly

“You’ll do just fine, dear, trust me.”

Holly glanced at her vocal coach. “I hope so. I just don’t want to disappoint you.”

“Nonsense! You’re ready, now go out there and give ‘em your best.”

And she did exactly that.

Holly’s renditions of Somewhere in My Memory and Where Are You Christmas moved many of the audience to tears.

A thunderous applause.

“Thank you. I dedicate tonight’s performance to my late mentor, Mrs. Patterson. This will be her first heavenly Christmas, and I already miss her.”

Holly bowed to the audience and bowed backstage to someone only she could see. 

photo generated by Google Gemini

Let it Woe, Let it Woe,  Let it Woe!

I never knew there would be more than just one. Seriously, how could I (or anyone) have known?

Our first clue should’ve been when Santa was almost assassinated in Oregon last year. That, and the cult in Florida that found the strange box in the swamp and… opened it.

Headlines from primary news sources sounded more like the tabloids than mainstream media.

I believe it now, especially since “they” have taken over and demanded we all bear witness to their power.

Woe be unto anyone who misses even a single nightly parade.

Not just one Krampus, but hundreds of them!

photo by author, modified by Google Gemini

Somewhere in my Memory

“Grandma Rose” loved everything about Christmas. Everything! She was especially fond of her childhood Christmas memories and loved telling her family and friends lots of stories.

Today was no different, and she regaled her audience with tales of Christmas mornings with her young children and the traditions they had. She even sang her favorite Christmas carols to her audience.

“Hi Grandma, Merry Christmas! Grandma? Can you hear me ok?”

Evvie looked at her daughter. “Mamma might not respond, but I’m sure she hears you.”

Grandma Rose sat peacefully in her wheelchair, silent, staring at nothing and everything. Merry Christmas, child.

photo generated by Google Gemini

And that, dear readers, is my contribution to this year's event. If you've read my past submissions, you'll notice I like to use titles of Christmas songs as prompts for my stories. This year is no different, and the more contemporary songs fit the mood and theme for this year's stories. Is Holly from the first story the young lady who visited her "Grandma Rose" in the third story? I'll let you decide for yourself. On the off chance you aren't familiar with the song Somewhere in My Memory, click here for a version with lyrics on YouTube. I think you'll find it quite appropriate, and I encourage you to give it a good listen.

If you recall from last year's submission, I lamented over a misplaced new ornament we got while visiting Firenze. I'm glad to report that we found it shortly after last Christmas and stored it in a safe location. It's now in a prominent position on our tree this year. And for the record, I wasn't the one who misplaced it. Just saying.....

Duomo in Firenze

I sincerely hope you enjoyed not only the stories but also my ramblings after the stories. I wish all of y'all a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Year's!

Until next time....

carpe cerevisi

Advent Fiction 2024

 Both Cindy and I love decorating for Christmas! Her specialty is decorating the mantel over our fireplace while I concentrate on the outside lighting. While I don't go full Clark Griswold mode, I'm not averse to lots of flashing lights and yard decorations. Many of our Christmas tree ornaments come from our travels, and each tells a story. Earlier this year, when we did our Italy tour, I bought the coolest ornament while we were in Firenze. Annnnnd I have no idea where I stored it! It just disappeared like a ghost.

And speaking of ghosts.....

image from Google search

Now that our house is decorated, sans the missing ornament, I can devote quality time to one of my favorite activities at this most wonderful time of the year. I'll fix a cup of hot chocolate and let my mind conjure some, hopefully, entertaining Advent fiction. I'm forever grateful that my friend Loren Eaton hosts this event on his site I Saw Lightning Fall. Thank you, Loren! I hope you know just how much I appreciate you doing this. Loren opens this event to anyone who wants to participate, with just one requirement: The story must be exactly 100 words, no more, no less. The title, though, is excluded from this requirement.

This year's event can be found here. I urge you to read the other submissions, as there are some really talented writers submitting their work.

A quick reminder to my readers: Any links in blue will open in a new window. You won't lose your place here. Clicking on any photo will display a large format of it.

Here, then, are my humble offerings for this year.

Enjoy...

Mark and Harold, angels sing!

Mark and Harold loved being identical twins. Their capacity for mischief was legendary among family and friends. Inseparable from birth to their untimely demise, they did everything with gusto. The accident that took their lives was made even worse, given the circumstances. They weren’t drinking or being careless, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The toys they collected for the homeless shelter were donated in their name.

From the other side of the veil, they delighted in singing their favorite Christmas carols to the gathered angels in perfect harmony. Their angelic voices rang in their families’ hearts.

image from Google search

Have Your Elf a Merry Little Christmas

I’m baaaack!

That’s right, Stumpy Curlyshoe is in the house!

Missed me? I bet you did! How can anyone not miss “the life of the party?”

Arrogant? Maybe.

Or maybe not.

I just like having a good time with my peeps.

Wait, what do you mean you don’t know who I am?

I’m Stumpy, of the Christmas Clan!

You wanna hang out and have a good time?

It’s easy, just believe in the joy and spirit of Christmas.

You’ll be partying with The Stumpster in no time.

Hoist that drink and eat those cookies!

Spread the cheer!

Merry Christmas, y’all!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

“Shush, be quiet!”

“What is it”

“Didn’t you hear it? Someone is creeping around the house!”

“But who is it? Which one?”

“I don’t know, but let’s hope for the best.”

“Hope for the best? I’ve been good all year!”

“Have you?”

“Well, mostly…..a little. Hey, I tried!”

“Me, too. Let’s hope our good counted more against the naughty.”

Footsteps grew louder in the room. Both tried to breathe as quietly as possible, hoping that the “good one” was in the house.

It felt like an eternity before the footsteps faded.

Naughty or nice?

I’ll let you figure it out.

image from Google search

And here is my contribution to this year's Advent Fiction event. I hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them. 

If Stumpy seems familiar, it's because I've written about him in a previous Advent Fiction event, and I've had several requests to hear about Stumpy again.

So, did the hiding kids meet Santa or Krampus? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

To all reading this, I wish you a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years. Remember to have fun and enjoy the season.

Until next time.....

carpe cerevisi

It's music and movies! It's mayhem! It's........Mixtape Massacre!

How many times have I written about my love of music and movies? Quoting obscure movie lines? Oh heck yeah, that would be most triumphant! Imagine my sheer joy then, when I discovered Mixtape Massacre, created by the clever minds of Bright Light Media a few years ago. The Mixtape Massacre world is alllll about the pop culture of the 80s, especially the iconic "slasher" movies so prevalent at the time. Let's take a walk through this world.....at night.....in the woods. What could possibly go wrong?

Mixtape Massacre (Director's Cut)

While I plan to write extensively about the Mixtape world, my focus will be on the most recent edition of Mixtape Massacre, the Director's Cut. We backed this on Kickstarter after playing the first edition. The Director's Cut is essentially the same game with a few upgraded and enhanced mechanics. The core game is still the same. I'll also cover the companion game Escape from Tall Oaks and the expansions for these games.

A quick reminder to my faithful readers and to my new readers. Any links you see (in blue) will open in a new window when you click them. You won't lose your place here. Also, clicking on any photo will display a large format of that photo in a new window. 

The 80s were a fun time for me, starting with high school, progressing through college, and entering the work world as an adult. And yes, I made my share of mixtapes, carefully curating the most awesome and totally rad list of tunes I could think of. Later, I would do the same with CDs and, eventually, MP3s. And the ultimate playlist? It's right here. Fair warning, though, it would take a LOT of tapes to make this list into a mixtape set. We're talkin' full-on Columbia House mode here.

Along with such a phenomenal selection of music was, of course, the movies. Yes, I'm writing about an 80s-era slasher-themed board game here, but I want to give credit where credit is due. Of all the truly wonderful movies released in the 80s, I want to show some love for some of my overall favorites, in no particular order. I picked these five "non-horror" movies since I'll cover horror/slasher films as we explore the Mixtape Massacre world. We'll just call this an "intermission" of sorts. 

Amadeus

The Right Stuff

Full Metal Jacket

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Caddyshack

There are sooooo many more I'd love to name, but I'll save that for its own blog.  

Now, back to our feature presentation...

Mixtape Massacre allows you, the player, to take on the role of an iconic slasher-movie villain and rampage through the town of Tall Oaks, collecting "souvenirs" while competing against other slashers. Collect enough of these souvenirs, and you win! Sounds easy, right? Well, not so fast there. Not every victim will be an easy kill, and sometimes fate will just decide to make your life that much harder.

Both the original edition and the Director's Cut come with two heroes and ten slashers to choose from. Each slasher has a unique, one-time ability they can use when needed, so use it wisely. 

Rogue's Gallery

Above are six of the slashers just standing around, waiting to be picked. Which one do you want? I'll take The Legend for this round. Click on the photo below to make it easier to read. You'll get his backstory and his special ability. Remember, y'all, that special ability is a one-time use only. 

The Legend

Welcome to Tall Oaks

Scene Markers in place

Your slasher will move about Tall Oaks, using two standard D6 dice, visiting locations with a scene marker in them. Please click on each photo above to see a larger version of it. Notice the square scene markers in the bottom photo. These indicate that you may draw a "Killer Scenes, Dude!" card, giving you the potential to attack some poor townie and collect a souvenir. Notice I said "potential." Not every Killer Scenes, Dude! card will present a ready-made victim, open for attack. You're gonna have to work for it.

Killer Scenes, Dude!

I love how these cards look like a VHS tape. It definitely brings back memories of going to a video rental store on the weekends for the latest releases. Are you ready? Press PLAY, and let's see what happens.

Victims are open for attack

Here are four scene cards from the deck showing victims ready for attack. Click on the photo so you can see all the details. The artwork and references are the heart of this game. Did you notice anything else about the bottom two cards? Remember, this is a very 80s-centric game, so some references are obvious, while others are a bit more subtle. I think I paired the bottom two cards quite nicely. 

The red knife in the top right corner indicates how many knives you have to roll on the action dice and the blue skull indicates how many "souvenirs" you get to take.....if successful. The souvenirs are the scene markers. Once a successful "kill" has been made, flip the scene marker over to reveal your souvenir and add these to your collection.

Souvenirs

In the basic game, you only need ten souvenirs to win. They don't have to be any specific item, and you can have several of the same type. There is a variant for more of a challenge in which you must collect specific souvenirs, but I'll leave that for you to discover. Additionally, upon completion of a successful kill, your slasher can perform a free search for supplies and subsequently roll the movement dice. If able to reach another location with another scene marker, draw a Killer Scenes, Dude! card and attempt another attack. Keep doing this "spree" until either you can't reach another location in a single roll of the dice our you are unsuccessful in an attack. Your spree is over and it's the next player's turn.

Runnnn, Forrest!

Not every scene marker will be a souvenir. Mixed in with the souvenirs are several "runner" tokens. Yep, your victim got away. I guess the Zombieland rules apply here, especially rule #1. And yes, I just made two movie references from non-80s movies. That's just how I roll.

Ready for more trouble? Some of the scene cards are gonna cause you more grief than your prospective victim. In fact, these can be downright painful for your character.

The victim got away!

.

Wait, our slasher can get hurt?? Absolutely! In these scenes, not only did your victim get away, but now you must defend yourself or take damage. In three of these four cards, you'll see an orange fist icon. That's how many fists you need to roll to successfully defend yourself. Unsuccessful? Too bad! You just lost the health indicated by the red heart icon. We'll take a closer look at your slasher's health shortly. Check out the bottom right card. This is one of the most frustrating scenes to draw. There is nothing you can do but take damage. And The Survivor card at the top left? Bad news for everyone if this card is drawn and he's not defeated.

Did you notice the yellow ear icon on some of these cards? These indicate noise generated and will increase the likelihood of a hero coming to the rescue. And here you thought you'd just go about hacking the poor, innocent victims in Tall Oaks without any consequences...

Dice, dice baby!

Since I've mentioned dice as an integral part of the game, here's what I'm referring to. The top die is for searching, which I'll describe shortly. The middle two are standard D6 dice for movement about Tall Oaks. The bottom three are the "action dice." Use these to roll for multiple knives, fists or pentagrams. The designers of Mixtape Massacre included a chart to indicate what happens if you roll triples of any face during an attack, defense, or brawl. These can be very helpful and get you out of a jam. Or they can do nothing. 

As your slasher moves throughout Tall Oaks, he/she/it can search empty locations for supplies. Roll the search die, and if a magnifying glass symbol appears, your slasher is successful. An ear symbol advances the token on the hero track, and the infamous circle with a line through it means you found nothing.

What's that smell??

Let's revisit the Tall Oaks map and look at another way of moving your slasher. Notice the three orange circles; one near the top center, one about halfway down on the left, and the third near the bottom right. Your slasher can move onto one of these sewers and in full Andy Dufresne mode, move through the sewer system. And here's the cool thing: moving onto one of the orange sewer tiles will then "teleport" your slasher to any other orange tile without costing another move. Suppose you roll an eight, and your slasher is located one spot from the orange sewer on the bottom right, near the skatepark. From there, the slasher could spend one movement to get to the orange sewer and then "re-appear" at either of the other orange sewer tiles near the top of the board. You'll then spend the remaining seven movement points to potentially reach several different locations.

Note that there are also blue sewer tiles. These work the same way in that your slasher can move from blue tile to blue tile. Your slasher cannot move from an orange to a blue sewer tile or vice versa.

So, what are these "supply cards" I keep mentioning? Much like the Killer Scenes, Dude! cards, the supply cards can either help you or hurt you. It's a gamble, but generally a gamble that pays off. The one caveat is that your slasher is usually limited to one inventory item at a time unless there's a game effect that changes it. Thankfully, your slasher can still search for items even with one already in inventory. Simply discard the excess card once you decide what to keep.

Supply cards

Below are four cards that are beneficial to your slasher. Shall we take a closer look?

Helpful supplies

Please click on the photo above to get a good look at it. The rusty knife adds +1 knife to your roll and can be used up to twice. Note the icon on the bottom right of the card with the circle and the number two. Yes, you can use it in the same turn to get two additional knives to your roll. You must decide to use these cards before you roll, though. Once the number of maximum uses is reached, discard the card to its respective discard pile. The chainsaw provides +3 knives per use but carries the penalty of +2 noise. Gee, a chainsaw making noise? Imagine that.

The two bottom cards help restore your health. The bottom left is limited to after your slasher dies. At least you're still in the game. Using the first aid kit will restore two of your health. Thankfully, the rules state that if you draw a first aid kit, but already have one item in inventory, you can immediately use the first aid kit and discard it without having to discard your other item.

Uh oh, now what?

Most of the supply cards are helpful. Others in the deck, like this one, are truly hurtful to your slasher. The bottom of the card says, "Hero meter is now full." Surely you didn't think you'd be able to run all over Tall Oaks, whacking people left and right without someone defending them, did you? Hey, you in the back, I heard that! I didn't call anyone "Shirley."

Unlike the first aid kit, you can't just discard this card even if you have something already in inventory because this particular card isn't an inventory item. Be prepared to defend yourself against one of two heroes. It's not gonna be easy, either. 

Hero meter

The rulebook suggests starting the game with Linda as the hero. Sounds good to me!

Linda

Hey, look at that....she's a lefty like me. The only issue I have with her in this photo can be summed up in one word: Index!! Some of y'all will get this, but many won't, and that's OK. Linda has another ability that may or may not manifest itself in the game. You'll have to play it for yourself, though, as I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't played before.

Kirk

Whoa, is this the same dude who's "The Survivor?" I do believe he is. And is it just me, or does this guy give off some serious Snake Plissken vibes? 

Now would be a good time to tie several details together. During game setup, the Hero meter is placed on the board with the hero token (the pistol) off to the left of the tracker. For every noise generated (remember those yellow ear icons?), the token is advanced one space to the right. Once it reaches the fourth space, the Hero meter is full, and the hero will attack the slasher that makes noise. This meter will stay full until the hero is defeated. A full meter is the perfect time to use the noisy weapons like the chainsaw since there's no point in trying to stay quiet.

Bonus track cards

Perhaps you noticed the green squares on the game board that have a cassette tape printed on them. Oh, you didn't? No worries. Take a moment to scroll up to the game board photo and take a good look at it. You'll see several of these scattered throughout the game board. Ending your movement on one of these spaces allows you to draw a "Bonus Tracks" card. Like the supply cards, these bonus tracks cards can either help you or hurt you. Usually, when playing Mixtape Massacre, I'll attempt to find these spaces and take my chances. 

Helpful and hurtful

These four cards are a good example of what you can find in the Bonus Tracks cards. Some of these cards are situational in terms of whether or not they help. These cards will direct you to a specific location. Depending on what or who is there, it could help or hurt.

There's one other aspect of the game that I'll briefly mention. Should your slasher find itself in the same space or location as another slasher, a brawl will ensue. If you have a weapon in your inventory, now would be an excellent time to use it. The current player will roll the three action dice and note the number of knives rolled. The next player will then roll the three dice and compare the number of knives rolled. The player rolling the highest number of knives wins. Ties are resolved by another round of dice rolls by both players. Rolling triples of any side (knives, fists, or pentagrams) is an automatic win. The losing player loses one health peg and returns to the nearest starting point.

And that, my faithful readers, is Mixtape Massacre in a nutshell. There are a few other rules and mechanics that I didn't cover to keep from getting bogged down in all the minutiae of the game.

Escape from Tall Oaks

The next game in the Mixtape Massacre world is Escape from Tall Oaks ("EFTO"). In EFTO, the roles are reversed, and now you play the part of a "survivor." Your character will move about a different part of Tall Oaks, rescuing your fellow townsfolk and avoiding slashers. The game board presents an entirely different part of Tall Oaks than what we found in Mixtape Massacre ("MM"). 

More Tall Oaks

Play mechanics are essentially similar to Mixtape Massacre ("MM"), except for the initial gameplay. I like to describe this as "It's cooperative until it isn't." As a group, the players must complete four tasks before they then, individually, face the final slasher in a location specific to that survivor. Only after facing and defeating the final slasher may each player then try to be the first to the helipad for rescue, and winning the game.

As an added twist, the player won't know what that location is until those five rescues have been made. EFTO provides a "Final Scenes, Dude!" card for this purpose. These cards are shuffled and each player randomly draws a card and places it as shown below in their player area without looking at the back of the card.

Final Scenes, Dude

Unlike MM, our intrepid survivors get to start the game with a baseball bat as a weapon. Their unique ability can be used throughout the game, compared to the slasher's single-use ability. Where the slashers can perform an attack without a weapon, the survivors must have at least one weapon in their inventory to attempt a rescue. Additionally, each survivor may have up to two items in their inventory unless their ability or another game mechanic grants them an additional space. Shall we meet some of the survivors?

We will survive!

Pictured are four of the eight survivors included in the game. Part of the fun of these games is choosing the optimal survivor or slasher that matches your style of play. Do you go for speed or extra strength? What about the ability to easily regain health? Tough choices, yes, but just as in real life, everyone is different. 

EFTO includes three slashers to contend with. The rulebook suggests starting with "Smiley." The other slashers, "Sarah" and "The Legend," will appear at different times in the game, based on the situation.

Meet your slashers

Sarah? A slasher named Sarah?? That's almost like an astronaut named Gus.

Wait, I know!

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

Sarah

Sarah who?

Sarah slasher in the house?

<insert groan here>

Yeah, I know, I deserved that groan.

In MM, your slasher has to collect ten souvenirs to win. Since EFTO requires our survivors to complete four tasks first, the survivors only need to have five successful rescues. A rescue is the same as a successful kill in MM: enter a location with a scene marker, draw a "Killer Scenes, Dude!" card, and if it's a rescue, successfully resolve the card. The scene marker is flipped over to reveal an iconic 80s item and added to your collection.

The EFTO "Killer Scenes, Dude!" cards are similar to the MM cards, except you are rescuing people instead of killing them. 

Killer Scenes, Dude!

These are resolved much the same as the MM scenes. EFTO uses totally different dice than MM, due to the different focus of the game.

EFTO dice

The top die represents defense against slasher. The run indicates an escape or run action and the bottom right is an "action" or attack used to attempt a rescue. Taking a look at the scene cards above, the top left card can be resolved by rolling a single "action" symbol out of the three dice. Rolling triples of any of these will have different effects, depending on whether you are attempting a rescue, fighting a slasher or defending yourself. 

Ready to play

Setup is similar to MM, except for the addition of the tasks in the middle of the board at the Tall Oaks Rec Center location. No scene markers are placed there. Instead, the four tasks cards are placed there, in order from one through four. Task icons are placed in the four locations noted on the cards. You can see the round yellow tokens in each of the corners.

Players will move their survivors throughout Tall Oaks, making rescues, searching empty locations, and collecting those five tokens. Just as with MM, the survivor is awarded a free search after a successful rescue and draws a card from the supply deck.

Supply deck

Compared to MM, the EFTO supply deck is much more generous with its helpful cards. Not only are there more weapons to find, but also defense items to help them escape.

Defensive supplies

Uh, ohhh...

Their survivor can also make their way to the Tall Oaks Rec center to retrieve one of the task cards. The caveat to this is that it takes one of the two inventory spaces available. Once the survivor obtains the task card, they'll move to that location and perform the task. 

Get 'er done!

Whoa, wait a minute! Do you mean to tell me that completing half of these tasks will draw the slasher to me? Seriously??

What did you think you were getting into, playing a slasher-themed game? Of course you're gonna have to work for it. If it was easy, it would be boring. Just click on the above photo to see what I'm referring to. Tasks number two and four will draw the slasher to your location. That's why you should always have a weapon with you in one of your inventory slots. 

Oh, by the way, before you can complete that task, there can be no scene markers in that location. 

Now don't look at me like that! You knew what you were getting into. Didn't the creepy music clue you in?

Let's see what a player's board looks like during a game in progress.

Hiya, Johnny!

Take a good look at Johnny's unique ability. It just might come in handy, based on the look of his health. He's down to three out of six pegs. Did you notice the bloody red marks around the two leftmost spaces? If any survivor gets down to one or two pegs, they are bound to be hurting and can only roll ONE movement die instead of two until their health improves above two pegs. His job now is to stay healthy enough to complete his task at the WKIL Radio Station and collect two more rescue tokens.

I will fast forward several turns to see how Johnny is holding up. 

The end draws nigh.

We can see that Johnny has made his five rescues and the four tasks have been completed. He flipped his Final Scenes, Dude! card over to reveal the location of his final battle. Each card has a different location and, more importantly, will reveal what it will take to defeat the slasher.  The player will place the survivor's token on that location to indicate where they must go. With the tasks completed, the helipad token is now placed in the Rec Center's location to remind the survivors where they must go for rescue.

Once all four tasks are complete, the slasher meter stays full, even if the slasher is defeated. The rulebook states that the final slasher should be "The Legend." It usually takes three "action" dice to defeat him. Johnny got lucky in that his location requires three action dice to defeat the slasher as well. Some cards require more action "points," and the lucky survivors will draw a card that requires less than The Legend's base strength. Good for them. Johnny wisely kept a powerful weapon and something for defense as he heads toward the Tall Oaks church to meet the slasher. 

Almost there...

In MM, brawls are mandatory if two slashers occupy the same location or are adjacent to each other between locations. In EFTO, there are scuffles instead of brawls. These are not mandatory, so picking your battles is the wise thing to do, especially if your health is low or you don't have any good weapons. Once the helipad token is placed, it's every survivor for themself. In one of our EFTO sessions, myself and another player spent several rounds scuffling, trying to impede the other from making it to the helipad first.

Did Johnny make it to the rescue location? I hope so. The end credits are rolling as the other survivors start showing up. Tall Oaks fades in the distance as the helicopter takes.....who......away to safety. 

And just like that, we've finished a tense game of Escape From Tall Oaks. Time to grab some refreshments and catch our breath before we start exploring the intriguing expansions and other goodies for these games. Thank you for hanging with me thus far.

Do you have a regular gaming group? We are fortunate in that several of our scuba club friends also love to play board games. Organizing a game night when we have more than six can be a challenge. There are "party games," of course, but when we want to get into some real action, like in the Mixtape world, what to do? Both MM and EFTO are set up for 2 - 6 players. We've had game nights of 8 people. That's two too many for these games. Or is it?

Leave it to our wonderful Mixtape creators to come up with not one, but TWO different gameplay modes for up to 12 players. There is an "expanded mode" for either MM or EFTO to accommodate multiple slashers or survivors and then there's the "party mode," pitting slashers versus survivors. Nice! I really want to try this mode! You can download the instructions for all of these from their website. 

In either the expanded or party mode, you'll need both boards placed together to make one large Tall Oaks setting.

Greater Tall Oaks

You cannot move directly between the two boards, as there are no sidewalks connecting them. You'll have to rely on the sewers to get back and forth. The same rule applies as it does for MM and EFTO. You can move from orange sewer tile to orange sewer tile, or blue to blue, but you cannot go from blue to orange, or vice versa.

Those who know me, or have read my other blogs will know just how much I love expansions. Yes, I've been known to order an expansion before I've even removed the shrink wrap from the base game. Guilty as charged. Besides actual game expansions, you can find smaller sets of enhancements for either MM, EFTO, or both called "Packs." Check them out here to see what might interest you. Most of these "packs" are additional slashers that allow you to mix and match for the ultimate game experience. 

One of the cleverest packs, in my humble opinion, is the Snack Attack Killer Pack. Forget Smiley, The Legend, Stitches or Scarlett, the three Snack Attack slashers (try saying "Snack Attack slashers" three times as fast as you can) could very well leave you feeling a bit....queasy. I introduce you to: Bubbles, The Kernel, and Frank.

Snack Attack slashers

For deadly slashers, they're kinda cute. I'm definitely a traditional "drink and popcorn" person when we go to the movies. Yes, I love a good hot dog as much as anyone, but I've just never considered it to be "movie food." The first time I saw these, I knew I had to get them for our Mixtape world. They remind me, and I'm really dating myself here, of the older advertisements I would see in the theater when I was but a young lad. Click here to see exactly what I'm referring to. Definitely "old school" compared to the flashy concession commercials we see today. While searching YouTube for the perfect video, I also found this video. WARNING: This video is NOT work or kid friendly, but it absolutely fits the theme of the Mixtape world. 

Another favorite pack is the Sleigher Booster Pack. Want to add a Christmas flavor to your game? This is it! This pack includes a slasher for both MM and EFTO. Ho-ho-hack-and-slash-ho! Krampus ain't got nuthin' on this evil elf.

Worse than getting coal

Before diving into the six "full" expansions, I want to introduce y'all to one of the mini-expansions (my term) called "Get to the Van Pack." Instead of completing the four tasks in EFTO as usual, your survivors will spend time making rescues and searching for four critical supply cards to get a van up and running for an escape. No helicopter this time, just a van parked at the Tall Oaks Rec Center that needs a few items. Even though it's parked at the Rec Center and not down by the river, I really want to know if Matt Foley owns it. 

Van supplies

Shuffle these four cards into the supply deck and place the van at the Rec Center. Depending on how well you shuffled the deck, it could take you and the other players many rounds to find them. Notice that, similar to the task cards, two of these van cards will draw the current slasher to your location. Just like the task cards, these count as an inventory item, so plan your actions accordingly. Your survivor must carry this card to the Rec Center to drop it off. A token specific to the card is placed by the van, and once all four tokens are present with the van it's time to boogie outta town.

Later, losers!

This is a more challenging mode compared to the four task cards, as the supply cards for the van could be anywhere in the deck. And just like the normal gameplay, "it's cooperative until it's not." 

I'll briefly cover the six expansions for the Mixtape world in the order they were released. What makes these expansions so much fun is that some actually combine quite well with others. 

Six expansions to rule them all

The first expansion released was Black Masque. This one has creepy written allll over it! 

Black Masque

Black Masque is compatible with MM only and cannot be used with EFTO. This expansion, and each subsequent expansion, adds event cards to the game. These event cards add to the challenge and variety of the game and make every game unique.

Event card deck

Event cards

These events have different durations, from just a couple of rounds to permanent for the rest of the game. This is noted by the blue circle in the top right corner of the card. Take a good look at the card in the top right corner. This permanent effect closes the Tall Oaks Hospital for the rest of the game. Ouch! (no pun intended)

Closed forever!

What else does Black Masque add? Quite a bit, actually! Two new slashers make their appearance, expanding the pool of choices you have to create mayhem. New Killer Scenes, Dude! cards will add even more ways to challenge your slashers. Some of these cards require a special set of dice, which come with the expansion. Certain combinations must be rolled to resolve certain cards.

New slashers

Dice to meet you

Here are some of the new Killer Scenes, Dude! cards included in this expansion. I'm sure you'll figure out pretty quickly which ones you don't want to draw when you enter a location.

A little different, but managable

Ahhh, OK, that's why we need the new dice. Looking at the card on the left, before you can attempt an attack on this victim, you first have to roll the two green dice. Once of the faces must show that concentric circle before you can roll the attack dice. I hope you have a weapon or two if you draw the Final Girl card. Two knives out of three dice are doable, sure, but there's a catch with this one. If you fail this roll, you die. Done. End of story. Yer out! I don't think Cindy took losing to the Final Girl too well. What do you think?

Die, dammit, die!

Holy crap!

I told you so. You really, really don't want to draw these cards......ever! Notice the requirements to defeat each of these reapers at the bottom of their respective card. Three of the death cards require you to surrender one of your souvenirs and achieve a specific dice roll. And if you don't have a souvenir to sacrifice? You'll have to roll triple pentagrams to defeat the card. Failing to defeat any of these reapers will cost you two health pegs.

It gets worse....

Two other bad things happen. It's hard to notice in the photo above, but each of those death cards has a subtly-colored background. Place the matching token in the location where you encountered this reaper. It is now closed for future scene markers until that reaper is defeated. Don't even think about ignoring it, and just writing that location off. Should all four death tokens appear on the board, well, game over, man, game over!

Closed until further notice

The two red health pegs are replaced with black death pegs. The only way to clear these nasty things is to find a Bonus Tracks card that will clear the pegs or through your slasher's special ability. Otherwise, those black pegs take up space for the regular health pegs.

I don't feel so good...

Bonus Tracks cards

Black Masque adds a lot of excitement (and stress) to the base game and is one we enjoy playing when we want a tough challenge.  

Next up, is Lockdown, the second expansion released in the Mixtape world. Lockdown is designed to be played with either MM or EFTO. It is especially suited for play with the Black Masque expansion. In fact, both Lockdown and Black Masque are suitable for the expanded play of MM and EFTO as well as the "Slashers versus Survivors" mode.

Lockdown

When combined with the MM game, Lockdown adds a new hero and a new slasher.

Sheriff Burton (hero)

Sheriff Burton will be the only hero for the whole game, so the hero meter is unique for Lockdown. 

Anonymous

I haven't had a chance yet to play as the Anonymous slasher, but his/her special ability works best with a larger number of players. I like this concept, and the next time MM hits our table, I'm totally ready to play Anonymous.

In EFTO, Sheriff Burton is now a survivor, and his unique ability makes him more efficient when using firearms: he gets an extra "action point." 

Sheriff Burton (survivor)

Lockdown adds more supply cards to the mix and another unique deck of event cards. Shuffle the new supply cards in with the base game's supply cards. Notice that Lockdown's supply cards look slightly different. Starting with this expansion and continuing with the rest of the expansions, each supply card or Killer Scenes, Dude! card look slightly different than the base game's cards. These differences are subtle, yet enough to make them easy to separate back into their respective places. 

Supply cards

I've never met any of the creators of the Mixtape world, but based on the humor built into the cards, they're definitely my kind of people. Check out the yo-yo supply card. BRILLIANT!

Four supply cards

Much like the Black Masque event cards, the event cards in Lockdown can hamper your best efforts right when you desperately need them. Imagine struggling with your current survivor in EFTO. You're down to just a few health pegs and have only two rescue tokens. Everyone else has at least four, and three of the four tasks have been completed. A successful search allows you to draw a supply card, which instructs you to pull the top left event card shown below.

A nightmare on any street

What a clever card to have in this deck! This is a total game-changer, transmuting EFTO into a one-versus-many scenario. Even better would be if the bottom right event card made its appearance afterward. Things are about to get very interesting! Then again, that is why we play these types of games, right?

Invasion, the third expansion, introduces a distinct sci-fi flavor to the EFTO world. While designed specifically for EFTO, Bright Light Media threw in an additional slasher profile card for use with MM.

Invasion

Two new survivors debut in this expansion, along with four, yes, four new slashers. So, for those who give me a hard time about all the expansions I like to buy, I say "Ha!"

Meet Jacobs and Chad

Our new survivors will have a tough go at it, especially when facing these new slashers. Then again, it's not like facing the other slashers is a walk in the park, either. I wonder if Agent Jacobs knows Scully and Mulder...

Ohhh, myyyy!

It takes five action points to defeat the Invader Queen? Five?? Dayum! I better start looking for some heavy-duty firepower. Maybe there will be something in the new supply deck.

Speaking of supplies...

Cool stuff

Yep, you definitely want the plasma gun in your inventory if you have to face the Invader Queen. I bet it ranks right up there alongside the BFG9000, Noisy Cricket, and the Illudium Q-36 Space Modulator.

New event cards and Killer Scenes, Dude! cards add more content to fill your time in Tall Oaks with thrills, chills, and a few choice expletives. In our case, it's usually more than just a "few" choice expletives. Just ask Cindy about one particular game of Ticket to Ride: Europe.

More killer scenes

Events galore

Still with me? Great! We're halfway through the expansions. I hope you're enjoying our journey through the Mixtape world. We'll keep pressing on to see what we discover next.

Myth

This fourth expansion can be played with either MM or EFTO. Bigfoot? Sasquatch? Psh! Just like the title says, it's a myth, a myth! 

Sorry, I've been itching to throw that reference in there since I started writing this blog. I've lost track of how many movie and song references I've made so far, but there have been quite a few.

Since this expansion incorporates a similar mythical creature, one more quick digression here. How many have heard of the Fouke Monster? It's the basis for an obscure movie that happens to be one of my favorites: The Legend of Boggy Creek. If I recall correctly, my eldest sister took me to see this movie when it came out. 

OK, enough rambling; let's get to the good stuff. 

One of my favorite additions is two double-sided location boards. These are small board extensions to use with either MM or EFTO. Accessing these new locations from the main board is accomplished through the sewers, just like the combined boards in the expanded game mode.

MM location boards

EFTO location boards

These are a genius addition, in my humble opinion, and I like using them even when not playing this expansion. I hope the Bright Light Media people design more of these location boards. They're pretty cool!

Just as in previous expansions, you also get more Killer Scenes, Dude! cards, supply cards and event cards specific to this expansion. 

MM and EFTO Killer Scenes cards

In MM mode, there's a new slasher and new hero to add to the mix. No surprise that the slasher is a bigfoot-type creature. The hero is a hunter and one that you'd do well to avoid. 

MM slasher and hero

Hero meter

I appreciate how each expansion uses a themed hero meter. While the mechanics are still the same, each meter is specific to the expansion and instantly tie it to the theme.

Event cards

Events for new locations

Roles are swapped in EFTO, with the hunter becoming the hunted. His character card calls him a "sniper," but I think he's dressed more like a hunter. Our furry friend is still a slasher and a tough one at that. 

EFTO survivor and slasher

Leave the tasks, other slashers, and Final Scenes cards in the box. This expansion provides an alternate mission to be completed cooperatively. An Evidence card replaces the Final Scenes card. You still have to make six successful rescues while gathering "evidence." Good or bad, The Myth is the only slasher in this mode.  

Evidence card (front & back)

Shuffled into the regular Killer Scenes, Dude! deck are the expansion cards. Some of these will help complete your mission of gathering evidence of The Myth. 

Smile for the camera

Revealing this card allows you the opportunity to capture evidence. A new "camera die" is included in the box for this purpose. Rolling the die will produce one of three possible results: a good photo, a blurry photo, or a full slasher meter. 

Hope for a good photo

Not only must you individually make six successful rescues, but as a group, four photos, good or blurry, must be dropped off at the Tall Oaks Police Station to win the game. Depending upon how many good versus blurry photos are submitted will determine the ultimate end of the game. Now is a good time to scroll up and review the back of the evidence card. This will show you the possible endings for the game.

Wow, the poor citizens of Tall Oaks have had a LOT of crazy things thrown at them, from reapers to aliens to the mythical (or is it?) bigfoot. What could possibly happen next?

Maybe it's just a coincidence that I'm writing this blog so close to Halloween when the next expansion, number five, is Hallow's Eve. This expansion is only compatible with MM, so we'll leave EFTO on the shelf for now. As a bonus, though, two new slasher cards are included for EFTO.

Hallow's Eve

New Killer Scenes, Dude! and supply cards, as well as a different hero meter (called "attack meter"), are included in this expansion. There are no heroes to contend with in Hallow's Eve, but don't think for a minute that the slashers are gonna get off easy. This time, our slashers will have to face an evil entity called "The Scare."

New supply cards will provide some interesting ways to enhance your slasher. Let's take a look at what we can expect.

Not just a hockey mask

These masks grant our slasher some powerful abilities, but as always, there's a catch. Certain Killer Scenes, Dude! cards, when drawn, will punish the slasher that has one of these in their possession. Risk versus benefit, right?

Tricks & Treats

When I was in ROTC in college, I got sick of hearing the phrase, "Attention to detail, cadet!" Sick.of.it. Imagine the irony that I use this phrase with my wife, much to her annoyance as well. At least it's funny to me. I'm making the point of this phrase because of the scythe card above. I happened to draw this card the last time we played and......didn't pay much attention to the details. Not one I want to use again. "Attention to detail, slasher!"

The Spawn cards will trigger the arrival of up to three "Spawns." The more Spawns that are on the board the more powerful they become. 

Thematic attack meter

Killer scenes cards

See what I mean? Drawing The Maskmaker card is bad news if your slasher has a mask. Those trick-or-treaters will cause you some grief as well. They will call "The Scare" to the board, so make sure your slasher is well prepared. 

The Scare & the Spawns

Bubbles vs The Scare

And now, it's....time....to reveal the sixth and latest expansion:

Time Warp

We backed Time Warp on Kickstarter like we backed The Director's Cut of MM, mainly for the exclusives.

Time Warp is only compatible with EFTO, although there are three new slashers for MM.  If you've been paying attention, this is common with most of the expansions for the MM and EFTO worlds. There's a LOT of value packed in each box. 

Getting mentally prepared to play this expansion is easy. Take a moment and stand up. Give yourself some room to move around. Ready? 

It's just a jump to the left!

Yes, I had to include this. I wouldn't be me if I didn't.

Setup changes are similar to the other EFTO expansions in that you'll only use the slashers provided in the box for this expansion. The slashers from the other expansions/base game get the night off. Two new survivors join the fun, too.

Slashers

Survivors

There are more scene cards, event cards, supply cards, and, yes, new dice to give Time Warp a fun twist to the base game.  Similar to Myth, there are different cards in lieu of the Final Scenes cards in the base game. 

Killer scenes cards

Event cards

Supply cards

Time Warp dice

"Jump Team Auditions"

A "portal mat tracker" is placed in the Tall Oaks Rec Center, and this is where you'll place portal tokens as play progresses.

Portal Mat Tracker during play

As if all of this wasn't exciting enough, there's an additional game mode included in Time Warp. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to face an irate dinosaur? Now's your chance. 

Meet "Colorado"

As a child, I loved going on egg hunts during Easter. This "egg hunt," though, is much more dangerous. You'll have to find four eggs buried in the supply card pile and get them to the portal mat without damaging any. Once the four "good" eggs are placed on the portal mat tracker, AND you've completed the requisite number of rescues, you'll face Colorado in a final battle and send her back to her own time. 

Egg cards

We've come to the end of our journey exploring the Mixtape world. Thank you for hanging in there with me. This is one of the longer game blogs I've written, and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I have deliberately omitted several details in each game and expansion to allow you to discover on your own. 

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Bright Light Media. I have received no compensation of any sort for this blog. I paid full price for all of the content obtained from Bright Light Media.

If you enjoyed reading about this game and its expansions, here are links to some other game blogs I've written. I'd love to hear your thoughts on any or all of these.

Dead of Winter

Pandemic

Food Truck Champion

Please feel free to share this blog with anyone you think would enjoy it. I appreciate all feedback, positive or negative.

Until next time....

carpe cerevisi