hart&heim

Never Have I Ever Card Game Review, Or As I Call It… Things You Can Never Unhear!

2017-10-17T08:56:57Z

We are all used to Cards Against Humanity by now, but if you really want to cringe, there’s a new card game out now that is even more painful in regard to embarrassment and the horribleness of people. Not to mention, as the box says, “poor life choices”.

We had a few people around, and wow. The first thing I have to warn you is not to play with any member of your family. EVER. Seriously, if they ask what you’re doing, give them money and tell them to go out to a movie or something. There are now things that I can never unhear. I am scarred for life. Great, thanks so much!

The premise is pretty simple: there’s a rule card, and you do what it says. Everyone has 10 cards in their hand of poor life choices. Sometimes you have to answer them, sometimes other people have to, which all depends on the rule card. There are some really good cards, ranging from tame to WHY?!?!?! (Yes, I feel that deserves caps lock and excessive punctuation. When you get the game and look through all the play cards, you will understand.) Some of the ones played were (these are some of the more “tame” ones):

Overall, it’s a great party game. There were 7 of us, though the recommendation is 4 or more. The age says 17+, but all of us were 21+, and even we didn’t do all the things the cards said. Seriously, some of these were really bad, like so bad they were really cringe-worthy and then some. Again, don’t play with family. I’m serious. Just don’t. You’ll live a happier and more blissful life.

It’a available on hart&heim for $39.99. The box includes 550 cards (485 play cards and 65 rule cards) and the instructions card. I’m definitely going to be packing this in my suitcase and wrangling as many people to play as possible, though I might be a spectator the next go around. This is a game to definitely bring out, but be warned, there are some things that you really don’t want to know that people have done. Like ever. But, if you can handle it, then Never Have I Ever should definitely be on your shopping list.

Bucket of Doom – The death-dodging party game

2017-10-17T09:00:03Z

Bucket of Doom: Death Dodging Party Game it would tempting to simply take my review of Cards Against Humanity and literally reskin it with the review of Bucket of Doom. Both use the same mechanic in that each turn one player has to match answers from each of the other player's hand to a given question and chooses the winning answer. Which makes both very similar to Apples to Apples, but what Bucket of Doom and Cards Against Humanity have in common is a mature subject which means that they are games for adults. Such a reskinning though, would be simplistic and unfair to Bucket of Doom.

Funded through Kickstarter and published by Big Potato, Bucket of Doom is a game in which you find yourself in incredibly dangerous or awkward situations and the only thing that you have to hand is very probably utterly useless. Like Cards Against Humanity, the packaging of Bucket of Doom is quite striking. Where Cards Against Humanity makes use of stark black and white throughout, Bucket of Doom actually comes in a bucket—a bright ‘toxic’ pink bucket. Inside can be found some five hundred cards, of which one hundred are Doom cards and four hundred are random Object cards. Also included in the box are the rules sheet, two voting pads, and two pencils.

The full colour Doom cards each give situation that it is deadly, or least perilous—and quite possibly controversial. For example, the simply perilous include ‘You’re an intrepid archaeologist and a giant boulder is chasing you down a dead-end tunnel’, ‘You’re James Bond strapped to a table. A redhot laser is burning a path towards your ‘bits’.’, or ‘Darth Vader senses that you did the ‘wanker’ sign behind his back. He starts suffocating you with his death pinch.’, whilst ‘You’ve been nailed to a cross for being nice to people.’ and ‘You are Edward Snowden and you’ve inadvertently boarded a flight to America.’ are certainly bordering on the controversial. The various Object cards range from ‘Record-breaking paper aeroplane’, ‘Hi-Vis Jacket’, ‘Bowl of Egg Whites’, and ‘Feather Pillow’ to ‘Justin Bieber’s Brain’, ‘A Grumpy Gnome named Gary’, ‘Full Colostomy Bag’, and ‘Number for a very prompt taxi service’. The Object cards are double-sided, white on one side, black on the other, and in a nice touch, have an object on each—thus giving not just four hundred objects, but eight hundred!

At the start of the game, each player receives eight Object cards. One player draws and reads out a Doom card and gives a few moments for the other players to look through their hands. Each will select one Object and think up a way of his using it to help his escape from the situation described on the Doom card. Everyone then takes it in turn to explain how the item described on their Object helps in their escape. Once the explanations are given, everyone gets to vote on the answers—of course you cannot vote on your escape plan—and the player with the most votes is awarded the Doom card. The next player reads out Doom card and so on and so on. The first player to garner three, five, or seven Doom cards—depending upon the length of the game—wins the game.

For example, it is Debbie’s turn to read out the question on a Doom card, which is, ‘Walking home after a night out wearing Lady Gaga’s meat dress you are attacked by militant vegans.’ Peter, Stef, and I select what we think are suitable Object cards from our hands and concoct our explanations. So Peter grabs ‘Harry Potter’s owl, Hedwig’ and sends the bird off to get help from the wizard, who will either save me or resurrect him should the vegans pulp him. I pull out a ‘10m roll of turkey foil’ and wrap it around myself so that not only is the dress hidden, but what the vegans see I am wearing is their own clothes reflected in the foil—thus I am one of them! Stef grabs a ‘Pregnancy test kit’ and with a shout of “Don’t hit me! Think of the baby. I’m only wearing the dress to satisfy my pregnancy cravings!” Everyone takes a moment to consider their vote, but it is unanimously in favour of Stef’s escape plan and he gets the Doom card.

Of course, that was a mild example, but both the Doom cards and the Object cards are likely to engender much stronger, if not viler escape plans. Physically, Bucket of Doomis as simple as its game play. Its production values feel do slightly cheap, in particular the quality of the cards meaning that that they are not as durable as they could be.

Although there is much that is similar between Cards Against Humanity and Bucket of Doom, the play of the former is absolute in terms of its results and is less inventive. This does not mean it no less fun, but in comparison, Bucket of Doom is more flexible in terms of its results and is more inventive because it requires a greater input upon the part of the players. In this it shares more in common with Mad Science University from Atlas Games—both it and Bucket of Doom involve storytelling, and this aspect of the game is dependent upon the players. Which means that the humour of the game is also dependent upon the players. If that does not work, then the game is no fun.

The similarities between Cards Against Humanity and Bucket of Doom: Death Dodging Party Game are undeniable, but Bucket of Doom is is just different enough to provide a slightly different playing experience to Cards Against Humanity. In the right group, in the right frame of mind, Bucket of Doom: Death Dodging Party Game is a fun, light, and probably offensive party game.

Shit Happens: A Fun, New Card Game For Adults!

2018-02-11T21:06:58Z

Disclosure: I was given this game for review purposes, but you bet all opinions are my own!

Shit Happens: A fun new card game for adults. If you love inappropriate card games & lots of laughter, Shit Happens is the game for you!

Shit Happens. For me, it usually happens every morning after my first cup of coffee. They do say coffee is a great stimulant which aids in bowel movements. I am pretty “regular” like that, except when I am not. Shit can also happen at the most inappropriate times. True story. I was 8 months pregnant, on my way to work, stuck in traffic due to a huge snow storm. I can’t blame the coffee, I didn’t drink coffee while pregnant but all of a sudden; I had to move my bowel and I had to move it FAST! Needless to say, I was unable to exit the Interstate and Shit Happened, in my pants. Pretty bad, huh? Well, not the “worse” thing that has happened in my life but it ranks pretty high up there as one of the most embarassing times of my life.

Where would I say it ranked on the “Shit Happens” card game ranking system? Oh, I would guess somewhere between “Parents Read Your Diary” (Misery index 37) and “Smell Like a Fart For the Rest of Your Life” (Misery index 77.5). And this my friends, is what the Shit Happens card game is all about. The box contains 200 shitty situation cards, each card depicting a shitty event with a Misery number. A team of panelist, which consisted of marriage counselors, counselors, therapists, career counselors and social workers, evaluated each event and ranked the event with a Misery number between 1 and 100, with 100 being the WORST event on the Misery ranking. They determined the ranking by using such factors as: Anxiey level, Emotional trauma and Long-term psychological damage. Their scores and answers were averaged to create each situations Misery Index number.

So, how do you play exactly? Well, each player is dealt 3 cards and those 3 cards are placed from lowest to highest in the Misery index. When it’s your turn, the person to your right picks a card and reads the situation. You have to determine WHERE that situation ranks in your line up. You may be surprised with the results. This game is inappropriate, full of laughs and right up my card game alley! I highly recommend to gather friends and see where a night of Shit Happens takes you! You can purchase here

Joking Hazard Card Game

2017-08-12T00:01:40Z

Continuing my recent and ongoing theme of Party and light game up reviews, I couldn’t pass up the chance to add my two cents to one of the newest additions to my collection: Joking Hazard.

Now, you’re probably familiar with at least one popular game in the same vein: Apples to Apples, Cards Against Humanity, the T-Shirt Game, Say Anything, or practically any other game where a subject is given and one player (the judge) chooses an option, provided by other players, as the winner… And for good reason, these games can be great fun for 3+ players with very little down-time and a practically nonexistant learning curve. Everyone wins!

Of course, add to that already fun gameplay, the sarcastic and off the wall humor of an established web-comic like “Cyanide & Happiness“, and you have an amazingly funny and varied game, called Joking Hazard. What makes this game different from many already on the market is that, unlike Apples to Apples or CAH, which have subject and answer (green & red or black & white) cards, Joking Hazards’s cards are all panels of a comic that can be played in any order… let me explain.

F*ckJerry Just Created a Card Game For Memes Read

2017-09-28T23:11:45Z

Do you love everything about memes and constantly tag your friends on Instagram to see one? The man behind one of the most popular Instagram accounts, F*ckjerry, has launched a Kickstarter for a card game based on memes and it's amazing.

The game is called What Do You Meme? and is played just like Cards Against Humanity. Each player begins with seven caption cards. "The Jerry," also known as the judge, then picks a photo from a pile of cards. As the player, you choose which caption card you think best aligns with the photo. The Jerry reads each caption aloud, picks their favourite, and the process is repeated. Oh, and the first Jerry gets picked by having the largest number of Instagram followers. A video of how it works is below.

Elliot Tebele, the man behind F*ckjerry, launched the Kickstarter on June 14. With 34 days to go, the game has already raised $31,042 out of its $10,000 goal, at the time of this writing. If you choose to donate money to the game, there are plenty of rewards, like a beigecardgian "Basic B*tch" bonus deck, a follow back from F*ckjerry or beigecardigan, and others. It currently has 842 backers.

We're not sure if it'll beat the Exploding Kittens card game Kickstarter record as being the most backed project of all time, but we imagine the teens of the world will jump at the chance to fund this project. Check out photos ahead of the game in action.

Top 4 Reasons Why You Should have Fidget Spinners

2017-08-12T00:02:31Z

TOP 4 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE FIDGET SPINNERS

Have you ever found your cubicle neighbor staring at you annoyingly at work simply because you could not control your desk-drumming and finger-tapping behavior? Or do you find yourself restless and looking for things to touch or with which to play? Well, you are in luck as science has led to the invention of some of the coolest small fidget spinners for adults. The Best fidget spinners come in different types and shapes are meant to address such issues as anxiety, which leads to annoying behaviors like fidgeting and other serious problems including ADHD. Some examples of spinners for fidgeting include ADHD fidget spinners for adults, small finger spinners, fidget spinners for anxiety and general spinners for fidgeting. There are numerous benefits for using small fidget spinners. Some of them are listed and discussed below.

They are practical and easy to use

Some of the fidget spinners come in the form of dials and cube buttons, and the user does not need to do anything much other than spin or press them. These fidget spinners for adults spin to reduce anxiety and often feel good in the user’s hand, and they quickly turn with the least effort. Most of them come in an assortment of metal bodies including stainless steel, copper, brass and titanium and are meant to spin for a limited time if the user wants to stare into space or zone out. The weight of the metal determines the length of the turn. However, the user will just need to flick the fidget spinners for anxiety back and forth to calm down.

Small fidget spinners can improve day-to-day experiences

Office fidget spinners are especially important in improving people’s day to day lives because they give them an outlet for their bored or nervous energy. Many testers can support this claim. ADHD fidget spinners for adults give individuals something to play with and put in their hands rather having to bite their nails or tap endlessly on their desks. The fidget spinners for adults often results in a calming effect, something that means that people can focus their energy on something else and can irritate their co-workers less. Some of the best fidget spinners also allow people to use them on one hand and use the other to do something else, for example, editing a report.

They are great pieces for conversation

Many people will be curious about what you are playing with, and once people spot them in your hands, they become an object over which to bond. People will want to ask what they are, what they are for and why you need them. Such questions will evidently create an excellent topic for conversation and can also act as great ice breakers.

Fidget spinners are useful for people with ADD/ ADHD

ADHD fidget spinners for adults are increasingly becoming popular as they have been indicated to be increasingly helpful in helping people with moderate to mild stress and anxiety. The spinners for fidgeting often calm people down by letting them focus on something else other than the one giving them anxiety. The result is relief from stress and anxiety for the user.

As it follows, if you suffer from fidgeting or uneasiness, it evidently would be a good idea to pick a fidget spinner for yourself. It helps with attention, focus, active listening and calming.

Secret Hitler, A Fascist Party Game That Hits Awfully Close To Home

2018-11-07T06:45:07Z

Your ability to enjoy the tabletop game Secret Hitler will likely depend on your ability to laugh as an increasingly impotent progressive coalition fails to halt the rise of fascism. No but seriously, it's a fun party game.

Secret Hitler is brought to us by a number of designers including Cards Against Humanity's Max Temkin. It's a party game for five to ten people, one of a rising number of tabletop games built around plotting, deception, and manipulation. It borrows heavily from Don Eskridge's terrific The Resistance, as well as other "You think I'm this but I'm actually this" games like Battlestar Galactica and Mafia. I played a few games with some friends over the weekend and we had a very good, shouty time.

Secret Hitler production was funded via Kickstarter back in 2015, so you can just buy a boxed copy if you'd like. However, just as with Cards Against Humanity, the game's creators encourage you to print out the cards and rules and make your own set. (Our friends took the latter option, with a variant I'll discuss in a moment.)

Before the game, players are dealt face-down cards that divide them into two teams, Fascists and Liberals. One Fascist player is Hitler. The non-Hitler Fascists are allowed to covertly identify the other Fascists as well as Hitler, so they have all the information. The Liberals outnumber the Fascists, but at the start of the game they don't know who's who. Hitler also doesn't know who's a Fascist or who's a Liberal, so he or she wants to identify the other Fascists without tipping anyone off.

I'll summarize the rest of the rules below, but if you want a full rundown, here's a tutorial narrated by the Internet's Wil Wheaton:

Each round centres around two players in two government roles: The President and the Chancellor. The President title moves around the table each round. The current President player nominates a Chancellor, then everyone votes. The President's nominee only becomes Chancellor if they're voted in by a majority. After that, the Chancellor is in office for the round and can pass a policy chosen from two policy cards given to him or her by the President.

The Fascists want to pass a certain number of Fascist policies and/or elect Hitler chancellor, after which it's game over. The Liberals want to pass a certain number of Liberal policies and/or assassinate Hitler, which also ends the game. The policies themselves are just tokens to be counted, but if you pass a certain number of Fascist policies, the government will get special powers. Pass two Fascist policies and the President can look at any player's party affiliation. Pass four, and the President can assassinate someone, removing them from the game. In order to win by electing Hitler, the Fascists must have already passed three Fascist policies.

Here's an example. It's John's turn to be President. He nominates Susan to be Chancellor. Everyone's pretty sure that John is a Liberal, but no one's quite sure about Susan. She might be a Fascist. After some discussion, enough people vote "Yes" on Susan that she becomes Chancellor. John then draws three policy cards, discards one without showing it to anyone, then hands the two remaining cards to Susan face-down. Susan passes a Fascist policy, which moves the Fascists one step closer to winning.

With that done, everyone starts talking. Why did Susan pass a Fascist policy? She claims John gave her two Fascist cards, so she had no choice. John claims he gave her one Fascist card and one Liberal card, so one of them is lying. Or maybe they're both secret Fascists, and they're trying to sow confusion? It's time for another round, and everyone probably feels like they know less than they already did.

The friends we played with over the weekend had taken it upon themselves to print out and build their own custom version of Secret Hitler, using a variant that I'm sure will become popular among a subset of the American population over the months to come: Secret Trump. The teams were now Fascists and Progressives, the policies Progressive or Conservative, and the two government offices the Speaker of the House and the President. Instead of Hitler, the game-ending leader is Trump.

Our friends even made custom cards with various famous historical figures from U.S. politics. Progressive characters included Eleanor Roosevelt and Barack Obama, while conservative characters included Dick Cheney and "The KKK."

Whether you play Secret Hitler or Secret Trump (or Secret Obama?) the game is plenty fun and plenty stressful. You definitely will want to assemble a group of familiar friends for this one, since the parallels to our own political climate are impossible to ignore even if you haven't made the connection explicit by reskinning the game.

You're going to be spending a lot of time making bleak jokes about the rise of fascism and your failed attempts to present a unified progressive front, so you probably want to invite some friends with whom you're comfortable doing that. (Like with so many things involving modern politics, alcohol helps.)

Secret Hitler's mechanics often reflect real-world situations to an impressive degree, which elevates it beyond a more straightforward game of deception. Liberals can advance fascist policies to give themselves more power when they're in office, but they risk leaving that power in place for when Fascists take over. It's very easy for the Fascists to exploit the Liberal team's built-in lack of unity and to deliberately misconstrue what happened a few rounds ago.

Wait, who voted for Susan in round three? When did John say he might vote that way? Hang on, I never said that! If you're accusing me, that makes YOU the fascist! During one game several of our Liberal players degenerated into finger-pointing and mistrust to the point that we started arguing over who was being the bigger BernieBro, all while the fascists happily plotted their ascension. You get the idea.

The parallels are enough to be exhausting, particularly if you don't find what's currently happening in Washington to be all that funny. If you'd rather laugh than cry, however, Secret Hitler is a solid way to kill an evening with your friends while awaiting the end times. Be sure to bring booze.

We have it check it out here

Cards Against Humanity

2017-08-12T00:05:54Z

his Cards Against Humanity package makes a great gift, and is perfect for those wanting the six extra expansion sets that make up the fully complete game. The main version of Cards Against Humanity is a party game for horrible people. Its a hilarious game, that is sure to get the party started! Unlike most of the party games you've played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends. The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a black card, and everyone else answers with their funniest white card.

550 total cards: 460 white cards and 90 black cards.
13 duodecillion+ possible rounds (10^40) with 6 players.
Adapted from the original American edition to suit your vapid, fun-loving culture.

Cards Against Humanity Game Description

Cards Against Humanity is a party game for horrible people. Unlike most of the party games you've played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends. The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a Black Card, and everyone else answers with their funniest White Card.

Reviews of Cards Against Humanity:

"Pretty amazing." - The Onion AV Club
"An incredible game." - Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, Penny Arcade
"Uncontrollable laughter." - Kill Screen Magazine
"The game your party deserves." - Thrillist
"A game." - The Daily Beast

CASA AROMA GENIE: HEAT-FREE ULTRASONIC DIFFUSER BY TOAST LIVING

2023-04-06T06:31:48Z

CASA AROMA GENIE: HEAT-FREE ULTRASONIC DIFFUSER BY TOAST LIVING

by Erin Singh

What is the one thing we can’t live without; not even for several minutes but fail to appreciate it? The answer is AIR.

Many people are fumigating themselves on a daily basis by placing synthetic/artificial ‘air fresheners’ inside their homes; unaware of their toxic ingredients.

Read the labels people. Get to know what you’re breathing in.

My mother and I value every breath we take and that is why we now use a CASA AROMA GENIE ULTRASONIC DIFFUSER.

This small appliance, from TOAST LIVING, releases a lovely aroma of invigorating essential oils into the air by its capability of emitting a 2.5 million ultrasonic vibration per second once turned on.

By pulsating at a high frequency, the CASA AROMA GENIE ULTRASONIC DIFFUSER reacts with the essential oils, dispersing their molecules (particles) into the air which purifies the air we breathe.

Just add purified water and a few drops of your favourite essential oils into the diffuser and let the heat-free diffusion of this little ‘genie’ work its wonders by improving the atmosphere in your home and even at the office.

It’s electronically programmed to turn off when it runs out of water or when the time is up.

Mine blends in well with the decor, is modish (modern), and is virtually noiseless.

A heat-free ultrasonic diffuser such as the CASA AROMA GENIE is a good choice because heat is able to deteriorate essential oils and is capable of interfering with the quality of the oil’s benefits.

I feel that at this point in time, it is best to use a diffuser for circulating into the air a fine mist of natural oils from nature’s plants that offer therapeutic (healing) benefits; including their anti-bacterial and calming effect to aid in our wellbeing.

To add icing on the cake, so to speak, the negative ions which the CASA AROMA GENIE ULTRASONIC DIFFUSER carries into our air helps to calm the body too.

Good Vibrations

The CASA Aroma Genie has been a wonderful investment for my mother and I. We are pleased we bought it. This diffuser is best used in a bedroom or small room when the doors are closed. Having a fan also helps to circulate the mist of essential oils into the air. So much better.

In a Nutshell

The CASA AROMA GENIE ULTRASONIC DIFFUSER:

*Purifies the air to create a healthy home and office environment

*Doubles as a humidifier

*Helps concentration and mental clarity

*Eases tension and relieves stress

*Provides a relaxing environment

*Benefits pets too

*Easy to clean

*Uses very little energy consumption

*Has a porcelain casing

*Built in night light

*Practically Quiet

Diffusing Each Oil/Blend:

Being a novice on my first day, I started off by using 3 drops of Living Libations “Immune Illume“in our diffuser as I wasn’t quite sure how strong the scent would be in our bedrooms.

Gradually I increased the drops to five then eight.

Diffusing a couple of hours before going to bed each day/night with the bedroom door closed and the fan on helped to circulate the mist.

We try to alternate with other essential oil blends each day but our favourite essential oil that we’ve been diffusing at night is Immune Illume. Our cat Bella loves the aroma and is so relaxed.

Another essential oil blend I like to use is Living Libations “Deep Breathing”. The forest will come to you with this blend.

During daytime I have diffused Annmarie Gianni’s “Vibrance” and Essentially Australia “Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil” and both fragrances are so uplifting.

**Where to buy Award Winning CASA AROMA GENIE:**

Thankfully Hart & Heim an Australian distributor for TOAST LIVING were stocking the CASA Aroma Genie Diffusers.

HART & HEIM – AUSTRALIA – white and black model –

Living Room – Hot or Not – Episode 35 – Console Solar Jar

2018-01-19T07:46:30Z

Store your own little ray of sunshine with the Consol Solar Jar. The jar uses solar power to charge LED lights inside. It acts as a fun and sustainable alternative light supply for anyone who wants to go green!

During the day it stores solar energy

Green high-tech technology in a traditional mason jar. That’s the Consol Solar Jar.

The principle of this solar light is as simple as it is ingenious: The Solar Jar stores energy during the day and releases light at night. Producing light in this way is fun, sustainable and makes it easy to do your bit for the environment. And the Solar Jar will light up the dark for years to come. The Solar Jar contains four solar-powered LED lights, which are charged by solar cells in its lid. When placed in direct sunlight the LED batteries are charged and provide many hours of soft, yet bright lighting without glare.

The Solar Jar is ideal for garden lighting, decorating your table and other areas, barbecues, camping, alfresco dining and all other outdoor pursuits that would benefit from beautiful lighting to create a wonderful and relaxed atmosphere.

……it lights up the night.

When it gets dark, you can turn on the Solar Jar using its unique magnetic switch. The four solar-powered LED lights give off a beautiful light. A light bright enough for reading!

Personalise your Consol Solar Jar any way you like. Fill it with fruit, sand, dried flowers, shells, pebbles… There are endless possibilities. Just use your imagination.