Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Late 1970s

Published on November 9, 2024March 24, 2025 by Kyra3 Comments

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Back with another Top 5 Tabletop Games of an era. We’re keeping the trend of breaking a decade into two halves—for now. Today’s list will be the Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Late 1970s (1975-1979)

In case you’ve forgotten our criteria for the Top 5 Tabletop Games, let’s reiterate the ground rules again before we get started.

1: Cultural relevance plays as much of a factor as overall quality. A game might make a list that doesn’t hold up to others of its type, but you must admit the game is everywhere.

2: Only one game from a franchise makes the list. This will become more of an issue the closer we get to games with expansions.

3: Longevity plays a role, too. A game doesn’t have to fly off the shelves today, but it had to have some widespread appeal for a decent time.

**5: Guess Who? (1979)**

Guess Who? kicks off this list with a simple guessing game. Players pick a card with a character depicted on it, and their opponent guesses who their opponent’s character is before their opponent can do the same. Guess Who’s? game board features several rows of cartoon characters, each with distinct looks. Players ask yes/no questions about their opponent’s character (typically about their opponent’s hair color, eye color, hair style, hats, etc.) and flip down the portrait of characters who don’t match the answer their opponent gave.

Guess Who? like many other children’s games (like Operation) has spawned a lot of brand-themed versions. Disney princesses, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even Cars 2 have had variants of Guess Who?. Guess Who? is a quick and easy game to learn and yet another game that has introduced many to the tabletop game hobby.

**4: Ogre (1977)**

Ogre is the first Steve Jackson design to make one of these lists, but we’ll most likely see more of his work in future lists. Ogre is a tactical ground combat game set in the not-so-distant future. Combat has become faster and deadlier in the year 2085. Hovercraft, tanks, and infantry dole out damage with tactical nuclear devices, but no weapon is as feared as the giant cybernetic (pretty much AI-driven) tank called the OGRE.

One player takes control of a military force with infantry and armor. They must defend a command post. The other player has only one unit, the OGRE. Ogre plays with asymmetric powers. It may even be one of the first to do so on a grand scale.

**3: Dungeon! (1975)**

Dungeon! plays out a lot like Dungeons & Dragons, if D&D was simplified and converted to a board game. Players explore the titular dungeon that is divided into levels of increasing difficulty. Players fight monsters for treasure. As you journey deeper into the dungeon, the monsters grow in difficulty and the more valuable treasure you’ll find. Dungeon! uses a lot of the class-types one may find in Dungeons & Dragons.

Each character’s fighting style is unique and suited for specific regions in the dungeon. The winner is the first player to bring a certain amount (value) of treasure back to the Dungeon’s entrance. Dungeon! holds a special place for me. It was my first exposure to the world of Dungeons & Dragons, sort of. While the game shares plenty of similarities, Dungeon! doesn’t follow D&D to the letter. And it plays fast and furious.

**2: Rummikub (1977)**

Rummikub holds the distinction of being the first recipient of the Spiel des Jahres (German Board Game of the Year) in 1980. You may notice that Rummikub was published in 1977. It didn’t become widely published until a year or two later. Rummikub plays similar to several other central European card games (like Rummy) which are played with two decks of playing cards. Ephraim Hertzano invented the tile game Rummikub in the 1940s when Communists outlawed card playing.

Rummikub didn’t catch on in the rest of the world until after Hertzano published his 1978 Official Rummikub Book. Like Rummy, you try to get rid of all your tiles by forming numbers into runs of 3 tiles or more, or 3 to 4 of a kind. The colors of the numbers on the tiles function like card suits.

Rummikub proves that people want to play games, especially when an over-bearing regime tells them they can’t. This act of rebellion made Rummikub the perfect first recipient of the Spiel des Jahres.

**1: Cosmic Encounter (1977)**

Cosmic Encounter takes the top spot because it popularized one of the most beloved game mechanisms of all time: Variable Player Powers. Each player takes control of a unique alien race with a special power. They battle each other for galaxy supremacy.

But Cosmic Encounter is far more than just combat. To win Cosmic Encounter, players spread themselves onto five foreign worlds. Players will often enlist the aid of opponents to take out another opponent or allow them to accomplish one of many challenges. Alien powers, which are unique to each race, give players ways to bend or outright break the game’s rules. The game continues until one player occupies five planets. Shared victories are possible, and a player doesn’t need to occupy their own system to win.

Like I implied, Cosmic Encounter has inspired so many modern board games. The Variable Player Powers mechanism tends to sell board games. And even games like Magic: The Gathering owes their inception to Cosmic Encounter. These alien powers allowed players to break the rules; one of the statements in Cosmic Encounter’s rulebook suggested that if an alien power deviated from the rulebook, follow the rules on the alien power. That’s like Magic’s golden rule of cards. Whenever a card’s text directly contradicts these rules, the card takes precedence. Collectible Card Games owe their existence to Cosmic Encounter. It had to take the top spot.

Did we get the list right, for the most part? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Check out the other lists in this series:
Top 5 Tabletop Games prior to the 1930s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the 1930s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the 1940s-50s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the Early 1960s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the Late 1960s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the Early 1970s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1980-1981
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1982-1983
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1984-1985
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1986-1987
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1988-1989
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1990-1991

3 Lists of 3 of Tabletop Games for Miss Kitty

3 Lists of 3 Tabletop Games for Miss Kitty

Published on November 4, 2024March 24, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. I promised something different with this post, so let’s give it a try. Today would be my mom’s 74^th birthday. Her name was Catharina Beenen Rackley, but her friends called her Kitty. I wanted to make a 3 Lists of 3 in her honor and had some trouble picking the topic. I could’ve picked music, food, or travel. But we don’t cover those topics on Geekly that often. Miss Kitty also enjoyed television and movies, and those would’ve made good choices. But I decided on tabletop games.

Geekly covers tabletop games, and Mom and I played board games together. She even got a kick out of me designing the occasional game. So, let’s do a 3 Lists of 3 Tabletop Games for Miss Kitty.

Games Miss Kitty Played

Miss Kitty played a lot of different games, and typically, she played games depending on who she had as company. She would play certain games with her children and others with her mother and siblings. And I’m sure she played even more games with her friends. I only have my perspective to go off on here and the accounts of others. Also, we may have more than a few honorable mentions. One cannot boil someone down to a handful of anything, not even board games.

Liverpool Rummy

Liverpool Rummy was a prerequisite whenever visiting Miss Kitty’s family, so this one may be more of a Beenen family pick. But I’m going with it. Miss Kitty and I played Liverpool Rummy a lot. I would go into the gameplay here, but I want to keep the entry short. Perhaps I should cover Liverpool Rummy in a post but it’s a card game using a standard deck.

Each round, players either try to collect sets of cards (at least 3 of the same number) or runs of cards (4 cards in the same suit in sequential numbers). If a player has all the requirements for a round, they can go down (which means revealing their cards with the appropriate number of sets/runs). Once down, players can play cards from their hand onto cards that are “down.” The first player out of cards wins the round and everyone else tallies their score. The lowest score at the end of the game wins.

I picked Liverpool Rummy instead of Wahoo (another Beenen family favorite and a good choice for this selection) because of a moment that happened the first time my wife Jen played with Miss Kitty. Miss Kitty kept saying that she didn’t know why I was so competitive in games. Later that same game, Miss Kitty sported a devilish grin and then bragged as she went out concealed. Jen laughed. Miss Kitty asked her why. Jen said, “I can see why they’re so competitive.”

Balderdash

Another game could’ve taken Balderdash’s place here: Scattegories. In fact, Miss Kitty and I played more Scattegories than Balderdash through the years. Both games are word games and while Miss Kitty would come up with strange answers for Scattegories (“Oreo” or “Knuckle” as forms of sandwiches), Balderdash created more memories.

Balderdash is a game of obscure words. Players must create definitions for words seldom used in the dictionary and gain points for guessing the correct definition or having other players select their invented definition. Miss Kitty worked as a surgical technician. She knew a few things about medicine and used that knowledge liberally in any game of Balderdash. If we heard a definition begin with “a medical term meaning…” or “inflammation of the…” or “a doctor’s tool for,” everyone at the table would turn to look at her. She’d turn beet red and try not to smile. And typically failed. If two “medical” definitions got read, we’d curse our bad luck. Which one’s the real one and which one’s the fake one?

Ticket to Ride

Miss Kitty had a history of set collection games, so of course she’d love Ticket to Ride. The rules are simple to learn and each different flavor of Ticket to Ride would add a wrinkle or two to the core rule set. Ticket to Ride was a perfect game for Miss Kitty. She could play a new game with a few “new rules” and not feel lost. I covered Ticket to Ride some time ago. Here’s a link to the original write-up.

The one game of Ticket to Ride I remember best with Miss Kitty involved her playing with her older brother Paul. Uncle Paul did nothing but build trains on the eastern seaboard. He didn’t complete any tickets. He didn’t do much of anything except block everyone else from building on the eastern coast of the United States. Miss Kitty growled at Uncle Paul. “You’re playing it wrong. Stop playing the game wrong!” I fell out of my seat laughing. It was a window into Miss Kitty’s childhood. This wasn’t the first time she had told off her older brother.

My family and I are currently playing a game of Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West. This version of Ticket to Ride has a story. Each player assumes the role of a railroad tycoon. The board grows as the railroad gets built from the east coast to the west coast. Hey, Uncle Paul wouldn’t have been playing the game wrong with this version. Anyway, there are four of us playing Ticket to Ride Legacy. When we finish, I intend on dealing out the fifth player stickers (you can place stickers claiming routes and cities for different players and we plan to use the fifth player) for Miss Kitty.

Games Miss Kitty Didn’t Play

This next list is of games are ones Miss Kitty never had the chance to play for one reason or another, but I know she would’ve loved to play them.

Marvel United

I wouldn’t have thought it possible if I didn’t hear this from her myself, but Miss Kitty was more into the Marvel Cinematic Universe than me. Marvel United is a cooperative tabletop game where players assume the role of superheroes in the Marvel universe as they try to stop a supervillain. Like Ticket to Ride, the rules are simple to learn with each hero and villain adding a small wrinkle or two. Since it’s cooperative, Marvel United eliminates competitiveness and players are encouraged to help each other. I just know Miss Kitty would’ve wanted to play out a few of her favorite movies.

And there’s some precedent for this. Miss Kitty and I played X-Men: Under Siege. My father and I played more of this game, but Miss Kitty liked this game, too. Marvel United would’ve scratched a similar itch. And it doesn’t hurt that the miniatures and art have cute designs. Miss Kitty liked cute things.

I haven’t written a review for Marvel United yet, but I started a guide. You can check out the newly posted Guide to Marvel United here.

Flamecraft

Flamecraft is the most complex game on any of these lists so far, but I’m sure Miss Kitty would’ve struggled through a difficult game or two because it’s so cute. And dragons. One of her granddaughters (my niece) is obsessed with dragons or at least she was at one point. Flamecraft uses a game element popular with recent tabletop games. Whenever you take an action that action has a global effect and can benefit your opponent on future turns. This element also makes Flamecraft feel like it’s a winnable game or at least a board game that has closer outcomes.

And did I mention the puns? I can hear Miss Kitty cackling every time I read one of the dragon shops’ names. Either that or I’m hearing my daughter’s same laugh. Critical Rolls. Bizarre Bazaar. Potable Potions. Outback Drakehouse.

Sixes

I first played Sixes recently at a party and thought of Miss Kitty. It’s a word game like Scattegories. Sixes plays out in six rounds—naturally. Each round has players making lists of six things that match a category. The twist comes from what players are trying to do each round. Some rounds, you’ll want to have unique answers like Scattegories. Other rounds, you’ll want to match other players. And the third and sixth rounds are lightning rounds where players answer 6 categories with a single answer. The person with the most points wins.

Miss Kitty would’ve loved playing Sixes. It’s a great ice breaker game or a way to reconnect. I found players saying things like “I knew I liked you” or “we think so much alike” whenever they answer a list similarly during a matching round. Of course, there’s the classic Scattegories response whenever you match during a unique round. “We think TOO much alike.” Or “Get out of my head.”

Games that Remind Me of Miss Kitty

This list is more nebulous than the last two. Some may be games Miss Kitty played at one point. Others may be games she would’ve liked to have played but never did. And there are a few games on this list that just remind me of Miss Kitty.

On Tour

During On Tour, Players assume the role of a rock band’s tour manager. Miss Kitty listened to classic rock and pop music. She would’ve loved this premise for a game. But she may have gotten frustrated with the gameplay. On Tour has simple enough rules. The amount of player choice can get overwhelming.

Each turn, a player rolls two ten-sided dice and then each player must simultaneously place the numbers depicted on the dice in a state (if you’re using the United States map) depicted on two of three cards (the cards will have specific states and regions and players may choose whether to use the state or the region). Players do that by drawing on their own game boards with dry erase markers. Once each player’s map is filled, players score points depending on how many states they can travel through starting from lowest to highest number value in sequential order. For example, you can go 5-9-13, but you cannot go 5-13-9.

Players must cut their losses and admit that they will not be able to visit each state (or country on the Europe map). Miss Kitty would’ve struggled with making a route that goes through as many states as possible. She may have frozen before placing each number. But whenever I play On Tour, I’ll name my band (there’s a space for that on the United States side of the map) something that has to do with Rick Springfield. Miss Kitty would listen to Springfield whenever her husband was away and would scramble to hide her teen magazine cutouts whenever he returned home. I may call my next band Working Class Dogs.

Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar

Miss Kitty bought me the original Fireball Island for Christmas one year. I don’t remember if she played the game with me, but she certainly got me the game for the holidays. The original Fireball Island had players race to pick up a gemstone and race back to the finish line with the booty. Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar improves upon the original. Players take pictures of the island for Instagram (or some other social media), but they can still snag a precious gemstone for extra points.

Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar reminds me of Miss Kitty, my mom, because I have video of the Christmas when I unwrapped the original Fireball Island. A younger me paced back and forth with the box as Christmas continued. Miss Kitty opened the gift I had bought for her (or I had picked it out for her): Hope perfume. She liked new and unique fragrances, and I had found Hope, which was supposed to change with each person’s body chemistry. It sounded unique. Modern-day Kyra recognizes Hope’s description as a marketing ploy. It was the thought that counts. Anyway, the video shows me geeking out with Fireball Island, while Miss Kitty was geeking out over Hope. Parallel geeking.

The Real Ghostbusters Game

The Real Ghostbusters Game, based on the 80s cartoon series of the same name, reimplements Ghost Castle that released in 1970. It’s a dated game; it doesn’t hold up to modern tabletop game design techniques. But The Real Ghostbusters Game holds a special place.

I brought the game to a kid’s birthday party. Miss Kitty dropped me off at the kid’s house and some time during the drive she shared that my father wondered why I hung out with a loser (the kid whose birthday party I was attending). I told Miss Kitty that even losers needed friends. This was Miss Kitty’s favorite story to share about me and my childhood.

I miss you, Mom. Happy birthday. We’ll play some games for you today.

Let me know of any games that remind you of your loved ones. Or the games you love playing with your loved ones. Or even the games you wish you could’ve played with them. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Early 1970s

Published on November 2, 2024March 24, 2025 by Kyra15 Comments

In case you’ve forgotten our criteria for the Top 5 Tabletop Games, let’s reiterate the ground rules again before we get started.

1: Cultural relevance plays as much of a factor as overall quality. A game might make a list that doesn’t hold up to others of its type, but you must admit the game is everywhere.

2: Only one game from a franchise makes the list. This will become more of an issue the closer we get to games with expansions.

3: Longevity plays a role, too. A game doesn’t have to fly off the shelves today, but it had to have some widespread appeal for a decent time.

**5: Landslide (1971)**

Landslide has a simple premise. Each player is running for President of the United States. 2024 is a Presidential election year, so Landslide can scratch the itch for an election game. These rashes flare up every four years. We don’t have too much information about this game’s production; Landslide released when Parker Brothers (the publisher) didn’t credit their artists or designers. That will change in the coming eras.

Landslide uses “votes” as a form of money for players to bid for states. Players can even attempt to steal already “bought” states from each other. And while an actual Presidential election requires one candidate to gain more than half of the total number of electoral votes to get elected, or the vote goes to the House of Representatives, the winner of Landslide is the player with the highest number of electoral votes. There may be more than two players.

I played Landslide a lot growing up. I spotted a couple of copies at my local board game café, Mana Games, and may have to play it a handful of times real soon. The gameplay moves fast, and at the time of its publication (1971), the electoral votes for each state reflected that year’s electoral votes.

**4: Mastermind (1971)**

I have a love/hate relationship with Mastermind. I appreciate its simplicity, but my brain struggles with finding the solution. For the few of you who don’t know, Mastermind is the basis for Wordle. Instead of deducing a word, you use logic to deduce a sequence of colors. One player sets a secret code, while the other tries to crack the code.

Mastermind has spawned a ton of imitators: Wordle, Fiction, and many others. Not only do I struggle with these puzzles—I flail whenever I play Wordle—I find it grating that whenever a TV show or movie wants to show someone as smart, that “smart” character always has a copy of Mastermind. Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper constantly had Mastermind on a shelf in the camera’s frame behind his head. Yeah. We know he’s supposed to be smart, so Mastermind. Ugh!

Still, you can’t deny Mastermind’s cultural impact. Even if I stink as the codebreaker.

**3: Connect 4 (1974)**

Connect 4 (also known as Connect Four) plays a lot like Tic-Tac-Toe (connecting 4 of your pieces in a row). The board stands straight up, and players take turns dropping “checkers” game pieces into the stand’s top. The player who connects four of their pieces in a row first wins. Connect 4 is easy-to-learn and has about as much strategy as Tic-Tac-Toe.

Connect Four just may be a lot of people’s first board game. Its simple rules make it a great game for kids.

**2: Uno (1971)**

Uno continues two trends. The first, 1971 was a banner year for board games; four of the five games on this list released that year. The second, take an existing game and give it a spin. Connect 4 changed up Tic-Tac-Toe; Uno turned Crazy Eights into a colorful and commercial success. Who knew it could be that easy?

In Uno, players race to empty their hands and catch opposing players with cards left in theirs, which score points. Each turn, players play cards by matching the played last card’s color or number. If unable to play, players draw a card from the draw pile. If they’re still unable to play, the player passes their turn. There are several Wild and Special cards to spice up the gameplay. Oh! And you must say “Uno” whenever you have one card remaining in your hand. If anyone calls you out for not saying Uno, you’ll draw two cards.

Uno may also continue a third trend. It could be a lot of people’s first tabletop game.

**1: Sleuth (1971)**

Sid Sackson makes another appearance on one of these lists. 1971’s Sleuth (hey, this is another 1971 release) tasks players with deducing the location of a hidden gem.

The hidden gem is one of 36 gem cards and gets hidden before the start of the game. The remainder of this gem deck—with each card showing 1-3 diamonds, pearls, or opals in one of four colors—is distributed evenly among the players, with any remaining cards laid face up. A second deck contains 54 search cards, each showing one or two elements, such as pearls, pairs, red opals, or an element of your choice. Each player receives four face-up search cards.

During a turn in Sleuth, players will ask other players about the cards in their hands based on the search cards they have. The asked player must show every card that matches the asking player’s question. This generates partial information in Sleuth. You may know that one player has two diamond cards in their hand, but you won’t know which color they are or how many diamonds are on the cards unless you asked the question.

Players are encouraged to keep notes for both negative and positive information. Sleuth can reach brain burning levels. It boils down a game like Clue—and Sid Sackson’s own The Case of the Elusive Assassin (1967)—to its deduction roots. It’s a simple but deep concept. Would you expect anything less from a master game designer like Sid Sackson?

Did we get the list right, for the most part? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Check out the other lists in this series:
Top 5 Tabletop Games Prior to the 1930s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the 1930s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the 1940s-50s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Early 1960s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Late 1960s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Late 1970s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1980-1981
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1982-1983
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1984-1985
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1986-1987
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1988-1989
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1990-1991

Top 5 Horror Tropes

Published on October 31, 2024April 1, 2025 by Skye2 Comments

Hello, Geekly Community! My name is Skye, and I love movies and TV. You could call me a “Screen Geek.” I make deep dives on TV shows and movies on TGIMovies (here’s the link to my website). Everyone who clicks the link gets a free year-long Netflix subscription (JK, just kidding). I’m excited to write for this site and get to know you all. Thank you for inviting me to this platform, it means a lot to be here. Without further ado, let’s begin my very first post. Woo-hoo!

Happy Halloween! Since it’s that time of year, let’s talk about something scary. But not too scary. (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). While I view myself as a refined connoisseur of visual media (don’t we all?), I’m drawn to certain tropes (whether they’re good or not). Sure, I love killers and dumb idiots dying as much as the next person, but there are other tropes in horror that I just can’t resist. With that said, these are my 5 favorite horror tropes.

5. Creepy/Evil Children

The Evil Children trope has been done to death. Sometimes, literally. Creepy Children show up a lot in horror because children are supposed to be innocent and non-threatening, and this trope flips that expectation on its head. It can be jarring when done well. Unfortunately, I’ve seen far too many poor implementations of Evil Children to put it higher on the list. But let’s focus on good Creepy Children.

4. “Final Girls”

While mostly associated with slasher films, the “Final Girl” trope has experienced an expansion in recent horror media. In the past she was the most moral character of the movie, typically a virgin—and usually white—she suffers more hardship than any other character. She’s always the last to survive, hence the term “Final Girl.” Since Sally Hardesty from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this was the purpose of “Final Girls.” Look pretty, be nice/modest, and maintain innocence throughout her ordeal.

3. The Slow-Burn

The type of horror that scares me the most is the kind that takes its time. Too many movies are desperate to get reactions out of people and blow their load in over-the-top jump scares which only exist to create the illusion of fear. In case you were wondering, jump scares didn‘t make the list. When it comes to legitimate horror, you must get your audience invested in your characters, story, atmosphere, and of course, pacing.

2. Monsters/Practical Effects

Monsters are awesome! I love a good creature feature, and that’s because you can do so much with monsters. My personal favorites are the ones created through practical effects and shot in front of the camera. It makes them more real and horrifying. I’m not entirely against computer-generated effects but considering Hollywood’s overuse of these kinds of effects in the past 30 years, you can’t deny that CGI has become easy to spot. If I had to choose between a bad practical effect and a bad digital effect, I’d choose the former 10 times out of 10.

1. Music/Sound Design

This one is a cheat. Music and sound design are less a trope and more an essential part of filmmaking. But I believe music and sound design are the most important parts of filmmaking when it comes to Horror. Music instills emotions. Horror needs to create specific emotions to get its audience on edge. It’s been scientifically proven that jump scares almost entirely lose their power without the assistance of sound.

-Skye

Top 5 Recently Spotted Cryptids

Published on October 26, 2024October 24, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. It’s still spooky season, so I figured I share another Top 5 that fits that theme. This week’s Top 5 is recently spotted cryptids. Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist but whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science. We’re talking the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot. I don’t buy into cryptids. But they can be fun to speculate and since it’s still spooky season, let’s talk about the Top 5 recently spotted cryptids.

5: Nantinaq

What if Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) turned man killer? If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, you don’t have to look much further than Nantinaq. In fact, the Nantinaq is blamed for the abandonment of the Alaskan fishing village Portlock. The killings become so plentiful that people fled for their lives.

Nantinaq sightings began in the 1700s when Europeans conducted expeditions, and Native Alaskans began encountering the mysterious creature. The Nantinaq is believed to rip out trees from their roots and plant them back into the ground upside down. I don’t know how accurate these images are, and I don’t know if there may be another natural explanation for this, but that sounds weird.

The Nantinaq has also been known to kill huge moose and carry the moose on their back several yards. Discovery+ filmed a reality television series in Portlock. The series, Alaskan Killer Bigfoot, follows a team exploring the abandoned village. It aired at the end of 2021 and recorded the most recent sighting of the Nantinaq.

I may have to watch the Alaskan Killer Bigfoot. It’s most likely a trash docuseries, but a trash docuseries can be fun.

4: Dobhar-chu

The Dobhar-chu is a giant carnivorous lake monster that lives in Ireland. It most closely resembles a large otter. That can’t be too intimidating. Only its alternate name is Irish-Crocodile. The Dobhar-chu attacks in pairs and they are known to get aggressive with humans and dogs. And because the Dobhar-chu is a huge, nightmare fuel otter, it can chase its prey on land and in the water. Great.

There haven’t been as many sightings of the Dobhar-chu as there had been in previous decades. The most recent reports came from 2003 by an Irish artist and his wife on Omey Island, Connemara. The couple saw a giant creature with dark coloring and membranes on the feet to swim.

The Dobhar-chu sounds goofy but these artist renderings make them more formidable. I wouldn’t want to run into one of these things. Yikes!

3: Orang Gadang

We have another Bigfoot like creature, but Orang Gadang comes from Indonesia. Orang means person and gadang means giant. Since Orang Gadang are giant people, they stand between 7.5-12 feet tall and are covered with bushy dark hair. They’ve been spotted for centuries in Sumatra and Malaya. They can also be named Orang Tinggi (Tinggi meaning tall), so Tall Person and sometimes Hantu Tinggi or tall ghost.

The most recent sighting of the Orang Gadang occurred in 2013. Seven people were injured and sent to the hospital. One was in critical condition. The group had been attacked by 10 monkeys. The monkeys in question stood upright like gorillas and stood between four to five feet. Monkeys exist in Indonesia, but none of them grow to that height. The group described the creature as having “stub noses and glaring eyes.”

Who knows? This one could be true. A lot of primates, both extinct and living, have been found in Indonesia. Even hobbits. Yes. Hobbits were real and found in Sumatra, which happens to be where the Orang Gadang originate. Oh no!

2: Fresno Nightcrawler

Fresno nightcrawlers may be the oddest creature on this list. They only grow to about five feet with most of their heigh made up of their legs. In fact, they look like a walking pair of pants. The Fresno nightcrawler is also the youngest creature on this list. The first sighting occurred in 2007 with the most recent on April 25^th, 2020.

The earlier sightings happened around Fresno, California, hence the name, but the most recent happened in two distant locations. The first occurred in Poland of all places. A man caught the creature on a handheld camera. But the most recent sighting happened in Billings, Montana. A home surveillance system spotted the creature at 9:45 PM in April, 2020.

Okay. This one is silly and sounds like it came from an old Dr. Seuss story “What Was I Scared Of?” where the main character repeatedly meets an empty pair of pale-green pants. “I said, ‘I do not fear those pants with nobody inside them.’ I said, and said, and said those words. I said them. But I lied them.” I kind of want this one to be true because it’s too silly. Shout out to Dr. Seuss.

1: J’ba FoFi

I had to include a large spider; my wife hates spiders. Love you. The J’ba FoFi, pronounced CHOO-Bah Foo Fee, has been spotted in the Congo. It weaves a trap-door like web to catch its prey. There are plenty of spiders in Africa that hunt this way, so that doesn’t raise eyebrows. What does is that the trap-door this spider weaves must be gigantic. The J’ba FoFi can grow as long as four feet.

J’ba FoFi sightings began in 1850 and remained plentiful until recent years. Many of the natives blame the lack of sightings on the J’ba FoFi becoming a vanishing species. Encroaching civilization and the rain forest being converted into farmland have driven the spiders from their natural habitats.

Some have posted pictures of a massive web system. I don’t know if this is photoshopped, AI, or another creature building this web system. Again, J’ba FoFi is supposed to be a trap-door spider, so webs like these, while impressive and large, must be the work of some other animal.

The most recent sighting occurred in March 2013. A video surfaced on YouTube of an alleged J’ba Fofi caught on night vision camera near a waterhole in Mozambique. The J’ba FoFi appears out of the darkness for a moment and scurries into the darkness on the far-right side of the screen.

I don’t know. Giant spiders, like the goliath birdeater, exist, but they only grow to a foot long. There may be a reason for this. Ahem, a spider’s body construct cannot maintain a body larger than about a foot. But a large spider could exist in Africa. That isn’t far-fetched.

So, which one of these cryptids do you wish are true? Heck, which ones do you think are true? And should I plan a trip to try and spot one? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Most Powerful Rogues Galleries

Published on October 21, 2024September 18, 2024 by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. It’s still Spooky Season, but I’m going in a different direction with this week’s Top 5. What’s more horrifying than a strong series of villains? In this list, we’ll discuss the 5 most powerful rogues galleries in comic books. This differs from the most popular rogues galleries. If we did the most popular rogues galleries, Batman and Spider-Man’s rogues would certainly make the list. But most of Batman and Spider-Man’s rogues are street-level villains. And not as powerful.

So, who made the list? Let’s find out.

5: The Flash

Flash has an underrated rogues gallery. I may be showing my bias here; I don’t know. Flash begins with a lot of great street-level villains or villains slightly above street-level with Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and Captain Boomerang. But then you get into Gorilla Grodd who has brains and brawn, and the Thinker who is the most intelligent being in the DC Universe.

And then Flash’s rogues reach a new height with evil speedsters. Speed is a given in a Flash story, but each of these evil speedsters can reverse time and change events. That’s Reverse-Flash’s MO. He went back in time to kill Barry Allen’s mother. Our next hero may be able to claim a more powerful set of rogues, but that level of pettiness raises the Flash’s rogues.

4: Thor

This one’s a cheat. Most of Thor’s rogues are god-tier villains, so they can get powerful. Perhaps too powerful. Mangog is the physical manifestation and sum of the hatred of a billion beings. Mangog is a threat to the entire universe. Then, there’s Surtur, the king of the fire giants. Surtur possesses a sword that can destroy universes. And there’s Gorr the God Butcher. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) may have done Gorr dirty in Thor: Love and Thunder. He’s far more menacing in the comics; he has killed hundreds of gods with All-Black, his sword that gets more powerful with each god Gorr kills. Oh, wait, I didn’t mention Loki. Yikes!

3: Superman

Most people think of Lex Luthor first when thinking of Superman’s rogues and with good reason. But there are quite a few people who may think Lex is a normal human. He’s not a threat. Lex happens to be DC Comics’ version of Tony Stark/Iron Man. Both Lex and Tony have money to burn, a power suit, and super genius intellects. Lex Luthor is Iron Man if Iron Man decided to break bad.

Then you add all the evil Supermen, and there are a lot. Bizzaro, Cyborg Superman, and General Zod lead the charge here. General Zod is Superman with military training. Supes may be in trouble. Brainiac is another universe-level threat. Darkseid who is a DC-wide villain can also be a solo Superman villain, and Darkseid inspired the creation of Thanos. And that’s all before we get to Doomsday who literally killed Superman. Throw in the imp from the fifth dimension, Mister Mxyzptlk, who can warp reality itself, and you can’t deny that Superman’s rogues contain a lot of heavy hitters.

2: Fantastic Four

Galactus. This being literally eats planets like Pac-Man gobbles power pellets. Galactus alone makes the Fantastic Four’s rogues gallery ridiculously powerful. But it doesn’t stop there. Doctor Doom may be one of the deadliest villains in comic book history. He has taken the Beyonder’s powers more than once. The Beyonder is an otherworldly being with universe altering abilities. Kang keeps trophies of the hundreds of heroes he’s killed while time jumping. And there’s Annihilus, ruler of the Negative Zone.

The Fantastic Four are unique in the world of comics. They tend to act than react and bump into many of their enemies on their adventures, and their adventures take them to some crazy locales like the Negative Zone. I can’t wait to see which version of the Fantastic Four the MCU will give us.

1: X-Men

But our number one spot must be the X-Men. The Fantastic Four may have Galactus, and Galactus may be more powerful than any one X-Men villain, but the X-Men have a power classification system. This makes it easy to figure out who can destroy or severely alter the world. The X-Men have at least eight Omega-level evil mutants. Madelyne Pryor (evil clone of Jean Gray), Dark Phoenix, Apocalypse, Exodus, Cassandra Nova, Stryfe, Proteus, and of course Magneto.

That short list doesn’t even include Mr. Sinister who cloned Jean Gray and has caused havoc. Sentinels and the upgrade Nimrod. Or even Bastion who is part mutant-part Sentinel. It doesn’t include Shadow King and the Adversary who can haunt people psychically. I think I forgot to mention the Brood in there. And so, so many more ridiculously powered villains who would be at home facing off against the Fantastic Four or Superman or the Justice League or the Avengers. The X-Men’s rogues gallery tops just about any comic book rogues gallery in terms of sheer power.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

My Favorite Werewolf by Night Marvel Cinematic Universe

My Favorite Elements: Werewolf By Night

Published on October 19, 2024September 17, 2024 by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’ve reached the halfway point of Scary Season. I hope you’ve enjoyed your various pumpkin flavored food and beverages. I decided to return to the My Favorite series and this week’s post will cover the Disney+ Marvel Special Werewolf by Night. JK Geekly was on hiatus when Werewolf by Night first released, but I had a few things that I really liked about the special and would like to share them, even if it’s belatedly. Wow! This special is two years old at this point. Yikes!

First, Werewolf by Night is a one-shot special. I loved it. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) properties have become bogged down by the weight of its extended world-building, and Werewolf by Night gave that storytelling a shot in the arm. It said screw it, let’s get away from the four or five annual movies that require viewers to do homework (watch hours of other content before viewing) and the Disney+ television shows that function like bloated movies and do something else. I wished the MCU continued their specials. To date, the MCU has only had one other special: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

I don’t know if the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special tanked—Disney/Marvel doesn’t share their statistics—but it couldn’t have done that well. It played like a corny Christmas Special. So many of the actors looked as if they phoned in their performances. I got strong Star Wars Christmas Special vibes.

But getting back to Werewolf by Night and the special that should’ve begotten a series of MCU specials, it’s a shame we haven’t seen a Howard the Duck special or Deathlok special or even another one of the Midnight Suns. They could’ve brought in Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Man-Thing, or even Blade. Moon Knight could’ve benefited from being a two-part special. It didn’t have enough story to be a series but had more than enough for a couple of specials. So many of the latter MCU television shows on Disney+ would’ve done better as specials. They’d cost less and Marvel could see what viewers wanted to watch more of. This was a missed opportunity. Werewolf by Night made me excited for new Marvel content.

Second, I liked the cinematography. I stop shy of saying that I loved it. I would’ve preferred an analog recording of the show, rather than the digital one we got with a weathered effect thrown over the top. Some moments had a touch of the uncanny valley, and they were too crisp for the feel they wanted to convey. But overall, Werewolf by Night channeled the Universal movie monsters that inspired the original comic book characters. And the choice of showing it in black and white was brilliant.

I can honestly say that I’ve watched Werewolf by Night multiple times each year around this time ever since it came out two years ago. Two years ago? Where is our Elsa Bloodstone follow-up special? My goodness, Disney/Marvel could’ve released a new special in this series every year, and I would’ve gladly gobbled it up. Some Marvel characters don’t necessitate a drawn-out series, those same characters could easily headline a special.

Third, I’m going back to Werewolf by Night as a special, but I’ll go a different route. Marvel could explore stories they would never attempt on the big screen (because they aren’t financially viable) but may be great fan-service. I mentioned Howard the Duck and Deathlok. There are countless others like Squirrel Girl or even X-Statix. If enough viewers watch the special, Marvel could find their next franchise without breaking the bank.

Marvel could also follow through with certain story threads like Black Knight (at the end of The Eternals) and Hercules (at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder). They could revisit these characters in the movies later, but it’s unlikely. And movies like Blade that have been in production limbo may find a quicker time getting greenlit, produced, and finished with a special. One-shot—or even two-part—specials make too much sense for Marvel to abandon. I’m left scratching my head.

What are your favorite elements of Werewolf by Night? Which Marvel specials would you like to see? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Hulk Villains

Published on October 14, 2024December 21, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re sticking with the Spooky Season theme or at least Spooky Season adjacent with the Top 5 Hulk Villains. Hulk has an odd array of villains because he spends a large portion of his time as a monster.

But the Green Goliath has his fair share of villains. Let’s see who made the list.

5: Absorbing Man

Absorbing Man could’ve been higher on this list. He has one of the most intriguing powers in Hulk’s rogue’s gallery; he can absorb any material he touches. Think of it like a physical version of the X-Men’s Rogue’s power. But Absorbing Man functions just as much as a Marvel Universe villain as he does a Hulk villain. His origins come from a classic Thor comic and has a link with Loki. And his most notable partner Titiania has a connection with She-Hulk, so Absorbing Man could be just as much of a She-Hulk villain.

Even so, he deserves a mention on this list. After fighting Thor for several rounds, Absorbing Man gets banished into outer space. Upon his return on a comet, Absorbing Man battles the Hulk. And the two became on again, off again rivals ever since.

4: Abomination

The Abomination is a classic Hulk villain. Had this been a decade or two ago, the Abomination could’ve landed much higher on this list, maybe even number one. But a few villains have taken his spot as the Hulk’s big bad. Emil Blonsky’s villainous origin plays out similarly to his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) counterpart. He started as a KGB agent and spy; he was switched to a British Royal Marine for the MCU. Blonsky subjected himself to a ton of gamma radiation and turned into scaly and larger version of the Hulk.

The Abomination is the oldest evil Hulk, but there have been other “evil Hulks” who have taken over higher spots.

3: Maestro

Okay. Maestro is just a future version of the Hulk. But he’s one evil son of a gun. This version of the Hulk comes from the Future Imperfect timeline where the world has been rocked by nuclear weapons. Hulk is uniquely qualified to survive such a future and the horrors he’s seen have driven him mad. Maestro may no longer be as strong as his younger counterpart, but his healing factor makes him virtually immortal.

It also doesn’t hurt that the legendary comic book writer Peter David and equally legendary artist George Perez co-created Maestro and gave the character a phenomenal run in the early 1990s.

2: Red Hulk

Red Hulk is yet another evil version of the Hulk, but he’s more than that. Red Hulk started as General Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross. Red Hulk may have debuted in 2008, making him the “newest” character on this list. But Thunderbolt Ross has been around since the very beginning. He was the father of Hulk’s long-time love interest and eventual wife Betty Ross. Thunderbolt hated the Hulk and led the military’s charge to subdue him.

Thunderbolt Ross turned himself into the Red Hulk to go toe-to-toe with the Green Giant. The Red Hulk retained Ross’s intellect and more importantly his military training, making him a force. Ross has yet to become the Red Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. William Hurt played the character until his passing. Harrison Ford will portray the character in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. It should be a matter of time before Red Hulk makes his MCU debut.

1: Leader

I may be biased, but the Leader remains the ultimate foil for the Hulk. Janitor Samuel Sterns gets turned into the ultra-intelligent Leader after exposure to gamma radiation. He develops telekinesis, telepathy, gamma ray manipulation, and can self-resurrect. He’s been a part of several major Hulk storylines, including the creation of the Red Hulk, our number two villain on this list.

The Leader is also one of the founding members of Intelligencia, a group of the greatest criminal minds on Earth. This group can affect the Marvel Universe as a whole. But the Leader works best when he squares off against the Hulk. He is the yin to the Hulk’s yang. The only villain who comes close to besting the Leader as the Hulk’s greatest enemy may be the Hulk himself.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

My Favorite Game Mechanisms: Horrified

Published on October 12, 2024March 24, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We haven’t done a My Favorite segment for a tabletop game in a while and this month may be the best time to discuss Horrified, a cooperative board game where players try to slay, free, or contain famous monsters. By this point, Horrified has covered Universal movie monsters, American cryptids, and Greek mythological creatures. The monsters may change but the concept remains. I could choose quite a few game mechanisms as my favorite, but I may have to go with each monster’s character.

Horrified does a great job of conveying who most of these monsters are. Frankenstein’s monster and his bride need to be taught how to be human and be shown love. The elusive Big Foot wants to be left alone. And the heroes must return Cerberus to the gates of Hades. Each monster has their own flavor, their own character. And for the most part, Horrified captures the essence of these monsters.

Like many cooperative games, Horrified can unravel at times. Something spawns in an inaccessible place at the worst possible moment or the opposite occurs, and everything becomes super easy because luck favors the players. But despite the luck of the draw (literally, you draw tokens from a bag), Horrified always gives each monster their own feel. Usually, the folks at Prospero Hall (the designers who made the game), capture what makes these monsters/creatures/cryptids who they are and each monster functions as its own mini puzzle.

Horrified builds on the tradition of games like Sentinels of the Multiverse. It could’ve given players their own unique powers and kept it at that but chose to grant the antagonists their own powers. But it goes deeper than older games. Most of these monsters seem real. The aforementioned Big Foot will run away from our heroes. The Yeti only wants what’s best for their little ones. Many of these monsters are more than mindless, well, monsters. And even the ones who could be categorized as mindless have a distinct goal they wish to accomplish.

Of course, there are other great elements and how these elements weave together makes Horrified a great game for spooky season. Every round a card is drawn that will seed the board with items, potentially bring in civilians, and inform the monsters what they’ll do. It’s a simple and elegant system that requires minimal upkeep from turn to turn. And the monsters will act after each player’s turn. Whenever the deck runs out, the monsters win. The heroes win if they can satisfy each of the monster’s mini puzzles.

So good. If you have the chance this Halloween, give Horrified a try. Board game cafes are a great way to test drive a tabletop game. Many local game shops will have demo copies of games as well. And of course there’s always board game conventions.

What are your favorite elements of Horrified? Have you ever played a game without making monster noises? I haven’t, even when I play a solo game. Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

October Check In

Published on October 9, 2024September 15, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey, folks! Just checking in with another personal update. It’s been a month since the last update. JK Geekly has been going strong this past month. We even have a couple of new writers for the site. Yay!

We started a new guide series. This time we made one for Marvel United. I still plan to release a 3 Lists of 3 Board Games for my mom’s birthday. She would’ve been 74-years-old on November 4th, and Marvel United will feature in that post. The game has easy enough rules to learn and remember with a lot of little tweaks for each villain to make each one unique. And Mom loved the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I could’ve seen us recreating MCU moments through Marvel United.

I’m still waiting to hear back from the tabletop game publishers about my submissions. We’re nearing the window of when I could hear back from them. Fingers crossed.

I continue to refine my other games. Some are getting closer toward being ready to submit. Others a little more stubborn.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) occurs next month. I don’t agree with a lot of what NaNoWriMo has done the past year or so. It’s been one scandal after another. But I will participate outside the confines of the site and organization. I belong to a couple of writing groups. If you’re in the southeast corner of Nebraska, feel free to say hi.

I may even hear from the literary agent looking over Crooked as a Dogwood during NaNoWriMo. A good rule of thumb is three-six months. Mid-November will be the three-month mark. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait until Valentines Day.

I’ll keep making new posts and busying myself with my next novel, while trying not to dwell on the multiple projects I have out for review. I appreciate everyone who has spent time and who does spend time reading these posts. Thank you!

That’s all I have for this month’s personal update. This may become a monthly thing. We’ll see.

I hope that wherever you are, you’re having a great day.

~ Kyra