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4x is naturally going to be much more at home on a computer. When you factor that most 4x games are combining area control, economies, diplomacy and a tech tree aspect, there is always going to be a huge mechanical overhead, plus it requires a very long game to fully develop out the scenario. The average game of Civ V is many hundreds of turns long. Boardgame 4x's try to get around this in a number of ways: Through the Ages abstracts out the area control and tech trees, focussing on the economic aspects. It's still quite long and manages a very high number of turns (for a board game) 7 Wonders abstracts literally everything and makes turns very basic. Eclipse and Clash of Cultures simplify economies and shrink the number of turns, restricting the game to a single 'age'. Eclipse keeps it interesting by focussing on warfare, and having a relatively high number of actions per turn (after about turn 3) and a small board. The techs also don't significantly transform the game, so it feels like a single 'age'. Clash of Cultures reduces the number of actions per turn to a very tight 3, and makes the board somewhat small (but not tight enough to make warfare interesting). It also ends in the Ancient Age. I find that CoC gets the balance wrong. Warfare is very awkward due to the low unit count, slow movement and pretty random combat. The emphasis is basically on building up your empire, with just a little bit of combat to trim the ears of the leader. It also has huge amounts of downtime. I think the much lesser known Romolo O Remo does the same concept better, but it's a longer game. The End fucked around with this message at 10:02 on Aug 9, 2015 |
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Aug 9, 2015 09:58
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Scythe looks like it's going to be a functioning 4x: the GenCon video showed off some really great mechanics that looked simple but with far-ranging effects. Everyone has viticulture-style boards that represented a limbering-up economy in front of a hex-map where you place workers/store generated resources. The tech side seems covered by upgrading your personal board; uncovering certain bits on a board bit that represents one of the game's basic actions makes that base action more effective or(for example) trigger bonuses when the player to your left uses that action, while buying mechs and putting them on the map uncovers army-wide bonuses previously hidden under the Mech model. On the board, your dudes fight on the hex-map using purchased kemet-style cards. Basically, it looks like it's got some really nice territory control and conflict from the "dudes on a map" genre, plus a solid economic game that rivals viticulture powering the whole thing. I'm seriously excited.
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Aug 9, 2015 10:12
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I played a game of Black Vienna back in January at a convention with the original version. I want a copy of my own, but it's out of print and really old. How do I make a print and play version of this game if I don't own my own printer?
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Aug 9, 2015 10:27
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The Supreme Court posted:Scythe looks like it's going to be a functioning 4x: the GenCon video showed off some really great mechanics that looked simple but with far-ranging effects. Everyone has viticulture-style boards that represented a limbering-up economy in front of a hex-map where you place workers/store generated resources. The tech side seems covered by upgrading your personal board; uncovering certain bits on a board bit that represents one of the game's basic actions makes that base action more effective or(for example) trigger bonuses when the player to your left uses that action, while buying mechs and putting them on the map uncovers army-wide bonuses previously hidden under the Mech model. Thank you for reminding me I need to watch the Scythe demo vid. ... ten minutes pass Ayup, sounds like I'm backing that. In particular, based on the previous conversations, two things stand out: fixed map, and non-randomly-determined combat. Bring on the '20s mechaworld.
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Aug 9, 2015 10:39
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Mojo Jojo posted:How is Star Realms? The tiny box makes it attractive in a world where I have too many things in really big boxes. I will be the lovely enabler. It is random as hell but my wife and I enjoy it for what it is, a random time filler. With the expansions you are in for less than $20 and it is always in our carry on when we travel.
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Aug 9, 2015 12:35
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The Supreme Court posted:Scythe stuff thespaceinvader posted:More Scythe stuff poo poo. That actually does look really cool. Gonna have to keep an eye on this one. Jamey Stegmaier is a pretty well regarded designer, right?
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Aug 9, 2015 12:45
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Can someone post some comparison pictures of the new Mage Knight stuff?
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Aug 9, 2015 12:52
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Scyther posted:poo poo. That actually does look really cool. Gonna have to keep an eye on this one. Jamey Stegmaier is a pretty well regarded designer, right? Yeah, viticulture is rock solid, and it sounds like Tuscany is a rare case of an expansion improving but not over-complicating a really decent game.
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Aug 9, 2015 13:04
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Let's all stop comparing Scythe to Kemet, ok? They have nothing in common via combat style. The combat is lifted straight from Rex and had nothing to do with Kemet/GoT fixed hand of combat cards, instead using a variable dial with a card to boost it, a la Rex/Dune. I guess the cards are similar to DI cards, but they're closer to leaders from Rex/Dune, the combat is not at all Kemet/GoT.
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Aug 9, 2015 14:36
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Scyther posted:poo poo. That actually does look really cool. Gonna have to keep an eye on this one. Jamey Stegmaier is a pretty well regarded designer, right? He's not actually designed much yet, but Viticulture is excellent, and he's published several high-quality games via kickstarter, so I trust that Scythe is going to be fulfilled well. And from the sound of it it's also a good game, so...
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Aug 9, 2015 14:51
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Once Viticulture gets a reprint I'm going to be all over that. I was after a copy of that and Tuscany the other day, but couldn't turn them up even digging through the unfriendly pile-them-high-sell-them-expensive game shop we have in Cambridge. Given that I failed there, I ordered a copy of Forbidden Stars instead (despite feeling that £60 is an outrageous price, as despite being a well established adult my dad refuses to let me have things he deems "boring" for my birthday. Which is nice in a "parents are really weird" kind of way). It should arrive this week and then I've got boardgames lined up for both the next two weekends - the issue is that both are quite large groups and a 4-player 4 hour game just doesn't sit well in that context.
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Aug 9, 2015 14:53
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Ropes4u posted:I will be the lovely enabler. It is random as hell but my wife and I enjoy it for what it is, a random time filler. Broken Loose posted:lovely clone of a lovely clone of a lovely clone of Dominion. The only positive trait the game has is its price, but that conveniently ignores that Dominion is free to play online. Interesting, interesting. I haven't actually played Dominion for my sins, but that is the polar opposite of "game in a small box"
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Aug 9, 2015 14:59
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Mojo Jojo posted:Interesting, interesting. Yeah but Star Realms is the polar opposite of a good game.
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Aug 9, 2015 15:16
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The polar opposite would probably be OGRE, or less extremely so, Mage Wars, TI3, or Descent 1st Edition. I mean, Dominion is a pretty big box for a card game (especially when you get expansions going), but in the grand scheme of games it's a pretty average sized box.
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Aug 9, 2015 15:16
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Yes, but what would be a good game in a very small box then? (You're right that Dominion is no TI3 or Cthulthu Wars, but it's still too large to take on trips)
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Aug 9, 2015 15:19
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Funny thing about OGRE DE is that it's not a very heavy game after all's said and done. The box is just a quarter billion modules for you to throw at it and it comes with a free coffee table.Mojo Jojo posted:Yes, but what would be a good game in a very small box then? Meuterer or Pax Porfiriana are both great games in tiny boxes. Fairy Tale is the best drafting game out right now unless you really want bells and whistles and it's pocket-sized. Bohnanza's box isn't too big and you can collapse the game into a dice bag if you want it to be even more portable. Same with Innovation/Race for the Galaxy, neither of which are turn-off-your-brain filler. Andarel fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Aug 9, 2015 |
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Aug 9, 2015 15:21
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Well if you preselect the Dominion kingdom cards and put everything in a couple of deck boxes... On a more serious note, A Fake Artist Goes to New York (AFAGtoNY) has been getting some mention recently, and it's certainly a tiny as gently caress box. I did actually get to play it recently. The rules say 5+ players, but we tried it with 4 anyway, and it.. kinda worked? People were amused, but the fake artist won every single round (we played like 5 rounds), either by not being caught or by guessing the word. I'm not sure if having one more person would have significantly changed the dynamic, it's just incredibly tricky to draw in a manner that keeps the fake artist from guessing the thing being drawn AND keeps other players from thinking you're the fake artist.
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Aug 9, 2015 15:31
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Mojo Jojo posted:Yes, but what would be a good game in a very small box then? Intrigue is an extremely good game in a very small box for 4-5 people. Think of it as Diplomacy in an hour. It's a negotiation knife fight that will destroy friendships. In a good way! Each player has 4 offices that pay different salaries per turn: 1K, 3K, 6K, and 10K. you also have 8 dudes, 2 each of 4 different types. Your own dudes can't work in your offices. The game lasts 5 rounds. Each player's turn, they collect income from all their dudes working in other players' offices, from the bank. Then they resolve their conflicts/hire dudes. After that, they send two of their dudes to other player(s) offices. Conflict resolution depends on the type - internal or external. External first, then internal. External conflicts are when you have two dudes in front of you who are the same type. You can only have one of each dude type. The players who control those dudes bribe you with money and promises then you choose which one to hire and put them in the job/income you agreed upon. The other one dies. Internal conflicts arise because I've already hired someone for my 6K job and someone comes looking for the same job. Starting with the player already in the job, we renegotiate the terms of their employment. with bribes and promises. Then the newcomer makes their case. with bribes and promises. Finally I decide who gets the job. The other one dies. That's the entire game, and it is amazing. Also it's $18 on CSI. Fate Accomplice fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Aug 9, 2015 |
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Aug 9, 2015 15:51
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Mojo Jojo posted:Yes, but what would be a good game in a very small box then?
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Aug 9, 2015 15:58
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Hanabi and Love Letter both fit nicely into the 'tiny game, big quality' box. Hanabi more so. Paperback is very solid on that score too.
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Aug 9, 2015 15:59
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Mojo Jojo posted:Yes, but what would be a good game in a very small box then? Since it was brought up, Ogre pocket.
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Aug 9, 2015 16:27
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Mojo Jojo posted:Yes, but what would be a good game in a very small box then? Biblios, Agricola: Creatures Big & Small, and Jaipur.
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Aug 9, 2015 16:29
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Mojo Jojo posted:Yes, but what would be a good game in a very small box then? Does Hive count?
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Aug 9, 2015 16:31
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what about a regular deck of cards? it fits in your pocket and can play a wide range of games
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Aug 9, 2015 16:33
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Mojo Jojo posted:Yes, but what would be a good game in a very small box then? Flash Duel, Mundus Novus, Modern Art
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Aug 9, 2015 17:26
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Cheers for the recommendations
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Aug 9, 2015 18:01
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Mojo Jojo posted:How is Star Realms? The tiny box makes it attractive in a world where I have too many things in really big boxes. Just get the iOS version and spend your precious 'time to play games with real people' playing better games in person. Star Realms is a super luck-dependant market row deck builder.
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Aug 9, 2015 18:58
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Poison Mushroom posted:Does Hive count? Seconding Hive as the ultimate travel game. Not just because the game is pretty good, but because the bakelite tiles are the next best thing to indestructible. You're not gonna have a card get creased in a bag, or have a token roll into the crowd at an airport, or spill soda and ruin it.
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Aug 9, 2015 18:59
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Yomi's pretty good for travelling.
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Aug 9, 2015 19:01
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Played 3012 and Galactic Strike Force last night. Impressions follow. 3012 is a deckbuilder with 3 different central markets. The 2-card action market replenishes every turn. The 3-card ally and weapon markets only get new cards when someone buys them. There are no always-available cards. Players combine allies, weapons, and actions to get enough power to defeat monsters in 4 face-down piles sorted by strength, which gains you experience. If you defeat the monster, it's added to your deck and is dead weight there, but it counts for renown at the end of the game. I have never played Thunderstone, but all the criticisms I have heard of Thunderstone in this thread also apply to this game. You start with a hero that can equip 1 weapon. Each additional weapon needs an ally, so you must draw them together in your 4-card hand. Most weapons and allies cost at least 5, and you start with a deck that only has 4 money, so you are entirely dependent on what comes up in the Action decks. The lack of an always-available Silver type card means that you can be stuck unable to buy something that helps your deck much of the time. Other players can choose to "assist" you in defeating monsters, or can "block" you (increasing the monster's defense) using one of the 4 starting cards. Players gain experience for being on the victorious side, which means that if you are behind, the player in the lead can assist you whenever you fight, making it nearly impossible to catch up. Another factor leading to this acceleration is that starting heroes gain strength as they gain experience, so a player who is ahead can beat monsters from tougher piles. By the time we had mostly emptied out the starting monster pile, a player had reached exalted status, which ends the game. I did not find this one enjoyable. Galactic Strike Force is a cooperative game that plays mostly like a tableau-builder, though you also build a deck. Your deck is face up, and newly acquired cards are placed on the bottom, as well as cards that get "recycled". The 3 sectors have a market of 3 stations, and the top card is always purchasable: the cards below this are not viewable. Enemy ships are also in the sectors, and any enemy ship that is not engaged attacks a station. When the stations are attacked, the top card in the station market flips over, and on the other side is either another enemy ship or a boost for the enemies. As the mission develops, mission events are added to the playfield: we discovered 1 beneficial mission event in our game, but they generally were there to hurt us. The cards we could buy were either boosts, which can be played pretty much any time that makes sense, or tech, which stays on your ship after it's played. You win by either destroying the enemy flagship or destroying all enemy ships in all sectors. We played the Singularity scenario, which apparently was the one recommended for new people. It was a bit chaotic since by our understanding of the rules turns and effects happen simultaneously, and there was quite a bit of confusion over where some of the enemy ships and mission events ended up each turn. Our starting ships quite quickly became juggernauts due to getting all kinds of tech on them and bounties when enemies are destroyed, and we beat the scenario by destroying all ships before the enemy flagship appeared. It seemed like it was a bit too easy to get shield points, and very few ships appeared that were a credible threat. This may have been an artifact of the scenario we chose; it is very possible that other scenarios are much more difficult. It felt anticlimactic when we simply destroyed all the little ships and won. I'd be interested in giving this another go at some point with a tougher setup and a better understanding of the rules. Udelar fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Aug 9, 2015 |
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Aug 9, 2015 19:22
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Udelar posted:I have never played Thunderstone, but all the criticisms I have heard of Thunderstone in this thread also apply to this game. You start with a hero that can equip 1 weapon. Each additional weapon needs an ally, so you must draw them together in your 4-card hand. Most weapons and allies cost at least 5, and you start with a deck that only has 4 money, so you are entirely dependent on what comes up in the Action decks. The lack of an always-available Silver type card means that you can be stuck unable to buy something that helps your deck much of the time. Other players can choose to "assist" you in defeating monsters, or can "block" you (increasing the monster's defense) using one of the 4 starting cards. Players gain experience for being on the victorious side, which means that if you are behind, the player in the lead can assist you whenever you fight, making it nearly impossible to catch up. Another factor leading to this acceleration is that starting heroes gain strength as they gain experience, so a player who is ahead can beat monsters from tougher piles. By the time we had mostly emptied out the strating mosnter pile, a player had reached exalted status, which ends the game. I did not find this one enjoyable. "Let's make a game where you have to rely on randomly drawn combos to achieve anything and anyone who manages to pull ahead gets even stronger so they can continue pulling ahead" is such a loving terrible combination of ideas it really ought to be surprising that more designers keep deciding to go for it but I guess not.
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Aug 9, 2015 19:33
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Hanabi is an amazing portable game, which lives in my bag all the time. Get Hanabi, you will not be disappointed*. Other than that, all the other recommendations are good. Add Timeline to the list too, even though it's hardly a game. *Disappointment may occur. Hanabi is not for everyone, but it's not at all inaccessible either. Anyway, I came here to post about my latest project. I live in the middle-eastern part of Copenhagen, and there was a junk-sale thing going on in a square. I paid slightly too much (  ) for this collection of old lebanese coins: They come in three denominations, 1, 10 and 25 (technically 1, 0.10 and 0.25). Sadly there were no 2/0.02's or 5/0.05's, but I will just find those some other time. Excuse the very shaky picture:  I really like having real metal coins in Dungeon Lords, and I'm thinking it will work in 7 Wonders, Coup and probably other games. I just need to find out what good games use coins now, so I can buy that poo poo!
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Aug 9, 2015 19:34
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jeeves posted:Just get the iOS version and spend your precious 'time to play games with real people' playing better games in person. There's an Android version too. (Don't play it)
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Aug 9, 2015 22:41
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BonHair posted:Hanabi is an amazing portable game, which lives in my bag all the time. Get Hanabi, you will not be disappointed*. Other than that, all the other recommendations are good. Add Timeline to the list too, even though it's hardly a game. Terra Mystica 
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Aug 9, 2015 22:47
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Has anyone played Tier Auf Tier? English name is Animal Upon Animal. I saw it in my local game shop and it looks super goofy - you basically need to stack little wooden animals into a huge pile and then rotate them around without knocking the tower over. Anyone know if it's worth picking up?
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Aug 9, 2015 22:51
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It's a silly HABA kids game, which means it's pretty good at being a silly kids game. If that's what you're looking for it and Rhino Hero are the two really popular HABA games to buy.
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Aug 9, 2015 23:01
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ThisIsNoZaku posted:There's an Android version too. (Don't play it) I play the campaign mode once in a while until I want to basically uninstall due to how bullshit the game can be. Star Realms is utterly dependent on which cards you luck out getting in the first few rounds. This is mitigated in the live version by a house rule letting the market row start off with like 3-4 extra cards but never refresh with new cards until you're down to the customary 6, but obviously the online versions don't have this so whatevs.
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Aug 10, 2015 01:31
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Hey boardgoons. I found a meetup group for Melbourne that does all kind of board games and went to my first meet on Saturday and didnt get horribly murdered by meeting strangers from the internet. Giant stack of games in the middle of the space that people picked and played from. Quite a few that I recognized but none of them were the games I ended up in that day. We played R-eco, some trivia game, Space Junk and Ladies and Gentlemen. R-eco is sort of a mutant UNO where you're getting rid of trash cards at recycling centers. Space Junk was probably the most interesting of the lot. You play as a bunch of scavengers building your ship with junk, orbiting the earth in a race where you can also attack other players for their loot or points. A little mechanically unbalanced since you get different character cards assigned to each player, so one player skipped out the combat entirely and just raced around hoarding an enormous pile of loot, while another player had ridiculously huge guns and murdered his way to 1st place by more than twice the score of other players. Nerf him! Also the scoring track is ridiculous and should have followed a better pattern than an uneven serpentine. Ladies and Gentlemen was odd. Picked out because the group got to 8 people and we just picked whichever game that supported it. It's kind of... not good? Basically it's two games in one. Players are divided up into Ladies or Gents, paired up as a couple and the ladies have to shop for the most fabulous outfit for the ball. The gents do all the game work by working the stock exchange and approving their lady's purchases. It was pretty... eh. Funny once everyone got in character but still eh gameplay wise. No one in the group had played any of them so we all struggled with the horribly written rules every time except trivia and even then we managed to screw up by setting up and heading off in the reverse order. 
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Aug 10, 2015 03:19
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Would anyone be interested in a table-talk game of Twilight Struggle over Vassal or Tabletop Simulator? I have read the rules and played about five games, but I feel like the macro level strategy of the game is something I am not conceptualizing. I understand, at this point, what are some of the big cards to be scared of and played around, but things like when to stop dumping influence into a certain region, when to realign vs coup vs just place influence to try and take a country. Thanks very much.
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Aug 10, 2015 05:02
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MC2552John posted:Would anyone be interested in a table-talk game of Twilight Struggle over Vassal or Tabletop Simulator? I have read the rules and played about five games, but I feel like the macro level strategy of the game is something I am not conceptualizing. I understand, at this point, what are some of the big cards to be scared of and played around, but things like when to stop dumping influence into a certain region, when to realign vs coup vs just place influence to try and take a country. Thanks very much. I might be able to on like Wednesday or something, I work nights so it would have to be like around noon EST
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Aug 10, 2015 05:19
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