Board Game Thread 4e: The Call of Catan

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Board Game Thread 4e: The Call of Catan

Doorknob Slobber: Sep 10, 2006; by Fluffdaddy

Fellis posted:

Dunno how it compares to Ikea price/personal taste/room size, but buying a bunch of medium size folding tables can let you have a more modular solution where you can put a few together for a bigger game or just a few pairs for multiple smaller games. Buying them all at once ensures they are the same height, and they can fold away for storage if you need the room for something else.

This worked well for my dad, but he�s also a minis gamer so being able to simulate an entire normandy beach and town with 12+ tables, and also be able to host boardgaming nights with 2-3 games was a goal.

you could even make multiple sizes of table toppers, I just use a $600 ikea table I found on offer up for $40. I've thought about doing one of those DIY conversion things to turn it into a real gamer table then where would we eat?

# ? Jun 15, 2018 15:57

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# ? May 14, 2024 05:44

Merauder: Apr 17, 2003; The North Remembers.

Also at Origins, no booth this year so just hanging out and playing games. Demoed the new Plan B stuff. Reef impressed me in the same way Azul did, a solid amount of strategy in a really simple rule set. The new Century was way too much of the same stuff as Spice Road, so found it fairly underwhelming. If someone�s got a huge hard on for a simple efficiency / engine building game that�s quick, it�s fine a suppose. They weren�t demoing the Spice Road integrated version that I saw though, not sure if that makes any of the process more interesting.

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:01

Chill la Chill: Jul 2, 2007; Don't lose your gay

al-azad posted:

Origins Thursday phone impressions:

Nyctophobia: gimmicky hidden movement game where you navigate a board blinded. It's basically someone groping your hand for fifteen minutes as you poke around cheap plastic. Heard red flags like "bad guy wins 70% of the time" and "like a good GM you have to fudge it for fun."

Ghost Court: role playing party game with Richard Sala art and you sue ghosts. Sold.

The Climbers: I heard bad things about this like it taking hours but idk who reviewers are playing with this was a brisk 30 minutes. Ideal abstract, few pieces and rules. Really impressed by quality and play.

Flow of History: game of the con so far. It's like someone heard me complain about Through the Ages and made a game for. Innovation meets TtA from the Ponzi Scheme creator. Unique card buy mechanism where you invest in cards but other players can snipe (paying you) before they mature. Plays 5 in an hour.

Dwarven Smithy: random rear end tableau builder, very messy and fiddly. Plus one point for having the balls to give dwarven women beards.

Flow of history sounds good. Lucky for those KS backers since it was a very cheap upgrade from normal. Didn�t back since it sounded too simple but might take a look again. How is the climbers setup? I�d love to get it for family gatherings as an alternative to Jenga. However, it�s always seemed like random block setup is a pain and likely can�t be done well with speed if it�s color dependent.

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:04

Jedit: Dec 10, 2011; Proudly supporting vanilla legends 1994-2014

I thought Flow of History had been out for a while. I'll have to look at it.

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:09

Mayveena: Dec 27, 2006; People keep vandalizing my ID photo; I've lodged a complaint with HR

Hmmm, I have Flow of History but have never played it. Guess I'll have to get it out and learn it!

If you want to play the crayon rail games I would suggest our house rule: You must deliver on at least one of the deliveries of the new cards you get. Otherwise it's very profitable to get a high demand item, run to the opposite end of the board and just sit there drawing cards.

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:11

nonathlon: Jul 9, 2004; And yet, somehow, now it's my fault ...

al-azad posted:

Origins Thursday phone impressions:

The Climbers: I heard bad things about this like it taking hours but idk who reviewers are playing with this was a brisk 30 minutes. Ideal abstract, few pieces and rules. Really impressed by quality and play.

I can't see how The Climbers could take hours unless it was being played by someone with terminal analysis paralysis to such an extent that any game could take hours. It's a magnificent game. I'm glad to see it available again. Note that the rules are slightly different from the original (where the rules were slightly different between German & English editions).

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:16

nonathlon: Jul 9, 2004; And yet, somehow, now it's my fault ...

FulsomFrank posted:

Question for the thread re worker placement games:

It finally hit me when I was looking over the Neta-Tanka KS that I think I've become skeptical of worker placement games. That's not to say I don't like them because I think it's been a long time since I played one I actively disliked. I just mean that considering my collection has grown fairly significantly and I've got and played a lot of middling/okay WPs already, it's tough to justify getting/playing another. It's also difficult to muster too much excitement for new ones as well because from the look of things the mechanics are almost always identical just with a gimmick or two added.

This isn't intended to be an old man yells at clouds post, but more of a general exhaustion with a genre as someone whose favourite games could be classified as WP.

Has anyone else hit this point? Or are you guys still as psyched when you hear about a new WP game?

There was a time where I was playing (at least once) most big name standard Euros that were being released. And man, there was a lot of average games there, that were pretty samey with only cosmetic differences. It this one you're Phoenician traders, in this one you're bidding on farm animals, in this one you're building rockets. They weren't terrible, just really inessential and didn't need to be owned.

Of course, every game is someone's favourite game. So should you suggest this on BGG, even the most mediocre release will get a defender as to it's strategic subtlety.

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:28

al-azad: May 28, 2009

I played Climbers at the booth so I didn't see setup, but I turned my back for 30 seconds and when I turned around the game was reset in a different configuration from where we started.

Flow of History is simple but not simplistic. Like TtA you have a set deck so the same cards come out every time. You know Genghis hits age 2 and makes attacking better but does he come before or after that age's military and are you in a position to invest in him? The sniping mechanism is brilliant because it acts as a counter, something TtA doesn't have. If you're dead set on a card you over commit but every other player has the opportunity to challenge your position.

For example, I had Gandhi which prevents me from being attacked. I invested in Einstein, a worthless card to me but 3-4 points for my opponents. Age 4 has the strongest military and my opponents invested heavily in military, leaving me safe but unable to buy any other cards that would help my position. If I matured Einstein I would both lose points and be open to attack (limit one leader). I hedged my bet hoping they would pay me for easy points and got worked.

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:48

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

al-azad posted:

Ghost Court: role playing party game with Richard Sala art and you sue ghosts. Sold.

This sounds like just the game I've been looking for since the King of Dragon Pass port poo poo the bed. Can't wait to hear more.

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:49

homullus: Mar 27, 2009

PerniciousKnid posted:

This sounds like just the game I've been looking for since the King of Dragon Pass port poo poo the bed. Can't wait to hear more.

I had never heard of it until Bully Pulpit's more recent KS, but it's been out a while and there are reviews online.

# ? Jun 15, 2018 16:58

I Was The Fury: Oct 19, 2012; Always stop to smell the flowers, just in case they're weeds

You guys convinced me to get spirit island and I am enjoying it immensely thank you

# ? Jun 15, 2018 23:10

Pierzak: Oct 30, 2010

Is Rising Sun nothing more than overhyped plastic poo poo or is it an actually decent game?

# ? Jun 16, 2018 00:16

Bottom Liner: Feb 15, 2006; a specific vein of lasagna

Mediocre at best with the base game. Tons of bloated stuff that isn�t well thought out or balanced when you throw in the piles of Kickstarter garbage.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 00:24

Countblanc: Apr 20, 2005; _{Help a hero out!}

So where do people recommend looking for good board game discussion once Something Awful dies in a month or two?

# ? Jun 16, 2018 00:39

andrew smash: Jun 26, 2006; smooth soul

Set up a subreddit as a life raft?

# ? Jun 16, 2018 00:41

Doorknob Slobber: Sep 10, 2006; by Fluffdaddy

Countblanc posted:

So where do people recommend looking for good board game discussion once Something Awful dies in a month or two?

make a discord? i think there might already be one

# ? Jun 16, 2018 00:46

The End: Apr 16, 2007; You're welcome.

Pierzak posted:

Is Rising Sun nothing more than overhyped plastic poo poo or is it an actually decent game?

Solid but not amazing. Better than Blood Rage. Worse than Chaos in the Old World or The Godfather.

Ultimately, get Kemet instead.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 00:47

al-azad: May 28, 2009

New game of the con: Decrypto. Captain Sonar meets Codenames. Two teams have unique key codes assigned to numbers 1-4. One person on the team secretly receives a three digit number and makes up a passphrase to clue his team in while the other team tries to decrypt. For example my key code is

1: market
2: language
3: Quebec
4: Europe

My code is 421. My clues are German, Tagalog, portobello. My opponents try to guess what the code is. Let's say in a previous round they figured out a connection that leads them to thinking #2 is language related. But I'm clued in that they're getting close so I'm trying to throw them off. Tagalog is a strong clue but German is more obvious.

The game fixes an issue I have where Codenames is long moments of silence and all the tension comes from making sense of an obscure clue. Decrypto is a roller coaster ride of uphill quiet followed by a long drop as both teams try to guess the keyword. For $16 I can't recommend it enough.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 00:48

silvergoose: Mar 18, 2006; IT IS SAID THE TEARS OF THE BWEENIX CAN HEAL ALL WOUNDS

al-azad posted:

New game of the con: Decrypto. Captain Sonar meets Codenames. Two teams have unique key codes assigned to numbers 1-4. One person on the team secretly receives a three digit number and makes up a passphrase to clue his team in while the other team tries to decrypt. For example my key code is

1: market
2: language
3: Quebec
4: Europe

My code is 421. My clues are German, Tagalog, portobello. My opponents try to guess what the code is. Let's say in a previous round they figured out a connection that leads them to thinking #2 is language related. But I'm clued in that they're getting close so I'm trying to throw them off. Tagalog is a strong clue but German is more obvious.

The game fixes an issue I have where Codenames is long moments of silence and all the tension comes from making sense of an obscure clue. Decrypto is a roller coaster ride of uphill quiet followed by a long drop as both teams try to guess the keyword. For $16 I can't recommend it enough.

That sounds badass.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 01:10

Bottom Liner: Feb 15, 2006; a specific vein of lasagna

Yeah Decrypto owns.

"The End" posted:

Ultimately, get Kemet instead.

Always this.

Countblanc posted:

So where do people recommend looking for good board game discussion once Something Awful dies in a month or two?

What�s going on now??

# ? Jun 16, 2018 01:12

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

The Decrypto folks also made a cute "how to play" video because, while it's simple to play once you get it, they found they were losing folks while trying to describe the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUy0d6uAhn0

# ? Jun 16, 2018 01:18

Countblanc: Apr 20, 2005; _{Help a hero out!}

Bottom Liner posted:

What�s going on now??

that specific time table is a bit of a joke, but there have been increasingly desperate-sounding stickied threads about how SA isn't bringing in enough money to justify keeping it up for a while now.

I finally got around to setting up a facebook group to curate a local scene for games - I've traditionally just used my current circle of friends (who have gotten less interested in playing games) and local meetups which I have expressed my dissatisfaction with here numerous times. Hopefully I can get some traction beyond the aforementioned friend circle, it'd be nice to have a place to post "hey, I want to play games tomorrow/this weekend, who up" and get some responses for once

# ? Jun 16, 2018 01:25

golden bubble: Jun 3, 2011; yospos

Pierzak posted:

Is Rising Sun nothing more than overhyped plastic poo poo or is it an actually decent game?

It's not bad without the expansion stuff. But Kemet is better for fights, and El Grandre easily tops it for area control.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 01:47

al-azad: May 28, 2009

Bruceski posted:

The Decrypto folks also made a cute "how to play" video because, while it's simple to play once you get it, they found they were losing folks while trying to describe the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUy0d6uAhn0

It was fratrating to teach and took us three full games before the brilliance showed itself and we used up literally half the supplied notepads.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 01:58

homullus: Mar 27, 2009

Countblanc posted:

So where do people recommend looking for good board game discussion once Something Awful dies in a month or two?

The end of SA is the saddest event on my horizon. Obviously that means life is going well, but I get so much out of SA; it will be a significant loss.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 02:00

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

al-azad posted:

It was fratrating

What the hell have you been teaching your autocorrect?

# ? Jun 16, 2018 04:11

Kerro: Nov 3, 2002; Did you marry a man who married the sea? He looks right through you to the distant grey - calling, calling..

I ended up ordering Cthulhu Wars for a not too horrible price, and would like to get one of the faction expansions so we can play 5 player sometimes. However, they are obscenely expensive (over a third the cost of the base game) to get here in NZ, and many just aren't available at all. I was wondering since I have a ton of Mansions of Madness minis how easy would it be to proxy these for one of the expansion factions? It sounded like there were print and play files available for Cthulhu Wars at one point, is that still the case at all? If I could pay to get print and play files (or even just the cards/faction boards) without the minis that would be a way more viable option at the moment it seems.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 04:13

Bellmaker: Oct 18, 2008; Chapter DOOF

al-azad posted:

Origins Thursday phone impressions:

Flow of History: game of the con so far. It's like someone heard me complain about Through the Ages and made a game for. Innovation meets TtA from the Ponzi Scheme creator. Unique card buy mechanism where you invest in cards but other players can snipe (paying you) before they mature. Plays 5 in an hour.

One of my friends got his Kickstarted copy of The Flow of History a few months ago and I immediately bought a regular copy when it came available, and I'm not the most impulsive person purchase-wise. The deluxe version is nice but even the regular version is just fine and I feel I've already gotten my :20bux:

out of it.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 04:37

al-azad: May 28, 2009

Century: Eastern Wonders is a step up of Spice Road but it is still a soulless cube converting efficiency game. There's a lot more player interaction but given the random board design there can be long stretches where nothing happens. I totally get the appeal of this series and on a designer level I can respect their branding. As a gamer I never want to play it.

Played a full game of Feudum. John Company the area control game. After Lisboa I was ready to jump on these latest strings of overly complex games but to Feudum's credit I didn't feel like there was any wasted space. The only thing I could have against it is that unlike John Company it doesn't encourage cooperation through the players. The incentive to operate the guilds, these cycling mechanisms off to the side, is points but there are so many opportunities to score that you can leave other players to languish. Maybe there's a bartering mechanism like JC's favors, but the only one the I was made aware of is giving away goods on improvement tiles.

PerniciousKnid posted:

What the hell have you been teaching your autocorrect?

I hate autocorrect more than anything.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 07:05

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

SA just needs to go to a subscription model.

That's not a joke, I'm serious.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 07:18

Dirk the Average: Feb 7, 2012; "This may have been a mistake."

Bruceski posted:

The Decrypto folks also made a cute "how to play" video because, while it's simple to play once you get it, they found they were losing folks while trying to describe the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUy0d6uAhn0

That looks seriously amazing.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 07:34

Jedit: Dec 10, 2011; Proudly supporting vanilla legends 1994-2014

PMush Perfect posted:

SA just needs to go to a subscription model.

That's not a joke, I'm serious.

The Straight Dope Message Boards went to an annual $10 subscription more than a decade ago. So far as I know, they're still there, but I don't know what traffic is like these days.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 09:00

Magnetic North: Dec 15, 2008; Beware the Forest's Mushrooms

andrew smash posted:

Set up a subreddit as a life raft?

I guess I am old and obdurate and ossified, but just I hate the reddit experience as compared to an old fashioned forum. I also hate all the other bullshit about reddit, but a lot of that is no longer so unusual (or at least concealed) on the entire internet.

Discord is fine-ish but it's not the same and I hate change.

PMush Perfect posted:

SA just needs to go to a subscription model.

That's not a joke, I'm serious.

Maybe even just a Patreon. Their new slogan is "They're not just for liberal arts majors anymore."

# ? Jun 16, 2018 10:49

Jedit: Dec 10, 2011; Proudly supporting vanilla legends 1994-2014

Magnetic North posted:

Maybe even just a Patreon.

Lowtax already has a Patreon, it's just labelled for his Gamer Garbage podcast.

I don't know how successful sub-for-access would be, but I can see putting plat on a subscription model working.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 13:04

andrew smash: Jun 26, 2006; smooth soul

Magnetic North posted:

I guess I am old and obdurate and ossified, but just I hate the reddit experience as compared to an old fashioned forum.

Me too, I can�t stand the threaded replies thing.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 13:42

silvergoose: Mar 18, 2006; IT IS SAID THE TEARS OF THE BWEENIX CAN HEAL ALL WOUNDS

Twitter and Facebook have taught me I absolutely despise content that is presented in "what we think you want to see" rather than in the order it was posted.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 13:48

Anniversary: Sep 12, 2011; I AM A SHIT-FESTIVAL

silvergoose posted:

Twitter and Facebook have taught me I absolutely despise content that is presented in "what we think you want to see" rather than in the order it was posted.

You dare question The Algorithm?!

# ? Jun 16, 2018 13:59

Archenteron: Nov 3, 2006

Hot scoop from Origins, the next Onitama Expansion: Way of the Wind. This adds a Wind Spirit figure (final version apparently to be in a swirled light blue and clear plastic) that starts in the center of the board. When the spirit is used, at the start of the game, two movement cards (one from each player) are replaced with spirit cards - normal movement cards that also have a second indicator to move the spirit.

The spirit functions as a blocker (you can't move into it's space), can only move "forward" relative to the player manipulating it that turn, and (the big funsies), if the wind spirit would move onto a space occupied by another piece, they switch places.

It's an interesting shake-up but might slow the game slightly as a result of over thinking spirit combos.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 14:09

Bottom Liner: Feb 15, 2006; a specific vein of lasagna

Love Onitama but that�s a pass for me. Hate expansions that bloat simple games. 7 Wonders Duel Pantheon is just on the cusp of that for me.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 14:15

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# ? May 14, 2024 05:44

Mayveena: Dec 27, 2006; People keep vandalizing my ID photo; I've lodged a complaint with HR

andrew smash posted:

Me too, I can�t stand the threaded replies thing.

Frankly I much prefer the threaded experience vs SA's, particularly for popular topics. Coming to a popular game on SA, it could be over an hour before I wade through all of the replies (and btw this is why I�d like someone to start a new boardgame thread) vs being able to zero in on exactly what I want to read/talk about regarding a game or genre.

And Reddit's moderation has gotten much better with more aggressive admins in popular topics. This means that I�m likely to get a pretty decent signal to noise ratio for the stuff I�m reading.

# ? Jun 16, 2018 14:42

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Board Game Thread 4e: The Call of Catan

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