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PMush Perfect posted:Has anybody tried out The Solo System? I'm probably going to give it a swing, see how it works with some open information two-player games. I made myself a set. It's an interesting idea but I haven't really made it sing yet. I've found it somewhat useful; I think it works best when used minimally. That is to say, use it to guide the choices that you personally have trouble doing from the perspective of a dispassionate outside observer.
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Nov 21, 2018 00:48
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admanb posted:I didn't remotely say that 962 copies was a runaway success, or that 962 would result in 962 sales. My point was that 962 copies compares pretty well with other P500 properties that are part of major series' that they continue to publish. I should have clarified that GMT is already doing another 18xx title or at least had announced that it was doing another 18xx title. So 1860 would be after that title. Mike specifically said (and I guess he could have lied but he doesn't seem like that kind of person) that GMT had shown no interest in publishing 1860. But who knows, as someone who sold 1860 for $175 (once games get beyond $150 they are gone unless the title is Civ/Advanced Civ) I'd love to have it again at a reasonable price.
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Nov 21, 2018 01:07
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Pretty sure GMT announced that they were looking at publishing more titles when they announced 1862, but later said that both games they had been looking at were not up to their standards after all.
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Nov 21, 2018 02:08
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Got to play my kickstarter copy of AEGIS last night. It was a three player game, and we played with the suggested beginner decks, which are intentionally more straightforward. The rulebook is well-written, and we only ran into a couple of instances we weren't sure of, but we just went with what was intuitive. For those who don't know, AEGIS is a skirmish game where the fighters are teams of robots, which have the ability to combine, voltron-style, into bigger robots. Teams use an easy-to-track Energy generation mechanic to power their movement and abilities, and abilities are resolved by dice, but in a way that generally effects how well you do, rather than whether you succeed or not. Even though we were using the beginner teams, robots had a wide variety of powers that were still easy to grok, but supported wildly different strategies and playstyles. Two out of the three players made use of the Combine mechanism, to join their robots together, and it seems really interesting. The game is fast, simple, and seems to have a good amount of depth with low rules overhead, and it does a good job of reminding you what the rules are whenever you're likely to overlook something. I liked it a lot, and I'm glad I backed it. Still not sure whether I should have gone deluxe, but the base version should have enough content to keep me going for a good long while. I have to applaud the designers for fitting a huge amount of content into a box the size of a dictionary, which they did with a really well-designed insert, and by using standees instead of miniatures, which also kept the price down. I have a couple minor aesthetic complaints. Mostly the art is nice. A little cartoony, which works for me. I could see these robots in a cartoon, probably running right after the Digimon cartoon on Saturday mornings. As you combine your robots into higher-level robots, their illustrations get more cool and detailed and a little more Gundam-flavored. Where the art falls flat for me is with the human commanders of each team. Those guys look like they came out of a webcomic. Luckily, you rarely ever have to look at them. The other minor issue is with the otherwise lovely insert. The base game includes 100 robot standees, and only 8 compartments to store them in, and that just rubs my finicky rear end the wrong way. Other than those two niggly bits, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
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Nov 21, 2018 02:47
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cenotaph posted:Pretty sure GMT announced that they were looking at publishing more titles when they announced 1862, but later said that both games they had been looking at were not up to their standards after all. Hmm, then I guess they simply don't want 1860. They know Hutton, why not 1860?
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Nov 21, 2018 03:38
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Maybe the authors approached GMT rather than expecting GMT to approach them?
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Nov 21, 2018 04:36
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As much as I like clearclaw he is extremely wrong about the goodness of the THICC 18xx tiles. They are objectively better in terms of game feel and board state reading.
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Nov 21, 2018 05:37
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dishwasherlove posted:Maybe the authors approached GMT rather than expecting GMT to approach them? Not with Mike at least. He said GMT contacted him about 1862.
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Nov 21, 2018 05:41
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nomadotto posted:Played a short game of Pax Pamir 2nd edition on Saturday with some folks (including Vivian Darkbloom). I was pretty nervous going in, especially after a really rough experience with Pax Renaissance previously, but it turned out great. I had a little bit of trouble with the initial rules rodeo (I don't quite have the "flow" of the game down, so it's hard to do through the rules in a linear way), but once we got started, it played super smoothly. The victory points system (and coalition loyalty) is very easy to get compared to Pax Ren's victory cards, and the actions are much, much simpler to understand (no need to look up the precise rules every time someone starts a peasant revolt vs. a conspiracy vs. a religious war, for example). Only complaint (and this may have been just luck of the draw) was that there was a real scarcity of cards that put tribes on the board compared to the number of cards that put spies into play, so the focus was primarily on the tableaus, and much much less on the board. Overall, a great experience, and I'll be trying to organize another game via TTS in the near future. Yeah, good times. I'm a long way from being able to read the board effectively, but I thought that with 3 players it was pretty difficult for a competing coalition to form. After the other 2 players chose the British coalition, I went with Russia but this was a bad move, as I wasted a lot of effort trying to get Russia dominant. But yes, much easier than Pax Renaissance and I'm looking forward to getting my copy off Kickstarter.
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Nov 21, 2018 05:49
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18xx is cool enough to a guy like me who has played like 15 games of it now that I want to try out several different ones, and I'm considering going into the print-and-play rabbit hole.
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Nov 21, 2018 05:59
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CommonShore posted:18xx is cool enough to a guy like me who has played like 15 games of it now that I want to try out several different ones, and I'm considering going into the print-and-play rabbit hole. I just did an 1849 PNP. Everything looks great! 1889 is also good if a bit more aesthetically dry, but both have the track colors on the tracks themselves instead of the surrounding area, which bothers some people.
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Nov 21, 2018 06:39
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CommonShore posted:18xx is cool enough to a guy like me who has played like 15 games of it now that I want to try out several different ones, and I'm considering going into the print-and-play rabbit hole. This was me and then one of my good players moved away and welp two people means it's mostly wargames for now.
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Nov 21, 2018 06:55
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Kiranamos posted:I did play Railroad Ink a couple times and I think I like it more than Welcome To so far, however we only got the Red edition. The expansion rules for it look frustrating with lots of random destruction so I’d probably rather play the Blue version with more friendly rivers and lakes. You mean Quest for El Dorado, right, the Knizia one? Can you talk a bit about why you liked it? I like the theme and I’m all about shortish accessible games at the moment as long as they hold up to replays (so been playing a lot of other Knizia stuff like Ra and Through the Desert at the moment, and stuff like Flamme Rouge).
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Nov 21, 2018 09:06
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Flamme Rouge is all the rage here cause it's designed by a Danish designer and the scene isn't that large, but if it must involve wheels Automobiles has made me a true believer - it's the funniest car game and deck builder I've ever tried 
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Nov 21, 2018 09:24
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I played 18EU yesterday and that was pretty fun. It's got an interesting start where 15 minor companies begin the game, where all 15 will be distributed to players. Each of those companies get 2 track lays at the start so you get a nice day start with plenty of routes available from the beginning. I like the gameplay mechanics where you merge minor companies to form major companies and you can do this with as many minor companies as you like, earning a share for the major each time.
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Nov 21, 2018 11:25
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The problem with 18EU is that it's fun until you know how to actually play the game and then 90% of the game is the starting auction and trying not to get any companies in Italy
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Nov 21, 2018 12:42
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That double track lays on the first OR description and mergers sounds like 18CZ too, so you might give that a try if you’re a fan. Tracks are a lot more limited though
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Nov 21, 2018 15:26
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Blamestorm posted:You mean Quest for El Dorado, right, the Knizia one? Can you talk a bit about why you liked it? I like the theme and I’m all about shortish accessible games at the moment as long as they hold up to replays (so been playing a lot of other Knizia stuff like Ra and Through the Desert at the moment, and stuff like Flamme Rouge). I like it because it does something I am quite fond of with deck-builders: it has a board that you're moving your adventurers across AND one that happens to modular and with tons of variety if you choose. It also has a dominion style set up of cards with only a few available for purchase at the start, with a system that when one of those pile runs out you get to chose which of the formerly unavailable stacks gets to go up for purchase now. It leads to a nice acceleration in card price/ability and by the end you really feel like you're just blasting through the terrain. It plays fast, looks great, and has nice components. I think it's a little treat and I'm disappointed it doesn't get more love. Chill la Chill posted:As much as I like clearclaw he is extremely wrong about the goodness of the THICC 18xx tiles. They are objectively better in terms of game feel and board state reading. Who doesn't like THICK MEATY tiles?
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Nov 21, 2018 16:08
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Quick enquiry: would any goons be interested in a PBF of Smartphone Inc? The graphic design is very minimalist, it wouldn't be too hard to throw it together.
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Nov 21, 2018 18:10
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FulsomFrank posted:I like it because it does something I am quite fond of with deck-builders: it has a board that you're moving your adventurers across AND one that happens to modular and with tons of variety if you choose. I played Knizia's El Dorado at a con and loved it, bought my own copy pretty much immediately which was made easier by the fact that it's not a particularly expensive game. One thing I really liked is the tying of the whole idea and concept of "deckbuilding" into the clear physical representation of getting across certain terrains/obstacles. Like, even someone who doesn't "get" deckbuilding is basically led by the hand (in a good way), and there's only one clear main thing going on. It's super clever and well-executed. It's' also sitting unopened on my shelf so I'm, like, part of the problem I guess 
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Nov 21, 2018 21:12
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El Dorado is a good and light game that needs an expansion to provide variety, like base Dominion.
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Nov 21, 2018 23:04
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golden bubble posted:El Dorado is a good and light game that needs an expansion to provide variety, like base Dominion. It has one. It released at Essen last month, and there were a handful of copies muled over to BGG Con last week. The Ravensburger folks told me the actual US release should be any time though.
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Nov 21, 2018 23:07
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Well I’m sold, thanks all!
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Nov 21, 2018 23:20
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My friend and I were pretty impressed by the recent glut of roll and writes, particularly Welcome To, Pretty Clever, and Railroad Ink. And we were brainstorming which genres aren't covered and I'm like "How hasn't a Harvest Moon style roll and write not come out in this post-Stardew Valley world?"
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Nov 21, 2018 23:24
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Like Harvest Dice? Actually, It's probably a bit simpler than you're envisioning.
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Nov 21, 2018 23:30
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al-azad posted:My friend and I were pretty impressed by the recent glut of roll and writes, particularly Welcome To, Pretty Clever, and Railroad Ink. And we were brainstorming which genres aren't covered and I'm like "How hasn't a Harvest Moon style roll and write not come out in this post-Stardew Valley world?" A Pretty Clever-inspired Stardew Valley would be a day one purchase for me just out of sheer, raw, unbridled optimism.
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Nov 21, 2018 23:41
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The Eyes Have It posted:A Pretty Clever-inspired Stardew Valley would be a day one purchase for me just out of sheer optimism. Basic concept would be you have a field of some number of rows and columns. The dice represent the produce you can plant and each full round is like a season. To get your produce you have to harvest but you can only do it in a straight line (your combine has no brakes, don't ask) so the game is about knowing where to plant and when to harvest so you're not pulling out unripe or overripe produce. A big part of Harvest Moon for me was always balancing your chores so there's the farming side but also livestock (gotta have a doggo to watch your livestock) and deliveries to town. Maybe some element of taking off to wine and dine around town, another Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley element. Anyway the Kickstarter with plastic minis and corncob dice goes up tomorrow.
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Nov 21, 2018 23:47
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A thick tile is just a cube.
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Nov 22, 2018 00:13
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The Eyes Have It posted:A Pretty Clever-inspired Stardew Valley would be a day one purchase for me just out of sheer, raw, unbridled optimism. Pretty Clever originally had a farming theme but the publisher made it abstract and simplified some of the gameplay. I guess someone could print a play the theme back into the game.
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Nov 22, 2018 00:19
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discount cathouse posted:Pretty Clever originally had a farming theme but the publisher made it abstract and simplified some of the gameplay. I guess someone could print a play the theme back into the game. This makes incredible sense.
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Nov 22, 2018 00:46
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I don't think roll and writes are for me. I can play Yahtzee with my family and it's silly and random and we only play it once donut doesn't. If I brought out Pretty Clever with my family, what's the pitch? "Oh, it's like Yahtzee but I get to use my math and analytical skills to utterly destroy you?" The fact that Yahtzee is pure luck is a good thing because if I always win at every game, people don't want to play. If I was back in grad school and some of the other math nerds were playing one of these, I'd have joined them and it would have been a good game in that context. I'm just never in that context anymore.
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Nov 22, 2018 01:39
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Yatzee is very much not pure luck, but it's certainly less prone to the better player always winning.
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Nov 22, 2018 01:57
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Quest for El Dorado is also really good because it understands that you have to address trashing to make a competent deckbuilder, and this game fully embraces it with trashable one time cards and camp spaces that allow trashing. The only downside I could see is that you could get screwed with a bad final hand that doesn’t let you finish the game. This was the problem that ruined Copycat, btw.
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Nov 22, 2018 02:53
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I've drawn one of my board game playing (but not heavily collecting) friends as a Secret Santee - budget is £20. She and her partner play some amount of games together, so a good 2P experience is a plus. Of my games, she's played and enjoyed Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Dominion, Modern Art, Codenames, Tak (I'm sure there's a few more, but there's a sample). They own (afaik) 7 Wonders Duel, Castles of Burgundy, Tiny Epic Galaxies, Sushi Go, Pandemic (plus some others). Before I just go ahead and buy Patchwork, does anyone have any suggestions for what £20 should be spent on instead.
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Nov 22, 2018 13:29
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Death of Rats posted:I've drawn one of my board game playing (but not heavily collecting) friends as a Secret Santee - budget is £20. She and her partner play some amount of games together, so a good 2P experience is a plus. Of my games, she's played and enjoyed Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Dominion, Modern Art, Codenames, Tak (I'm sure there's a few more, but there's a sample). The Fox in the Forest
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Nov 22, 2018 13:31
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Well with Google offering $.99 movie rentals today it doesn't look like we'll get any board gaming in after all. Oh well, next year maybe.
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Nov 22, 2018 14:06
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H O L Y S H I T Miniature Market had Feast for 30 dollars but it's apparently already sold out.
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Nov 22, 2018 14:17
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Daunte Vicknabb posted:H O L Y S H I T Thematically appropriate.
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Nov 22, 2018 14:25
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Daunte Vicknabb posted:H O L Y S H I T What, A Feast for Odin? That's the right price for two things - the expansion, and selling out in five minutes. Played AFFO with the expansion for the first time yesterday and it's a complete game changer. One player picked up three of the six islands and still made 86 points despite wasting a lot of good tiles on his home board, I made 94 points with animal breeding to win, the new asymmetric start tiles are great and planning for the column 5 actions is a subgame all its own.
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Nov 22, 2018 15:58
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Jedit posted:What, A Feast for Odin? That's the right price for two things - the expansion, and selling out in five minutes. Man, I can't wait to grab it. And if MM was selling the base game for $30 greenbacks... holy poo poo. You Yanks get the craziest prices.
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Nov 22, 2018 17:09
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