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Mr. Squishy posted:This guy loves dudes on a map! Indeed!
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 14:11 |
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# ? Jun 5, 2024 09:33 |
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Me and my friend played through Detective: LA Crimes and I gotta say, it really seems like a mess. While I can't say I was a big fan of the original, it at least had a somewhat coherent story and a decent atmosphere. LA crimes feels like a misnomer; there's nothing about the setting that makes you feel like you're in LA in the 80's. It just feels like they took the writing for Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game and removed all the references to supercomputers (an arduous task, in all fairness). There's also a big problem where the third and final case hinges upon a twist that makes the entire story make no god drat sense. Very explicit spoilers about the end of the game: It turns out that the terrorists plan was to use a mind control drug on the bodyguard of the senator to assassinate the same senator. This same bodyguard however was involved in the first case, where he successfully defended the senator from an assassination attempt by the same terrorist organization. He is seemingly the only bodyguard the senator has, and is constantly around him. The only way to find out that the bodyguard has been mind controlled is to use your limited resources to do a background check on him, and the only way to get the option to do that comes from a card that explicitly tells you that the FBI already checked him and found nothing, even though the drug has extremely visible side effects. I also want to talk about a new mechanic introduced in the third case that is presented as extremely important but in reality does nothing but mislead you. You get a simple chart telling you the odds that a terrorist will attack a series of public events going like this: pre:SNIPER BOMB POISON A 50% 40% 30% B 20% 60% 40% C 40% 30% 40% D 10% 40% 50% I would not recommend this game, even to fans of the original Detective. sirtommygunn fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Oct 7, 2020 |
# ? Oct 7, 2020 15:44 |
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are you suggesting that ignacy trzewiczek did a bad game design!?
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 16:23 |
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The End posted:So here's a thing I did. It's my top 10 of all time. It's not deep critical analysis (as I didn't want the video to be super long), but I hope there's some interest in there. Considering how our tastes align with the rest of your list, it looks like I should hunt down Mysthea and Lords of Hellas.
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 16:43 |
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food court bailiff posted:What service did it ship from? I have some weird shipping notice in my spam folder and want to make sure it’s not that. UPS, but the email was from Funagain Logistics with the subject line saying my Pax Pamir reprint shipped. It didn't leave much room for doubt.
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 18:01 |
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PlaneGuy posted:are you suggesting that ignacy trzewiczek did a bad game design!? I'm not very familiar with board game designers, but yes I am going to say that they did a very bad job in this case.
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 18:05 |
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sirtommygunn posted:I'm not very familiar with board game designers, but yes I am going to say that they did a very bad job in this case. Ignacy Trzewiczek is generally panned in this thread for a board game design diary he posted where famed designer Vlaada Chvatil told him 'you can't have bad events and good events coming from the same deck, you need to split them up to create a more consistent and enjoyable gaming experience', Ignacy went 'hmm yes that is a good idea' then completely and utterly ignored his advice.
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 22:43 |
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bobvonunheil posted:Ignacy Trzewiczek is generally panned in this thread for a board game design diary he posted. This is true and it's a good read, for those who haven't. He is also panned for his bad games that are clothed in the production values of good games.
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 22:48 |
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bobvonunheil posted:Ignacy Trzewiczek is generally panned in this thread for a board game design diary he posted where famed designer Vlaada Chvatil told him 'you can't have bad events and good events coming from the same deck, you need to split them up to create a more consistent and enjoyable gaming experience', Ignacy went 'hmm yes that is a good idea' then completely and utterly ignored his advice. I mean that's technically true, but more that it's good shorthand to explain his designs, which are generally sloppy and not well developed.
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 22:57 |
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The End posted:So here's a thing I did. It's my top 10 of all time. It's not deep critical analysis (as I didn't want the video to be super long), but I hope there's some interest in there. Not a bad list, judging from what I've played and heard...but why do you have some of your games like BSG on their side, instead of right-way up, like the bulk of your games?? I get that you might want to show 'em off, but it just seems a little risky is all (not to mention inefficient use of space! Although I'd imagine you have the BSG expansions tucked behind it, in this case)
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# ? Oct 7, 2020 23:40 |
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Major Isoor posted:Not a bad list, judging from what I've played and heard...but why do you have some of your games like BSG on their side, instead of right-way up, like the bulk of your games?? That's a bingo! In the case of both BSG and Walking Dead No Sanctuary, the space behind it is completely full of expansions. BSG lacks a proper insert, so everything is bagged anyway. WD has a functional insert.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 01:05 |
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The End posted:That's a bingo! Oh, right - well that explains it! Fair enough then, if that's the case. I'd love to do the same with my copy of BSG, although I didn't buy-up on expansions when I had the chance (I was like "nah, I'll wait a bit for more money to come in first, then buy 'em"...then weeks later, it suddenly went OOP...urgh) In other news, hey Infinitum (and/or any other Aus/NZ goons), do you know if there are any sites/shops out there that tend to stock a lot of old (or even preowned) board games, by any chance? Since from what I've found, there seem to be very few options in that regard, down here. I know it's probably a long-shot, but I thought I'd check anyway
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 01:53 |
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homullus posted:This is true and it's a good read, for those who haven't. He is also panned for his bad games that are clothed in the production values of good games. ...can someone link it?
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 02:05 |
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Boxman posted:...can someone link it? Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Pseudoscorpion fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Oct 8, 2020 |
# ? Oct 8, 2020 02:13 |
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Man, it's amazing Ignacy is as popular as he is. Every game of his I have played has felt unfinished and was certainly unfun.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 03:21 |
51st state was unfinished but somehow kind of fun.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 03:23 |
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Ok, you got me there.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 03:32 |
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Major Isoor posted:Oh, right - well that explains it! Fair enough then, if that's the case. I'd love to do the same with my copy of BSG, although I didn't buy-up on expansions when I had the chance (I was like "nah, I'll wait a bit for more money to come in first, then buy 'em"...then weeks later, it suddenly went OOP...urgh) I got super lucky on the last BSG expansion. Managed to find a copy at a retailer in Melbourne who didn't ship, so I used an Airtasker to get it. Based on the secondary market prices these days, even with $40 sunk into getting it to me after paying RRP, I made out like a bandit. As for used games, facebook is probably the best place for buying used games. I know LFG in Canberra do a second hand market every month, but I've been underwhelmed every time.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 03:45 |
Major Isoor posted:In other news, hey Infinitum (and/or any other Aus/NZ goons), do you know if there are any sites/shops out there that tend to stock a lot of old (or even preowned) board games, by any chance? Since from what I've found, there seem to be very few options in that regard, down here. I know it's probably a long-shot, but I thought I'd check anyway Try https://adventgames.com.au I've dealt with them a few times, and is where I got my out of print copy of Whitehall Mystery from Boardgame Oracle will give you a list of stores in Australia, so you could try working your way through that list as well. Quoting this so I remember to read it tonight
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 03:49 |
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Is the original detective any good? Ignacy is only like one of four people that worked on that one, right?
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 03:50 |
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silvergoose posted:51st state was unfinished but somehow kind of fun. 51st State is his one and true 'great game'. Even the basic set is a huge amount of fun. I enjoy the robust challenge of Robinson Crusoe, given the great theme. It is a complete mess though. The End fucked around with this message at 08:41 on Oct 8, 2020 |
# ? Oct 8, 2020 04:08 |
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What's the story with counterfeit games and Amazon? A real problem or overblown?
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 06:08 |
Apparently Root is highly counterfeitted on Amazon from what I've heard?
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 06:16 |
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TOOT BOOT posted:What's the story with counterfeit games and Amazon? A real problem or overblown? Can't it be both? I don't know what you would qualify as "overblown", I would expect youd be more likely to get a legit copy than not, but it's certainly not unheard of to buy fakes there. But Amazon has a bad fraud problem, and not just for boardgames, because it isn't really a problem for Amazon.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 06:19 |
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Given the startup costs involved in making a bootleg that stands up to a casual inspection, I'd expect it to be rampant for specific popular games that someone has decided would be worth ripping off, and not an issue otherwise. You can't avoid it by only buying from reputable sellers on Amazon, anything that's "fulfilled by Amazon" comes from their commingled inventory and won't necessarily be a box from the actual seller you chose to buy from. Once counterfeits are in those warehouses, you have the same chance of getting them regardless of what seller you picked.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 06:26 |
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TOOT BOOT posted:What's the story with counterfeit games and Amazon? A real problem or overblown? Both. I’ve only ever heard it in regards to Root and Pandemic Legacy. Just don’t buy new games from third party sellers on there unless you can confirm it’s a legit game store.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 06:29 |
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Major Isoor posted:In other news, hey Infinitum (and/or any other Aus/NZ goons), do you know if there are any sites/shops out there that tend to stock a lot of old (or even preowned) board games, by any chance? Since from what I've found, there seem to be very few options in that regard, down here. I know it's probably a long-shot, but I thought I'd check anyway https://www.milsims.com.au/ Can order things for you, not just wargames.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 07:37 |
silvergoose posted:51st state was unfinished but somehow kind of fun. The bad news is that the finished game is Imperial Settlers.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 08:18 |
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GrandpaPants posted:The bad news is that the finished game is Imperial Settlers. Imperial Settlers is what happens when you take a game that's combative by design and try to make it friendly for carebear players. 51st State - attacks = Yawn.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 08:31 |
The End posted:Imperial Settlers is what happens when you take a game that's combative by design and try to make it friendly for carebear players. 51st State - attacks = Yawn. There are attacks in Imperial Settlers! They just...uh, all target Japan for some reason.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 08:32 |
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I played The Crew last night with some people from my normal game group. My verdict after two hours and 21 missions is that it feels like multiplayer clock solitaire. It's dull as ditchwater, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 09:23 |
GrandpaPants posted:The bad news is that the finished game is Imperial Settlers. Yeah I played imp settlers once or twice and thought it was absolutely godawful.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 12:00 |
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sirtommygunn posted:Me and my friend played through Detective: LA Crimes Honestly, that sounds super super annoying. More so because I can totally imagine the thought process of the people making it, and how, in their minds, they're envisioning the clues and story and stuff as having this effect on you of making you 'Some given percent' more or less likely to suspect a thing. Like, they're trying to quantify with maths the puzzle element of the game. So then, they think it's a 'good' idea to actually physically incorporate this notion into the game. Like the "Ha HA! We made you fairly certain it wasn't this thing, but that makes it all the bigger a surprise that it WAS!" that they want to get, they're just writing it down on a peice of paper. But then they clearly don't understand how maths works, OR what makes a puzzle good. It's super frustrating, because, this one small aspect of their game, I would have been able to steer them away from, to me (and I'm sure you) it's obvious, but I'm certain for 90% of the rest of their game, I wouldn't have been able to come up with / articulate it as well as they have. Like, with all art, it's only really annoying when you could have done it better, because it just shows your own inadequacies that you didn't or couldn't do ALL of it, and get that bit right.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 12:14 |
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Jedit posted:I played The Crew last night with some people from my normal game group. My verdict after two hours and 21 missions is that it feels like multiplayer clock solitaire. It's dull as ditchwater, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 13:49 |
Also maybe don't play a filler for two hours at a time
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 14:01 |
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I don’t comprehend how the crew could be thought of as solitare. The entire game is trying to deduce what cards everyone else has so you can set up tricks to pass the mission.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 17:01 |
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The Crew was my wife's go-to post-Sunday-brunch game for 10 weekends, replacing cribbage. It was surprisingly fun as a 2-player game. It got swapped out for a couple games of Fox in the Forest Duet, but we keep talking about going back to the Crew. I just remembered we printed out the mini expansion, but haven't played it yet: https://www.thamesandkosmos.com/index.php/educators/scienceathome/item/the-crew-the-deimos-adventure-1
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 17:30 |
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I played The Crew on BGA with Randoms and had a pretty piss time. Don’t be me. Play with friends on Zoom.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 17:51 |
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How was Fox and Forest Duet? Watching an explanation it seems like it is a polar game. When it works, it probably feels really clever, but when it doesn't it probably feels bland. Just felt like the latter would come out more than the former
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 18:17 |
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# ? Jun 5, 2024 09:33 |
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Just finished a lunchtime game of Fox and Forest! You can have a terrible first round and still win, even on higher difficulties. If your second of three rounds goes bad, you can possibly find yourself in an unwinnable third round. Most of the time, we get super close to winning at the end of round three. Today's game we wound up one space away from the last gem after overshooting it a couple times. Sure, we lost, but it was fun, and soooo close! The "words" cards (the ones that add rules to the normal trick taking) hide some more complicated gameplay for those looking for it. The ability to change the trump card comes in handy when it's a card you want, but there's also the opportunity to change the trump to seriously change the outcome of the current play. Really need to win this one? Make your played card trump! Need to lose? Let the other player change it. Same goes for gifting: gift the other player a card they can play right now! It's like playing two cards from your hand if the other player is on board. You do have to be in step with your partner. The game board does a good job of keeping you on task. My one complaint about the game is that the "word" cards aren't mirrored top-to-bottom, so you have to sort your hand by color, then also flip the special cards. They could have put something in the corner. Also, the special cards aren't obvious when you play them. It's a picture of a musician, or a deer, and you need to either remember what they do or read the little rule blurb. Some iconography would help. Maybe it's just my bad eyes.
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# ? Oct 8, 2020 20:18 |