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I once played a game of Railroad Tycoon with a housemate of mine and a mutual gaming friend we used to play with relatively frequently. Our friend was quite a backstabby kind of player who would sometimes do zero sum style spiking moves that didn't directly benefit him but screwed the opposition. Sure enough he blocked some long railroad building action my housemate was trying to complete. I don't necessarily have a problem with that but after it having happened a lot my housemate had enough and dedicated the rest of the game to just sabotaging him. At the expense of his own position. He explained that was what he was doing and said he would do it every time someone tried to sabotage him going forward, in any game. I'm genuinely not sure how to morally navigate that. It highlights how much social contract there is in these situations. It's not like anyone was cheating, it's just a debate about what is or isn't an acceptable motive when playing with friends. It got discussed a lot in our wider gaming circle. Everyone remained friends. No one is an rear end in a top hat here, in my opinion. It wasn't done out of frustration or malice. My housemates attitude was basically "if it's an ok move to sabotage me for benefit on this game it's ok for me to do it for benefit in future games". There are some games where playing in a non confrontational manner is ridiculous, like DOAM games. But there are some where it's technically possible to sabotage someone but you might get a sideways glance for doing so. I don't think my housemate would have had a problem with being screwed over in Game of Thrones, say. So it's obviously a bit of a gray area.
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Feb 9, 2022 18:41
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I recently received my pledge for Petrichor Collector Edition. I kind of regret it. The box is pretty, I love being able to store everything in a single box, and consolidating all expansions and promos into a single rulebook is beautiful. The newest promo tiles have additional rules complexity that I doubt I will even read. In a way they are cute and thematic, but I have reached a point in the hobby where additional rules/complexity are a turn off. Game Trayz are the worst. A big box to store everything is advertised, but honestly it is kind of poorly designed for organization. The bigger sin, I think, is that it does not easily accommodate sleeved cards. The slots for the cards are a coin flip as to whether they are large enough for sleeves. That is immensely frustrating to me. I was also frustrated with the size of the Endeavor: Age of Sail box and insert... More so when the expansion did not fit in the box with the base game tiles with the insert. I think that it is an active deterrent to see Game Trayz at this point. Avoid promos, avoid most expansions, avoid Game Trayz. Have a nice day
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Feb 9, 2022 18:49
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AAAAA! Real Muenster posted:Are there any boardgames out there that handle having a big event happen mid-game that is designed to slow all of the players down/throw a wrench in their plans/cause some damage without being overbearing and lovely?
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Feb 9, 2022 18:50
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AAAAA! Real Muenster posted:Are there any boardgames out there that handle having a big event happen mid-game that is designed to slow all of the players down/throw a wrench in their plans/cause some damage without being overbearing and lovely? This is a central mechanic in the 18xx genre pretty much. There are pre-defined moments at which old trains will "rust" (ie disappear) from the game, somewhat modelling the obsolescence of technology, and learning how to navigate that is one of main questions in each game. I've also seen this implemented through increasing maintenance costs as opposed to outright removal, but the same principle is there. Worth taking a look at 18xx-adjacent game Rolling Stock as well for this.
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Feb 9, 2022 18:54
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AAAAA! Real Muenster posted:Are there any boardgames out there that handle having a big event happen mid-game that is designed to slow all of the players down/throw a wrench in their plans/cause some damage without being overbearing and lovely? Depending on how "big" the event is in your imagination, this is anywhere from very rare to extremely common. And if you're modeling the Bronze Age Collapse, you should probably start by deciding what people are even doing before, during, and after it. Is your game about political states? Family dynasties? International trade? Cultures? It makes a difference, because while the Usual Measures of Mankind's Progress took a big hit, people were generally still farming, weaving, et cetera. The region lost kings making stone monuments to themselves and big cities centralizing trade, but people kept talking, singing, and thinking. At the very least, you could force players to pivot from the Usual Measures of Mankind's Progress to other kinds of development.
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Feb 9, 2022 19:14
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I’ll defer to those with greater knowledge than I but I know there are several 18xx games that feature a big mandatory effect that can slow down development mid game that are still well considered.
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Feb 9, 2022 19:39
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SelenicMartian posted:Can Ark Nova be played like TFM, never advancing to the end trigger? In theory yes, but in TFM when it hits that point you're still using cards to get points, just not finishing the terraform. In Ark Nova, points are what ends the game. Appeal tickets and conservation points go around the board in opposite directions, and when somebody's tracks cross, everyone else gets one final action. I can see setting up a big point action and then stalling out for a little to try and fill out some of your endgame conditions, if you can even do that without scoring enough to get to the cross point. You can go beyond that point, but then you're just wasting your turn to do nothing or maybe cycle some cards.
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Feb 9, 2022 22:28
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If anyone was still tempted by Puzzle Strike 2 it got a pretty thorough thrashing by SVWAG. Tons of downtime, overly fiddly, can't plan your turns ahead of time because of the influx of gems at the start of each turn, etc.
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Feb 9, 2022 23:49
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Mighty Eris posted:I’ll defer to those with greater knowledge than I but I know there are several 18xx games that feature a big mandatory effect that can slow down development mid game that are still well considered. Brass as well with the canal/railway eras. Not really the same thing and not exactly mandatory but Dominant Species has some powerful cards and the ice spreading around which can feel a bit similar maybe?
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Feb 10, 2022 02:17
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Arkham Horror scenarios are built on one success track and one failure track that both potentially change the game as they progress.
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Feb 10, 2022 06:57
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In Dungeon Lords you build a dungeon for 4 seasons, get attacked, and you will most likely get part of your dungeon destroyed. Then you build for four more seasons, get attacked again, and go to final scoring.
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Feb 10, 2022 07:10
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Played a 4p learning game of Ark Nova. Had a good time but it is definitely a heads-down solitaire kinda game - which is fine as I don't have that many games like that in my collection any more and this is definitely one of the better ones. The multiplayer experience made me think of a sort of AFfO/Wingspan crossover, lots of unique cards with interesting and sometimes chaining effects combined with a bit of competition for spots and racing towards certain objectives while trying to work out positioning tiles and unlocking bonuses to give you more options on your own player board. I think it will take a few games to get the feel for how often to be searching for the 'right' cards vs how often to just make the best you can of what you've got which seems to be a fairly common tension in all these card-based tableau builders, and at times I found this a bit frustrating due to having a hand of very mediocre cards for what I was trying to achieve, but on the flip side it was hugely satisfying when you managed to get things to really line up or get one of your really strong cards into play. Much like AFfO it feels like a game where you get a lot of opportunity to just explore and experiment, there's not many constraints or rails on you as a player doing whatever. I had been a bit concerned given what I'd read about game length, but it ended up being the same as most mid-heavy Euros in my collection - it took us 2 hours 20 minutes, including rules explanation and having to ask questions about iconography a number of times so I would think 2 hours with 4p once you know the game is perfectly reasonable. The majority of actions only take seconds to resolve, and many of them don't impact on other players so the next person can easily start their turn while the previous player is (for example) working out which card to discard from the resolution of their action, or where exactly to play a zoo tile. Anyway, fun game, I came second last with -1 point and I'm looking forward to playing again.
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Feb 10, 2022 10:17
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Kerro posted:The multiplayer experience made me think of a sort of AFfO/Wingspan crossover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm705Itp2OU
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Feb 10, 2022 10:33
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Can we potentially add a Bad Retailers/Avoid section to the OP? I'd like to nominate Polymorph Games as a bad retailer from Australia. Feel free to link to this post as to reasons why My experiences with them are thus: - Nearly a year spent waiting for my 'The Red Cathedral' preorder. Was continously told it would be 'shipped soon', 'its arriving soon', etc. Eventually cancelled and refunded after 11 months of constantly moving goalposts. Other retailers had stock months earlier that I could have ordered from. - Currently trying to return a copy of 'Hunt for the Ring' that I was gifted during Secret Santa this year. The package I sent them has been sitting in their PO Box for 2 weeks now, and I'm very glad I chipped in a couple of extra dollars for tracking and insurance. They are not responding to emails, and I have no idea what's happening. This would be slightly tolerable if it weren't for the fact that I have returned the game so the Goon who gifted me the game could get a refund. - I wanted to say that I had at least one positive experience, when I preordered the 'Hansa Teutonica Big Box' from them on the cheap, but I just checked my emails and I had to follow that up multiple to find out what was happening. Please do not order from Polymorph Games if you are in Australia. They are also located in Tasmania, which is not mainland Australia, which adds additional shipping time to things.
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Feb 10, 2022 13:34
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Egad, those Tasmanian devils! (Sorry, I bet that's been done a thousand times already.)
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Feb 10, 2022 14:07
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maybe it goes without saying but buying a board game off amazon is a terrible idea, you have real good odds of getting something not in your own language or - as a friend buying azul found - a cheap knockoff of the game
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Feb 10, 2022 14:16
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Jedit posted:Egad, those Tasmanian devils! Yeah nah if you want to be a ridgy didge Aussie you need to make inbred jokes about them 
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Feb 10, 2022 14:18
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jesus WEP posted:maybe it goes without saying but buying a board game off amazon is a terrible idea, you have real good odds of getting something not in your own language or - as a friend buying azul found - a cheap knockoff of the game I found a copy out of the blue of Panic on Wall St from Australia (!) with free shipping for ~$45 CDN like six years ago and it was perfect! Except that the company products/stock tiles are in Spanish. Very strange. Great game though. taser rates posted:This is a central mechanic in the 18xx genre pretty much. There are pre-defined moments at which old trains will "rust" (ie disappear) from the game, somewhat modelling the obsolescence of technology, and learning how to navigate that is one of main questions in each game. I've also seen this implemented through increasing maintenance costs as opposed to outright removal, but the same principle is there. Worth taking a look at 18xx-adjacent game Rolling Stock as well for this. How is Rolling Stock? This is the second time in a week someone has brought it up and it seems very interesting. Not a bad price from AAG either but they're selling Rolling Rock Stars so unsure if it's the same or not. We have friends coming over for dinner on Saturday and I'm tempted to see if I can trick them into playing some 18MEX or 30. I really liked 61/67 but it's just slightly on the chromey side with the mergers and distinct phases.
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Feb 10, 2022 16:50
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Infinitum posted:Can we potentially add a Bad Retailers/Avoid section to the OP? I don't know if I want to do something like that based on one goon's individual experience. I'm trying to keep the negative stuff in the OP to stuff that is pretty well documented and broadly accepted to be true and backed up by proof like screenshots and links. I don't want to attest the truth or falsity of something that is outside of my grasp. For instance, it would be easy to add Seb McKinnon's recent meltdown into the OP (if it were relevant for board games) or to describe why people should avoid Golden Bell studios, both with numerous links and sources. I don't have to worry about potentially affirming something that is untrue because they are so well supported. This is not to minimize or de-legitimize your concern or your honesty, but you are just one voice on the internet. Of course, this OP is here to serve the thread, not me. If people disagree and have persuasive ideas, I might be willing to change my mind on this.
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Feb 10, 2022 17:17
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Magnetic North posted:I don't know if I want to do something like that based on one goon's individual experience. I'm trying to keep the negative stuff in the OP to stuff that is pretty well documented and broadly accepted to be true and backed up by proof like screenshots and links. I don't want to attest the truth or falsity of something that is outside of my grasp. For instance, it would be easy to add Seb McKinnon's recent meltdown into the OP (if it were relevant for board games) or to describe why people should avoid Golden Bell studios, both with numerous links and sources. I don't have to worry about potentially affirming something that is untrue because they are so well supported. This is not to minimize or de-legitimize your concern or your honesty, but you are just one voice on the internet. Too many times the person who is complaining didn't follow a written set of instructions (which many times they don't mention at first) and then gets upset. I totally support your position that we should not discourage the use of retailers based on one person's experience. Noting that (!!!) people should be aware that Game Nerdz has a policy of charging a 15% restocking fee on pre-order cancellations. This is illegal in the US and I've notified them of the court case where the FTC fought this same policy and won, but they do it anyway. https://www.gamenerdz.com/shipping-returns
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Feb 10, 2022 18:20
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I think if you want to do it, it'd be reasonable to quote or link to a particular goon's attestation about a particular retailer without editorializing; in that way, you're not asserting it yourself, you're just highlighting a post, not that different from how a retail aggregator like Amazon allows customers to post reviews about their sellers. That said, it's also definitely not a requirement for an OP to do homework or keep track of things you don't feel like doing. That aside, Infinitum I didn't realize you and your santa were still dealing with that poo poo. Let me know if there's any way I can assist.
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Feb 10, 2022 18:32
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FulsomFrank posted:I found a copy out of the blue of Panic on Wall St from Australia (!) with free shipping for ~$45 CDN like six years ago and it was perfect! Except that the company products/stock tiles are in Spanish. Very strange. Great game though. Rolling Stock is great and extremely difficult, don't have experience in Stars unfortunately and I've heard it's quite different, but you can pnp the originally easily from the designer's website since it's just cards and some round tokens. It essentially rolls up 18xx trains and private companies into just private companies which get auctioned off each turn and incur progressively higher maintenance costs as the game progresses. The stock market is also a real piece of work, it's composed entirely of unique share price cards (ie multiple share companies will never share the same price) and when you buy or sell shares the price changes first (up when buying, down when selling) before the transaction occurs. It feels like an 18xx card game in a lot of ways but you simultaneously have to throw away most of your conceptions of what 18xx play looks like because of how different it is, it's really more about managing cash flow than building a stock portfolio because if you don't it's incredibly easy to end up in a death spiral with no way out.
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Feb 10, 2022 19:04
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Mayveena posted:
Restocking fee on stock that doesn’t exist is a real big brain move Gamenerdz.
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Feb 10, 2022 19:34
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So one of my friends buys way too many board games to actually play, and then loans me random ones now and again when he runs out of space. Today's game was Too Many Bones, a game which I know nothing about. Huge box, component quality is lovely, looks like it could be fun! Then I read the rulebook. Jesus christ this is, by far, the worst rulebook I've ever seen. Nothing flows, we tried the tutorial and then immediately had no clue what to do afterwards, it's an absolute mess. Is it worth persevering and learning the game? I mean it seems like it could be fun but I've got better things to do than spend 4 hours googling random dice interactions.
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Feb 10, 2022 19:40
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Bottom Liner posted:Restocking fee on stock that doesn’t exist is a real big brain move Gamenerdz. Hey see I did it too!!! The fee is charged when you mix an existing game in stock with a preorder. So if you let's say pre-ordered the Lost Ruins game and the expansion back in September and then decided you wanted to cancel the order then you'd be charged a 15% restock on Lost Ruins. Which like I said is illegal, it's not the consumer's problem that they physically move the product (not to mention it's a completely avoidable issue with a product system that isn't made in the 90's).
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Feb 10, 2022 19:42
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HampHamp posted:So one of my friends buys way too many board games to actually play, and then loans me random ones now and again when he runs out of space. Today's game was Too Many Bones, a game which I know nothing about. Huge box, component quality is lovely, looks like it could be fun! I love the game but you have to decide if if it's worth it. Should be some decent video tutorials for the game. I agree the rule book is bad.
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Feb 10, 2022 19:43
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Leperflesh posted:I think if you want to do it, it'd be reasonable to quote or link to a particular goon's attestation about a particular retailer without editorializing; in that way, you're not asserting it yourself, you're just highlighting a post, not that different from how a retail aggregator like Amazon allows customers to post reviews about their sellers. That said, it's also definitely not a requirement for an OP to do homework or keep track of things you don't feel like doing. Yeah, it's not a matter of liability or caring about hurting businesses or anything anything, just my personal opinion on appropriateness. Even if I felt it was, it is almost certainly too much homework for the OP to track every goon. I'd rather showcase good retailers and warn about bad publishers. Mayveena posted:Noting that (!!!) people should be aware that Game Nerdz has a policy of charging a 15% restocking fee on pre-order cancellations. This is illegal in the US and I've notified them of the court case where the FTC fought this same policy and won, but they do it anyway. Could you link the court case? I'm curious about that sort of stuff.
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Feb 10, 2022 21:22
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I've said my piece either way, so it's not a huge deal.Leperflesh posted:That aside, Infinitum I didn't realize you and your santa were still dealing with that poo poo. Let me know if there's any way I can assist. All good mate. There was a small delay my end at the start of the year as I had been in hospital after an accident, but this is now 100% a Polymorph issue and par for the course for me experience with them - which is disappointing.
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Feb 10, 2022 21:46
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HampHamp posted:So one of my friends buys way too many board games to actually play, and then loans me random ones now and again when he runs out of space. Today's game was Too Many Bones, a game which I know nothing about. Huge box, component quality is lovely, looks like it could be fun! I think it's pretty good at two players. Wouldn't want to try it with more because it's already a bit unwieldy. And agreed, the rulebook is very hard to follow.
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Feb 10, 2022 22:21
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HampHamp posted:So one of my friends buys way too many board games to actually play, and then loans me random ones now and again when he runs out of space. Today's game was Too Many Bones, a game which I know nothing about. Huge box, component quality is lovely, looks like it could be fun! Its a pretty decent game - the Gaming Rules how to play video is the place to start. Also its coop so just make up a sensible ruling on the spot and go for it imho.
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Feb 10, 2022 23:09
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Infinitum posted:Can we potentially add a Bad Retailers/Avoid section to the OP? Haha, same here. Been waiting on Red Cathedral from them since I ordered in July last year, every time I got in contact it was always nearly here. I asked for a refund last September because another local retailer had it in stock but they told me it should be arriving "next week" but of course it never showed up. It's been listed as "In Stock" on their website for the last month, although I was the one who had to contact them and ask them to ship it. They told me they must have missed it and it would be in the mail ASAP. That was a month ago and they still haven't shipped it. They have stopped responding to my emails including contacting them through their website contact form (they did this earlier and blamed it on their spam filter which they said they fixed, but there is no excuse for not responding to their own contact form). So far I think I've had to email them 12 times to try and get them to ship a loving boardgame OR refund me and they haven't managed to do it. Don't order from Polymorph Games. e: didn't read past Infinitum's post to see the rest of the discussion. I just read the post and was so incensed that I had to share my own experience. I don't care if it ends up in the OP, that wasn't my point, I wanted to vent about a shared experience. I was super patient throughout this whole experience because I want to support small business and I understand covid has been tough (and shipping has genuinely been hosed here in Aus). Polymorph has taken it to an extreme though and is now pretty clearly ignoring my emails so I genuinely cannot in good conscience recommend them. KongGeorgeVII fucked around with this message at 23:29 on Feb 10, 2022 |
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Feb 10, 2022 23:21
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Polymorph gang 
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Feb 10, 2022 23:59
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I'm all-in on Too Many Bones and all the content+extras, and have around 60 games of it. It's my second most-played game. It's is a good game and worth it. It's nice because you can do an entire "epic" campaign in a single sitting, and you feel like you've actually progressed from "level 1" to end-game in like 2-4 hours. You get to scoop rewards at the end of each encounter so you never feel disappointed like in Gloomhaven when you go over a massive, grueling encounter and end up with (literally) no reward. The rulebook layout is terrible but it's not a particularly difficult game, especially if you just watch a video. The overall game is simple but the characters are way more complex than people expect and you really have to "learn" the mechanics of each. Most have wildly different mechanics, so it's not just a reconfiguration of simple abilities (again, Gloomhaven). There are also some weird ability interactions that aren't explicitly covered (especially if you're playing with expansion content), but it's easy to rule thematically and not worry about it. I change the BQ algorithm to add +3 to each calculation because it makes the game more difficult and with a more interesting spread of baddies coming out (fewer whole numbers to split). It's a pretty flexible game. It plays well with two, most of my games are with two. Three is probably "ideal", four is crowded, though they just launched a new expansion on GameFound so that seems to address different gameplay styles based on player count. PRADA SLUT fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Feb 11, 2022 |
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Feb 11, 2022 01:44
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Thanks for all the Too Many Bones replies! We just decided to jump in and deal with things as they come up, it does seem to be a fun game. And yeah after getting over the initial hump it's not too difficult to play apart from edge case interactions, and there are a lot of FAQs available. Managed to snag a copy of the super deluxe Radlands box directly from Roxley, they are currently available in the EU if anyone is looking to pick one up. Came to around 65 quid in total, with shipping and tax. Still trying to get hold of Mind MGMT as that looks right up our street.
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Feb 11, 2022 08:17
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HampHamp posted:Managed to snag a copy of the super deluxe Radlands box directly from Roxley, they are currently available in the EU if anyone is looking to pick one up. Came to around 65 quid in total, with shipping and tax. drat, had to order that. Thanks for the tip! I have been on edge with Radlands but I'm a sucker for the quality components and it has good value if I decide to sell it. Also bought Mind MGMT retail version since some shop in Germany still had a couple and pledged in for the wooden bits on KS. Games are expensive. 
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Feb 11, 2022 08:35
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There's blinging out your game, and then there's this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K11ZTCwU-LI
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Feb 11, 2022 08:45
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High Tension Wire posted:drat, had to order that. Thanks for the tip! I have been on edge with Radlands but I'm a sucker for the quality components and it has good value if I decide to sell it. Literally minutes after I made that post I got an email saying Radlands is out of stock and not arriving until April, ugh. Its still listed as available in my region on the Roxley site, which is a bit naughty.
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Feb 11, 2022 09:32
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HampHamp posted:Literally minutes after I made that post I got an email saying Radlands is out of stock and not arriving until April, ugh. Its still listed as available in my region on the Roxley site, which is a bit naughty. That sucks since it explicitly states that both versions are still available in EU. But I guess if it is coming, a few months is a reasonable time to wait.
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Feb 11, 2022 09:42
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High Tension Wire posted:That sucks since it explicitly states that both versions are still available in EU. I just double checked, and it was actually my mistake. It says super deluxe is available in EU and Asia, deluxe is available in EU, Asia, and the UK. I'm so in denial about Brexit that I saw EU and assumed it meant the UK too. My bad!
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Feb 11, 2022 10:10
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| # ? May 31, 2024 06:29 |
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BGG Black History month poll, written by me and posted by @angryredhead. https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2812701/tgif-593-happy-black-history-month
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Feb 11, 2022 16:23
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