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Pan Am also has a mechanic I generally enjoy and appreciate: round-robin action selection, followed by action resolution in a fixed order. (Dominant Species and BUS are other examples of this) It works really well in Pan Am and gives the game a depth that otherwise wouldn't be present.
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Mar 10, 2022 23:40
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Mayveena posted:Biggest hotness is Ark Nova, Capstone Games publisher. It's been delayed to mid April for retail because of shipping issues but if you don't mind paying MSRP you can get it now from Capstone Games. How are the cards handled / what role do they play gameplay-wise in Ark Nova? Frankly a big stack of cards (each of which looks to have a bunch of text and special rules) was originally a turn-off for me so I glossed over Ark Nova originally, but it sounds like maybe it's not what I feared.
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Mar 10, 2022 23:49
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Magnetic North posted:
I would also point out that it's a good game to try with certain non-board game enthusiasts, given that it's a detective story / logic puzzle moreso than a traditional board game.
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Mar 10, 2022 23:51
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I'm a big fan of Pan Am too as a nice light Euro-style game. I find it plays best at 3, but is still fun at 2 & 4. For solo gaming, I've become obsessed with Spirit Island. It's a co-op game, so you can play single-handed all the way up to four-handed (or six-handed if you get the Jagged Earth expansion, I suppose). A deep, very replayable game without unnecessary cruft or complexity (not to say it isn't complex, just that the complexity serves a purpose for fun) -- and it's fun with other people playing it too.
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Mar 10, 2022 23:53
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The Eyes Have It posted:How are the cards handled / what role do they play gameplay-wise in Ark Nova? Frankly a big stack of cards (each of which looks to have a bunch of text and special rules) was originally a turn-off for me so I glossed over Ark Nova originally, but it sounds like maybe it's not what I feared. It is a big stack of cards with a bunch of text that's for certain. However the reason we have liked it is that the cards seem reasonably balanced, we love the theme, it's a fairly easy teach, and there are interesting decisions. Note that I don't like Terraforming Mars but the cards are similar I think. The game is mostly the cards but you need to have a plan. I thought Rahdo's Final Thoughts were good (noting he does them in his usual overly enthusiastic style). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrsWGfUjCM8
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Mar 10, 2022 23:54
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My copy of Wrath of the Lich King is apparently waiting for me when I get home today. So will give that a burl tomorrow alongg with Nemesis and posts thoughts. It's a 'Pandemic System' game, so will be curious how it plays.
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Mar 11, 2022 00:00
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Mayveena posted:It is a big stack of cards with a bunch of text that's for certain. However the reason we have liked it is that the cards seem reasonably balanced, we love the theme, it's a fairly easy teach, and there are interesting decisions. Note that I don't like Terraforming Mars but the cards are similar I think. The game is mostly the cards but you need to have a plan. I thought Rahdo's Final Thoughts were good (noting he does them in his usual overly enthusiastic style). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrsWGfUjCM8 Thanks, that and the video link was pretty helpful in filling in the blanks for me. (I see it's on Tabletopia too, so there's a kind-of digital option for trying it out.)
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Mar 11, 2022 00:15
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I really like the queuing system in Ark Nova, where abilities get more powerful the longer you wait to use them It's probably going to be one of my next pickups
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Mar 11, 2022 00:34
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Infinitum posted:I really like the queuing system in Ark Nova, where abilities get more powerful the longer you wait to use them It sounds a bit like Conan (if I remember it correctly) except in that the minions get cheaper to use if you wait longer to use them instead of being better.
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Mar 11, 2022 00:35
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Magnetic North posted:
Ah poo poo I missed that bit my bad. Admittedly I haven't seen much about Van Ryder games before this kickstarter so wasn't actively looking. 
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Mar 11, 2022 00:39
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Magnetic North posted:It sounds a bit like Conan (if I remember it correctly) except in that the minions get cheaper to use if you wait longer to use them instead of being better. It's exactly the same as the system in Civilization: A New Dawn, which is a surprisingly good MWE for a Fantasy Flight game.
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Mar 11, 2022 01:00
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It’s the basic concept of stacking coins on an unused action except each action has levels, right? It used to get a coin, now it’s just a level two action. It’s not innovative, but at least it’s new(ish).
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Mar 11, 2022 03:52
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Setup for game day complete. Love a good table filler Now to get in the mood imma watch a fun film about a Boy and his favourite pal, Egg  They're inseparable.
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Mar 11, 2022 11:53
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Infinitum posted:Setup for game day complete. Love a good table filler I enjoyed Nemesis but the colour scheme they used I think while thematically appropriate is really annoying to look at and I recall it being difficult to do a quick glance at the board and tell the difference between things. I will admit I played it in someone's backyard and the sun was kinda making it tough to see everything perfectly but it's something that stuck with me.
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Mar 11, 2022 17:58
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FulsomFrank posted:I enjoyed Nemesis but the colour scheme they used I think while thematically appropriate is really annoying to look at and I recall it being difficult to do a quick glance at the board and tell the difference between things. I will admit I played it in someone's backyard and the sun was kinda making it tough to see everything perfectly but it's something that stuck with me. Also the cards just completely dissolve into pulp as soon as you touch them. Granted, I did play it in the bathtub.
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Mar 11, 2022 19:04
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My mate has the neoprene mat for nemesis that replaces the board. It's good because, unlike the board, it isn't insanely glossy so you can actually see things on it without needing to play in twilight.
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Mar 11, 2022 19:12
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Infinitum posted:My copy of Wrath of the Lich King is apparently waiting for me when I get home today. My copy of Return to Dark Tower with all the addons and miniatures and everything is out for delivery. I'll try to get a some posts up for it tonight or tomorrow.
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Mar 11, 2022 19:29
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Dr. Video Games 0069 posted:Also the cards just completely dissolve into pulp as soon as you touch them. Granted, I did play it in the bathtub. should have played too many bones instead rookie mistake
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Mar 11, 2022 19:30
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:My copy of Return to Dark Tower with all the addons and miniatures and everything is out for delivery. I'll try to get a some posts up for it tonight or tomorrow. A friend of mine just played it, he said the tower is the most over-engineered board game component he's seen (with maybe the exception of Forbidden Skies) but in the best possible way. Sounds like he had fun with it.
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Mar 11, 2022 19:39
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Is Ginkopolis still worth owning/playing today? I see that copies are back in stock and I was curious if's held up or is another title that has been surpassed?
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Mar 11, 2022 19:41
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Infinitum posted:Setup for game day complete. Love a good table filler Filler games get a bad rap, that looks suitably complex
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Mar 11, 2022 20:38
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I have no idea why filler games get a bad rap. I really really dislike that. Light games are perfectly fine and some are great games. Play what you enjoy. Not everyone wants to come home from a hard, difficult day at work and then turn around and play Food Chain Magnate. Sometimes or maybe always you want to relax and have a nice chill time.
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Mar 11, 2022 20:43
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I suspect there's a disconnect between table filler and time filler here.
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Mar 11, 2022 20:44
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:My copy of Return to Dark Tower with all the addons and miniatures and everything is out for delivery. I'll try to get a some posts up for it tonight or tomorrow. Mine was just delivered!
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Mar 11, 2022 20:51
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vulturesrow posted:Where are my solo gamers at? Talk to me about my options. Have you heard about our Lord and Savior Spirit Island?
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Mar 11, 2022 21:05
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Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Mar 12, 2022 |
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Mar 12, 2022 00:15
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And I am immediately 12 years old again
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Mar 12, 2022 01:24
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:My copy of Return to Dark Tower with all the addons and miniatures and everything is out for delivery. I'll try to get a some posts up for it tonight or tomorrow. The Tower pulls a neat trick - you feel like you're playing against it instead of against an app. Speaking of, the app covers about exactly the right amount of territory as I'd want. You don't need to track fiddly poo poo in it - it's still mostly physical components - but it offloads the complex poo poo very admirably. The gameplay itself is very simple, in the end, but in a good way e: lmao that Titan 'mini'. "Here, just put a big Ken Doll on your map."
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Mar 12, 2022 02:18
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Nyan Island $30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085WC6GZG/
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Mar 12, 2022 03:37
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I've full auto'd twice this game so far, with full clips of 6. Done max damage both times for 6 and turned Intruders into paste 
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Mar 12, 2022 04:39
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FulsomFrank posted:Is Ginkopolis still worth owning/playing today? I see that copies are back in stock and I was curious if's held up or is another title that has been surpassed? I'll be able to tell you in a few days. Just got a cheap copy and after reading the rulebook I am optimistic.
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Mar 12, 2022 05:09
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I've only played online. It's good! Hard to figure out how the draft really works though, I'd bet it's better in person. Fair warning, I've heard that 4p is barely worth playing, 2-3p is where it's at, I've only played 3p.
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Mar 12, 2022 05:27
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Nemesis Round 2 ended in a Jolly Cooperation Victory Everybody achieved their victory conditions, and we all safely evac'd the Nemesis even though it was heading to Mars Ended up corpsing 5 Aliens by myself as the soldier just by rolling hilarious well. Full Auto + fully unlocked gun = 6 hits, pulled that off 3 times. It became perfectly clear after about round 2 that mine and the Captains goals aligned (I had to get research 2 weaknesses, and the Captain 1 and send the signal) Managed to clear the path to the escape pods, only to pick up 3 contamination cards, having to go back to surgery again. The Queen decided to show up and had to be cattle prod'd out the door. Got off with 1 round to spare. 1 of my players couldn't make it, so it was a 4 player game. We are going to joke that he's the reason the 1st game was so disastrous  I like Nemesis. I will be happy to play more Nemesis. Would like to have a Lads Day for Nemesis so it can get very vicious. ----------------------------- Next up was Sheriff of Nottingham. I played this 2 times with 1 group of friends years ago and it... didn't click, it wasn't fun and it has sat on my shelf unplayed for a few years. I've wanted to sell it for a while now. However playing with my current group of players was a HELL of a lot more fun as they actually got into the roleplay a bit  Made out like a bandit on some deals as Sheriff, but in the end lost out by a few points. ...so... I might keep it around for a bit now. ---------------------------- You might have seen the Iron Clay poker chips in the above photo, they worked an absolute treat for Chinatown I absolutely adore this game, as I've got a pretty good head for math, but again had played it in the past with people who weren't into it - tonight it was perfectly.  Every player knew it was just open ended trading, and there were some hilarious 3 way trades made for future promises. Managed to end up with 2 completed 6 businesses in round 3 which was raking in 280k a round But one player made 2 very bad trades, above and beyond the payout, which bankrolled the winning player to the point noone could touch them. I love Chinatown a lot, I wish I could play it more. (Almost talked Mum into playing with us, which would have been interesting) ----------------------------- Finally managed to get Quacks of Quidellenberg to the table after winning it in a contest last year.  (You can tell I'm doing amazingly on pushing my luck, as I had 17 rats ahead of me) We absolutely beefed it on some rules (Potions exploded on an 8 and higher, not 7 and higher) But man this game is a blast to play, want to get it back for a few rounds back to back with different recipes out.  Genie from Aladdin with fat lips ---------------------------- Capped the evening off with a quick game of No Thanks! Almost got a chain of 10 cards, but yeah nah hard to beat a 7 with a total of 36 lol
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Mar 12, 2022 13:58
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I played through a solo game of Return to Dark Tower. It is good, but for the cost you could most likely get 3-5 similar games. I was also impressed by the tower. It felt less like a gimmick and more like an essential component. Technically everything it does could be accomplished with cards and dice, but it would be fiddly. The tower and app feel very polished.
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Mar 12, 2022 15:01
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Infinitum posted:Quacks of Quidellenberg That's correct - you're still safe at 7. In your pic you can see the iconography for white chips total > 7 = explode
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Mar 12, 2022 18:58
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Quacks has one of the easiest DIY "deluxe" upgrades - 21mm coin capsules fit the ingredient chips perfectly and makes it way more satisfying to pull them from the bag. Definitely worth a look if you plan on playing a lot (it also helps stop chips getting stuck in the bottom corners of the bag).
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Mar 12, 2022 20:18
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I finally got around to playing Res Arcana and this game is legit. I can see the heritage of games like MtG in there, but it's definitely its own thing with a lot of clever implementation. The digital version on BGA is especially nice to learn from since the computer handles the upkeep, therefore intrinsically teaching/demonstrating the finer points of spending, etc.
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Mar 12, 2022 20:50
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What would you lot say is the most accessible 18XX game?
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Mar 12, 2022 22:37
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BinaryDoubts posted:Quacks has one of the easiest DIY "deluxe" upgrades - 21mm coin capsules fit the ingredient chips perfectly and makes it way more satisfying to pull them from the bag. Definitely worth a look if you plan on playing a lot (it also helps stop chips getting stuck in the bottom corners of the bag). Or the baller Bakelite tokens
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Mar 12, 2022 22:41
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The Eyes Have It posted:I finally got around to playing Res Arcana and this game is legit. I can see the heritage of games like MtG in there, but it's definitely its own thing with a lot of clever implementation. The digital version on BGA is especially nice to learn from since the computer handles the upkeep, therefore intrinsically teaching/demonstrating the finer points of spending, etc. It's a brilliant game, one of those designs that's so streamlined with no wasted space or time. Probably played it 20+ times on BGA.
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Mar 12, 2022 22:43
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