|
Morpheus posted:Went to a small gathering over the weekend and the first game our host opened up was a new one he has just gotten called Here to Slay just based on the name and the art, I was hesitant, but after the rules were explained I knew I'd be in for a bad time. Basically just Munchkin with dice rolling, lots of take-that actions and modifying people's dice. Like any Munchkin-like, I won by waiting until everyone had exhausted their modifier cards and then played a bunch of stuff in a row to get the winning objective (get all six classes in my party). Was pretty dumb, thankfully was fairly short. Didn't help that I had a growing migraine, I might've enjoyed shooting the poo poo more if that hadn't been the case. Sleeved it, loved the look, played it once, and yeah, it is a very bad game. Maybe I'll sell off my gently used deluxe version.
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2022 14:31
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 05:48 |
|
|
homullus posted:Tried out the Guild of Merchant Explorers. We decided it is "medium fun." The components are in general pretty frustrating -- the wooden and cardboard bits slide all over the mats, and the coin denominations are almost identical for no clear reason (the only way to affect other players is to complete an objective first, so how much money they have is nearly immaterial). The ability to easily see what is still to come in the small exploration deck is quite good and makes the second half of every era a fun puzzle, but it's probably not fun enough for us overall in that "game space." I've got it sitting in shrink next to me because I haven't had time since someone forgot to tell me that when you have a baby the energy and time for smaller games goes out the goddamn window. I'm looking forward to trying it and reporting back.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2022 15:20
|
|
|
Played a bunch of Anno 1800 now. For those who haven't it's a worker placement game by Martin Wallace where you build factories and send you workers to work in them and you can use your opponents factories as well by trading with their islands. It's a fairly neat little system and the end game mechanic is quite nice. Every time you get a worker you get card which has some requirements to satisfy to get a bonus and some end game scoring, the game ends when someone runs out of these cards. So getting more workers gets you more cards which puts you further away from ending the game. All the systems are really neat and fit together nicely but I'm sort of conflicted about it. There are only 2 copies of each factory so you will need to trade with people to get things that you need, this ends up being quite symmetrical so everyone is getting traded with at about the same rate. The worker placement and building factories is quite straight forward which just leaves the bonuses on the cards that you get. These are quite variable and getting good ones gives you a big advantage because everything else is so even. The game is still fun enough to build your factories and whatever but if you dislike random elements then I would maybe avoid.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2022 17:29
|
|
|
Aramoro posted:Played a bunch of Anno 1800 now. For those who haven't it's a worker placement game by Martin Wallace where you build factories and send you workers to work in them and you can use your opponents factories as well by trading with their islands. It's a fairly neat little system and the end game mechanic is quite nice. Every time you get a worker you get card which has some requirements to satisfy to get a bonus and some end game scoring, the game ends when someone runs out of these cards. So getting more workers gets you more cards which puts you further away from ending the game. I like the idea of the game, but the random elements can be absurd for what appears to be a euro. I drew more cards than my friend, but he ended up with numerous cards that gave him high-level workers, where I kept drawing low-level ones. The amount of resources required to get a low-level worker to a higher-level one meant that it was essentially impossible for me to win the game past a certain point, all due to card draws and nothing else. I was bleeding resources simply trying to get anywhere near him.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2022 17:45
|
|
|
I kept having things needing a specific resource only available as a random draw on a different deck, which sucked a lot. I did not enjoy my one play.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2022 17:55
|
|
|
I saw a fairly cheap Alien boardgame at my LGS. Is it good?
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2022 17:56
|
|
|
My brother got me Too Many Bones for my birthday. I’ve gone through the rule book and looked at the characters and my head has exploded. It looks like it will be fun, but outrageously complex with a steep learning curve.
|
|
#
?
Jul 4, 2022 19:14
|
|
|
Lucas Archer posted:My brother got me Too Many Bones for my birthday. I’ve gone through the rule book and looked at the characters and my head has exploded. It looks like it will be fun, but outrageously complex with a steep learning curve. It’s not that bad when you play, there’s just a lot of keywords and abilities you reference and the mechanics of each hero can be wildly different, especially if you start picking up addons. The core gameplay loop is pretty simple, and the turn state complexity is low. I can teach it in 10 minutes with a “learn as we go”, but it’ll be harder if you pick it up yourself.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 07:08
|
|
|
Had a small get together for the holiday, I got to play Juicy Fruits, Ecosystem, Q.E., Molkky, Galaxy Trucker, and Valley of the Kings. We ate quiche, kalua pork, and liliko'i cheesecake, and drank Death In The Afternoon. All in all a nice day.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 09:58
|
|
|
MonsieurChoc posted:I saw a fairly cheap Alien boardgame at my LGS. Is it good? If it's Alien: Fate of the Nostromo from Ravensburger, then it's definitely worth the price. It's a fairly tough co-op game which can't be quarterbacked completely because the Alien can move between each player's turn. Part of the cooperation thus involves planning where people are going to stand to attract it. Yes, you can blow up the ship. Yes, you can blow the loving thing out of an airlock. Yes, Ash is a goddamn android (and in the Hard Mode he's after you). Yes, Jonesy is on board.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 10:29
|
|
|
Jedit posted:If it's Alien: Fate of the Nostromo from Ravensburger, then it's definitely worth the price. It's a fairly tough co-op game which can't be quarterbacked completely because the Alien can move between each player's turn. Part of the cooperation thus involves planning where people are going to stand to attract it. I haven't played the game, but how does that affect quarterbacking? Wouldn't you just have a quarterback saying "Jimmy, you need to end your turn in this space or the alien is gonna get Sally and we'll lose"? In Pandemic, diseases spread between each player's turn, but that doesn't reduce quarterbacking.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 13:36
|
|
|
I think the point is that it's random whether and how the alien moves between turns. Which still doesn't completely eliminate quarterbacking (again, Pandemic does the same thing although I'm guessing with less variance), veteran players can still play probabilities and necessities, but it makes it harder to dictate optimal moves.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 14:59
|
|
|
Photux posted:I haven't played the game, but how does that affect quarterbacking? Wouldn't you just have a quarterback saying "Jimmy, you need to end your turn in this space or the alien is gonna get Sally and we'll lose"? It's not quite that easy. There are also "blips" on the map which can potentially relocate both the Alien and your crew (as they run away) as you run into them. The wannabe QB doesn't have information on what they do, so he cannot plan the whole turn up front. I suppose if we're being pedantic then yes, one player can QB the whole game. But he can't do it from a position where he knows best.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 15:08
|
|
|
Yup, that's the one. I ordered it!
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 16:20
|
|
|
The game had only been sitting unplayed for six months but we finally got Illumination out of its box and into our brains. It's got an interesting mix of spatial-awareness strategy and tactical decisions, and at 2p-only, it doesn't matter so much that the board state can change a lot between turns. My only mild disappointment is that the graphic design didn't lean into the illumination aesthetic more; there's ample space between the game as-is and "so medieval-looking it's unplayable" for them to have made it more manuscripty.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 16:36
|
|
|
It's been a Tom Lehman week. I was persuaded to try 1846 yet again, and I have to say that there are 18xx veterans who've played the game over 100 (I think Joe Huber has passed 1,000) times which tells me my issue with it (too many dead areas on the board) are not really a thing. I just now bought Dice Realms as my Geek buddies love it. Hoping to play Star Wars Outer Rim today with the expansion. I'll let you know how all of this works out as I play the games.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 17:18
|
|
|
How many times do you think you should play an average game ($60 USD priced game for a point of comparison) for it to be 'worth' the purchase?
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 17:58
|
|
|
Mayveena posted:It's been a Tom Lehman week. I was persuaded to try 1846 yet again, and I have to say that there are 18xx veterans who've played the game over 100 (I think Joe Huber has passed 1,000) times which tells me my issue with it (too many dead areas on the board) are not really a thing. I just now bought Dice Realms as my Geek buddies love it. I know a lot of people love '46 but I have only really ever played it on 18xx.games despite owning a physical copy and it's never clicked for me. I'm not sure I agree with the "too many dead areas" statement though because I see the same issues with every 18xx I play having sections of the map that no one would ever develop unless you really wanted to put a company in a bad position before dumping it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 18:00
|
|
|
nordichammer posted:How many times do you think you should play an average game ($60 USD priced game for a point of comparison) for it to be 'worth' the purchase? 4 player game 3x 3 player 4x I consider break even at $5 per player per play for a quality “good game”
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 18:03
|
|
|
FulsomFrank posted:I know a lot of people love '46 but I have only really ever played it on 18xx.games despite owning a physical copy and it's never clicked for me. I'm not sure I agree with the "too many dead areas" statement though because I see the same issues with every 18xx I play having sections of the map that no one would ever develop unless you really wanted to put a company in a bad position before dumping it. I don't see many dead areas in '40. Have only played '48 once so can't say, same with '22MX. '22 itself has a 'natural' focus on London so by definition any place not London is going to see less activity.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 18:07
|
|
|
I adore 46, but yeah it's definitely got its focus on parts of the map. The extra privates help a little making some majors a little more pleasant early on, e.g. C&O being less on its own.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 18:08
|
|
|
nordichammer posted:How many times do you think you should play an average game ($60 USD priced game for a point of comparison) for it to be 'worth' the purchase? When I get or try a new game I always consider if it's something I'd want to play 20 times or more. I do the same when culling, asking myself if I'd want to play each game another ~20 times or if I'm done with it. Ideally every game in my collection is something I'd be happy to play any number of times going forward, even if some are once or twice a year games. Though this is all skewed by the resell value in this hobby being so high that you can usually recoup a lot of the costs, albeit with some annoying time and effort.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 18:12
|
|
|
nordichammer posted:How many times do you think you should play an average game ($60 USD priced game for a point of comparison) for it to be 'worth' the purchase? I think you have to consider how you're using the game, and what sort of experience you're looking for. Like, we only played "A Distant Plain" twice (with 4 players each time) - but both times it was the central event for a get together, and it was the only "thing" we did that night. So while we sold it after 2 plays, it feels like we got excellent value out of it. Other games (>80% of games I've owned over the years) just feel like "options in a pile", and aren't bringing significant value above "whatever else we might have played". Many have felt like net negatives compared to just re-playing "old workhorse games" we already know. Even if I get some plays out of a mediocre "variation" type game, it's hard for me to get excited about it. I used to like wandering around the board game cafe, and learning random new games; now I want something that's very novel, or that is established as a real "new contender" that makes significant improvement on an old favorite. So yeah, for me it's not just about plays (though obviously you don't want to buy too many games you'll never play) it's about "added value over a game you already have". If a new game is going to "create an event", that's a lot different than playing random mid-weight Euro X instead of Y. jmzero fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Jul 5, 2022 |
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 18:36
|
|
|
nordichammer posted:How many times do you think you should play an average game ($60 USD priced game for a point of comparison) for it to be 'worth' the purchase? Like jmzero, it depends on why I bought it. For example I bought Cubitos because it's a lightweight game that can by enjoyed by a lot of players. I do go to meetups where a heavy game wouldn't be appropriate or there may not be enough time. This doesn't happen a lot, so maybe only a few plays, but it can happen. I also take into account how likely it is I'll be able to resale it and not lose a ton if it doesn't look like a keeper.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 18:45
|
|
|
nordichammer posted:How many times do you think you should play an average game ($60 USD priced game for a point of comparison) for it to be 'worth' the purchase? If you get with pleasure out of reading the rulebook, punching out and organizing the bits, every game is worth the purchase even if you never play it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 18:55
|
|
|
Games are expensive and at least for me they are a pain to offload if I don't want them any more, so I am highly discerning about what I actually buy. This has been greatly eased by the rise of TTS, as I can play around with almost any game before I commit funds to it. If the game was fun and I want to play it again, then it was money well spent.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 19:06
|
|
|
Poopy Palpy posted:If you get with pleasure out of reading the rulebook, punching out and organizing the bits, every game is worth the purchase even if you never play it. wouldn't it be better to buy buy a roll of bubble wrap at that point?
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 20:27
|
|
|
TheDiceMustRoll posted:wouldn't it be better to buy buy a roll of bubble wrap at that point? I've never seen bubble wrap with a rulebook 
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 20:30
|
|
|
jmzero posted:now I want something that's very novel, or that is established as a real "new contender" that makes significant improvement on an old favorite And the novelties are not all created equal. My wife and I were talking about Guild of Merchant Explorers vs. Illumination, the two most recent new games to leave my shrinking Unplayed Pile, and she said that she would have a better sense of each after more plays, after she "developed the muscles" for each.With further discussion, we both felt that we didn't actually want to develop the muscles for Guild of Merchant Explorers. It still would have been a middling-fun game and growth process, but I have such a surplus of games in that category, it's just better for me to vote it off the island. Basically Marie Kondo-ing my games. I'm lucky enough to live in a fantastic boardgame resale market and far luckier still to be able to (1) afford so many games over the years, and (2) sell unwanted games at hard-to-pass-up prices. I don't need to fret about maximizing my investment in each or stare at piles of games I'm not actually excited to play.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 20:49
|
|
|
Spiteski posted:I've never seen bubble wrap with a rulebook Bubble wrap is a 1 player game and doesn't come with the adrenaline rush of hope that one day I'll have friends.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 21:01
|
|
|
nordichammer posted:How many times do you think you should play an average game ($60 USD priced game for a point of comparison) for it to be 'worth' the purchase? Once. If it's enjoyable enough that I want to play a second time, it was a worthy purchase. If it's not, I have a present for someone else and they'll get one play out of it and maybe decide it wasn't fun. In any case, I gave anywhere between two and ten people on average something to do for a few hours that was both mentally engaging and social. My money could be spent on much worse things.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 21:58
|
|
|
!Klams posted:Fury of Dracula looks so good on paper, but I've never known anyone actually have a great game of it. When I played, I was Dracula, and I just ran rings around everyone. To the point where I had to stop the game and show them what I was doing to see if it was legal. It turned out I'd not been playing properly, but actually in a way that hugely hampered me. The guys who had insisted I MUST play it then revealed that last time they'd spent the whole game looking for Dracula and then when they did he killed them all handily. We just kinda left it there. I'd be interested to hear if there is some aspect to playing humans we missed? I've played a few games of FoD in a group of three, where we rotate one of us playing Dracula and the other two controlling two hunters each. It's really fun to sneak around as Dracula, but hunter play suffers from making you choose between trying to win and trying to have fun. From what I've seen it seems like the optimal way to play as a hunter is to focus on getting as heavily armed as possible in the early game (without giving Dracula any advantages, meaning no supplying at night, meaning most of your night actions are going to be shuffling your train tickets or passing), and only going on the offensive once you have all the items and events you want. Then hopefully you've closed the net enough by then that when someone does find him you can turn the fight into a 2-on1 or 3-on-1.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 22:14
|
|
|
Has anyone received their copy of Oathsworn yet? Keen to hear people's initial impressions, mine is still stuck with Australia post and then will no doubt get to enjoy hanging out with NZ customs for another week or two once it gets here.
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2022 23:32
|
|
|
nordichammer posted:How many times do you think you should play an average game ($60 USD priced game for a point of comparison) for it to be 'worth' the purchase? What do you mean "play"
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2022 00:24
|
|
|
FirstAidKite posted:What do you mean "play" The best part of war games is that their after market value is either 1:1 or somehow goes up.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2022 06:58
|
|
|
You don’t order a Kickstarter game to play it, you order it to sell it for $300 in five years after the publisher collapses.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2022 15:24
|
|
|
PRADA SLUT posted:It’s not that bad when you play, there’s just a lot of keywords and abilities you reference and the mechanics of each hero can be wildly different, especially if you start picking up addons. The core gameplay loop is pretty simple, and the turn state complexity is low. Yeah, I discovered this last night when I set up a solo game and played for a few rounds before having to put everything up. A lot of the complexity comes in the choices that you make during the reward and recovery phases. Like you said, the gameplay loop of draw Encounter, do the Encounter, Possibly Fight, collect spoils, recover, go again - it's actually rather elegant in how easily that became second nature to do. The battles are where I can see the slowdown really coming to the fore, with all the cross-referencing that I had to do as I looked at each baddie as they came out, what they could do (and when they could do it), and how my gearloc interacted with the battlefield. And while the rulebook is... I would call it sub-standard in terms of clarity. I didn't have to reference the rulebook once during my solo play - all the information I needed, I found on the reference sheets. Finally, love the fact that while setup might take a bit, the teardown is really quick and easy. I could see a full 4 player finished game not taking more than 10 minutes to fully box up at the end. Nothing better than a game with lots of bits and bobs being simple and quick to package back up into a nice neat square box.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2022 15:43
|
|
|
Lucas Archer posted:
Until you get expansions, anyway, or the nicer character trays.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2022 15:45
|
|
|
Lucas Archer posted:Yeah, I discovered this last night when I set up a solo game and played for a few rounds before having to put everything up. A lot of the complexity comes in the choices that you make during the reward and recovery phases. Like you said, the gameplay loop of draw Encounter, do the Encounter, Possibly Fight, collect spoils, recover, go again - it's actually rather elegant in how easily that became second nature to do. just wait until you hear about the Trove Chest
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2022 15:45
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 05:48 |
|
|
homullus posted:Until you get expansions, anyway, or the nicer character trays. Haha, no doubt. I also got the Age of Tyranny expansion, as well as Gasket the Hydromech character. I haven't even broken the shrink wrap on those yet - I'm waiting until I get a few base games under my belt before I bust out the new stuff.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2022 15:57
|
|