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Funzo posted:Concordia was actually on my list since I own it already. Is it worth getting any of the expansions? - The Venus expansion if you want to play teams - Solitaria if you want solo/2P co-op - A map pack if you want to play 2P. The original Italia map is slightly too big to be ideal for 2P. Aegyptus/Creta is one option. There's also a new expansion that looks unusual and I don't know much about it.
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Dec 6, 2023 03:15
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Ark Nova's expansion is a lot of fun. They address the new card dilution by having nearly all of them push the market down, meaning every time you draw one to the market another non-marine card is guaranteed to appear. Never had an issue with the new universities as we just take a chunk off the top of the deck and sift through it quickly to find the animal. The cards you search get shoved to the bottom of the deck so it's not like it matters what you saw. I like most of the alt action cards. But still, if you don't like Ark Nova in the first place the expansion isn't going to sway you.
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Dec 6, 2023 06:37
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Doctor Spaceman posted:If you have the original base game (ie not the Venus base game) then I'd consider The map threads on BGG have suggestions about modifying Imperium and Ionium into 2-player maps. (I think 2p Ionium "Mini" is detailed in Venus instructions IIRC.) I like the Salsa expansion, but don't think it's mandatory, just additional fun if you've already played the game and enjoyed it.
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Dec 6, 2023 07:07
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Funzo posted:1. Has to be good at 5 players, since that's how many of us there are. All the above recommendations are good. What games have been a hit for you group and what games have been a miss? Oath is great for a group that likes politicking and drawing up alliances constantly but falls flat for a group that wants to each have an equal chance to win at the start or don’t really have a meta narrative. If you’re not super familiar with Wherle’s games then it can be tough to jump in on. 18xx are great if you’ve played them before and are ready to slit each others throats for a dollar but a less competitive group will probably struggle to see much friction. Sideareal Confluence is fantastic of course and improves as your get more familiar and creative with the kinds of trades you can make but a more passive group may not enjoy having to actually speak to each other to get things happening. It’s much more like “I scratch your back” than “take that”. Almost anything Knizia is good of course. I’ll also throw in The King’s Dilemma - plays ideally with 5 and sessioning it is definitely the best way to play, but it may not be finished by the end of the weekend - there’s about ~20 hours in the box, although if you played them fast, closer to 15.
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Dec 6, 2023 09:40
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Funzo posted:So every year some friends and I get an AirBnB somewhere and spend a long weekend playing board games. Usually we end up playing a lot of different games, but we only end up playing them once. We're trying something new this year, and going for fewer games, but playing them more then once to get more out of them. I'm trying to figure out what to bring this year, so I thought I'd check with the great hive mind. Here's the criteria for what I'm considering: Nthing Concordia. I would also throw in Earth (aka "Wingspan but good"), Orleans with Trade and Intrigue (only 4 from the box, but there's a 5P kit), and Legendary Encounters: Alien.
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Dec 6, 2023 10:00
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SettingSun posted:Ark Nova's expansion is a lot of fun. They address the new card dilution by having nearly all of them push the market down, meaning every time you draw one to the market another non-marine card is guaranteed to appear. Never had an issue with the new universities as we just take a chunk off the top of the deck and sift through it quickly to find the animal. The cards you search get shoved to the bottom of the deck so it's not like it matters what you saw. I like most of the alt action cards. But still, if you don't like Ark Nova in the first place the expansion isn't going to sway you. There are ~29 wave cards in a 300 card deck? And as much as they wave new cards in they wave card out as well so they don't actually increase the availability of specific cards. The dilution of the specific cards is about the same. With Marine there are proportionally fewer predators in the deck than before.
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Dec 6, 2023 10:09
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The deck went from 11% predators to 10.7% predators, you're not gonna notice the difference.
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Dec 6, 2023 13:10
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God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title
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I'm not out to try and convince anyone to like AN. I get why people don't like it, even if I don't agree. I really enjoy manipulating and managing randomness as a game concept. I have a friend who doesn't enjoy it because he loses too much, and you know, we'll just play some other game when we're together.
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Dec 6, 2023 14:44
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I think between Real life and online I've played maybe 30 games of Ark Nova now and it's fine, happy to play it. I just don't think , other than the balance changes, that the Marine expansion adds a lot to the experience. The Balance changes feel like a must really and probably shouldn't just come in a £40 expansion.
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Dec 6, 2023 15:54
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I Love You! posted:- Massive "luck of the draw" component combines with action selection mechanism that is largely on rails (you virtually always take the 4-5 point actions) reduces player choices even further I agree with most of the criticism but personally I think the action selection mechanics are one of the things the game does right. Yes you're mostly just taking the high value actions but the game sprinkles in juuust enough X-tokens that deciding when and how to earn and spend them is a neat puzzle and figuring out how to chain together the actions you need when they're not quite in the right order feels really good. It's a shame it's attached to such a mediocre game.
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Dec 6, 2023 18:04
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the holy poopacy posted:It's a shame it's attached to such a mediocre game. you could try Civilization: A New Dawn, which AN directly copied the action selection mechanism from
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Dec 6, 2023 18:07
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Oh snap, thanks! I thought there was probably something like that out there but my searches weren't having much success.
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Dec 6, 2023 18:18
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Funzo posted:So every year some friends and I get an AirBnB somewhere and spend a long weekend playing board games. Usually we end up playing a lot of different games, but we only end up playing them once. We're trying something new this year, and going for fewer games, but playing them more then once to get more out of them. I'm trying to figure out what to bring this year, so I thought I'd check with the great hive mind. Here's the criteria for what I'm considering: Controversial opinion: I'd mix some Cosmic Encounter in there if your group has the right mindset (not too serious; can appreciate landing a good screwjob on someone more than winning the game; etc.). It's good at 5 (and needs 5 with the base set to be good), playable at 2 hours per round or so, and is commercially available last I checked. Note that it's not a great boardgame in the classical sense, but it's an excellent experience generator. A nice break from the succession of dry Euros. Mix some of that in with Concordia and Sidereal Confluence, maybe Orleáns, and you've got yourself a stew going.
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Dec 6, 2023 18:28
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This past weekend, I hung out with some friends who had a copy of Wingspan. It was loaned to them by some other friends, who wanted them to learn how to play so they could teach the game. So we learned it together. That was a very fun game. I was surprised how easy it was to learn and then get into the groove once everything clicked. Good stuff.
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Dec 6, 2023 18:35
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Is there a recommended generic assortment of plano boxes or similar for repackaging board game bit in boxes? Just looking for cheap and useful that could be applied across various games, not looking for a specific storage solution for any given game.
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Dec 7, 2023 17:22
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I truly love Hugo's Amazing Tape for all sorts of cards. It's plastic that only sticks to itself.
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Dec 7, 2023 17:54
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It's also just bondage tape with a higher markup, isn't it?
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Dec 7, 2023 18:05
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Admiralty Flag posted:Controversial opinion: I'd mix some Cosmic Encounter in there if your group has the right mindset (not too serious; can appreciate landing a good screwjob on someone more than winning the game; etc.). It's good at 5 (and needs 5 with the base set to be good), playable at 2 hours per round or so, and is commercially available last I checked. Note that it's not a great boardgame in the classical sense, but it's an excellent experience generator. A nice break from the succession of dry Euros. I would make sure folks have a sense for the game before starting. I really hate Cosmic, but my first playthroughs the description seemed like something I'd like. It's can be very gamer specific so even if people are excited for the first game, make sure they're still enjoying it after that play.
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Dec 7, 2023 19:28
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Carillon posted:I would make sure folks have a sense for the game before starting. I really hate Cosmic, but my first playthroughs the description seemed like something I'd like. It's can be very gamer specific so even if people are excited for the first game, make sure they're still enjoying it after that play. Even though I'm the guy who recommended CE, I'm 100% in agreement with you. With the "wrong" group -- that is, a group that's just not in synch with the metagame of screwing each other over for a laugh and flipping over surprises and playful vindictiveness and such -- it's a bust. With the right group, it sings.* The catch is knowing your group in the first place to make sure they're good candidates, and then making sure they're all on-board for it before and after the first game. (* About 1 in 15 to 1 in 20 times, if you do extreme cheese like multiple secret powers, you'll get a deadlocked game that threatens to run on and on and on. Best to have a group that's willing to throw in the towel and/or throw the victory to the least annoying player so a new game can get started.)
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Dec 7, 2023 20:59
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Absolutely, and you did a good job of talking about what type of group is needed! I just remember reading about CE and being excited for it only to have it fall flat more me. So it's good to have checkins, but if the group loves it I can see that being a nice palate cleanser.
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Dec 7, 2023 21:37
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Yeah, while I've definitely gone through a CE phase that was a long time ago and I have no real desire to ever play it again. The alien powers can be delightfully wild when combining them together, but I think the most fun part of the game is the simple joy in revealing your powers (and complaining about your opponents' powers) which doesn't necessarily translate into a particularly noteworth gameplay experience after that initial shine wears off. I don't think the cardplay, jostling for position, etc. are actually very fun so you really have to enjoy the asymmetry of the game enough to carry you through the experience as a whole. I have had a lot of fun times with it but that said I can't imagine ever wanting to play it, especially over something like Sidereal Confluence (which shares a ton of DNA), unless I was dealing with players very new to asymetric gameplay who were REALLY into the idea. I think games have just gotten a lot better since CE came out and it feels more like a gimmick experience at this point than a cohesive, enjoyable game. I Love You! fucked around with this message at 00:21 on Dec 8, 2023 |
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Dec 8, 2023 00:19
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Someone is selling a copy of A Handful of Stars in a local buy/sell and curious if people have thoughts on it? The game has always fascinated me a bit because A) Wallace B) 2P C) deck-builder with a board state.
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Dec 8, 2023 14:44
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FulsomFrank posted:Someone is selling a copy of A Handful of Stars in a local buy/sell and curious if people have thoughts on it? The game has always fascinated me a bit because A) Wallace B) 2P C) deck-builder with a board state. I think it's his best hybrid deck builder. Finally smoothed off all the rough edges.
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Dec 8, 2023 22:51
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Just played Stationfall. I get the hype. It does seem like some of the characters are a bit weaker than the rest (and a couple stronger), and, if the odds are against you, you could go Down early and be forced to soft reveal ("Why is James dragging that nanogel all the way to the Stranger? Ooh..."), but I had a blast. 150 minutes but it was a first game for 5/6 players, and we were playing teams, so additional time for plotting and scheming. I played the Billionaire, and made a mad dash for the two-person panic boat that was about to launch, Kompromating myself to get the third move to make it onboard, after bribing the Station Chief to step out of the boat to make room for me and my pug (I had to share it with a filthy maintenance clone, losing my team the game). My teammate and I tied the winners with 14 points, but we lost the tiebreaker. Can't wait to play it again.
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Dec 8, 2023 23:08
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FulsomFrank posted:Someone is selling a copy of A Handful of Stars in a local buy/sell and curious if people have thoughts on it? The game has always fascinated me a bit because A) Wallace B) 2P C) deck-builder with a board state. I’ve had it for years and never gotten around to playing it. I think there are some errata or misprints you may want to check BGG about if you get it.
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Dec 9, 2023 00:35
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Admiralty Flag posted:Just played Stationfall. I get the hype. It does seem like some of the characters are a bit weaker than the rest (and a couple stronger), and, if the odds are against you, you could go Down early and be forced to soft reveal ("Why is James dragging that nanogel all the way to the Stranger? Ooh..."), but I had a blast. 150 minutes but it was a first game for 5/6 players, and we were playing teams, so additional time for plotting and scheming. We spent a few weeks playing a bunch of Stationfall at 4 players, so 6 games in 3 weeks. Having previously played it at 6 where it's very chaotic and hard to do things at 4 players it's a bit of a revelation as to what a good game it is. At 6 players you can struggle to achieve a goal which is not kill everyone because there are so many actions between your turns but at 4 you can really plan ahead and get things done. The weirdest game we played we accidentally softlocked the game at the very end because the X Project was the wormhole. I was the Data Assistant and someone else was the Microbiologist and we made the other 2 players primary PCs escape really early. Threw some firebombs around and the last 2 turns there was only 1 character who could be activated at all. Still it's was a close game, 11,10,9, 5 I think it ended.
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Dec 9, 2023 10:55
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Just did the first four flights of Sky Team (2 player co-op only). It's one of those games that asks you to keep a bunch of plates spinning while trying to trip you up. We had a pretty good time with it, it's a bit easy to start but that's okay because I can see how hard it gets later.
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Dec 10, 2023 02:15
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sirtommygunn posted:Just did the first four flights of Sky Team (2 player co-op only). It's one of those games that asks you to keep a bunch of plates spinning while trying to trip you up. We had a pretty good time with it, it's a bit easy to start but that's okay because I can see how hard it gets later. The implementation on BGA is very good for this.
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Dec 10, 2023 11:06
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Any holiday recommendations for roll-and-writes? My brother-in-law and sister have taken a liking to them recently.
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Dec 10, 2023 14:42
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Cartographers!
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Dec 10, 2023 14:49
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Perry Mason Jar posted:Cartographers! Oh hell yeah I forgot that one, love that one thanks! Fantasy theme is perfect for them too!
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Dec 10, 2023 15:03
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Bellmaker posted:Any holiday recommendations for roll-and-writes? My brother-in-law and sister have taken a liking to them recently. There's Super-Skill Pinball: Holiday Special https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367978/super-skill-pinball-holiday-special
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Dec 10, 2023 17:38
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There's StegegetS Moomin, too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzS5pwqrfII
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Dec 10, 2023 19:16
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We've been having a great time with Welcome To.. the Moon - 8 very different roll and writes on the same engine, coupled with a little legacy campaign, works great for us.
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Dec 10, 2023 23:56
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Bellmaker posted:Any holiday recommendations for roll-and-writes? My brother-in-law and sister have taken a liking to them recently. The Fox Experiment!
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Dec 11, 2023 01:37
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I played my first game of Root and I was the
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Dec 11, 2023 02:33
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The teacher should play cats so no one else has to suffer.
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Dec 11, 2023 02:53
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Harold Fjord posted:I played my first game of Root and I was the Play as the People's Furry Liberation Army next time. 
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Dec 11, 2023 02:53
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SettingSun posted:The teacher should play cats so no one else has to suffer.  s are definitely not as strong as the game sets them up as, whichever player takes their seat needs to be ready to be a punching bag for most of the session
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Dec 11, 2023 15:34
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I don't think the cats are fascists, just because fascism hadn't been formulated at the time of aggressive colonial expansion.
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Dec 11, 2023 18:01
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