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Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Lord Frisk posted:

I fuckin knew it.

Castles of burgundy: a pleasant, non confrontational euro that defines the "point salad" approach. Build your castles in the French countryside at the request of your king (surprise !) gaining victory points from almost every action. Previous player take the thing you wanted? Don't worry, there's more stuff next round. It's the only good use of dice in a modern board game.

That's my writeup. Use it or I refuse to read this thread. That is all.

How can you say that when Macao and Quantum exist?

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Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Vlaada Chvatil posted:

So what do you guys thinks of Cards Against Humanity?

It is the best racism detector ever made.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Merauder posted:

This happened to me with Carcassone. I've still never played the physical game, only the iOS version, and it bored me to death. Might have been simply because I didn't have the social interaction to go along with it, but I've had no desire to get the actual game on the table after having played digital first.

Carcassone, for me, was boring as hell and I have only played the physical version.. I don't get the hype with the game at all.

Impermanent posted:

TBF if you have already become acquainted with more involved games Carcassonne can get boring. Like 7 Wonders, it has a specific time and place.

I guess this is the case. I played Carcassone well after I had first played Caylus and Zendo. However, even though the game isn't good I still enjoy Catan on the rare occasion I play it, but Carcassone is just dull.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Buckwheat Sings posted:

Kemet is Chaos without the card system and instead replaces it with the pyramid power system. The only thing I don't like about Kemet is how weak white is. Everyone becomes fairly unique by the end but it's not as dynamic as Chaos. Both are great games.

What are you talking about White being weak? Priestess is 90% of the time the first tile I buy. The whole purpose of the white tiles is to supercharge your economy so you can buy more of the level 4 tiles of another color. However, whites power level does fluctuate, it is weaker if you are playing an 8 point game rather than a 10 point game. However the game is quick enough in 10 point games that I don't really see the merit in 8 point games.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Chomp8645 posted:

The only way I see White being weak in Kemet is if you actually mean only getting White upgrades exclusively because you'd basically have no combat upgrades or creatures.

That would be a bad strategy though. I don't think it's advisable to get 100% of your upgrades in any color.

Yeah, you really don't want to ONLY have tiles of 1 color. If for no reason other than you only get 1 buy per turn per color. So if you diversify you gain access to more tiles throughout the game, helping throw the game's balance in your favor. Of course there are exceptions, such as the first turn Hand of God, 2nd turn Divine Will, which will give you more actions throughout the game.

That being said, I don't think that strategy is actually advisable as you forsake quite a few low-level purchases and easy temple victory/prayer points which could have been grabbed by being more proactive in the early game.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Buckwheat Sings posted:

Maybe I need to play it more. Our group basically did this since everyone figured to 'double down' on everything. More of a mix does make more sense.

So, one of my preferred strategies, and one I'm sure a lot of other Kemet players have stumbled on, is how potent combining the level 2 tech Crusade is in conjunction with wound causing red tiles.

So for this one I generally go 2 White 1 Red on starting turn. The first tile I buy is crusade, unless someone doesn't have a level 2 white pyramid, at which point I will raise my red tile up to level 2. On my next action, I will buy Crusade (if someone has a level 2 White Pyramid) or Carnage/Offensive Strategy.

On my next turn, I do whatever I can to get the Scorpion, especially if it hasn't been taken already, luckily, now my economic engine is Wound Cards, allowing me to easily gain 4-8 prayer points in a single combat. If you can manage to get the Scorpion, Perfect, you have now won the game as every attack gives you enough prayer points to buy a level 4 tile from here on in. If you can't get the scorpion, take Offensive Strategy (for an extra high wound attack) or Initiative (It won't contribute to your economic engine, but it does essentially tax your opponent 2 prayer points while also giving you +2 in combat.)

Now there has been exactly 1 white tile purchased in this strategy, however it completely warps what tiles we consider good for the rest of the game, as its effects are so powerful. That's what makes the white tiles so good, you don't necessarily need many, generally 1 or 2 at most, and you are set for the rest of the game economically, allowing you to expand your power greatly.

As I mentioned this is an obvious combination, so even though its my favorite, I tend not to play it, as other people will try and move in. Rather I often go for a 1/1/1 pyramid set up, allowing me to grab Priestess, God Speed, Raise the Blue Pyramid to level 2 and then either buy the Elephant or the Snake for a total of 4 prayer points instead of 7. As you can see the priestess just saved me 3 prayer points in my first turn. Its a very subtle bonus but it is incredibly powerful, so in absence of another more dedicated strategy being open that is my typical path.

This means I have movement 3, allowing me to get to almost any non-delta temple on the map without teleporting. Saving me more prayer points on the next turn and allowing me to respond quickly to weakened armies on the board.

Madmarker fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Dec 15, 2014

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Some Numbers posted:

I prefer putting my white pyramid on 2 and buy Slaves with my first action. The PP economy that card gives you is incredible.

Granted, I haven't won a game of Kemet yet, but I've only played twice and I was pretty close in the second game. I can confirm that Crusade and Scorpion are great together.

Slaves is good, but I have a hard time seeing it as a better first turn purchase than either Crusade or Priestess. Priestess is absolutely amazing, if bought the first turn she will save you anywhere in the neighborhood of 7-9 prayer points over the course of the game, which is absolutely astounding. Slaves has a greater total prayer-point savings, generally in the neighborhood of 9-12, but most of the savings are in the endgame, where, if you have devoted any time to white, you really won't need it and should be flush in prayer points. Then again, I tend only to get 1 or 2 pyramids to 4 in a game, even when flush in prayer points.

FISHMANPET posted:

my most recent game there were 5 of us and we played to 10 (and decided 10 was too many for 5 players) but the game ended with 3 people at 11 and 1 at 10, and 1 at 9.

Really? Whenever I have played the game with people who liked it the only complaint is that they felt it ended to early.

The only people I've played with who didn't like it are my hyper-Eurogamey friends who think all interaction should be done by taking an opponent's place in a worker placement game, none of this Barbaric attacking.

Madmarker fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Dec 15, 2014

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Some Numbers posted:

In my last game, I grabbed Slaves, Crusade and Scorpion, I got all four Pyramids to 4 and I was generally almost maxed on prayer points.

The problem I ran into was only having one recruit action each turn.

Thats when you try and grab Divine Will and laugh like a madman. Also reinforcements is a great tile to spend some money on if you are flush in prayers. But I've been in your shoes, thats why I tend to only take 1 or 2 white engine cards, as often that is more than enough.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Some Numbers posted:

I didn't get my blue pyramid up until late. Someone else had already grabbed Divine Will and it was too late for Reinforcements to do much work.

Yeah, believe me I understand, no strategy is perfect in the game. The red/blue strategies run out of prayer points and end up stalling out, the blue/white strategies often have to work a lot harder to win in combat against base Red/Blue and White/Red strategies. And White/Red runs out of things to spend prayer on, and ends up congested in its actions. The even spread tends to be decent in everything but often gets the left over payoff cards, and none of the flashier ones, like initiative, Priest of Ra or Divine Will.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

BioTech posted:

I just ordered Kemet. drat this thread.

One of us.One of Us.

The Supreme Court posted:

Guess what just arrived!



One of Us.One of Us.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

BioTech posted:

Has anyone here tried the Kemet expansion? I got a call after ordering that they could throw it in at a discount, but there is hardly any information available.

Which one, Ta-Seti, or the crossover with Cyclades?

As far as I know Ta-Seti isn't out yet. I will be snapping it up as soon as it comes out. A fourth pyramid color, :getin:

Insofar as the crossover expansion with Cyclades, I don't own Cyclades, so I haven't purchased it, but it seems interesting. Especially the Kraken giving combat boosts in locations next to the water and Cerberus blocking certain locations for a turn.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

BioTech posted:

I'm pretty sure the guy meant Ta-Seti, originally he said it was Kemet 2 and not released yet.

Wait, where were you ordering this from? Because as Supreme Court mentioned, there isn't even an official release date yet.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

homullus posted:

It's a given that Monopoly is a bad game, so I play with two sets of property cards, and each property can be purchased twice. Somebody can be both the property owner and have to pay rent when landing on a space! Just waiting for the chance to become the majestic Double Landlord of Boardwalk. I call this version WHY ON EARTH WOULD ANYBODY DO THIS, IT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA.

It could be worse, he could be playing Munchkin against Humanity.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Morpheus posted:

Jesus, reading people talking about Kemet without actually knowing what the game is about is like seeing a board game in a future sci-fi show/movie, where they just sort of mash together concepts and poo poo that they've heard about in board game and stuff.

"So I'm going to get the blue pyramid and start a prayer on my turn to combat your lower pyramid and get victory!"

"Well I sacrifice my Ra and attack your forces in a counterstrike!"

*flashing lasers and strobes*

Anyway I might be picking it up soon, I'll be going to Toronto for Christmas vacation, and they have a lot more stuff than where I currently live. Woooo more board games

I want to play your version of Kemet.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Big McHuge posted:

Munchkin Against Humanity: Cthulhu Dice Edition

Munchkin Against Humanity: Cthulu Dice Edition:The Zombie's Campaign for North Africa

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

WhiteHowler posted:

I accidentally spoiled myself on one of my Christmas presents, and it looks like I'm getting Tragedy Looper.

I've already read through the rules and assume I'll be teaching/masterminding, but is there anything else I need to know before I run a session? I remember seeing some complaints that there aren't any deduction sheets in the box.

There should be enough sheets with the different plots/roles/incidents and characters on them. If there isn't, they have printouts on BGG.

Beyond that, if you are Masterminding, remember that EVERYTHING you do is hemorrhaging information. Managing that is very important. Try and set up situations where multiple characters will die simultaneously, if you have a key person. Just do what you can to make what actually caused the opponents to lose ambiguous.

The other thing that will fall to you is managing the level of table talk. Whatever level is agreed upon between you and the protagonist's, you end up being the ultimate arbiter of the line. Now, I haven't had any problems with this and have seen very few as most groups who play this game will buy-in rather quickly and will self-govern. However someone in their excitement or naivete may step over the line and announce exactly what card they are playing.

If you will be introducing the game to a new group, and this is true of every game, practice teaching the rules before you go over it with the play group. The rules are not particularly difficult, but there is a lot of intimidating front-loaded information. So having a good idea of how to teach the game can really reduce a lot of confusion. The other thing to note is that the first script has a step-by-step action plan for the Mastermind. I do not recommend following it, as, at least for me it was somewhat confusing and poorly written. Just remember to have a plan to actually make the protagonists lose each loop.

Anyway, the game is great, and is one of my absolute favorites, the first day I had it, we went through the first 4 scripts that night. Also, if it is your copy, take every opportunity you get to be a protagonist, as you will forced into masterminding more and more often the longer you own the game.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

So, I've played Splendor a few times, and I'm wondering if there is a better strategy than the one I defaulted to my first game.

Essentially I look at the available nobles and go for the 3/3/3 that overlaps with the most other nobles, generally at most it will overlap with 1-2 4/4 nobles. Anyway, I pretty much ignore points and just by first/second level mines (whichever is cheaper after discounts) until I am able to grab a noble. If a mine isn't available in the colors I am searching for I will reserve a high level mine it seems an opponent is working towards.

It seems pretty basic but I've been remarkably successful with that strategy and want to know if there is a better one out there.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Echophonic posted:

Your friend sounds like kind of a dick, honestly.

Sentinels is one of those games that could be a lot better than it is. It could definitely use a keyword system and to move more rules to the rulebook from the cards. I will say that the expansions help it a bit, even if they are more of the same. Shattered Timelines has some neat ideas in it. It's still overlong and finicky as hell, though.

Sentinels is the only game on the market that really captures the feel of working together in a supergroup, like the Justice League or whatever. This statement includes both Legendary and the DC deckbuilder. The mechanics themselves however are lackluster, and so much of the information is exported to the cards that an experienced player IS going to dominate the team and quarterback.

That being said, its a game I can usually get the Munchkin crowd into, so it certainly has a use.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Schizoguy posted:

You will hear a lot of complaints about Sentinels having bad art. I can't help you there. At least it's better than Munchkin.

Talk about damning with faint praise.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

goodness posted:

Sounds exactly like Legacy MtG

NO. There are actually counters to that poo poo in magic. Decks at that power level exist in Legacy, but they are easily hated out. In Yugioh, there is little interplay between the decks, its only broken combo decks without any controls to stem the tide. Force of Will is often called the glue that holds legacy together, and I firmly believe that. It is a card that stops unfair strategies, like turn 1 or 2 combos while being relatively poor against fair decks (since it is inherent card disadvantage). Force of Will existing allows fair strategies (like Death and Taxes) to exist at high level in the metagame since they are quite good against it.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

pumpinglemma posted:

The problem is that it's not like most games with hands of cards - it's a game of hidden allegiances, and the cards are used in what are essentially secret votes. A small group of people gets one success card and one failure card each, chooses one, and then their choices are all shuffled together and revealed. If you have proof that someone has played a failure card then you know their allegiance and the game is essentially over for them. So unfortunately it's a pretty big deal - you might be able to come up with a workaround, but without one the game is unplayable. (And the easiest workaround would be throwing the cards that come with the game away and using red and black playing cards instead.)

Card sleeves would also be a decent work around, but you are right, its ridiculous in a game like this for the color to be off

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

So my gaming group has been playing a lot of Ground Floor lately. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the game considering how I usually find pure worker placement games boring, but this one really seems to click. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone here had played it and had any insight into good strategies for it?

Currently, my preferred strategy, if available, is to snatch the Empty Room w/ the Human Resources Tenant Improvement first turn, and placing my remaining time counter on Advertising or in the Meeting Room (depending on how the competition for Popularity looks).From there on I strive to sell a cube and get in the conference room for the next two turns, using the Human Resources to hopefully get discounted workers for turns 4-5 and training them if I have any remaining actions (starting as a non-profit makes this much easier). From there I usually rush to get the Assembly Line Floor and the Research Floor (the one that turns cubes into 3 cash and 3 info)and if I have budgeted correctly, and have sufficient employees the Construction Admin Floor. Then on turn 7 I use the Construction Admin to quickly place in the construction area and build an achievement floor ending the game, generally with me in the lead.

I'm open to other ideas, but I've seen a dearth of discussion on BGG so was wondering if anyone had any ideas here.

Madmarker fucked around with this message at 15:08 on Dec 29, 2014

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Ohthehugemanatee posted:

Alright, it's time for the annual purge of the games that don't get played often enough. I could drop these off at half price books but I hate doing that when things can go out of print and I'd rather have them to go to folks who will use them. I also once threw away a copy of Avalon Hill's Civ and Advanced Civ (later rebuilt from scratch because god drat) and as such am now pathologically unable to throw away a board game.

I'm trying to get rid of the following:

Netrunner
Dungeon Petz
Memoir 44 with Pacific Theater expansion thingy
Summoner Wars master set with the Filth expansion thingy
Kemet
Nations

They're all decent to good games (except Kemet, I stand by disliking that one even if everyone else loves it), but they just don't seem to come out often enough to justify keeping them around. They all suffer from being almost as popular as something else my group is into.

Here's my system:

If you want a game, post and claim it. My email address is my username at yahoo, so email me an address for shipping and I will mail it out to you. One game per poster. Go ahead and post a second request if you'd like and if no one else wants it, I'll throw that in too.

Once I get everything sent out and you get a game, buy me a 5-10 dollar amazon gift card to cover shipping and send it to my email address.

Edit: Should probably mention I'm in the US and can only really ship within the States. If there's a question, I can look into how much shipping is elsewhere but I suspect probably too much.

Memoir 44

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

BonHair posted:

But we're trying to be right about how the game works damnit!
(I agree, this is getting stupid, and I don't think we're getting anywhere anymore. It's a good game for some, and not a good game for others. Fun is still subjective)


Just don't play it in a well-lit room! The game works perfectly fine if you're half-blind, just go stare into the sun until it works. The game is fine, it's just your world that isn't quite down to specs.

Card sleeves seem like the only answer to me. Its kinda lovely that this game is essentially making you buy them though.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Echophonic posted:

I can't really see the color difference, but that finish difference is pretty damning.

Are you colorblind? That isn't meant to be an insult, but if you were green-red color blind that would make sense. I think whoever was working on these cards had to have been to not see the difference, and if you are also that might give some confirmation.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Echophonic posted:

On the subject, I was thinking about it and I may have been a bit hasty with my assessment of Red7's colorblind-friendlyness. I can't tell the entire blue through violet side of the deck apart, but I mean, they wrote the color and the rule on the edge you can see while you have them fanned. It's as colorblind friendly as a game with 7 colors can be, I suppose. It's more colorblind-friendly than 7 Wonders, which hates you and wants you to be sad.

I have a few friends who have trouble with Quantum, since they can't tell the red and green dice apart. It pretty much means they are restricted to 3-player or less games since that way we don't have to use either the green or the red dice.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Fat Turkey posted:

Dominant Species any good? I've seen a run through of it and it looked pretty decent. £16 sale price seemed pretty decent.

It is definitely good, the worker placement aspect is good...but....dear God is it mean.

By taking the right actions you can completely devastate an opponents populace of creatures, specifically, the glaciation action kills all but 1 of each species of creature on a hex. This plus how devastating the domination cards can be, can really muck things up. IF you don't have a playgroup comfortable with dicking each other over, I wouldn't recommend it. However, if you do have a playgroup comfortable with it, the game is friggin amazing.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Broken Loose posted:

Click Clack Lumberjack/Toc Toc Woodman/Bling Bling Gemstone
Say Anything
Panic on Wall Street!
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
7 Wonders (only 7 players, unless you add Cities, then it's 8)

edit: i took way too long to type this list

Say Anything can be quite a bit of fun, especially if you have a group that is ACTUALLY funny, and doesn't need to rely on the crutch of CAH to make jokes.


7 Wonders also works well for larger groups and if you are fine with being really sill Ugg-Tect can be quite a bit of fun.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Rutibex posted:

I tried Dixit over the holidays with my nephews. It did not go over as well as CaH at all. They are not creative enough to come up with clever clues. Dixit is only a better game in theory, I could tell I would have had a lot more fun playing this with people who would have understood some of the clues I personally wanted to play. But as it stands for strangers or particularly young/stupid people I would recommend CaH over Dixit.

Dude, there is nothing inherently funny about CAH, its just a bunch of shortcut buzzwords for humor, so those devoid of all native creativity or comedic ability can pretend they can make a joke. If you just want a funny game, play something like Say Anything, where the entire purpose of the game is to be funny of your own accord, without relying on the "abortion" or " Black People" cards to be crutches.

Dixit isn't necessarily a "funny" game, but it is creative and the whole point is to assess the table and figure out what clues they will get. If you are ust making clues you want people to guess, I think you missed the whole point of the game.

CAH is a toy, Dixit is actually a game.

Look I get the appeal of CAH, I've played it, had a laugh, and I'm glad I don't play it anymore. Its the same sort of "moar offensive=moar funny" poo poo that 4chan loves. Its not a game that deserves repeated sessions. Playing CAH is like reading a less funny Encyclopedia Dramatica.

Try Say Anything, it has a bit more replayability than CAH, and see if that doesn't bring out more of the humor you want.

Madmarker fucked around with this message at 14:26 on Jan 6, 2015

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

GrandpaPants posted:

I have Quantum on a pending CSI order (LCGs apparently cost me $100/month now...), and I hear that it is good, but is it good for "veteran" gamers or would we have outgrown it?

I play with a bunch of people who regularly play Agricola and Twilight Imperium, and Quantum is definitely an acceptable game in circulation. Not all the time by any means, but every other game night or so it gets busted out.

Also its a great intro game for newer gamers, even though they will likely get stomped, there is enough luck that even if they are being thoroughly trounced they still feel like they have a shot.

So yes, its a good midweight game that doesn't outstay its welcome.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Somberbrero posted:

Well, I guess you could call me a veteran gamer and I am very fond of it.

Kemet might be a technically superior game, but I can get Quantum to the table way more often. That comparison might not be especially apt because they're honestly very different games, but it's a handy point of reference. There is a fair amount of variance, but most of that is focused in the beginning stages of the game and is gradually diminished as you pick upgrades. Again though, I would be very surprised if a game lasted more than an hour so any rough raps don't feel especially egregious.

The sense of movement is one of my favorite aspects of Quantum, especially given the nature of the modular board it shows that the designers really understand what makes area control work.

I can barely get Kemet on the table with my normal playgroup. I have to wait for our bigger boardgame parties to get a game of Kemet in. I think its because the card bluffing mechanic for combat turns them off since it doesn't pay off in easily evaluable percentages like dice combat, making it less mathy than my group tends to like. (I'm the only non math/science masters student in the group so that makes sense to me). So we play quantum to get an area control fix, and it seems to satisfy everyone. However, Kemet is my favorite game, it plunges you headfirst into battle, and you have to maintain that frenetic combat pace while somehow still upgrading your techs and tech levels. The pseudo-bluffing of the card combat is beautiful, and the 1-of techs make every aspect of this game fierce and competitive. I think my ideal boardgame day is 10 hours of nothing but Kemet.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

T-Bone posted:

Thanks for all the recommendations guys (and the K2 reviews) Temporum looks pretty great, had never heard of it -- and Viticulture/Concordia were two I had looked at a while ago but were worried about theme wise. Now that I think/know my group won't care as much I'll have to bring them back into the debate. Definitely want to get a heavier euro to the table sometime soon to see how we do, although I don't know if I have the balls to buy Terra Mystica before trying something like Agricola or Caylus. Lots to chew on :o:

More stuff:

How would you guys compare Kemet vs. Cyclades? Does Dominant Species factor at all in here, or completely different ballgame?

I think I have a good idea about where to go worker placement wise, but for a game with a strong auction mechanic (GoT sorta has this but it's still at it's heart fightey): anyone have any thoughts on Princes of Florence/El Grande/Keyflower?

Dominant Species is a completely different ballgame.

I like dominant species, it is an intense Worker placement game with lots of mean actions and lots of ways to screw your opponent(s) and ensure your species eventual domination. However, the conflict isn't direct in the same way Kemet is, in Kemet you choose an opponents armies to fight, and a skirmish ensues. There is no direct competition in Dominant Species, outside of one action that lets you eliminate a single one of your opponents units and the glaciation action. Dominant Species is a game of intelligent resource and worker use to out compete your opponent. In Kemet, the game IS direct conflict, and your points come just as much from winning a fight as holding an area.

Dominant Species is much more of a traditional Euro game whereas Kemet is more of a mix between ameritrash sensibilites and traditional euro.

I don't really like cyclades, the bidding mechanic felt very bland to me (and I am a fan of bidding mechanics) but it is very pretty, and much simpler than Kemet to learn.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Yas posted:

You may have the worker placement passive blocking, but the Depletion, Glaciation, Competition and Domination are all directly aggressive. I don't know how heavy Kemet is, but if it is similar to something like Chaos in the Old World then Dominant Species is decidedly longer and heavier (and better :ssh: ).

Its certainly longer and heavier, but "better" is something much harder to evaluate. They are very different types of games, that test different types of skills and strategies, and both are quite fun.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

bobvonunheil posted:

It's definitely a mentality thing, and 4x games are prone to it. It's like those guys who play RTS games and never attack until they have researched every technology and hit the game's unit limit.

The other problem is that if you attack early and are wildly successful you can put someone out of the game, which means there are another 4 hours they have to sit around not doing anything for (or just leave).

Its beyond just mentality, so many of the objectives are incredibly passive and don't require you to interact with your opponent at all. I mean how many objective revolve around how many techs you have, or planets you control?

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Somberbrero posted:

Well yeah, Diplomacy is mean and player elimination sucks. I was just saying that I would recommend it over Game of Thrones.

Diplomacy is a game I want to play, but I am carefully cultivating the list of people I will play it with. Because even though I want to play the game that ends friendships, I don't want it to actually end any friendships.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

PROTOSTORM!!! posted:

Had a weird thought, what if you wanted to play monopoly but monopoly blows, so whats a good game that revolves around auction mechanics instead of just making deals on the sly like chinatown or lords of vegas?

Amun-Re was one of my main intros into modern boardgaming, and I still hold it up as a great auction mechanic game.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Kai Tave posted:

I feel like I sort of helped prompt this derail, hyperbole and all, with my kvetching. I don't mind games that take longer to play because new people are playing and figuring stuff out, I don't even mind games that take longer to play because someone takes five minutes to perform a turn as long as they're at least engaged with the game somehow. What I do mind, and what one player at this game night is a living exemplar of, is


Seriously, after two full games of Kemet you shouldn't still need stuff like "oh, how does teleportation work again?" explained to you, it's not a hard game. There's a difference between being kind of bad at the game (not playing aggressively, not considering power tiles unless prompted, etc.) which he also is but okay whatever, or fun tabletalk that gets distracting (of which I myself am guilty), and actively impeding the game which is what happens when he cheerfully takes a phone call from one of his friends in the middle of the game when it's coming around to his turn.

Not being aggressive enough is really the only problem I have with newish players in Kemet, even when I explicitly tell them, "Other than maybe the first turn, your should attack someone every turn of the game."

Some players have a hard time with that type of aggression.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

sonatinas posted:

Teaching is hard, no matter what it is. Maybe before you introduce a game to a group try going through your presentation at home before you just go unprepared at game night.

I know I made a huge mistake when teaching Dominant Species when I forgot about mentioning final scoring until the end. That didn't go over well.

My friend who first taught me the game did the same thing.........needless to say I was quite unhappy about that as I had been winning until that point.

Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

Morpheus posted:

Look, I don't dislike them as people, but when a job becomes obsolete, it's not up to the consumers to retard their practices so that others can stay in business. I feel the same about them as I would about milkmen when refrigeration was introduced. Do you feel sorry for Gamestop owners now that downloadable games are more popular? If you really want, you can just buy the game from the developer and then donate an extra percentage of that to your local gaming store.

There is a large difference between Gamestop and the FLGS. The main one being the FLGS generally provides a space to play and try out games, and is a good location to find other gamers in the area. The thing is the job isn't obsolete, it is changing however, with more of a transition to Board Game and Nerd cafes/bars opening up. (In larger areas). And yes, Ido feel sorry for someone when their livelihood goes away.....we aren't robots. It may have to happen, and it may be inevitable, but you do feel sorry for them (even people who run a gamestop).

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Madmarker
Jan 7, 2007

PerniciousKnid posted:

No, the saddest thing was when they were in the mall, and their gaming tables were outside the store in the common space. Or at least, I got sad when I walked by the nerds on display during DnD Encounters night.

I loved DnD encounters mostly because I had a great group, the guy who ran it was an ex-Navy guy who did electrical work on Submarines, a very upbeat cosplay-happy girl, a guy who restored and sold classic cars and myself. There were other people who cycled through but it was a a awesome group of well-adjusted nerds who didn't smell and enjoyed the game.


Then I moved for work and tried encounters at a store local to me......................and I never went back....



Schizoguy posted:

I'm going to go ahead and ask a question anyway: what makes Seattle so great?

Well I know that Wizards of the Coast corporate headquarters is in Washington so there probably is a large entrenched gamer population there.

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