Board Game Thread 4e: The Call of Catan

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Board Game Thread 4e: The Call of Catan

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Shadow225 posted:

Hundreds? Really?
I'll bite: I've been looking to pick up 7 Wonders for a bit. Give me a list of 100 games better than it, and I'll buy one of them next semester.

To be fair 3-4 players are best games seem the most plentiful. I play 4 person 7 Wonders begrudgingly, but 3 players is right out.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2014 13:57

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# ¿ May 5, 2024 23:36

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Big McHuge posted:

Yeah, but if I'm going to make a lovely game, I at least want the artwork to be distracting enough.

Ascension in real life is a lovely game.

Ascension on the iOS is a good game.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2014 22:55

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

The only Kickstarters I pay attention to are Lvl 99 and Stonemair because I don't mind giving them MSRP directly because they have amazing people at the helm.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 19:48

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Poison Mushroom posted:

I've never heard of Heroes Wanted. Is it any good?

My group has mixed reviews, I'm in the "like it" camp. It's a hand management, turn optimization game and a lot of people just don't grock it. You pretty much set up for a killer turn and hope to do a bunch of cool stuff based on board placement and what's in your hand. The people who don't like it are the ones who can't see a few turns ahead to a changed boardstate.

It's definitely a try before you buy game.

Me in earlier thread posted:

The game is very simple, but I consider it a strength. After playing it I described it as River City Ransom the game. The beauty of the game comes from trying to milk as many points as possible a turn. This involves proper zoning of yourself/bad guys, where the 1st player is, what is in your hand vs in your discard, what to block with on subsequent turns, making points with headlines, and more. Beating the boss isn't even the most efficient way to earn points every time.

As far as your concern about quirks, they are optional. Even if you don't want to use them as a way to lose points, I think they add a lot to the game. For instance I was DinoHawk with the creepy quirk. Every time someone had an active card with the same value I had to touch them and say "Hi, I'm DinoHawk" as creepily as possible. So you get fun situations where since I'm a dinosaur I have stubby arms and have to get up from the chair to go caress people in the middle of the game. It is just a fun mechanic that is easy to implement and doesn't take away from anything. As far as balance of quirks, yes, some are harder to accomplish or remember than others, but whatever. In our game nobody missed a cue because you always wanted to do your quirk.

Full disclosure: I am casual friends with the designer Travis Chance, knowing him from my local Netrunner scene. Knowing that, I would have liked the game anyway because it is well-designed while being goofy as gently caress.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2015 16:09

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

jivjov posted:

How dependent on expansions is the 7 Wonders wonder pack? I had the chance to pick that up cheap, but haven't actually received it yet. Should be in today though, and I'm curious how many of the wonders I'll be able to use with just the base game.

One of the wonders, Abu Simbel, requires Leaders, but you should get Leaders if you don't have it anyway

http://rprod.com/uploads/WONDERPACK_RULES_US.pdf

# ¿ Jan 7, 2015 17:52

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Rio Grande Games posted:

To the east, a land of eggs and licorice.

What a stinky land that must be.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2015 15:22

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Local Gaming Store Chat

So I recently moved across town and thus inherited a new local gaming store. In this case it is more gaming library than store. Imagine a game cafe, sans the cafe part. After having dinner w/ my family, we decided to go check it out since it was right across the street. The store is in a cute little historical artsy district of town and caters to both hardcore gamers and casuals off the street. The clientele seemed a bit stereotypical gamers so I dismissed the strong smell of stank the space had. But the longer I was there the more I thought this wasn't just normal gamer funk, this was something else. After touring the facility and having a short chat with the proprietor, I heard a weird sound coming from behind the counter. We look on the back wall and there are no fewer than 3 mother loving ferrets in cages behind the register.

Who thinks ferrets are a good thing for business with as thin of profit margins as a game library/store? Am I being a stuck up dude, or does the hivemind also find this practice unacceptable?

# ¿ Jan 21, 2015 21:18

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Vlaada Chvatil posted:

There's a used bookstore I used to frequent where the owner allowed her cat to run around freely. I never minded that. Then again, cats don't smell like internet order sex hormone colognes, so I suppose it was a little different.

I wouldn't mind a cat. A distillery by our place has a cat and he is chill as hell and will just sit on your lap by the fire :catdrugs:

# ¿ Jan 21, 2015 21:48

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

A new D&D Swat Team Adventure!

quote:

In the Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil Board Game, you play as a heroic adventurer. With amazing abilities, spells and magic weapons, you must explore the dungeons beneath the Sword Coast where you will fight monsters, overcome hazards and find treasure. Are you ready for adventure?

Temple of Elemental Evil includes multiple scenarios, challenging quests, and co-operative game play designed for 1-5 players. The contents can also be combined with other D&D Adventure System Cooperative play board games, including The Legend of Drizzt and Castle Ravenloft.

Each player selects a hero, such as a fighter, cleric, or wizard. On their turn, each player can explore further into the dungeon (turn over new tiles), move through the already explored parts of the dungeon, and fight monsters. When a new dungeon tile is revealed, there is typically an encounter of some sort, and new monsters to fight are added. Slain monsters reward the players with treasure, and experience points, allowing them to level up and increase their skills during play. Players must cooperate to stay alive, slay the monsters, and achieve the goal of their quest. Each scenario has a different goal, from retrieving a relic to slaying a large boss monster.

djfooboo fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Jan 26, 2015

# ¿ Jan 26, 2015 22:33

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

alathar posted:

Just found Twilight Struggle for $20 at goodwill. I guess it's time to read about what makes this the #1 rated game on bgg. From what I've skimmed so far, I probably shouldn't read the cards so that I'm equally (un)prepared as whoever I find to play it with?

Lol, that is strange. I can only imagine little Billy who likes Munchkin and Settlers telling their family they like boardgames. Said family member searches "board game" on Google and finds BGG. Then buys the #1 game, because of course it must be awesome for little Billy. Little Billy is a poo poo and doesn't appreciate it because it is realistic and a good game. Billy gives to Goodwill.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2015 00:41

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Dr. VooDoo posted:

That's your friends fault. Everyone who owns a copy of Munchkin has to throw it into the fires of mount doom or forever be cursed to have people ask to play it. Seriously throwing it into a fire pit was the most fun I ever had with my copy of Munchkin

In a similar vain, I once found a copy of Fluxx from my formative years and threw it in the trash with no regrets.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2015 05:14

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

EBag posted:

For those euro gamers out there, what are you favorite heavy euros that play well with 2? I'm talking real heavy, like 4+ on BGG. I have a lot of great mid weight euros but I want something that will really burn my brain.

Twilight Struggle is an obvious recommendation.

Kanban seems pretty brain-burny. Not sure how it plays 2.

Caylus is great with 2.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2015 13:00

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Jimbozig posted:

Played Splendor and what the hell? Why is this game so popular? You sit there silently doing arithmetic while everyone else does and the goal is to buy cards that do nothing but give you a discount to buy more cards. And there is no catch up mechanic so if one person gets a lucky break early, they probably just win.

It is utterly dry and is less thematic than Dominion.

Sooooo.... What gives? I can't remember playing a duller game. Nobody even said anything to one another!

I think Splendor pretty crap also for the same reasons.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2015 04:05

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

PerniciousKnid posted:

~~What's Tuscany Prima~~ nevermind I looked it up, holy cow I think I'll hold off on the $60 expansion to a $40 game.

The metal coins are adding 15 bucks to the cost. Eventually I imagine a version will be available for less.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2015 18:05

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

bobvonunheil posted:

You can get decent metal coins from any bank, 100 of them for only a dollar.

But then your hands smell like pennies... :barf:

# ¿ Feb 10, 2015 23:11

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Me: Oh cool, a Ghostebusters Boardgame!

Brain: Kickstarter + Cryptozoic + Minis

Me: :shepicide:

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 20:42

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Mega64 posted:

I recall there being good words about Samurai Spirit. Is it worth a purchase?

It is pretty shallow, but I find it fun. I like the Pandemic dice game better though for a short rules co-op that plays in 30ish mins.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2015 14:41

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Bubble-T posted:

I really like this guy's game overviews. Not sure if they're a goon, I think I originally saw the channel on Reddit.

He reviewed Mermaid Rain. Get's an A+ in my eyes.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 13:19

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

WhiteHowler posted:

You guys should stop recommending 8-player Eclipse to someone who said his group is very AP-prone and gets frustrated by downtime.

It's a great game, but playing 5+ players with slow people can turn into an all-day affair.

Splitting the group between two games is definitely a better solution, but you could always play something likeThe Resistance or Blood Bound first. They're pretty short and would leave time to get a "real" game or two in.

I have heard of people playing the beginning of the game with 2 people going at once (opposite board sides) until it gets to where turn order matters, and then you go to normal mode.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 16:55

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

This thread is really slow when people aren't posting angrily about bad games.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2015 01:07

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Buy Pictomania now!

# ¿ Mar 23, 2015 12:58

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

taser rates posted:

BBMM is perfectly good, though it's more brain-burny than you'd expect from what looks like a party game. Also Pictomania is awesome, especially once you start getting to the higher difficulty cards, and they want you to start differentiating between a prosecutor, defense attorney, jury, etc

I've found drawing outside the box helps in these situations. Don't draw the person, draw the way the word sounds. So defense attorney would be a shield + a picture of a guy at the judge's stand w/ an arrow pointing to him.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2015 20:57

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Played Kemet yesterday

:smug:

Last in turn order, seemingly not a threat to anyone. Go for an all-in turn. Use +1 speed, and wallhax to go to 9 points from 7. During night phase get my free pyramid level. Declare myself winner w/ 9 prayer points left.

:viggo:

"Hey dumbass, night happens before day, gotta hold it another turn"

:smug:

but but but I could have upgraded the pyramid anyway since I had two wasted actions :saddowns:

# ¿ Mar 30, 2015 21:27

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Jedit posted:

Because they don't have $500+ to spend on a tablet but can occasionally spring $40 for a board game?

Hell, my friends buy so many games I don't even have to spend $40 ever.

# ¿ Mar 31, 2015 14:36

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

There is a netrunner app sorta. You can play jinteki.net in a mobile browser. Not all cards are automated, but they have been working on it steadily.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 13:49

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

homullus posted:

I would probably pay for Mage Knight a second time if they made a web-based version that enforced all the rules. I'd probably even buy it if it were only solo play.

But if it enforced the rules I would know how horribly wrong I have been this whole time :ohdear:

# ¿ Apr 1, 2015 15:05

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

fozzy fosbourne posted:

I want to try out Fleet at some point, since that's a card game with auctions and maybe some meat on it's bones.

I like Fleet, but I would try before you buy. It is relatively polarizing for a shorter game.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2015 21:33

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Hannibal Rex posted:

Has anyone here played Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space

~~I got a pnp copy, send me a pm with your email and you can try it out.~~

https://iu.box.com/s/9kra5amcb6mlxxorfcf5df09yhy0yqdu

djfooboo fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Apr 9, 2015

# ¿ Apr 9, 2015 17:18

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Rusty Kettle posted:

Summoner wars is good because they all have intimate experience with Heroscape.

RIP

# ¿ Apr 10, 2015 13:01

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Indolent Bastard posted:

Formula B (for boring) Borrow it if you like, but it is terrible. How it is played every year at Winter War (an Illinois game con) I'll never know.

All this talk about Formula D makes me sad that my favorite simple racing game, Top Race doesn't get a reprint, if not a super deluxe version.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2015 02:08

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

EvilChameleon posted:

I was also thinking maybe Viticulture but I watched the video for how it plays and it didn't really speak to me.

Maybe someone can try to sell me on Viticulture or anything else really.

Buy Viticulture and it's expansion Tuscany. It's like owning two games. If you play base Viticulture it is a really nice mid/low lvl worker placement. Add the expansion once people get comfy and the game absolutely explodes in fun/strategy. Ignore the whole "legacy unlock thing". Look at reviews for the 2nd edition of the game (grande worker) and the expansion, it really is great.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2015 17:43

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

EvilChameleon posted:

While watching How It's Played, it just seemed like it was a bit too "friendly" and not as tight as other games I seem to like. I'll check out the Tuscany vids though, see if that makes it seem more enticing.

Oh, you like nasty. Check out Dominant Species and Keyflower for that. Viticulture, even with the expansion, is a friendly game. It's just the base game is very vanilla so the expansion is reccomended.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2015 18:18

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

djfooboo posted:

Oh, you like nasty. Check out Dominant Species and Keyflower for that. Viticulture, even with the expansion, is a friendly game. It's just the base game is very vanilla so the expansion is reccomended.

Edit: also check out Agricola: Farmers of the Moor, it is a pretty beefy expansion that kicks you in the balls from the looks of it.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2015 18:20

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Just buy Reaper Bones if you want to paint minis. They are cheap as hell and don't need primer if you wash them.

# ¿ May 1, 2015 15:00

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Bottom Liner posted:

Anyone else going to Gencon?

I live in Indianapolis :c00l:

So, yes.

# ¿ May 5, 2015 15:50

djfooboo: Oct 16, 2004

Fat Samurai posted:

Well, apparently when someone says that they are selling the base box they mean they are literally selling the box. Empty. What's the point of this? Impressing my friends with my taste in boardgames?

Thanks for the answers. Now I want to buy the game...