Board Games 5E: I thought I was having fun but it was my brain tricking me

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Board Games 5E: I thought I was having fun but it was my brain tricking me

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PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

snickles posted:

Don’t tell me there’s something wrong with Spirit Island. It’s become my favorite game over the past year…

We regret to inform you the island is reverse racist

But seriously I think it's just very popular and gets mentioned a lot.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2021 16:28

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 11:22

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

I usually find that TTS feels awful for playing fiddly games, but I had a better time playing Spirit Island than I expected.

I also liked the official program but it's currently flawed as mentioned.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2022 18:25

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Aramoro posted:

You'd have to absolutely loving psychotic not to play with drafting. The majority of the game , such as it is, is in the draft.

System mastery is an issue in TfM as well, there's a deck of 300 unique cards so you need to know what's possible.

The minimum to play TfM is drafting (is this seriously an optional rule?) and the Prelude expansion and even then some corps are just better than other ones.

One of the problems I had with TfM, besides that it was a more luck-dependent Race for the Galaxy, is that it's also longer than RftG without adding much. If you add on drafting it feels really long for what it is. What it needs is more ways to see more cards during play, like RftG has.

It seems like it's kinda fun if you're really into the theme but mechanically it is pretty mediocre compared to similar games.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2022 03:22

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Is there a list of best Middleweight+ board games to play once a year with a variable cast of players?

# ¿ Jan 20, 2022 01:55

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Jedit posted:

You are. Excessive use of plastic is bad, but compared to the rampant destruction of crypto it's as nothing. Let's take a typical non-minis game, which might have 600g of plastic components. If just 1% of the run is purchased using Bitcoin, the carbon footprint of processing the transactions will exceed the carbon footprint of manufacturing.

And that's right now - the more people who use crypto, the faster that footprint will grow. Six years ago the BTC footprint was equal to all energy consumption in Iceland. Three years ago, it was equivalent to that of Ireland. Now, it's equivalent to that of Argentina. If it isn't stopped, then by the middle of the decade crypto will use as much energy as the entire United States.

Plastic is also bad for reasons besides carbon footprint, so it's hard to compare directly.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2022 03:02

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

We all live and breathe in a plastic miasma. Some of it gives us cancer, some of it gives us tiny toy farmers and space ships.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2022 17:53

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

armorer posted:

I think it's quite fun to sit around the table and play Gloomhaven with friends every two weeks or so. It's something I miss since the pandemic set in. If you're only in it for the tactical combat then sure, digital is probably fine, but it's not the same experience as sitting around with your friends.

This is basically what I thought, and then I figured if I'm playing it solo digital then I should just play XCOM or something instead.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2022 02:49

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Infinitum posted:

So I'm not a huge Dice Tower/Tom Vassel fan, but they've recently done their Top 100 Games of All Time list and Ark Nova is Tom's #1 - which is a pretty big loving call, seeing how it only released last year, and likely a huge loving boost to its popularity.

Gonna go watch a bunch of videos on it tomorrow I think.

PETA is gonna be pissed!

# ¿ Jan 29, 2022 16:19

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Mayveena posted:

I think it's a good thing that Tom has chosen Ark Nova as his new #1. As unpopular as he is with many in the thread including me, he's very influential in the hobby and it's positive to see him embrace a game that is way more modern of a board game than Cosmic Encounter. Ark Nova was not my #1 game of last year, Imperial Steam was.

Also for more of my thoughts on the game, watch my video (noting that my channel is not set up for marketing ie no need to like, comment or subscribe)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHP9c3g5Te8

I liked it even though you were at 69 likes, v sorry.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2022 21:58

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

the holy poopacy posted:

That's a pretty normal experience playing Shadows, the general consensus is that it's a tiny bit undergunned (not so much that a good power draw can't make up for it, it just needs a little more luck to get what it needs.)

Just the fact that it relies on fear seems to make it more luck dependent, because the actual impact depends more on the fear card draws. Getting a couple clutch fear effects feels really powerful.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2022 02:54

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Kalko posted:

the last few posts talking about Cosmic Encounter had me investigating it on Youtube and I have to say it looks both 1) fantastic to me, and 2) something this group could probably get into.

I think the problem with Cosmic Encounter is that it doesn't value your time. It creates memorable moments, but there are also games where your power fizzles and your one good card gets discarded and you basically spend 90 minutes doing nothing. It's like a game of poker where each hand takes an hour to play.

I enjoyed it a lot twenty-five years ago but I also haven't had the desire to play it in fifteen years.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2022 23:03

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Kazzah posted:

Well, I've been roped into Betrayal Legacy

...and it's been a lot of fun so far. I like how small the house is in the early games.

I guess the Legacy is adding on to the house like the Winchester widow?

# ¿ Feb 1, 2022 00:35

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

mellifluous posted:

For instance, he looked up Terraforming Mars and thinks it would be fun (I think he likes engine building and finding satisfying combos),

Race for the Galaxy has card engine building without the boring Mars board, try that instead. It's also quick.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2022 03:16

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

silvergoose posted:

I mean it's lifted directly from d&d1e, where elf was a class.

It's because they couldn't legally call the classes "Legolas" and "Gimli".

# ¿ Feb 5, 2022 18:00

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

What are the hot 18XX games nowadays?

# ¿ Feb 7, 2022 00:11

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

OrthoTrot posted:

I once played a game of Railroad Tycoon with a housemate of mine and a mutual gaming friend we used to play with relatively frequently. Our friend was quite a backstabby kind of player who would sometimes do zero sum style spiking moves that didn't directly benefit him but screwed the opposition. Sure enough he blocked some long railroad building action my housemate was trying to complete.

I don't necessarily have a problem with that but after it having happened a lot my housemate had enough and dedicated the rest of the game to just sabotaging him. At the expense of his own position. He explained that was what he was doing and said he would do it every time someone tried to sabotage him going forward, in any game.

I'm genuinely not sure how to morally navigate that. It highlights how much social contract there is in these situations. It's not like anyone was cheating, it's just a debate about what is or isn't an acceptable motive when playing with friends. It got discussed a lot in our wider gaming circle.

Everyone remained friends. No one is an rear end in a top hat here, in my opinion. It wasn't done out of frustration or malice. My housemates attitude was basically "if it's an ok move to sabotage me for benefit on this game it's ok for me to do it for benefit in future games".

There are some games where playing in a non confrontational manner is ridiculous, like DOAM games. But there are some where it's technically possible to sabotage someone but you might get a sideways glance for doing so. I don't think my housemate would have had a problem with being screwed over in Game of Thrones, say. So it's obviously a bit of a gray area.

There's nothing wrong with being aggressive in a train game. But if players are being random agents of chaos, or going all out against targets based on external motives, then playing the game feels a bit pointless. Ultimately it's up to the members of the group to agree upon and accept the social contract.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2022 15:46

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

the holy poopacy posted:

New Coke's testing basically held up, the problem was that they were asking the wrong questions. They successfully developed a more popular flavor than classic Coke and then it turned out no one actually drank Coke because they thought the flavor was good, they drank it because it was an institution.

In board game terms, they decided to remake a classic Ameritrash game and rigorously fixed all the balance issues and pain points and then no one wanted to play anymore because the stupid bullshit was the only reason anyone liked it in the first place.

People who get mad when I explain that you don't get money from Free Parking.

# ¿ Mar 6, 2022 05:30

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Cthulhu Dreams posted:

Given the modern gameplay environment, how many people actually play a game 5 times? 10 times? I play my collection pretty heavily and with that said half my games are played less than 5 times.

Thanks to the pandemic+kids I basically only play online, at this point I could replace my game shelf with boardgame-themed wallpaper and lose nothing.

# ¿ Mar 6, 2022 22:26

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

silvergoose posted:

But then what if the experienced player gets the op faction, and the game is guaranteed decided before it starts, instead of likely?

If the group is aware of the imbalance and cares about winning, maybe they don't let that guy have the op faction?

# ¿ Mar 7, 2022 15:24

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

silvergoose posted:

Ah, and now we get to handicaps! I love handicaps. More games and game groups should be okay using handicaps.

They do work a lot better in 2p games, though.

It's a main reason I love Go!

# ¿ Mar 7, 2022 17:34

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Major Isoor posted:

Hey, just wondering - what's the best (and not too long, hopefully) video introducing the mechanics of Dune (2019)? Since I'm gonna be playing it with a group on the long weekend here, and none of the others have played before. (I think I played at the end of 2019, so it's been a while!) Hopefully with a YouTube crash-course under our belts we can get through quickly and easily, compared to the alternative anyway!

There's also a few playthroughs by MCDM, if you want a more thorough refresher for yourself.

# ¿ Mar 8, 2022 05:26

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Magnetic North posted:

Also, even though I fully enthusiastically proselytized the Fourth box, SHCD: The Baker Street Irregulars, I don't know that game would be be all that much fun alone. Two minds mean you can support each other when you miss things, work out theories, read aloud, etc.

I would also point out that it's a good game to try with certain non-board game enthusiasts, given that it's a detective story / logic puzzle moreso than a traditional board game.

# ¿ Mar 10, 2022 23:51

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

rchandra posted:

It was considered a good intro while it was unavailable too - people even contemplated having Tom Lehmann release the rights ($5k to public domain it IIRC).

As mentioned draft >>> auction, additionally it's on the shorter side, has more intuitive rules, and is just more fun (tm).

Here's a 2011 post from Eric Brosius on this topic - who had only played it 39 times at that point (I'd expect he's over 300 now). Also, nostalgia for the year-long backlog at DTG actually being true.

I think 18Chesapeake is a better on-ramp to The 18XX Hobby, because it simplifies 1830 in ways that soften the edges without fundamentally changing the system. But 18Ches wasn't around in 2011 and the pre-1846 commonly-cited intros were mini-games like 18AL. 1846 was novel as an 18XX game that was comprehensible and playable to newbies without being very boring after a couple plays. 1846 is still fun but no longer the obvious entryway into the hobby due to its various divergences (partial cap, 1D stocks etc).

1846 is still well worth getting if it's the most appealing version to you in form or function, but not specifically as an intro game. If you want a First 18XX get 18Chesapeake. If you want one 18XX game forever then get whatever game's mechanics/gimmicks appeals to your tastes, whether it's 18Ches, 1846, 1862, 1849, 18CZ, etc.

# ¿ Mar 13, 2022 17:35

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

MonsieurChoc posted:

I got to try Anno 1800 boardgame yesterday, and turns out one of my friends had been part of the playtesting! (He's QA at Ubisoft Montr�al) It was also fun and I won by 2 points.

Made me want to try the compute rgame and lol it's like 140 bucks for everything.

None of that poo poo matters, just get the base game and have fun. I think I got it on sale for $30.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2022 14:24

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Mayveena posted:

Computer game goes on sale two or three times a year. I will disagree with the previous recommendation and say to get all the season passes too (on sale).

My point was just that you shouldn't let the Anno DLC price point scare you away from enjoying the base game. It's not like an old FFG board game where you need the expansions to fix all the problems in the base game.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2022 21:36

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Dr. Lunchables posted:

This thread is perpetually one of the worst and most insufferable to read in all of TG. Just answer questions and try not be a gatekeeper you awful dorks.

Was this post prompted by anything in particular?

# ¿ Mar 21, 2022 01:20

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

potatocubed posted:

In other news, I tried a game of 1846 last week based off this thread's recommendations.

On the one hand, I like it a lot. I may be an 18XX player.

On the other hand, there is no way on God's green Earth I'm going to persuade my usual group to play it. Sigh.

Good luck! There's always 18XX.games for playing with the broader online world.

There's also non-18XX train games, like Irish Gauge or Northern Pacific, maybe one of those would be a better fit.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2022 01:24

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Kerro posted:

I get that it's probably commercially not viable (as evidenced by the fact that the designers of Three Kingdoms have started destroying remaining stock because they couldn't sell it and can't justify continuing to store it)

Wait, what? I always wanted to try that one, but now I can't even find it in stores.

The Eyes Have It posted:

Inflexible player counts is one of those things that permits interesting angles (but limits accessibility) and I wish there was more of it in a way.

There are some really interesting two player only games, for example.

Djambi and Mah Jong come to mind as both 4 player only and don't really work at any other count.

Can't think of any other three-only at the moment other than 3KR.

The End of the Triumvirate is another one, well-regarded although I found it a bit boring and gave it away years ago.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2022 20:02

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Kerro posted:

Yeah apparently they've been storing copies in their own/their family's houses and can't justify storing that many copies any more. You can still order it direct from their website, but I dunno what shipping would be like since they're in Singapore.

Yeah it's like $100 shipped, I'm not that curious! I'm surprised it's not listed at any stores, I thought it was well-regarded.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2022 21:41

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Bottom Liner posted:

I did report it and I got probed instead. That’s the whole problem. The whole reason myself and others asked for an IK was because of the mods poor handling of the whole Prada issue. The previous thread had post after post of folks posting “Thread ban Prada” or empty quoting that post over multiple pages.

Hey dude you didn't get probed for reporting a post, chill out and at least see how the IK works out before having a meltdown. 99% of the Prada issue is people posting repeatedly about Prada, which is what you actually got probed for. Post your disagreement and move on, Prada doesn't post enough in this thread to merit this much hyperbolic vitriol.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2022 03:17

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Has anybody played both Nemesis and Stationfall who can compare them? I guess Unfathomable also should be in the mix.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2022 14:54

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Majik Ninja posted:

I just found this thread and read through the op it was cool to see a some games I hadn't heard of. Then I jumped to last few pages...

So anyways yall playing any fun games lately or? We most recently got 7 wonders duel and it's a very fun game since usually we only have two players.

When I can get my friends together we usually play arkham horror 2e or formula d. I can't believe how much out of print games go up in price.

I'm kinda down on Formula D in terms of time vs fun, but my young kids love it and basically turn it into an RPG.

I had fun playing Ticket to Ride last night with my wife. It still holds up pretty well. I was going to subject her to High Frontier but ran out of time.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2022 00:54

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Mayveena posted:

Bohnanza

Bohnanza and 7 Wonders are my old favorites.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2022 04:07

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

FirstAidKite posted:

I have a new "escape room in a box" arriving tomorrow called The Emerald Flame. Hoping it'll be pretty fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSYlz9fL3Og
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/299371/emerald-flame

Well, is it pretty fun?

# ¿ Apr 7, 2022 18:21

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Golden Bee posted:

Both games run hours longer than they have to, and Arkham games are long. I would recommend getting the card game if it all possible.

How much card game do you need to buy to be as repayable as the board game?

# ¿ Apr 9, 2022 17:29

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

jesus WEP posted:

prada slut: *some stupid poo poo*
me (muffled, due to hook lodged firmly in cheek): just posting to say that i definitely did not take the bait this time

It seems like the "bait", as it were, is people constantly bringing up controversial topics and then probating people for having opinions on them.

Lately it seems like this thread is 50% "Board Games" and 50% "Board Games are Problematic". I don't particularly disagree with what most people are saying, but I'm starting to think we should have a separate thread to talk about actual board games, if people want this to be the board game politics thread. Or maybe stop establishing "official thread opinions" and moderating people for wrongthink.

# ¿ Apr 21, 2022 02:51

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

the holy poopacy posted:

it's weird how the only two people who are moderated for wrongthink have repeatedly admitted that they're just trolling in bad faith to rile people up

it's almost as though they are being probed for something other than their opinions and are only hiding being "I was probated for wrongthink!" as a smokescreen

Personally I don't particularly value riling people up in good faith, at least in the board game thread. Nor do I appreciate sarcastic responses to serious posts, but I choose not to take it personally.

I will clarify that the only person who mentioned wrongthink is me, and I have not been moderated, I just think the tone of the thread is heading in the wrong direction.

Infinitum posted:

Just had the 8th player confirm for TI:PoK for next month

Hoping I draft Space Godzilla's

That sounds awesome, I'm still trying to get TI2 to the table.

# ¿ Apr 21, 2022 03:12

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Infinitum posted:

Honestly I'm extremely chuffed I'm able to fill numbers like this on the regular.

9 player Western Empires

Post-pandemic I'm not even sure I know 8 people anymore. :xd:

Post an AAR so I can enjoy it vicariously.

# ¿ Apr 21, 2022 03:37

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Mayveena posted:

Calling someone stupid is an opinion?? Using religious words in a disrespectful way is an opinion, really? Anyone can say they think a specific thing is stupid. But you don�t call people stupid in this thread. I have no idea what the gently caress you are talking about. Please quote where the probed people expressed an actual opinion.

jarofpiss posted:

no im just trying to suggest y�all might be happier if you break out of the lib brain �vote with your dollar� activism by consumption trap because there is no logical consistency to it and it never ends

just dont like violate active strikes/boycotts/whatever, your individual choice means nothing here

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

Leper Colony posted:

You really need to let go of your need to attack anti-blockchain Kickstarter protest posts. Even if you find their unethical consumption by still participating in society to be hypocritical. This is not the thread to pick this fight over and over. User loses posting privileges for 1 day.

It's explicitly the moderators' position that protesting Kickstarter for blockchain is a good and true position, and arguing against it is probatable.

The subtext underlining all these sorts of topics that come up is that liberalism is Truth and apolitical, and that anyone who disagrees is supposed to just sit there and keep their mouths shut if they want to continue participating in the board game thread, like having Thanksgiving with your Libertarian uncle. Personally I'd just as soon leave politics out of the thread, but if we're going to have it then we should let people discuss issues with a presumption of good faith instead of name-calling and tone-policing posters and then acting aggrieved by their rudeness.

Edit: Sorry for making GBS threads up the thread with another post about the very thing I hate but I got sick of holding my tongue about it.

# ¿ Apr 21, 2022 15:13

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 11:22

PerniciousKnid: Sep 13, 2006

Glagha posted:

I played Keyflower the other day and enjoyed it fite me irl.

I like the boats full of people. :3:

# ¿ Apr 21, 2022 18:35

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Board Games 5E: I thought I was having fun but it was my brain tricking me

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