Modest Mauser
Member
I might actually prefer it with 2, though it's still great with 3 and 4.
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New Board Gaming |OT2| On Tables, Off Topic
- Thread starter Karkador
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I might actually prefer it with 2, though it's still great with 3 and 4.
the card game?
recommended with just 2.
in fact the only way to play with more than 2 is buying multiple sets of the core set.
something I did earlier today after I played the core set with my wife >.>
as well as some expansions.
aka everything coolstuf had in stock lol.
going to make it my monday gaming night game until gloomhaven reprint comes out.
The fan made solo mode was adopted into the rules by the designer with the printing of the expansion, so I wouldn't say it's "not official". Though I haven't tried the pax games solo.
If you are interested in trying something by then that's definitely more of a solo game, check out Greenland.
antiquegamer
Member
They did it with LoTR so I don't see why they wouldn't do the same for Arkham LCG.
EYEL1NER
Member
I was hoping that CSI would have a big Memorial Day sale, since their pre-Memorial Day sale wasn't too bad (not as good as CardHaus though). I'm not seeing much this morning though. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: West End and Jack the Ripper is a decent price at $32.99 for those who missed out on the $29.99 Amazon price last week). The only thing I'd want is the new Tumblin Dice but I would still rather wait and try to score an original Nash edition of the game rather than settle for a Ferti or Eagle-Gryphon version.
Polioliolio
Member
I've never really played anything like Magic or any TCG.
Is Arkham card game something that will bleed my wallet? Is it like Magic or do all the cards come in the game? I understand there are expansions. Are there a stupid amount or is it still reasonable to have it all? Is it a legacy thing where cards are damaged or can I play it over and over again?
Definitely interested in the theme and the good reactions here.
Is Arkham card game something that will bleed my wallet? Is it like Magic or do all the cards come in the game? I understand there are expansions. Are there a stupid amount or is it still reasonable to have it all? Is it a legacy thing where cards are damaged or can I play it over and over again?
Definitely interested in the theme and the good reactions here.
Arkham is an "LCG". In LCG's, there's a common "core set" that has everything you need to start a game. Then every so often new small expansion sets come out that have the exact same cards for everyone. No randomized boosters. If you want to be competitive, this can get expensive to keep up with, but 1) if you're casual it's fine, 2) Arkham is just starting out so there's not a lot of expansions yet.
To my knowledge Arkham isn't really a legacy game where things get damaged, but you do take characters and build them up over multiple games (equipping gear, leveling them up, etc). Others who've played it can speak better to that. It's definitely replayable even with the core from what I hear.
antiquegamer
Member
It will bleed your wallet but slowly overtime. It's not like Magic or other CCG is the fact that it's LCG (Fantasy Flight Games moniker for their card games) and every pack of cards is fix. There is no rarity and no blind pack. The game is also cooperative so there is no competitive scene where you constantly have to get cards for your deck. That said it still is a living card game so there will be new pack out monthly and big pack every 7 or 8 months.
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
If you buy 1 copy of everything that gets released each year at MSRP, you are looking at about 300 a year spent.
EYEL1NER
Member
The rulebook for Potion Explosion: The Fifth Ingrediant went up at some point recently, it seems. I found it so far only on the Horrible Games site. Here's a direct link: http://www.horrible-games.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/PEFI_Rulebook_v12_20170112.pdf
I received an email from CardHaus about what is on sale, new in stock, new to release, and new to pre-order. They just opened pre-orders for Fifth Ingrediant and had box art and a description, so I started hunting around for whatever info had been released for it since I last saw any (and that was pretty much the announcement of the name). I'd love to go ahead and pre-order it now but the tentative date on that pre-order is the end of June and I remember how long it took an order with the base game to ship because it kept getting moved further and further back. I'll wait until it releases before ordering. Can't wait though.
I received an email from CardHaus about what is on sale, new in stock, new to release, and new to pre-order. They just opened pre-orders for Fifth Ingrediant and had box art and a description, so I started hunting around for whatever info had been released for it since I last saw any (and that was pretty much the announcement of the name). I'd love to go ahead and pre-order it now but the tentative date on that pre-order is the end of June and I remember how long it took an order with the base game to ship because it kept getting moved further and further back. I'll wait until it releases before ordering. Can't wait though.
Gaming Truth
Member
Good thing I haven't ordered my marbles yet. Fifth color and I'm just going to assume I should replace it with something "wild"
EYEL1NER
Member
I don't know about replacing it with just anything. The "pearl/milky white with a tinge of aqua" they chose as ectoplasm looks pretty good and it looks good on the new Ghastly Cauldron board, so if you are trying to match colors somewhat for the other marbles (red to red, blue to blue, so on), I'd say get something similar to theirs.
Even if the theme was something I absolutely cannot stand, the core mechanisms are so strong I'd still invest most of my money in collecting for it. It's pretty much the only real narrative driven card game on the market, and not in the sense that it's based on a story but rather you're actually experiencing a story unravel with multiple paths and choices made that can drastically alter the course of said story. It also has some of the most potential for growth and extension mechanically I've seen in a game in years.
It's somewhat similar to the Legacy games that have been coming out lately, only you don't really modify the board (or cards in this case) permanently. Even if you play the same story over and over again, things are always somewhat different AT LEAST, and drastically different otherwise. And while you can lose in the game, because of the narrative nature of the game it still rewards you with story content and other things that makes that experience unique to others.
Also, it's all co-op! There's no meta-game to worry about, and deckbuilding isn't strictly "put all the best stuff" because "best stuff" is different depending on the scenario you're playing. The game rewards you for your success, punishes you for your failures, and gives a little bit of melancholic nuance for whatever is in the middle. But no matter what, you can still play till the end.
*also, deckbuilding is quick and easy. It functions the same as Hearthstone. it isn't that intimidating as it can be in some other games.
Short answer: it's really freaking fun.
RelentlessRolento
Member
as someone who has yet to play it, it dosn't have as big of a deckbuilding draw as I'd like. That's partially why I decided to jump into Lord of the Rings LCG instead. I'm a deckbuilding freak who finds most joy in creating unique and weird deck mechanics.
Well, LOTR has been going for quite some time (5+ years), so the card pool is gigantic and allows for lots of variability in deckbuilding. Arkham is only a little over six months old at this point.
I much prefer the richer, more intimate story crafted by Arkham. I feel much more connected to the game and the characters and am genuinely interested in how the story is progressing, and making decisions based on what I think my character(s) would do in that situation. The mechanisms in Arkham are just so great, and a huge evolution over LOTR (in a direction that I am happier with).
While I do greatly enjoy the Arkham/Lovecraftian theme, I would thoroughly enjoy playing this game system with pretty much any window dressing. Give me a fantasy version (Runebound/LOTR), sci-fi (Android, Star Wars), or even something more 'mundane', such as a Western, and I'm all in with every one.
for me it was the co op campaign that got me to get it.
I have netrunner if i want to play something more competitive.
Polioliolio
Member
Thanks for the responses about Arkham.
Now, is this something that would be difficult for someone to jump into?
How long does it take to play a session.. and what exactly constitutes a play session? Are you going through an ever growing campaign book chapter by chapter?
Now, is this something that would be difficult for someone to jump into?
How long does it take to play a session.. and what exactly constitutes a play session? Are you going through an ever growing campaign book chapter by chapter?
EYEL1NER
Member
I've been reading the rulebook over the past few days but with the holiday today, my copy probably won't be here by Wednesday night game night. Next week, I suppose. I'm thinking about going ahead and picking up the expansion, but I kind of want to see which printing of Clank! I get: the first printing that has lower-quality cards and the backs won't match the expansion, or the newer printing where the card backs match. I have to assume that since Clank! was OOS everywhere and it just came back in stock when I ordered that I'll be getting a new printing, but you never know.
For someone with any experience in board/card games, it shouldn't be to hard to jump into and understand. There are a number of youtube resources that help to explain any mechanisms that you might not fully understand. The game comes with a list of decks you can build to start out with as well.
A play session usually runs about an hour or so, and consists of one "chapter" in the campaign. The campaign contained within the Core Set is three scenarios. Then you can move on to the next campaign (The Dunwich Legacy), which is eight scenarios. Two are contained within the Dunwich Legacy deluxe expansion, and then each of the other six are sold individually in packs that come out monthly (#5, or scenario 7 comes out next week).
The deluxe expansion and each of the additional packs (Mythos Packs) come with additional player cards you can use to help construct your decks. You'll be playing with the same character throughout an entire campaign, gaining experience as you complete scenarios. With that experience, you can "buy" additional cards to put into your deck to help you move along through the campaign.
I could go on all day, and much (if not all) of this has already been said before. It's a great game, and I'd totally recommend at least getting the Core Set if you have a passing interest.
We have our Arkham OT man!
If you guys think there would be enough foot traffic, I can try to throw one together this week.
I would likely talk in it a bit.
there are more than the 5 starting characters right?
I imagine if I track my EXP I could change characters during the campaign?
There are five characters in the Core Set, and then five more in Dunwich. You can use any investigator (character) in any campaign. Once you start a character in a campaign, you can't change them. You just change their deck (usually a max of like 3-4 cards) between each scenario. The only way you can legally change characters during a campaign is if yours dies.
and to not legally change?
I would just need to keep track of exp to keep balanced no?
I mean if new characters come out so often, and I want to play them I am not going to restart a campaign I have been playing for months, especially if the people I am playing with don't want to restart with new characters.
Polioliolio
Member
Awesome. It's now on my list, thanks!
One Foul Note
Member
It's a little more complex then that. All the scenarios are designed to be able to be played stand alone with a level zero character so to compensate with your stronger character the game gives your long running investigators additional weaknesses and their is the potential for permanent trauma (health and sanity debuffs) as the result of past failures. If you want to transfer experience you would be overpowered if you also didn't also transfer the weaknesses (you can probably repick them, as long as you keep the number equal) and trauma.
So yeah, it is entirely possible to change character mid campaign with keeping exp but you would have to be careful in keeping the disadvantages that investigator has too otherwise you risk becoming comically overpowered and you would lose a certain sense of continuity that the game has running between scenarios.
Unless you play extremely slowly, no single campaign will ever take "months" to finish. Usually I just end up restarting everytime a new pack in the Dunwich Legacy comes out, lol. It actually doesn't take that long to complete everything, especially if you're soley playing the Core Set campaign. And because there's different things like branching paths/decisions you're always gonna get something different out of it even if you replay a scenario/campaign over and over again.
ah thanks for the responses as I haven't looked into the campaign stuff to seriously yet.
I played a single scenario with my wife and then picked up a second core set and some of the packs in order to play with my monday group and was going to look into the campaign stuff then.
I had figured you would want to try to take a character from start to finish (finish being the last expansion pack like 5 years from now
), but if there is perm damage that likely won't be very easy to do.
but if there is perm damage and weaknesses I would of course move those over as well if I wanted to change characters.
it shouldn't be a huge issue. I will be on the dunwich stuff for a while as I will likely only be able to play one scenario a week.
I played a single scenario with my wife and then picked up a second core set and some of the packs in order to play with my monday group and was going to look into the campaign stuff then.
I had figured you would want to try to take a character from start to finish (finish being the last expansion pack like 5 years from now
), but if there is perm damage that likely won't be very easy to do.but if there is perm damage and weaknesses I would of course move those over as well if I wanted to change characters.
it shouldn't be a huge issue. I will be on the dunwich stuff for a while as I will likely only be able to play one scenario a week.
The main design of the game is for characters to start and end within one campaign. Therefore, with each campaign, you would start a new character fresh.I had figured you would want to try to take a character from start to finish (finish being the last expansion pack like 5 years from now
If you wanted to start a new campaign with your old leveled-up character, there's nothing stopping you. However, the game isn't truly balanced for this and it might make things easier than they should be. I guess if you take the rules for stand-alone into your next campaign and add weaknesses based on how many XP of cards you have added, that might help to balance things, but still probably won't be an optimal solution.
I would be in it a bit. I am behind on Dunwich but have two cores, both PODs, and Dunwich. I just don't like playing solo (I lose track of engagement to easily) and have had a tough time getting 1-3 more people. Was miffed that I didn't get into any of the sessions at GenCon. Fortunately one of my buddies did so he's going to run the scenario for about 6 of us when he gets back (oh there is a group of 4 guys at the LGS every Monday, but that's one of the only nights I can play Destiny......)
so a question I have had on my mind but haven't asked.
with a LCG like arkham how likely is it that any expansion goes out of print for good?
I mean it's popular so I know they will go in and out of stock, but if I didn't pick up what ever came after dunwich for a few years would there be a huge risk of me not being able to get it without paying well above MSRP?
with a LCG like arkham how likely is it that any expansion goes out of print for good?
I mean it's popular so I know they will go in and out of stock, but if I didn't pick up what ever came after dunwich for a few years would there be a huge risk of me not being able to get it without paying well above MSRP?
0%
FFG is really good at reprinting their products. You can take a look at the "Upcoming" page on their website and see a number of items in various stages of reprint (shipping/on the boat/at the printer, etc.). Arkham is also one of their own IPs, so you won't have to worry about them losing the license at any time, like what recently happened with Games Workshop.
Rule of thumb: Never pay over MSRP on an FFG product, unless you know for certain that it's out of print.
good to know.
in other thoughts I see flashpoint has been taken to fig to fund a digital version of the game.
BattleMonkey
Member
Can't have retailers deep discounting their games and competing with their overblown kickstarters now!
And CMON is going to hit 1 mil in less than an hour possibly in it's new Zombicide kickstarter. Poor poor CMON, gotta protect their prices!
Jables Swan
Member
I would probably get on that if they accepted funding from Australia. Their loss.
SapphiCine
Member
I am tempted to back the Deep Space D6 reprint but it looks too luck dependent and having to wait until December sucks. Also the component quality looks subpar for the price.
Geez this thread is all about those LCGs and whatnot, nothing else is talked in here...
On that note Zombicide Green Horde opened yesterday and it's almost $1.3M already. With shipping the price is pretty high, around $140-150 and the ks seems to follow Rising Sun. Anyone backing this?
On that note Zombicide Green Horde opened yesterday and it's almost $1.3M already. With shipping the price is pretty high, around $140-150 and the ks seems to follow Rising Sun. Anyone backing this?
just what is being talked about I mean I suppose I could talk about what I have been playing recently.
Arabian nights (or was it tales) was a fun story based game. even though it's competitive game still went over well with my group that is typically co op focused.
al le cart or whatever was an interesting cooking game that requires some dex. despite a hurt wrist though I was still able to do well.
ravens of shahgri or something like that. a very deceptive game. you look at it and it doesn't seem that complicated. you try it out and boy does it take a bit to get down. lots of semi complex things going on that take a bit to grasp.
I talked about Oh My Goods, but only one other person was interested.
I'm also running a Feast for Odin scenario that's giving super high scores.Team Covenant interview with Matt Newman of FFG discussing The Path to Carcosa AHLCG expansion.
https://youtu.be/W3NWOShvLug
https://youtu.be/W3NWOShvLug
Hey now...I don't complain when people talk about Kickstarter stuff I don't care about.
(Which is basically all Kickstarter stuff.)But yeah Arkham is so good it does deserve its own thread +1.
How are you liking FfO? I'd love to try it but it's sold out everywhere and quite expensive. I'm not the biggest fan of Caverna but don't dislike it.I talked about Oh My Goods, but only one other person was interested.
Hey now...I don't complain when people talk about Kickstarter stuff I don't care about.
But yeah Arkham is so good it does deserve its own thread +1.
Just look at the last page, it's literally all Arkham/LCG stuff. You don't want to write anything here because it gets flooded with that crap.
Why don't you care about KS stuff? There are a lot of good games coming/already released from KS.
I wouldn't say Arkham is crap, just not my cup of tea and there is a lot of talk. A separate thread seems like it makes sense, so no worries.
On top of all that, the various tetris pieces and board filling is one of the more unique mechanics I've encountered in euros. I haven't played Patchwork, but I get the impression that game focuses primarily on board-filling rather than a large mix of mechanics.
*EDIT* CoolStuffInc has 20+ in stock! So if anyone wants to try Odin, I know it's expensive but you have a chance. http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/231083
It's one of my favorite games ever, and I suspect one of Rosenberg's best efforts. The heavy theme of the mechanics makes it feel way more flavorful (at least to me) than something like Agricola. The massive board leads to a large number of strategies that as far as I can tell are quite balanced. The occupations don't feel overly strong and lead to game variety. The solo mode feels rewarding and puzzle-ish, and there's no AI player to manage (your own actions block you for the next round so you can potentially work around them).
On top of all that, the various tetris pieces and board filling is one of the more unique mechanics I've encountered in euros. I haven't played Patchwork, but I get the impression that game focuses primarily on board-filling rather than a large mix of mechanics.
*EDIT* CoolStuffInc has 20+ in stock! So if anyone wants to try Odin, I know it's expensive but you have a chance. http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/231083
I started working on it yesterday. Trying to make it enticing enough without going super in-depth on everything. I should have a first draft finished sometime today, and I can run it by you (and others) if you'd like.
I'll also take suggestions for |OT| subtitles by PM (so as not to further clutter up this thread).
toddhunter
Member
|OT| Could be worse, it could be destiny Han/Ray talk
I talked about Oh My Goods, but only one other person was interested.
I picked up Oh My Goods last week and played a couple rounds solo to get the hang of it. I haven't had a chance to play a full game yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.
I also picked up some other small-box card games to help round out my collection. Isle of Trains and Great Heartland Hauling Company seem like they should be nice additions and be something I can bust out with non-gaming folk when they're visiting.
I've spoken my mind on KS stuff, but it's been a while. My problem with most KS games is that it's just used as a pre-order system, rather than "this will never get produced if it's not crowd-funded." I don't think you should be seeing games from large established companies or top-tier designers on KS. It's just taking all risk out of the equation for the company. I feel that risk is what pushes a good product. Additionally, most games like these can be found at retail a few months after pledges are delivered (or sometimes even before) for quite a bit less than they were offered for on KS. That's a pretty big kick to the stomach for a lot of people.
All that being said, I'm not totally against KS when a new designer needs the platform to make something unique that hasn't been picked up by a big publisher. Gloomhaven is an excellent example of this. I also backed 7th Continent, which I'm really excited to try out when it finally gets to my doorstep in a couple of months. The KS ended in October, 2015, so it's been a long wait and there have been spans of several months where I completely forgot the game existed though.