[flashburn2012]

Yeah, I had a lot of fun playing Burgundy. Definitely want to play it again soon.

[Xater]

Hmm the overstaying it's welcome problem and player elimination make it less attractive to me. I'll probably skip it then. Then I guess I'll continue my wait for the re-prints of Jaipur and Samurai.

[shrimpjive]

Hmm the overstaying it's welcome problem and player elimination make it less attractive to me. I'll probably skip it then. Then I guess I'll continue my wait for the re-prints of Jaipur and Samurai.

It can be a fun and thrilling experience, but, as the others pointed out, it's not without its flaws. In addition to the surprisingly grueling player elimination, this game suffers from one of the worst cases of a "runaway leader" I've ever encountered. Whatever individual is lucky enough to break from the pack early on is most likely going to win.

With that being said, though, the game can still be a blast, especially if you're a fan of push your luck type games.

[UpperCaseN]

It can be a fun and thrilling experience, but, as the others pointed out, it's not without its flaws. In addition to the surprisingly grueling player elimination, this game suffers from one of the worst cases of a "runaway leader" I've ever encountered. Whatever individual is lucky enough to break from the pack early on is most likely going to win. With that being said, though, the game can still be a blast, especially if you're a fan of push your luck type games.

starting positions can really muck up a person's game, too. You know what, I think I've decided to trade this one away next math trade.

[BattleMonkey]

It can be a fun and thrilling experience, but, as the others pointed out, it's not without its flaws. In addition to the surprisingly grueling player elimination, this game suffers from one of the worst cases of a "runaway leader" I've ever encountered. Whatever individual is lucky enough to break from the pack early on is most likely going to win. With that being said, though, the game can still be a blast, especially if you're a fan of push your luck type games.

I think the advanced rules make it less about who gets ahead early in the game, lot more player flexibility and chance involved for all.

[AstroLad]

I sold Formula D because it's one of those games that's too kind of long and boring and slightly complex (with proper rules) to be a good party games but not meaty enough to be a real game. I like Snow Tails more because it streamlines the concept a lot, so falls much more clearly into the former category.

That said, I've considered rebuying it because it does reasonably accomodate 5+ and is a good game, which is a rare combo.

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

I've played Formula D once and while it is fun, the game can really drag. We did a three lap race but I think two laps is plenty. By the third lap is started to drag and our cars were on their last legs.

[UpperCaseN]

anybody here use poker chips instead of the paper or cardboard money that comes with games? did you go for a good or cheap set?

[fenners]

anybody here use poker chips instead of the paper or cardboard money that comes with games? did you go for a good or cheap set?

Regularly. My friend that usually hosts our game nights has a set of "mini chips" that we use for substitute money in a bunch of games & especially any Age of Steam/train games...I've no idea where he bought them from, but this link on BGG shows what they look like.



They're small, but work well.

[Neverfade]

anybody here use poker chips instead of the paper or cardboard money that comes with games? did you go for a good or cheap set?

The poker chip set I bought at Target is pretty damn solid.

Going forward though:

I backed Realm Coins on Kickstarter. This is how they turned out. Hoping they'll be here next week-ish. I think they look pretty damn cool.

[Ubersnug]

Being a huge fan of Last Night on Earth, and buying every single expansion that came out for it, I decided to buy Fortune and Glory based on the fantastic review by Robert Florence (of Video Gaiden and Consolevania fame). He has a knack for making every game he plays sound awesome and loves to emphasise when a game is heavy on the theme. Can't wait to play this with friends.

[Xater]

I have to say that I am already getting tired of Smallworld. It is not a bad game by any means, but it never feels like you are really fighting over the land. Stuff is just happening and at the end you hopefully have enough coins. So my main problem is it doesn't feel as competitive as I hoped it would feel. For me it is a good 6 and I will probably get rid of it again.

[Cathcart]

Yeah I've never really liked Smallworld. I guess that means I'm broken but I just don't get why everyone loves it so much.

anybody here use poker chips instead of the paper or cardboard money that comes with games? did you go for a good or cheap set?

Check out pokershipping.com. I got a really nice set of 13.5g clay chips that I love using for games. I went with the blank chips because I figured I could just adjust the value depending on what the game calls for but the 500pc was probably overkill. A 300pc set should be plenty for most games.

[StoOgE]

I hate paper money, but hate explaining how much each boker chip is worth over and over again.. so I use the paper money. It's only really annoying in Power Grid since so much changes hands.

Also, I have a website! According to the artist my game should have a logo/boxart over the weekend and hopefully the rest of the cards by the end of next week. Which is pretty much all the kickstarter is waiting on at this point. Unless Game Salute puts the brakes on things.. they have a copy of my game in "playtesting"... I've heard they are really really slow at approving games, so I may just go it alone and see if they'll distribute after the fact.


http://pandasaurusgames.com/

Any feedback on layout would be appreciated, I sort of suck at web design, and this is my first foray into WordPress.

I'm going to be adding some facebook/twitter/mail list crap to the bottom of every page. The facebook code isn't playing well with my layout though.

[BattleMonkey]

Being a huge fan of Last Night on Earth, and buying every single expansion that came out for it, I decided to buy Fortune and Glory based on the fantastic review by Robert Florence (of Video Gaiden and Consolevania fame). He has a knack for making every game he plays sound awesome and loves to emphasise when a game is heavy on the theme. Can't wait to play this with friends.

It has great theme, been fairly popular with the group, I just wish they stopped using that glossy finish on all their products, it makes seeing anything on the board difficult. The only issue I really have with F&G, is it's crazy amount of components. It's a fairly simple/quick game but set up and clean up can get annoying with how many variable components, and many you don't use except for certain modes.

[StoOgE]

It has great theme, been fairly popular with the group, I just wish they stopped using that glossy finish on all their products, it makes seeing anything on the board difficult. The only issue I really have with F&G, is it's crazy amount of components. It's a fairly simple/quick game but set up and clean up can get annoying with how many variable components, and many you don't use except for certain modes.

The cards are also really hard to sleeve and kind of stick together. I like lnoe, a lot. Just hate te cards so so much.

[Cathcart]

I hate paper money, but hate explaining how much each boker chip is worth over and over again.. so I use the paper money. It's only really annoying in Power Grid since so much changes hands.

We play enough of Power Grid and Acquire that I made a template in MS Paint with four or five colored circles and printed a bunch out. That way everyone gets a sheet. The circles are chip size and the values are underneath the circles so if you want you can just stack your chips up on top of the guide and the number is right there. Totally worth it for even one game of Acquire.

[BattleMonkey]

The cards are also really hard to sleeve and kind of stick together. I like lnoe, a lot. Just hate te cards so so much.

Yea you gotta bend the cards when you get them to basically separate them. They get better and stop sticking after several games as they build up oils from player hands (yea I know that sounds bad lol).

[StoOgE]

Yea you gotta bend the cards when you get them to basically separate them. They get better and stop sticking after several games as they build up oils from player hands (yea I know that sounds bad lol).

Hmm, I guess part of my issue is not getting my copy to the table enough.

[Drey1082]

We play enough of Power Grid and Acquire that I made a template in MS Paint with four or five colored circles and printed a bunch out. That way everyone gets a sheet. The circles are chip size and the values are underneath the circles so if you want you can just stack your chips up on top of the guide and the number is right there. Totally worth it for even one game of Acquire.

I feel like one major factor in Power Grid is not knowing exactly how much money each player has. Using chips makes this info seem much too public, which changes the game slightly.

[UpperCaseN]

thanks for the poker chip advice, everyone

Check out pokershipping.com. I got a really nice set of 13.5g clay chips that I love using for games. I went with the blank chips because I figured I could just adjust the value depending on what the game calls for but the 500pc was probably overkill. A 300pc set should be plenty for most games.

I like this site, I think I'll go with it in the near future. I just gotta figure out what weight I like. I added a random set to the shopping cart just to check shipping and it was only $10

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

I hate paper money, but hate explaining how much each boker chip is worth over and over again.. so I use the paper money. It's only really annoying in Power Grid since so much changes hands.

Have you seen the Artscow money deck for Power Grid? My group uses that now instead of the paper money and it works well. The denomination is printed one side and the other is a generic back. It's nice because it's sturdier than the paper money, plus you are able to easily conceal how much cash you have.

[StoOgE]

Have you seen the Artscow money deck for Power Grid? My group uses that now instead of the paper money and it works well. The denomination is printed one side and the other is a generic back. It's nice because it's sturdier than the paper money, plus you are able to easily conceal how much cash you have.

What's the card quality like? This looks pretty amazing otherwise.

You may have just saved my favourite game!

[Cathcart]

I feel like one major factor in Power Grid is not knowing exactly how much money each player has. Using chips makes this info seem much too public, which changes the game slightly.

I have a set of blinds people can use if they want. I know the value of the chips so I usually don't bother and just hold the chips in my hand under the table.

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

What's the card quality like? This looks pretty amazing otherwise. You may have just saved my favourite game!

I would say a little thinner than playing cards. If you search for Artscow coupons you can probably find some discount to make the deck cheaper.

[AstroLad]

What are some good sites to buy poker chips at? Price & quality look very good at that site but I don't see any blanks (unless I missed them), so maybe somewhere with more variety? Kinda surprised at how little selection Amazon has.

[StoOgE]

I would say a little thinner than playing cards. If you search for Artscow coupons you can probably find some discount to make the deck cheaper.

Or I could do what I do with all cards and sleeve them!

[besada]

http://pandasaurusgames.com/ Any feedback on layout would be appreciated, I sort of suck at web design, and this is my first foray into WordPress.

You misspelled sleeves twice on the Smoke section, as "sleaves".

[StoOgE]

You misspelled sleeves twice on the Smoke section, as "sleaves".

Thanks! Fixed!

I have a fiancé with a journalism degree that was supposed to catch that kind o crap.

[besada]

Thanks! Fixed! I have a fiancé with a journalism degree that was supposed to catch that kind o crap.

In the second paragraph on the Roller Coaster Rush page it looks like the game title was clipped off.

On the Contact page you have the following text "he was the lead designers" which should obviously be singular, not plural.

I signed up for the mailing list and can't wait to see more of the game. The time-limit mechanic sounds great.

[Cyan]

Love the time limit idea, though I'm not sure how that'll play out in practice. Good notion, though; I was just thinking that this looked like a game lending itself to analysis paralysis.

[FallingEdge]

Okay! I will buy Ascension and Thunderstone this weekend. Thanks for the suggestions and I am always open for more!

[StoOgE]

Love the time limit idea, though I'm not sure how that'll play out in practice. Good notion, though; I was just thinking that this looked like a game lending itself to analysis paralysis.

Thanks! It works really well actually, it kind of has an issue with the 2 player game that I'm working through, but it's not game breaking.

AP was setting in with the game, so timer!

[flashburn2012]

Okay! I will buy Ascension and Thunderstone this weekend. Thanks for the suggestions and I am always open for more!

Thunderstone Advance comes out next week, I'd wait for that. Your local gaming store might be doing an early release including a free mini expansion as well. Starts today.

[Shoogoo]

Just when I had a question about Thunderstone Advance, people are discussing it :D

I never played Thunderstone and I often considered buying it. I hear that this advance version can be either played alone or as an expansion, right?

Why is it advanced? Are there more rules?

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Just when I had a question about Thunderstone Advance, people are discussing it :D I never played Thunderstone and I often considered buying it. I hear that this advance version can be either played alone or as an expansion, right? Why is it advanced? Are there more rules?

It looks like it is compatible with the previous releases. From what I understand, it's not that they added more rules, but they streamlined the existing rules.

[Xater]

I think Tom Vasel did two great videos about Thunderstone Advance.

One for new players: http://www.dicetower.com/game_review...w-players.html

And another for people who just want to know about the changes: http://www.dicetower.com/game_review...d-players.html

I also just played my first game of El Grande and man is this game awesome. such simple mechanics but it works so well and it is tactical to boot! It also felt more competitive than Small World does and I am not even killing anything. I should have bought this instead right from the start.

[platypotamus]

As much as I hated Thunderstone, plaiying it on Yucata, and that review (Undead Ents?!?!) makes me want to give Advance a shot...


Oh, also I think I'll go send some Thunderstone invites on yucata....

[AstroLad]

yeeeeah, tempted to put in an order myself. damn you yucata

thunderstone advance
claustrophobia
dungeon petz
ticket to ride india

[StoOgE]

Has anyone played the India and China maps?

I'm fairly interested in picking them up, but my experience with TTR maps not in the US is taking 5 minutes to figure out where the cities are.

[fenners]

Has anyone played the India and China maps? I'm fairly interested in picking them up, but my experience with TTR maps not in the US is taking 5 minutes to figure out where the cities are.

Played the "team Asia" map last weekend with one experienced player & two noobs. We split the noobs between us to make it fair-ish ;)

For background, I've played a *ton* of TtR & its variations; love Big Cities most on the USA map & Nordic for 2 player, mildly dislike Europe's mechanics, really dislike Switzerland's ticket rush.

Really enjoyed the team game. Shared routes + train cards works well, with some simple strategy of making it clear what you're doing outside of those shared routes without being explicit (as that's not allowed). The reduced number of trains per person makes the game end come around quickly if you're not watching.

The "Team Asia" map had some interesting rule tweaks - each tunnel has a number printed on it showing the cards drawn for matches instead of the usual fixed 3, and connections with 2 or 3 routes to grab are funky in that both team partners can grab them to block the opposing team (with a 3 connection route, there will still be one available even if the opp grabs 2).

I liked it & will likely buy it over the other map pack with Switzerland in it - disliked that setup the more I played it & glad I cashed out ahead of the re-release.

[added]
Oh & one very cool thing - the route cards showing cities are *leaps & bounds* above every other edition. They show a much better representation of the overall map & position of the two cities for the route. Flip it to the correct orientation for your position around the table & you're sorted. Seriously, *way* better than previous games IMO.

[StoOgE]

Sounds good, b/c the Nordic maps are filled with cities I cannot pronounce or find.

[AstroLad]

I loooove Nordic Countries, but yeah it can be really tough to find cities on that map.

[AstroLad]

First CSI order of the year :D

Dungeon Petz: Hope this is good -- don't let me down Vlaada! CSI had it on sale (few bucks off regular I think) which is what prompted this order. I skipped out on Dungeon Lords but heard this was a bit easier. Hoping it will be a good game-night game (i.e. heavy medium ~2 hours).

Claustrophobia: Heard so many good things about this and I don't have many thematic games left so made it the other big part of my order.

Rivals for Catan: Trying to fill in a gap in my collection, which is light medium 2P games. Have so many light and so many heavies but want something meaty but easy to teach. Quite liked the card game I just thought it was a tad broken and supposedly this game fixes that issue.

Thunderstone Advance: Heard a lot of good things about this reboot. AEG can thank Yucata for getting me into this series in the first place.

[besada]

Has anyone played the India and China maps? I'm fairly interested in picking them up, but my experience with TTR maps not in the US is taking 5 minutes to figure out where the cities are.

Yep, played India, Asia, Legendary Asia. I like all of them, though all have their own eclair quirks. India, in particular, can get pretty contentious with its maximum number of players. There are a couple of destinations that fill of fast.

Legendary Asia also has some difficult spots, where mostofthe difficulty for Asiais that it's team, based.

It's been awhile since I've played the U.S. map because we're all someone of India and Legendary Asia.

You will have difficulties finding cities, depending on your knowledge of the geography. I find India a little easier in that regard. Oh, and on Asia, if you have to go to Lhasa, build there first. It is the death of all friendships. At least once a game we have someone clutching their hair because they got locked out of it.

[Cardigan]

Farmageddon, a Kickstarter game, has about an hour left to go. It has already been funded, but about $700 is needed so that every backed copy gets a free expansion. It's only $12 for the game and it's received good reviews, so I would recommend people check it out before it's over.

[StoOgE]

Farmageddon, a Kickstarter game, has about an hour left to go. It has already been funded, but about $700 is needed so that every backed copy gets a free expansion. It's only $12 for the game and it's received good reviews, so I would recommend people check it out before it's over.

Man, it's made a crazy last second push. I'm backing this one, hope it makes it.

[Emerson]

God damnit, I was gonna fund that but it ran out when I was in the middle of doing so.

[Xater]

Farmageddon, a Kickstarter game, has about an hour left to go. It has already been funded, but about $700 is needed so that every backed copy gets a free expansion. It's only $12 for the game and it's received good reviews, so I would recommend people check it out before it's over.

well they made it and I missed my opportunity. This game looks fun. Oh well, maybe it will do good enough so that it will get a german release. I'd buy it.

[UpperCaseN]

I placed an order for Fluch der Mumie/Pyramid. I really wish it was in English but I know this one's super language independent