XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
My brother in law moved to Dallas about 2 years ago. Then I moved to NYC.
Twilight Struggle has sat unplayed ever since then.
There's always Wargameroom until the digital version is out!
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New Board Gaming |OT2| On Tables, Off Topic
- Thread starter Karkador
- Start date
There's always Wargameroom until the digital version is out!
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
It was already too late. Game had been ordered, will be here tomorrow. I am hearing nothing but great things about it. I am probably going to get Netrunner as well as they still look pretty different.
It's good. If you enjoy deck builders with a twist give it a look.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Mage Wars isn't a deckbuilder. It's a game like Magic with board positioning like Summoner Wars. Maybe you are thinking of Mage Knight?
Affeinvasion
Member
Mage wars was the first game I ever traded away. It was too fiddly for my liking and I realized I had no want to build a spellbook ever...especially since it takes forever to put in and take out all the cards from the binder.
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
You can build decks in Mage Wars, I thought? There is a card pool in the base game and is expanded through the xpacs. Me and my friends really get into that because we play Magic. This will be more of a fair ground for our friends who don't play all the time (MtG) but still love to build decks and play.
blindrocket
Member
Is there a good, general tabletop website / blog that you guys use?
Something to stay on top of trends, kick starters, and upcoming games, perhaps?
Something to stay on top of trends, kick starters, and upcoming games, perhaps?
boardgamegeek.com
BattleMonkey
Member
boardgamegeek
blindrocket
Member
Thanks. You know, I use BGG all of the time (via a Google search) while researching a game, I just never thought to visit the main page. Hah
BattleMonkey
Member
Main page hotness on the side often shows you what everyone is talking about alone, but also their forums are full of good info
I've played Marvel Dice Masters a couple of times now and I'm sold, it's a genuinely good game and this comes from a guy who didn't like Quarriors and didn't like Dominion which are similar on some levels. What makes it more enjoyable to me is creating a team, the ability to reroll and prepping dice. The biggest drawback is that it'll be a while before I'll find a booster-pack somewhere.
blindrocket
Member
I watched a video of it being played, I think it was made by boardgamegeek, but honestly it turned me away from it. I know I shouldn't judge it without actually playing it though.
When explained it doesn't sound compelling. I agree. And it's probably not for everyone.
I play this pretty much every weekend. I have a good bit of stuff cause I got a starter off ebay, but got a booster box before CSI ran out. So much fun!
Worst or greatest monster?
I really want to get Dice Masters, but i have no idea what it is really. Sounds like something that people can play off to the side when Legendary fills up
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
Mage Knight is da bess game
I am looking for a FAST and SIMPLE dungeon crawler that is actually fun, mostly to compare to something I am designing. Not looking to steal anything, just observing more of what's out there.
Any thoughts on Cutthroat Caverns? I've grown to hate Pathfinder ACG and the others I own are a liiiiitle too long and involved to compare to what I'm working on. Suggestions? Thoughts?
Any thoughts on Cutthroat Caverns? I've grown to hate Pathfinder ACG and the others I own are a liiiiitle too long and involved to compare to what I'm working on. Suggestions? Thoughts?
It might not be exactly what you're looking for as it's just two player, but Claustrophobia's my personal favourite dungeon crawler.
CapNBritain
Member
Dice Masters is a pretty fun game, although there are two things that bother me. One is that the theme is a little disconnected from the game, compared to a game like Heroclix. The whole fielding dice and playing powers really doesn't feel like you're running a squad of superheroes. The other thing is how combat works. In Dice Masters, you often want your characters to die, because they then get added to the handful of dice you roll for your next turn, making your next turn huge. It feels completely weird and different from any other game, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It just takes a while to wrap your head around, and in my experience, lead to situations where there's a lot of stalling and/or making direct damage way stronger than it should be.
The great thing about this game though, is that you can get a whole bunch of stuff to play with by just buying a starter and a box of boosters. It was < $70 for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing a random draft-like format with friends. There are also tournaments held at comic/game stores that hand out free participation prizes. Someone gave me a hand-made comic book dice bag at one for free, just because!
Cutthroat Caverns is perhaps less of a "dungeon crawler", (there isn't an actual dungeon), but more of a boss rush mode where you need to cooperate to proceed forward in the series of monsters, but only the player who gets the killing blow on it gets any points. The monsters are interesting because they tend to put a drastic spin on the mechanics (some are pretty creative), and the rather elegant thing about this game is that the # of monsters you fight (and their difficulty) scales based on how many people you start with...and doesn't change if players die. So despite how much easier it would be if your pesky adventurer friends were dead and not stealing your points, you need them to be there as meat shields, at least.
On paper, the game is more interesting than Pathfinder ACG because it's got more of an element of human drama (playing against other people) than Pathfinder ACG's really by-the-numbers, rinse-and-repeat procedure of just drawing a card and rolling dice to beat the number. Pathfinder is neat because you gain all these cards with your equipment and your loot, and it's supposed to grow and carry over game-to-game. But I realized that you have to play the entire campaign to feel the satisfaction of that, which is just....at that point, if I was getting the same group of people together to play Pathfinder with me on a regular basis, then why not just play the real thing?
However, I've only played Cutthroat Caverns once so far, and I think people were kind of confused by it. The actual cards you're playing in the game are a bit convoluted, and that makes understanding the tactics of the game a bit difficult at first. I would love to try it again, but I wish the game was a bit more streamlined, as the game really should be about how you game other people, not how complicated the effect on a card is.
Hey Board Game GAF, long time lurker first time poster. I wanted to mention that my brother just having successfully launched Province, a Eurogame-style microgame is running a Kickstarter for a new microgame, an ambitious ameritrash Lovecraftian adventure called Shadows of Arkham.
It's a cooperative race against unknowable horrors for two to four brave players. If that sounds like fun to you, check it out!
It's a cooperative race against unknowable horrors for two to four brave players. If that sounds like fun to you, check it out!
Great question! I haven't playtested it yet (though the rules are available and anyone is free to join the "Labrats" feedback group), but what I like about the game is how they've smartly separated the "threat cards" that you're trying to overcome into two physically separated Arkham and Shadow decks. This means there are more variations in your play experience since it's not just a matter of flipping a card (since if you already knew the effects there wouldn't be much replay value).
There are a lot of smart and economical decisions like that which makes the game exciting, since it doesn't take very long to play and you're guaranteed a different experience on each playthrough. And for what you're getting in the box I'd say the price ($25) is pretty reasonable, and it's Made in America too.
There are a lot of smart and economical decisions like that which makes the game exciting, since it doesn't take very long to play and you're guaranteed a different experience on each playthrough. And for what you're getting in the box I'd say the price ($25) is pretty reasonable, and it's Made in America too.
blindrocket
Member
Mansions of Madness, yay or nay?
Seems interesting, but I've read the overseer or whatever has to act more like a dungeon master to make sure the players have a good time.
Seems interesting, but I've read the overseer or whatever has to act more like a dungeon master to make sure the players have a good time.
Ehh. Some decent ideas but setup is fucking insane. And I personally find that some scenarios are exactly the way you describe, dungeon-mastery. I quickly found a new home for my copy.
One Foul Note
Member
Ummm, probably nay. I have two major issues with MoM, firstly the setup is nuts which the guy above mentioned. Mainly cos due to hidden information most of it can only be done by the evil player (the Keeper I believe he is called.) And secondly the pacing feels really off for a Lovecraft game, it goes from 0% to 100% in about two turns and certain aspects like Shoggoths breaking down doors lose some impact when they happen so quick. That said no Lovecraft game has really got the pacing right but MoM is particularly bad. Mansions has some really cool ideas and every so often you get some really awesome memorable moments but given the prices and setup times I just don't think it is worth it.
Good models though, one of my mates reused the Shoggoth model you get in Mansions to be the star player for his Nurgle Blood Bowl team. I like to believe it is the same dude, he is a servant of an elder god in the summer months and in the winter ones he plays Football!
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
Wanted to order an additional set of dice for my 1st edition of Descent and the item isn't even on FFG store anymore lol. There is a set on ebay for 20 with free shipping so I guess that is my path. I also checked some of the xpacs on there aaaaaaand yep still over 100 dollars for the ones I don't have ;_;
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
I got to try out Thunder Alley last night. It's GMT's racing game that spent forever on the P500 list. It's a game that tries to simulate NASCAR, more specifically it simulates the drafting movement and it's effect on other cars.
Instead of one car each player controls a team of up to six cars (depending on the number of players). Each car activates once a round and a round ends once all cars have been activated. The game, itself, is card driven instead of dice like Formula D. You are given a hand of cards that you will be using to move your cars. Each card will have a movement value as well has some sort "draft" effect. The draft effect will either push or pull other cars along as long as they are directly in front or behind the car that was just activated. This can even move cars that have already been activated for the round. It's a really simple but interesting system that is as easy to play as Formula D.
I was skeptical at first. I hate NASCAR, so a game that specifically simulating a NASCAR race didn't really appeal to me. However, this game is awesome. Puzzling out movements and draft effects is satisfying and offers just enough challenge to be interesting but not too much to be frustrating.
Instead of one car each player controls a team of up to six cars (depending on the number of players). Each car activates once a round and a round ends once all cars have been activated. The game, itself, is card driven instead of dice like Formula D. You are given a hand of cards that you will be using to move your cars. Each card will have a movement value as well has some sort "draft" effect. The draft effect will either push or pull other cars along as long as they are directly in front or behind the car that was just activated. This can even move cars that have already been activated for the round. It's a really simple but interesting system that is as easy to play as Formula D.
I was skeptical at first. I hate NASCAR, so a game that specifically simulating a NASCAR race didn't really appeal to me. However, this game is awesome. Puzzling out movements and draft effects is satisfying and offers just enough challenge to be interesting but not too much to be frustrating.
I was really curious how that game turned out, since it's most definitely way outside of GMT's wheelhouse (no pun intended),
Last night's plays:
Istanbul; Continues to be awesome. Plays quickly, super simple rules, fantastic components, comes to a nice, tense ending as people are racing for that last ruby. A favorite of 2014 so far.
Chronicle; I don't know what got into me to order this, as I historically hate trick taking games. This is a Japanese designer-slash-firecracker Seiji Kanai creation, and it shows. So much of that micro-game, back and forth that Love Letter brings comes through here that I don't even mind the trick taking. A variable goals deck kept me thinking of new ways to use the cards to shuffle others around the table in order to position them to qualify for points. Super cheap price point. Plays 5 which is very convenient. Definitely check this one out.
Istanbul; Continues to be awesome. Plays quickly, super simple rules, fantastic components, comes to a nice, tense ending as people are racing for that last ruby. A favorite of 2014 so far.
Chronicle; I don't know what got into me to order this, as I historically hate trick taking games. This is a Japanese designer-slash-firecracker Seiji Kanai creation, and it shows. So much of that micro-game, back and forth that Love Letter brings comes through here that I don't even mind the trick taking. A variable goals deck kept me thinking of new ways to use the cards to shuffle others around the table in order to position them to qualify for points. Super cheap price point. Plays 5 which is very convenient. Definitely check this one out.
IMO, it's Seiji Kanai's best game.
Hey we played that for the first time last night too. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Got to finally try Star Realms.
So, is this a better Ascension?
Well, compared to base Ascension, I think there isn't too much Star Realms has above it- the theme is marginally better, the mechanics are almost identical, the artwork is kind of boring (and I think Ascension's artwork is cool), and the playtime seemed about the same. There is some further streamlining done to the formula, but it still feels about the same (if not a bit too swingy at times).
But wow, I really liked how each player starts with a pool of points (it felt like HP) that you have to knock down to 0. It shifts the tension of the game into this struggle to defeat your opponent, but keep your defenses up and stay alive. It's a lot scarier in a game when a player is removing your points rather than gaining points from a meaningless point pool. After 2 games, I came away pleased and wanting to play more. For 2 players, it really felt like a head-to-head match.
As far as space themed deck builders go? I dunno, I think Eminent Domain is a bit more interesting and unique in its design (and feels like the total 4x space game package). I haven't tried Core Worlds.
So, is this a better Ascension?
Well, compared to base Ascension, I think there isn't too much Star Realms has above it- the theme is marginally better, the mechanics are almost identical, the artwork is kind of boring (and I think Ascension's artwork is cool), and the playtime seemed about the same. There is some further streamlining done to the formula, but it still feels about the same (if not a bit too swingy at times).
But wow, I really liked how each player starts with a pool of points (it felt like HP) that you have to knock down to 0. It shifts the tension of the game into this struggle to defeat your opponent, but keep your defenses up and stay alive. It's a lot scarier in a game when a player is removing your points rather than gaining points from a meaningless point pool. After 2 games, I came away pleased and wanting to play more. For 2 players, it really felt like a head-to-head match.
As far as space themed deck builders go? I dunno, I think Eminent Domain is a bit more interesting and unique in its design (and feels like the total 4x space game package). I haven't tried Core Worlds.
BattleMonkey
Member
It's awesome models, just sucks that empire gets jack when it comes to epic play.
blindrocket
Member
I don't know what, but if these ships do well I think that they'll try and release something comparable.
One Foul Note
Member
God I hope not. I pretty much have to grab everything empire and my wallet already hates me enough.
On a related note, had my first Phantom game last night and that ship can be a powerhouse. I murdered Ibtisam in two turns at range 3 with Whisper
BattleMonkey
Member
Not much in the lore for them to tap into of similar size. lancer frigates perhaps, but those are bigger than the Corvettes.
Part of it I do think is an experiment to see if people are willing to pay the high price tags on these larger models. But they are limited in what they can produce without going even bigger, and having to break the 100 dollar price barrier probably.
Yeah I feel the same, maybe the 7th movie introduces something nice.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
The Empire's ships are gigantic. They would have to really play with the scale if they want something to fit on the table. I would love to see a Star Destroyer though.
blindrocket
Member
Yes, like I said I don't know what they could use. I think that if they can find something they'll do it though.
But what?! I don't know if they're allowed to make stuff up.
weremichael
Member
How about some recommendations for some two player games? My wife and I play a lot of cribbage and farkle, but would like to play some board games too.
Jaipur
Race for the Galaxy*
Innovation*
Battleline
Blood Bowl: Team Manager*
Guildhall
Lost Cities
Morels
Hive
Ticket to Ride
Carcassonne
War of the Ring******
* = Probably not best for beginner gaming