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New Board Gaming |OT2| On Tables, Off Topic

Awwwww yiss. We definitely need more dinosaur games out there. I still remember how bummed I was when I checked out the "Dinosaur" theme page on BGG and saw how few there were.

Apex and Raptors are mine two dinosaur theme games. Apex is pretty good as solo deck-builder, I thought it was way better than Legendary and as good as Legendary Encounter Aliens.
 

EYEL1NER

Member
8AM CST?

I mean, when I wake up from watching Yuri on Ice way too late :p

We aren't doing any early bird.

Spoiler: Pogs and a Slap bracelet are stretch goals.
Cool deal. I'll be sure to check it out when it goes live.
Apex and Raptors are mine two dinosaur theme games. Apex is pretty good as solo deck-builder, I thought it was way better than Legendary and as good as Legendary Encounter Aliens.
I have Apex but I have yet to play it. HH's artwork really is something else. As soon as I saw the art, I was like "Oh my god, I have to own this. Your EYEL1NER would have died to have had something this cool-looking." I own the Exotic Predators First Edition and then I also Kickstarted the Stomping Grounds Second Edition with all the expansions and promos, but I was one of the people who got burned by Herschel. I got the Upgrade Tier pledge for the Second Edition box with none of the base game cards included, and then also got the upgrade packs and all the expansions. The box and expansions showed up but there were no upgrade packs.
Something went down behind the scenes with WinGo and BlackBox, I don't recall what the excuse was, but after months of waiting for the upgrade and add-on packs to make the two editions compatible he posted an update saying that Black Box had fulfilled shipping on all of its stock and WinGo was refusing to print more cards. Then months after that he dissolved his company and took his website down. He said he ran out of money and was trying to pay for shipping of remaining items out of his family bank account and that he had enough upgrade packs to send to half the people who needed them (several hundred people). He said he would send them out in order of backer number and then never posted again. Some people who had backer numbers in the 20's said they were contacted by him and told he didn't have any more left.
That was back in November, which was the last time he logged into Kickstarter. Several people have uploaded files of all cards for print and play purposes but he was asking them to take the links down. I think most of those people have said "Fuck it" at this point and began posting links again, so maybe I will get the cards I need to have a full edition of the game printed off at ArtsCow or something. I mean, I can play the first edition of the game and try that out, I have everything I need for that. I could also grab a retail copy of the second edition and then I would have everything I need except the cards to use the two exclusive dinosaurs from the Exotic Predators Edition (Sarcosuchus and Quetzalcoatlus) to make them compatible with the new edition. The whole thing has kind of soured me on the game for a while though, so I don't know when I'll get to opening either box again.

Raptor is a fantastic game though. I wanted to get it when it released but waited a bit too long and it went OOS everywhere and the prices went up dramatically. It had been readily available for a good minute but I have yet to buy it. At the moment I do not need to buy it; the guy who runs the new game group I attend own it and he and I played two games of it a couple weeks back. I really enjoy it and will buy my own copy when I move, or maybe before that if I want to try to get my wife to play it.
 

XShagrath

Member
Dinosaur Island looks pretty sweet. How does it work with two though? Auction mechanics are sometimes kinda shaky (or non-functional) at that player count.
 

Taborcarn

Member
Speaking of conventions, anyone going to any other board gaming conventions out there? So far I've only been to HeavyCon, hosted by the HeavyCardboard podcast in Denver, CO. Just finalized plans to go later this year. But I've yet to go anywhere else. I know a few in NJ happen once every few months about an hour or two north of me. And then there's that PAX Unplugged happening in Philly that I'm really interested in going. Hopefully it doesn't sell out as quickly as PAX East.

I doubt I'm going to any cons anytime soon, but PAX Unplugged is super tempting.
 

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
Dinosaur Island looks pretty sweet. How does it work with two though? Auction mechanics are sometimes kinda shaky (or non-functional) at that player count.

The auction actually works fine.

You scale the number of DNA dice for player count so it stays somewhat hard to come by. The other items are a bit more plentiful, but DNA and Security are the two choke points of your engine, so while it plays a bid differently, because you have limited actions regardless of player count it winds up scaling really well.
 

Mikeside

Member
The auction actually works fine.

You scale the number of DNA dice for player count so it stays somewhat hard to come by. The other items are a bit more plentiful, but DNA and Security are the two choke points of your engine, so while it plays a bid differently, because you have limited actions regardless of player count it winds up scaling really well.

how about solo rules?
it sounds like the kind of game that really could do with a solo variant!
 

chifanpoe

Member
Launching a KS tomorrow. Super nervous, been a bit since we've done one of these.

Give you kids a sneak preview:

Jon Gilmour (Dead of Winter) + Brian Lewis (Titans of Industry).

Dinosaur Island.

Tight mid-weight Euro about building a Dinosaur theme park where dinos can escape and eat your guests. Dice as resources, with a pretty competitive resource acquisition phase, a light auction mechanic and worker placement where each player builds their own worker placement board.

It's getting a little tight right now. Art is 100% done, but the (non text) rulebook layout and gameplay video are both finishing the night before :p

Backed!! Looks great, just showed my kids and they are super excited for it as well!

When is it going to go up on BGG?
 

XShagrath

Member
The auction actually works fine.

You scale the number of DNA dice for player count so it stays somewhat hard to come by. The other items are a bit more plentiful, but DNA and Security are the two choke points of your engine, so while it plays a bid differently, because you have limited actions regardless of player count it winds up scaling really well.

Thanks for the quick response. I'll definitely keep my eye on it, as it looks like it has some cool mechanisms, and I love the theme. I look forward to seeing rahdo's runthrough, as his tastes align with mine quite a bit (although I also dig some Ameritrash every now and then).
 

Palmer_v1

Member
I will already guarantee Pandemic Season 2 will be in extreme short supply and will sell out to VIG and members of the Press before the doors ever open. Every single day of the Con.

I probably sound like a broken record at this point but GEEKWAY is the best gaming convention. Small convention in Missouri capped at less than 1500 people. You are guaranteed a free game just for going. Last year I got Fury of Dracula. There will be a long list of the hottest new games that you can play all weekend. For every game logged you have a chance of winning that game at the end of the Con. There are tons of great other prizes given out each day. Miniature Market is just minutes away from the con and has a table of DEEP discounts rotated daily. There are no-ship trades and flea markets. and a ~1000 item FREE Library that you can check out anything you want and play it wherever you want. Want to check out a super rare game overnight and play it in your hotel room? Go for it! Best part of all this is that is all there is to it. Just gaming and more gaming. Geekway is the best.

You say this just as they sell out of their remaining tickets. lol

I'll be there and actually have two extra tickets currently. I have until April 1 to cancel them, though.
 
Dino meeples have to be a license to print money right?

A bit pricey overall for me to jump in on kickstarter but glad it'll be out and about.
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
I will probably back Dino Island becuase the theme and gameplay sound great. Can we ask a question here?

Do you profit anything from KS or do you find your profits come after the fact from retail sales and additional copies? Genuinely curious as I'm contemplating using KS for my first game...
 

Palmer_v1

Member
I'm debating going to a small board gaming convention this weekend, but still haven't decided.

I'm already going to a couple of meetups this week so my "free time usage" is pretty capped. I might go friday night at the very least. I've never gone to a con before, but would love to meet other people from the area and maybe play-to-win some new stuff.

Happen to be in Omaha/Lincoln area? I've got a small-ish one to go to this weekend as well.
 

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
I will probably back Dino Island becuase the theme and gameplay sound great. Can we ask a question here?

Do you profit anything from KS or do you find your profits come after the fact from retail sales and additional copies? Genuinely curious as I'm contemplating using KS for my first game...

We should make *some* money. Generally speaking you pay for your print run, hopefully have a little left over after shipping and make most of your money selling at retail.

If it goes bonkers like Scythe I'm sure you have a lot left over :p
 

chifanpoe

Member
Hahah,

so someone asked what is this game like
[–]JonnyRottenCo-Designer Dead Of Winter [score hidden] 56 minutes ago 
I would say Viticulture, or Brewmasters.
It's a very accessible worker placement game, with a ton of theme
heh then this


[–]OutlierJoe [score hidden] 53 minutes ago 
There is a subtle difference though.
Viticulture: Grow grapes, make wine, sell wine. 
Brewmasters: Grow hobs, make beer, sell beer. 
Dinosaur Island: Grow dinos, make park, hope guests don't get eaten.
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
We should make *some* money. Generally speaking you pay for your print run, hopefully have a little left over after shipping and make most of your money selling at retail.

If it goes bonkers like Scythe I'm sure you have a lot left over :p

Thanks for sharing. This is what I suspected - enough to get the game printed and afford to do some more R&D and play testing.

Really hope it goes well for you guys!
 

Palmer_v1

Member
Yeah. Now I'm thinking I might go to great plains sometime Saturday as Friday won't work.

Edit: going to try and talk to the organizer tonight about the schedule.

I'm probably going up Friday night and coming back Sunday. I've never gone before, so I'm not sure quite what to expect, but I know a few of the people who help organize/run it, so if nothing else, it'll just be a few big gaming days.

Where do you normally game, if you don't mind me asking? I'm now curious if I've ever bumped into you in Omaha or Lincoln before.
 

EYEL1NER

Member
Dinosaur Island looks great. I'll definitely be backing the deluxe version. I do want to watch a gameplay vid first though, or maybe the Rahdo video. I've been reading the rulebook but I'd say I am still pretty unfamiliar with Euros in general so I want to watch some of the content to get a better idea of how it is played. I love the artwork on it.


I received Twilight Struggle and the Millennium Blades Set Rotation expansion and promo packs today. I'm really digging the Set Rotation box and how the actual box is a simple black box with various symbols on it wrapped in cardboard sleeve, similar to a MtG Fat Pack. First thing I did upon opening the package itself was open the Futures Mini-Expansion (promo pack 5) to look at the Seventh Cross artwork. I'm really excited for that game from everything they've said about it so far.
 

Lyng

Member
Arctic Scavengers is so amazing.
So vastly different from other deckbuilders. There are not really any combos in the game, instead you are min maxing your resources to just get by every turn. It evokes the theme of a frozen post apocalyptic wasteland suprisingly well. This is actually a deck builder dripping with theme while still mechanically sound. A masterpiece to be honest.
 

JesseZao

Member
I'm probably going up Friday night and coming back Sunday. I've never gone before, so I'm not sure quite what to expect, but I know a few of the people who help organize/run it, so if nothing else, it'll just be a few big gaming days.

Where do you normally game, if you don't mind me asking? I'm now curious if I've ever bumped into you in Omaha or Lincoln before.

I usually go to a weekly meetup in when I don't have other obligations/programming meetups.

It started pretty small, but there's usually at least 10-12 people now. I've talked with the con organizer at one of these, but it's been a while.
 

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
We should make *some* money. Generally speaking you pay for your print run, hopefully have a little left over after shipping and make most of your money selling at retail.

If it goes bonkers like Scythe I'm sure you have a lot left over :p
I don't know what the day wine expectations were, but looks like it's blowing up pretty nicely so far. I like that it's coming to Tabletopia too; might give that a try.
 

Keasar

Member
Dinosaur Island looks great. I'll definitely be backing the deluxe version. I do want to watch a gameplay vid first though, or maybe the Rahdo video. I've been reading the rulebook but I'd say I am still pretty unfamiliar with Euros in general so I want to watch some of the content to get a better idea of how it is played. I love the artwork on it.


I received Twilight Struggle and the Millennium Blades Set Rotation expansion and promo packs today. I'm really digging the Set Rotation box and how the actual box is a simple black box with various symbols on it wrapped in cardboard sleeve, similar to a MtG Fat Pack. First thing I did upon opening the package itself was open the Futures Mini-Expansion (promo pack 5) to look at the Seventh Cross artwork. I'm really excited for that game from everything they've said about it so far.

Looking forward to getting my copy as well. Also to see some of the art of Seventh Cross. I am always excited now for a new Level99 game now after their last couple of successes. :D
 

zulux21

Member
Hahah,

so someone asked what is this game like
[–]JonnyRottenCo-Designer Dead Of Winter [score hidden] 56 minutes ago 
I would say Viticulture, or Brewmasters.
It's a very accessible worker placement game, with a ton of theme
heh then this


[–]OutlierJoe [score hidden] 53 minutes ago 
There is a subtle difference though.
Viticulture: Grow grapes, make wine, sell wine. 
Brewmasters: Grow hobs, make beer, sell beer. 
Dinosaur Island: Grow dinos, make park, hope guests don't get eaten.

hmmm I don't actually mind viticulture, but in general I am not a huge fan of worker placement games.

will have to look into more as i like the theme (which is something that also doesn't usually happen with worker placement games) though I need to figure out if the theme helps the game or hurts it as the theme to caverna drives me nuts.... why in the hell would dwarfs need to farm outside :/
 

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
I don't know what the day wine expectations were, but looks like it's blowing up pretty nicely so far. I like that it's coming to Tabletopia too; might give that a try.

they were a fraction of this. like, divide by 4 of this :p

So, we're pretty happy with this. It's been in development for a while, and its one we were a bit afraid the art direction might scare some people off. It's what we wanted, but there is that "have we gone insane, and should we have made the game red and brown" moment.
 
I haven't backed anything on Kickstarter for months, but now I want the Champions of Midgard expansions, Food Truck Champion, Thunderstone Quest, Dinosaur Island, an the SU&SD Monikers expansion. That's a lotta Kickstarter :(
 

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
they were a fraction of this. like, divide by 4 of this :p

So, we're pretty happy with this. It's been in development for a while, and its one we were a bit afraid the art direction might scare some people off. It's what we wanted, but there is that "have we gone insane, and should we have made the game red and brown" moment.

Theme is huge, even for eurogames. Feel like the extent to which it's important is really neglected, or people think of "theme" just as like "does it have dragons and shit (theme) or trading in europe (no theme)" when really there are so many underserved themes. Cyberpunk's seen a resurgence, but I think Netrunner capitalized big on this. Dino parks? Fantastic.

Nice that it looks like you guys will hit stretch goals and maybe even some more because I feel like having top-quality components paired with decent+ gameplay is what separates the 'haves' from everyone else on BG KS.
 

Gurrry

Member
Finally figured out the rules of hero clix and played a few games. Fun game. Im tempted to buy some heroes from an ebay lot but all of the seem a little scammy (50 random heroes, etc).

I just want some commons to fill out a decent roster to choose from.
 

Blizzard

Banned
they were a fraction of this. like, divide by 4 of this :p

So, we're pretty happy with this. It's been in development for a while, and its one we were a bit afraid the art direction might scare some people off. It's what we wanted, but there is that "have we gone insane, and should we have made the game red and brown" moment.
I guess you saw my PM, but yeah I almost didn't pull the trigger. I'm more of a green nature theme dino guy than a pink orange purple guy. :p. I imagine some people will love it.
 

fenners

Member
they were a fraction of this. like, divide by 4 of this :p

So, we're pretty happy with this. It's been in development for a while, and its one we were a bit afraid the art direction might scare some people off. It's what we wanted, but there is that "have we gone insane, and should we have made the game red and brown" moment.

I don't know why, but it gives me flashes of Zooloretto, even if there's no actual gameplay mechanics shared, going by the Kickstarter. Must be the personal zoo pen board?

I'll be backing, even if it's a little too sophisticated for my Jurassic Park (and Zooloreto) lovin' kids, they can grow into it.

Do Austin copies get delivered extra quick? ;)
 
Finally figured out the rules of hero clix and played a few games. Fun game. Im tempted to buy some heroes from an ebay lot but all of the seem a little scammy (50 random heroes, etc).

I just want some commons to fill out a decent roster to choose from.

I used to be really into this game but Wizkids really f-ed up just about everything I liked about it when they started shoving over-powered resources down our throats every set. It's also really hit or miss when playing in tournaments. Some people are really cool and some people are complete assholes. The prize support from Wizkids brings out the worst kind of players.

The best thing to do is buy a CUR (common, uncommon, rare set) from a set that you like. They tend to be pretty affordable and offer a lot of options and you know exactly what you are getting.
 

fenners

Member
I used to be really into this game but Wizkids really f-ed up just about everything I liked about it when they started shoving over-powered resources down our throats every set. It's also really hit or miss when playing in tournaments. Some people are really cool and some people are complete assholes. The prize support from Wizkids brings out the worst kind of players.

The best thing to do is buy a CUR (common, uncommon, rare set) from a set that you like. They tend to be pretty affordable and offer a lot of options and you know exactly what you are getting.

Heh, I have a shoebox of Heroclix figures + maps + tokens that I play with my kids. I made up simplistic mini rules (using the dials) to keep it simple & it's kept them playing off & on for a year or two. The proper rules are just too much for them but I guess we're not the audience - I'd never take them to a gamestore to play. Far too hardcore. ;) But the figures are so well produced, and familiar, so it keeps them interested....
 
Heh, I have a shoebox of Heroclix figures + maps + tokens that I play with my kids. I made up simplistic mini rules (using the dials) to keep it simple & it's kept them playing off & on for a year or two. The proper rules are just too much for them but I guess we're not the audience - I'd never take them to a gamestore to play. Far too hardcore. ;) But the figures are so well produced, and familiar, so it keeps them interested....

The updated rules from around when Wizkids came back from the dead weren't too hard to understand and actually some of the new powers like Sidestep are pretty easy to understand too. But the special powers just got more and more bonkers (even though some of them are super cool). The biggest problem was all of the added sideboard stuff that got added like resources that are technically off the map but affect every piece you have and the crazy corner-cases that arise because of them. The person who taught me how to judge tournaments is now working for the rules team and it sounds like a nightmare.

The problem is that tournament play drove the game's popularity and the tournament crowd figured out the meta game so quickly that the Worlds tournaments were a joke for several years causing Wizkids to just add a bunch of complexity. Then they started pulling shit like putting major meta figures as chases in Organized Play sets that you couldn't "legally" purchase blind boxes of.

Home games and small weekly game nights are where the real fun is but it's not what's driving the game's popularity.
 

fenners

Member
The updated rules from around when Wizkids came back from the dead weren't too hard to understand and actually some of the new powers like Sidestep are pretty easy to understand too. But the special powers just got more and more bonkers (even though some of them are super cool). The biggest problem was all of the added sideboard stuff that got added like resources that are technically off the map but affect every piece you have and the crazy corner-cases that arise because of them. The person who taught me how to judge tournaments is now working for the rules team and it sounds like a nightmare.

The problem is that tournament play drove the game's popularity and the tournament crowd figured out the meta game so quickly that the Worlds tournaments were a joke for several years causing Wizkids to just add a bunch of complexity. Then they started pulling shit like putting major meta figures as chases in Organized Play sets that you couldn't "legally" purchase blind boxes of.

Home games and small weekly game nights are where the real fun is but it's not what's driving the game's popularity.

All of that is why I simplified it with my kids. We roll, we move, we attack. They're far too young to be exposed to meta.
 

JesseZao

Member
they were a fraction of this. like, divide by 4 of this :p

So, we're pretty happy with this. It's been in development for a while, and its one we were a bit afraid the art direction might scare some people off. It's what we wanted, but there is that "have we gone insane, and should we have made the game red and brown" moment.

Grats on knocking it out of the dino park! I don't do kickstarter, but I'll be there for retail.
 

EYEL1NER

Member
Tonight was yet another great game night. We had 5 for the first part of the evening and played Dead of Winter, my first time playing (despite owning it for a while). The couple that brought it was fully spun up on the rules and teaching it didn't take long. We played the recommended intro scenerio "We Need More Samples" and I was the traitor. I had way too much I needed to reach in six rounds to get a win, I needed to ensure one non-colony area had four barricades on it, I needed a character with a gun, and I needed two fuel cans that were not starter items. I made a mistake midday through and donated a searched fuel can towards a crisis event rather than my starter can and decided it was unwinnable for me at that point but I had a lot of fun. The others almost lost by morale running out but figure out the right combo needed to clear out 20+ trash, prevent more deaths, and kill enough zombies.

After that the host's wife joined us and we played Codenames, the first time for all of us. We played five games of it and I have to say, it lived up to the hype for me. It is a real brain-burner at times and really gets you thinking. There are those moments though where you feel like you've got an easy one and don't guess right and you just sit there like "What is going through your mind right now? How is that NOT correct?"
Example: One of the first clues in the first game for my team was Volkswagen. I can't recall what the actual results were, there weren't too many that could be stretched to fit a clue like 'car,' but Berlin was on the board. I looked at my partner and said "Berlin." He nodded his head, we selected it, and our spymaster put a bystander on it. I was flabbergasted and said "Berlin is in Germany, isn't it?" Another moment that got me agitated was when I gave the clue "Sagittarius, 1" and my team didn't know that "Centaus" was the answer. There wasn't anything else that could remotely work, like "Bow" or something," but apparently none of them were born in December. They were leaning toward "Scorpion" for a while before finally taking a stab in the dark at Centaur. The game puts some serious stress on both parties, the spymasters and the guessers.
It can feel great when you finally find a link though, like the one that won the last game. I had "Shark" and "Hawk" left and was drawing a blank. They didn't guess "Hawk" when I gave them "Flight, 2" at the beginning of the game with "Helicoptor" and "Hawk" next to each other. Luckily their non-Helipcotor guess, "Engine," was one of ours too. But by the end there were other animals left and "Ambulence" was the assassin. My mind kept going to how fast a shark and a falcon are, but I was worried that anything related to speed would bring out the assassin. Finally it came to me: "Predator, 2."
It's an exciting game for sure.



With the Amazon "$8 off $50" deal from today, I picked up a couple things. I got Roll For It Deluxe, which I felt before was a bit too expensive at $27 but a little more bearable after taking a couple dollars off. I also got Super Motherload and am pumped for it to show up on Friday. Next week we'll be playing some lighter games for the first two hours while we wait for a guy from tonight to show up at 8 (he can do every other week but said he could maybe swing every week but he'd have to show up after 8 every other week). Two of the people hadn't played Splendor so we'll do that and then whatever else. Once 8:00 rolls around, we'll be playing Xia since a couple people are really hyped on it.
 

Artanisix

Member
what are some good 2 player board games i can play with the girlfriend? preferably one you don't have to invest enormous amounts of time to learn or play.
 
what are some good 2 player board games i can play with the girlfriend? preferably one you don't have to invest enormous amounts of time to learn or play.
Do they have to be board games? Because there are a lot of great 2 player cards games. Tides of madness is one that my wife and I are enjoying a lot recently.
 

AMUSIX

Member
what are some good 2 player board games i can play with the girlfriend? preferably one you don't have to invest enormous amounts of time to learn or play.

Current favorite at our house is Onitama. Very simple to learn, always a great strategy game.

Other favorites have been Patchwork and Asante. Patchwork is a bit lighter, Asante has a few more rules/card interactions, but both provide a nice back and forth.

Tides of Time is also excellent, and a simple one to bring out at an airport or something, but know that if one of you 'gets it' and the other doesn't as much, then there will be major steamrolling...which is not fun.


Oh, and for a more traditional board game, Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries is very highly recommended (and can support a third player, if a friend stops by).
 
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