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[AstroLad]

The flavor and the card game mechanic are only tangentially connected. I think the XBLA game actually improves on this a little -- really cementing the theme, that you're managing expeditions.

Yep. I think a better approach would be to have the cards get you closer and closer to some destination. E.g., start in a city and wind your way toward some treasure. Instead you just zoom in on some crappy picture.

No big deal, we play really fast so there's little time to look at anything but I do appreciate better visual appeal. I have to say of the 10 or so games I've gotten in the past few months, 1960 takes the cake by far in this department.

Astrolad, there are some nifty user created pieces over at BGG that you might want to look into for Lost Cities.

Actually I just noticed those--might check them out. Seems like the entire game (reskinned, probably better) is there for d/l too :lol.

 

[Flynn]

Yep. I think a better approach would be to have the cards get you closer and closer to some destination. E.g., start in a city and wind your way toward some treasure. Instead you just zoom in on some crappy picture.

No big deal, we play really fast so there's little time to look at anything but I do appreciate better visual appeal. I have to say of the 10 or so games I've gotten in the past few months, 1960 takes the cake by far in this department. The game is about, essentially, getting into the black on your exploration investments.



Actually I just noticed those--might check them out. Seems like the entire game (reskinned, probably better) is there for d/l too :lol.

I think the intention of the game, though, isn't that you're getting to the dig -- it's that you're bank rolling it, at least in part. The early multipliers are your investment and your numbered cards are the positive cash value that you net from the ongoing exploration.

Here's an update on Agricola (still a month off probably):

Agricola has been printed and will ship from the printer during the week of June 21st. Once you factor in a shipping time of at least three weeks, the preorders should start to ship from the Z-Man warehouse before the end of July. Distributor orders will be fulfilled once all the preorders have shipped. Customs is always a wild card in terms of possible delays – “They held Pandemic for three weeks,” says Zev – as are typhoons and kraken, so don’t clear a spot on the game shelf just yet.

 

[AstroLad]

I think the intention of the game, though, isn't that you're getting to the dig -- it's that you're bank rolling it, at least in part. The early multipliers are your investment and your numbered cards are the positive cash value that you net from the ongoing exploration.

But the numbered cards seem to represent something related to the expedition (e.g., people underwater). It just so happens that each of the five expeditions only has one design that gets zoomed in the higher you go (could be wrong, but I only remember one per). Seems like a concept they could have done a lot more with. Interested to see the user-created decks though.

 

[chickensoup]

But the numbered cards seem to represent something related to the expedition (e.g., people underwater). It just so happens that each of the five expeditions only has one design that gets zoomed in the higher you go (could be wrong, but I only remember one per). Seems like a concept they could have done a lot more with. Interested to see the user-created decks though.

I don't think any of the 5 colours just use one image across all 9 cards. In most cases, they will repeat the image for the next 1 or 2 cards and then switch to a new picture from a slightly different angle, or with more detail. Some of the new "skins" are nice though.

 

[Rayo]

PENTE!

 

[Flynn]

But the numbered cards seem to represent something related to the expedition (e.g., people underwater). It just so happens that each of the five expeditions only has one design that gets zoomed in the higher you go (could be wrong, but I only remember one per). Seems like a concept they could have done a lot more with. Interested to see the user-created decks though.

Yeah, it could be a case of budget (easier to use the same art asset over and over) or readability (different illustrations on each card would diffuse the game's aesthetic). Either way it's a great card mechanic with a tenuous connection to theme. Could you imagine being a kid and seeing the box cover, thinking it was gonna be some kind of Indiana Jones-style adventure?

 

[Azih]

Dammit I just spent an hour at work trying to track down rules information, character information etc. for Arkham Horror. I love reading that stuff.

 

[JzeroT1437]

TOTALLY JUST PICKED UP TRIVIAL PURSUIT GENUS II CARD SET AT A YARD SALE FOR A DOLLAR!

I love me some trivial pursuit.

 

[FnordChan]

Imperial: kind of like Diplomacy. On steroids.

That's a somewhat frightening thought. How long does it take to play?

Meanwhile, I picked up the Kingsport Horror expansion for Arkham Horror. I've only had one play through, so I can't really comment on it just yet, but this weekend my local group is having Arkham And Pie 2, where I'll have a couple more goes at it. I'll report back Monday.

FnordChan

 

[FnordChan]

Heh, a lot less time than Diplomacy, actually. The main similarities are in the map, which is nearly identical, and the no-luck-involved gameplay style. Shifting alliances are a given, of course. The main difference is that turns don't happen simultaneously. Oh, and then there's the fact that other people can take control of your country from you. :O

Huh, sounds intriguing. I like Diplomacy, but I haven't played it in, er, a decade or so because of the difficulty in getting folks together for a 6+ hour game.

Really fun game. Needs at least four people though, I'd say.

Beats 7. I'll check it out.

FnordChan

 

[Flynn]

Been playing these games recently:

Power Grid: awesome game.

I played in a Power Grid tournament last year at GenCon -- it was really fun. I need to sign up for more of those this year.

Any other GAFfers going?

 

[AstroLad]

Yeah, it could be a case of budget (easier to use the same art asset over and over) or readability (different illustrations on each card would diffuse the game's aesthetic). Either way it's a great card mechanic with a tenuous connection to theme. Could you imagine being a kid and seeing the box cover, thinking it was gonna be some kind of Indiana Jones-style adventure?

:lol exactly. I was a bit taken aback by the simple mechanics and art myself having picked up the game blindly on a recommendation.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Any other GAFfers going?

Unlikely I can go, but if there's ever any plans for a "GAF-Con" a couple of us better be running a boardgame room.

 

[daw840]

Don't know if this has already been mentioned, but what does GAF think about Stratego!!

I used to play this all the time with my dad.

 

[AstroLad]

Finally got to play my first full game of 1960 over the weekend. Had tons of fun with it--won by about 30 delegates with Kennedy even though I lost Massachussets on election day (2 MA cards and recount, for a total of 9 pulls for my opponent, enough to win by one which was doubly galling since I had both media support and the home state edge there of course).

Few stray observations:
--Read that issues are overpowered. This may be the case among high-level players, but media support didn't really play much of a factor in our race at all, maybe decided 10 delegates in the end. We didn't fight over issues too much but I was certainly the overall leader on issues.

--Winning the debates was quite helpful, more so than I thought. It's cool to have a side game like that to break up the pace.

--Love the strategy involved in when to play your candidate card, what cards to hold in Campaign Strategy, etc. Also got lucky with some nice brutal combos (Nixon's Knee+Nixon's promise meant Nixon couldn't campaign without using a momentum marker--had none--and couldn't do anything else without ME getting one, loll).

Going to play another game as Nixon and definitely keep this in the regular rotation. Moving on to Twilight Struggle this weekend.

 

[Flynn]

Glad to hear you liked it Astrolad. There's lots to chew on in the game. And yeah, media influence can be the game winner when an experienced player plays somebody who underestimates its usefulness.

Who here is getting Ticket to Ride on Wednesday?

 

[$1148 Jack]

I just got shogun, the newer version and having fun with it.

It's much different than the version I played 15 or so years ago though.

The older version was more like risk. This newer version has a lot more of a management/tactical side to it that is really enjoyable. I only wish they kept the awesome plastic pieces from the original instead of using wooden cubes for armies, but then I guess the excellent battle tower wouldn't work.

If anybody has this what is the difference between the two sides (sun/moon) of the board. I realise some provinces change but is that all?

 

[Zalasta]

Thanks for resurrecting this thread, I missed it the first time around. After I transitioned from videogames to boardgames, I've been hanging out over at BGG a lot more than GAF. Still a newbie though after a year's exposure.

Imperial is more of an economics than a war game. Battles are just means to increase the power of the country (or countries) you are invested in. It's really good. Could be played in 2-3 hours, as long as you don't have people that suffers from analysis paralysis.

If you didn't know, you can play a lot of the WOTC/Hasbro games online at their website (RoboRally, Acquire, Vegas Showdown, Guillotine). BSW also features many Eurogames like Imperial, Power Grid, Stone Age, Tichu.

Glad to see so many familiar faces here also into boardgaming

 

[Eric P]

I just got shogun, the newer version and having fun with it.

It's much different than the version I played 15 or so years ago though.

The older version was more like risk. This newer version has a lot more of a management/tactical side to it that is really enjoyable. I only wish they kept the awesome plastic pieces from the original instead of using wooden cubes for armies, but then I guess the excellent battle tower wouldn't work.

If anybody has this what is the difference between the two sides (sun/moon) of the board. I realise some provinces change but is that all?

i loved the old school shogun

didn't know there was a new one

i'll have to check it out

thanks

 

[1stStrike]

I'm still undefeated in stratego to this day. Mwahaha.

Oh and, Go, bitches! I wish I actually had someone to play with =\

 

[TimeKillr]

I'm still undefeated in stratego to this day. Mwahaha.

Oh and, Go, bitches! I wish I actually had someone to play with =\

I love Go.

And I love that picture - the situation in the top left side of the board is part of what makes Go so exciting. Both the black group and the itty bitty white group (3 stones) are alive - any of them makes a move in there, and they're dead And I'm not sure who wins this game. White has a huge territory on the right side, but Black has many smaller ones..

 

[1stStrike]

I love Go.

And I love that picture - the situation in the top left side of the board is part of what makes Go so exciting. Both the black group and the itty bitty white group (3 stones) are alive - any of them makes a move in there, and they're dead And I'm not sure who wins this game. White has a huge territory on the right side, but Black has many smaller ones..

It's about equal, though I'll say black has a slight lead over white. I picked up the games of shusaku book a while back showing all his recorded games..it's pretty awesome. And way over my head.

 

[hiryu]

My friends and I play lots of board games. Some of our favorites are:

Twilight Imperium
Arkham Horror
Settlers of Catan
Descent
Bang (technically a card game)
Formula De

I think I might pick up Ticket to Ride and Last Night on Earth at Origins this weekend.

 

[AstroLad]

My friends and I play lots of board games. Some of our favorites are:

Twilight Imperium
Arkham Horror
Settlers of Catan
Descent
Bang (technically a card game)
Formula De

I think I might pick up Ticket to Ride and Last Night on Earth at Origins this weekend.

Been wanting to try Gun but I probably won't buy it since it's a 3+ player game and I really like all my games to have solid 2P.

Any recommendations for fun 2P card-based games? Don't have to be excusively 2P, but just work well with 2P.

 

[chickensoup]

The TtR card game works surprisingly well with 2. San Juan is alright, some people seem to enjoy it more than others.

 

[hiryu]

Been wanting to try Gun but I probably won't buy it since it's a 3+ player game and I really like all my games to have solid 2P.

Any recommendations for fun 2P card-based games? Don't have to be excusively 2P, but just work well with 2P.

The Settlers of Catan card game is perfect for 2 players.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/278

 

[AstroLad]

The Settlers of Catan card game is perfect for 2 players.

That does look cool; throwing it into my cart (currently working my way up to the $125 you need for free shipping on thoughthammer before sending off for the next batch).

TTR looks cool as well but we literally just picked up the board so I think we'll dig into that first.

 

[1stStrike]

Whoa, so someone besides my ex actually plays settlers. I only played it once with her and was like..man, this is one country ass game.

 

[GaimeGuy]

I'm still no good at Go :lol

 

[iapetus]

Any recommendations for fun 2P card-based games? Don't have to be excusively 2P, but just work well with 2P.

Girl Genius: The Works
Ticket to Ride

 

[Evlar]

The game I'm looking forward to most right now is Galaxy Truckers. It looks like a hoot based on reviews at BoardGameGeek. I've kinda cooled on Agricola.

 

[AstroLad]

lttp but i finally sat down and digested the arkham horror rules today. not as crazy complex as i thought, though i'll definitely be doing a solo runthrough before subjecting anyone else to it. really excited to play--just like 1960 last week even just reading the rules has me eagerly anticipating the play.

Enjoying board games way more than video games right now. har.

 

[iapetus]

The game I'm looking forward to most right now is Galaxy Truckers. It looks like a hoot based on reviews at BoardGameGeek. I've kinda cooled on Agricola.

Any particular reason? Agricola is really pretty good - even having struggled through a game or two in German. With English text it should be a lot more accessible.

 

[iapetus]

Picked up a couple of board games that I'd seen highly recommended before. Played a few times this weekend:

Shadows Over Camelot
Great fun - I'm a big fan of co-op board games like this, and the possibility of having a traitor in the mix is interesting. Played two three-player games, one of which had no traitor and we won, the other of which had me as traitor, and I won. With a small number of players it seems like the traitor has a reasonable edge, especially if the siege engines are close to completion (as they were in my case - after revealing my evil nature by accusing the other knights of treachery I just kept mocking them and adding siege engines and eventually they couldn't keep them in check any longer). We then tried a four-player game (no traitor) and romped through it - ten white swords to two black at the end. Could have finished the game more quickly, but we wanted to take a shot at the dragon (who just succumbed to the combined attacks of all four knights...) Great fun, looking forward to playing it with more players, where the traitor will get to act from the start and is more likely to appear.

Race for the Galaxy
This one I'm less convinced by. It's similar to San Juan (the Puerto Rico card game) but set in space. The role selection mechanic is neat - each player selects the role they want to carry out in secret, then each role that was selected by one or more player is carried out, with all players that selected it getting the bonus for that role. The problems are that the cards don't seem anywhere near as intuitive as San Juan - lots of fiddly little symbols that are easily forgotten about, and that military strategies (if you get the cards for them) seem to lead to big victories. The first (three players, lots of beer) game was won by the only player who managed to get out a significant military force, though it was quite close. The second (two sober players) game was a complete rout - again to the military player. Getting a couple of military advances out early (especially combined with military power on your homeworld) makes it too easy and cheap to get high-scoring worlds out. Anyone else played this game and found this problem (or a workaround for it)?

 

[Flynn]

lttp but i finally sat down and digested the arkham horror rules today. not as crazy complex as i thought, though i'll definitely be doing a solo runthrough before subjecting anyone else to it. really excited to play--just like 1960 last week even just reading the rules has me eagerly anticipating the play.

Enjoying board games way more than video games right now. har.

Yeah, it's not as rule-heavy as you'd think. But pile on a couple of expansion and your table will get a teensy bit crowded. This is from our last play:

I still haven't fully wrapped my head around Race For the Galaxy. Seems like the same couple of guys have won the game every time we played. I always feel like I'm just getting a hold on my strategy when the other shoe drops and the guy wins the games.

That could be because I'm a little slow on the uptake when it comes to really visualizing the tech trees of some of these games. When we play something like Antiquity I'm satisfied when I don't fail miserably.

 

[iapetus]

That could be because I'm a little slow on the uptake when it comes to really visualizing the tech trees of some of these games.

I think the setting of the game makes that more difficult too. In San Juan it's easy to see what a coffee roaster, factory or library does. Seeing the function of the last of the Uplift Gnarssh is a little trickier.

 

[Flynn]

I think the setting of the game makes that more difficult too. In San Juan it's easy to see what a coffee roaster, factory or library does. Seeing the function of the last of the Uplift Gnarssh is a little trickier.

You also have a shitload of little cards full of facts and charts to keep tabs on. I really should try playing the game sober.

 

[Dsal]

Race for the Galaxy
...The first (three players, lots of beer) game was won by the only player who managed to get out a significant military force, though it was quite close. The second (two sober players) game was a complete rout - again to the military player. Getting a couple of military advances out early (especially combined with military power on your homeworld) makes it too easy and cheap to get high-scoring worlds out. Anyone else played this game and found this problem (or a workaround for it)?

I like RotG a lot. I did notice when I was first playing that there were a lot of military victories, but as my friends and I played more of it there were less and less of them. I don't remember exactly why though. Maybe (and I'm just guessing here without the card manifest) if you get production-heavy turns going, the non-military worlds end up getting bumper crops while the military worlds don't.

 

[AstroLad]

Well, Metal Gear Ac!d 2 and a lot of the board games I'ev been playing recently have finally enticed me to take the plunge on a CCG. Can you guys recommend a good one? Preferably one where the starter decks are well balanced and it's playable out of the box and no fantasy.

 

[Flynn]

no fantasy.

Well, that rules out Game of Thrones. :lol

I really like the game's fairly complex rule set. I've played on and off for the past three years with some guys who were old, recovering hardcore players. I really like the way the game's combat works. Its certainly miles ahead of Magic and that kind of stuff as far as depth goes. Good community too. The guys I met at the draft tourney at last year's GenCon were all pretty cool.

Fantasy Flight has started relaunching the game non-collectible in "Chapter Packs." There will be a boxed starter set soon that'll be a good way to start the game fresh.

 

[AstroLad]

I'm thinking of getting Netrunner since it's made by Richard Garfield. Unfortunately there were two starter packs that didn't even sell at 5 bucks two weeks ago and now I'm in a bidding war with some dude for the one that's selling now (I'm sure he's thinking the same thing) so we'll see.

 

[Ronabo]

Well, Metal Gear Ac!d 2 and a lot of the board games I'ev been playing recently have finally enticed me to take the plunge on a CCG. Can you guys recommend a good one? Preferably one where the starter decks are well balanced and it's playable out of the box and no fantasy.

Do you like Samurai? If so try Legend of the Five Rings.

It may be too fantasy to your liking. But it is great.


Also, if you like Mechs try to find the way out of print Battletech CCG. It plays like Magic the Gathering.

 

[fallout]

Shadows Over Camelot
Great fun - I'm a big fan of co-op board games like this, and the possibility of having a traitor in the mix is interesting. Played two three-player games, one of which had no traitor and we won, the other of which had me as traitor, and I won. With a small number of players it seems like the traitor has a reasonable edge, especially if the siege engines are close to completion (as they were in my case - after revealing my evil nature by accusing the other knights of treachery I just kept mocking them and adding siege engines and eventually they couldn't keep them in check any longer). We then tried a four-player game (no traitor) and romped through it - ten white swords to two black at the end. Could have finished the game more quickly, but we wanted to take a shot at the dragon (who just succumbed to the combined attacks of all four knights...) Great fun, looking forward to playing it with more players, where the traitor will get to act from the start and is more likely to appear.

We actually wrote house rules for when the traitor reveals themselves. The continual adding of siege tanks makes it kind of ridiculous. I don't think we were ever able to keep up (granted, traitors don't get revealed that often in my experience). I don't have them anywhere, but I could contact my friend who had them if you like.

 

[-Rogue5-]

More like boredgames!

...just kidding.

Seriously, though, I enjoy going back to some classics every half-decade or so... a single game of monopoly every 5 years keeps me grounded.

 

[bigmit3737]

THE SHIT

Holy shit. Someone knows about this game.

I had gotten it for my Birthtday..I think my 10th bday...and my whole block LOVED this game.
We played it for years till eventually some of the buildings were missing.

I could never find another copy, before the internet days...

I think I am going to hunt down a copy now.

 

[iapetus]

We actually wrote house rules for when the traitor reveals themselves. The continual adding of siege tanks makes it kind of ridiculous. I don't think we were ever able to keep up (granted, traitors don't get revealed that often in my experience). I don't have them anywhere, but I could contact my friend who had them if you like.

With a larger number of players it shouldn't be a problem - one or two knights on siege-engine duty at Camelot, and everyone else getting the cheap white swords. I've seen a few house rule variants for the traitor - one that I quite liked gave him a hand of three black cards and a draw-one-play-one move instead of the standard traitor stuff. Which seems reasonable.

 

[Zalasta]

Picked up a couple of board games that I'd seen highly recommended before. Played a few times this weekend:

Shadows Over Camelot

Race for the Galaxy

Well, if you like co-op games, then you're in for a treat. Pandemic is fairly excellent and plays really quick. I find it a bit too easy myself, but the game itself is somewhat unpredictable (i.e. you may seem to be winning, but it can get from good to bad real fast), and it's very non-gamer friendly. There are also 3 other impending releases this year. Ghost Stories, A Touch of Evil and Battlestar Galactica. The are a lot of positive word of mouth for the first two, and BSG is suppose to have gameplay similar to Shadows.

As for Race. After 3 games or so if you are still having trouble with the icons, then you probably won't enjoy it. I'm no expert, but I have played enough of this to know that it's very hard to win on a solely military strategy, especially in a 3-4 player game. It is very reliant on good card draws, and you have to rotate between the explore and settle phase a lot (unless you have built yourself a card draw engine, but trading doesn't really have synergy with this strategy). It is also very easy to be screwed out of the 6-development bonus because once your opponents know that you are playing military, they will hold on to the Galactic Imperium and New Galactic Order and deny you of those mucho points. If you are playing against it, I would not choose settle and make him use his own turn for it. Never give him free settle phases. If he is using explore a lot, he's probably hurting for usable planets and/or fishing for the 6-development cards. Statistically, it's actually fairly easy to beat military strategy, because I would say 2/3 or more of the deck is useless to it, but that is also dependent on you drawing the cards you need.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Well, if you like co-op games, then you're in for a treat. Pandemic is fairly excellent and plays really quick. I find it a bit too easy myself, but the game itself is somewhat unpredictable (i.e. you may seem to be winning, but it can get from good to bad real fast), and it's very non-gamer friendly.

You must be getting some good draws, as our group has continuously struggled beating Pandemic on a regular basis on the hardest difficulty. Just when we think we get a handle on things, an epidemic triggers in some remote corner that within 2 turns threatens to blow out of control, pulling us over there to contain it which then results in another area going overboard.

 

[iapetus]

Yeah, Pandemic is on my to-buy list (as is the expansion for RftG, which includes rules for solitaire play, which at least makes it interesting even if nobody else likes it...)

Sounds like I was just obscenely lucky with the military victory, then. Grabbed a couple of simple producing/consuming worlds early, then got my military to unstoppable levels within a few turns and towards the end was conquering a planet most turns (sometimes two) until I finished with the 6-point dev that gives you bonuses against and points for rebel military worlds and finished off with a nice big rebel military world that I drew on the last turn. It wasn't even remotely fair - I always had the right cards to hand to increase or abuse my military (or both) and ended up winning with getting on for double my opponent's score. Good to know that isn't going to happen every time.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Hey guys,

First time I've seen this thread.

Could anyone recommend me a few great board games for 2-4 players? Usually we will probably play with 3 or 4 though.

I've never been into board games that much, though after a game of Risk a few days ago and a few other board games I've played, I'm starting to get into them a bit more