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[AstroLad]

thinking of picking up some/all of the following:

-battlelore
-hive
-pompeii
-race for the galaxy.

anyone have opinions on these (know pompeii was cited before); never playe battlelore or hive but i've heard great things. in general i'm looking for more scalable games that play great at 2, 3, and 4 players.

(assuming anyone still reads this thread that i love)

 

[Tsubaki]

thinking of picking up some/all of the following:

-battlelore
-hive
-pompeii
-race for the galaxy.

Battlelore is only good 2 players. It supposedly accommodates more but it actually would ruin the game... you'll see what I mean if you ever get it. But it's one of the coolest 2p games I've played. It is very tactical and depending on scenarios/expansions/etc, could provide much variety. The fantasy theme and hex movement reminds me of SRPG mechanics. Winning conditions are defeating X opponent units, so you have to plan out your attacks and know when to retreat. Only downside? Setup takes a while. Otherwise I think it's brilliant fun.

Race for the Galaxy is great 2-4p. If you played San Juan, it is similar, but with a scifi theme. As the title implies, the game is fast paced and is very much a "race". If you have more players in the game, you have more possible actions to do per turn. But even with 2 players, it's a mind game of guessing what your opponent will do and using that to your advantage. Downsides are that it's not as interactive as other games. Everyone sorta does their own thing, planning out how to score maximum points. It's strategic and competitive, but you could play the games w/o really saying much to your friend players.

 

[iapetus]

thinking of picking up some/all of the following:

-battlelore
-hive
-pompeii
-race for the galaxy.

anyone have opinions on these (know pompeii was cited before); never playe battlelore or hive but i've heard great things. in general i'm looking for more scalable games that play great at 2, 3, and 4 players.

I'm not a great fan of Battlelore - I don't normally go for direct player-on-player wargames. But as far as that sort of game goes, it's one of the best I've played. I can't see it working with more than 2 players, though - it's very much geared towards that, and the ongoing campaign focuses on the 2-player game.

Race for the Galaxy looks to have potential, but it takes quite a lot of attention to play, from the few games I've had of it. I'd certainly want to play some more, and the second game was more enjoyable than the first. There's some discussion of it earlier in the thread.

 

[AstroLad]

Battlelore is only good 2 players. It supposedly accommodates more but it actually would ruin the game... you'll see what I mean if you ever get it. But it's one of the coolest 2p games I've played. It is very tactical and depending on scenarios/expansions/etc, could provide much variety. The fantasy theme and hex movement reminds me of SRPG mechanics. Only downside? Setup takes a while. Otherwise I think it's brilliant fun.

Race for the Galaxy is great 2-4p. If you played San Juan, it is similar, but with a scifi theme. As the title implies, the game is fast paced and is very much a "race". If you have more players in the game, you have more possible actions to do per turn. But even with 2 players, it's a mind game of guessing what your opponent will do and using that to your advantage. Downsides are that it's not as interactive as other games. Everyone sorta does their own thing, planning out how to score maximum points. It's strategic and competitive, but you could play the games w/o really saying much to your friend players.

I'm not a great fan of Battlelore - I don't normally go for direct player-on-player wargames. But as far as that sort of game goes, it's one of the best I've played. I can't see it working with more than 2 players, though - it's very much geared towards that, and the ongoing campaign focuses on the 2-player game.

Nice. I will probably get BattleLore then; it looks lovely and everyone seems to recommend it. Wife and I are both big fans of two-player strategic wargames so that should work out. My only real hesitation is that I absolutely hate fantasy themes, and the only person who hates them more than me is my wife, but as long as the gameplay is good enough I can put aside my racism. Setup doesn't bother me at all. I actually quite enjoy putting together, e.g., Arkham Horror or 1960.

RftG I'm more on the fence about. How long does it take to teach people? If I can't teach it to my semi-gamer friends in about 15-20 I will probably pass.

 

[Flynn]

Tigris and Euphrates is awesome (4 player max). Essentially, you are settling the Tigris/Euphrates region. You earn points in four categories (religion, farming, political, trade). Final victor is determined by the whoever has the highest value for their LOWEST score. Only your lowest counts for that victory, forcing you to balance your advancement. Tons of fun, often pretty unpredictable, and very strategic. I've been itching to play it lately, but we've had more than 4 folks.

Be sure to play try it out at BGG

www.boardgamegeek.com/tigris


In other news: I played Agricola last night. It's a damn good game -- a mix of resource management and worker placement. Think Cuba, Caylus and a little bit of Antiquity. The game also scores on balance a lot like Tigris and Euphrates. You're aiming to hit every category evenly rather than max out one.

That said it's the Occupation and Minor Upgrade cards that really define how you play. You get six of each at the outset. Playing to their strengths is what the game is all about.

My group played with the basic card set this time. Will jump into the "interactive" and other expansions this week at GenCon.

 

[iapetus]

Nice. I will probably get BattleLore then; it looks lovely and everyone seems to recommend it. Wife and I are both big fans of two-player strategic wargames so that should work out. My only real hesitation is that I absolutely hate fantasy themes, and the only person who hates them more than me is my wife, but as long as the gameplay is good enough I can put aside my racism.

The earlier campaign setups are completely fantasy-free. You could probably have a good enough time playing it like that. The fantasy elements are introduced slowly over the game.

RftG I'm more on the fence about. How long does it take to teach people? If I can't teach it to my semi-gamer friends in about 15-20 I will probably pass.

I think once you've got to grips with it yourself you should be able to manage that. First game of it I played was with a couple of people who aren't quite such regular card gamers, and they picked up the rules quickly enough, though didn't have much idea of strategy for it and didn't find it that intuitive. San Juan has tended to go down better with that demographic IME.

 

[AstroLad]

I think once you've got to grips with it yourself you should be able to manage that. First game of it I played was with a couple of people who aren't quite such regular card gamers, and they picked up the rules quickly enough, though didn't have much idea of strategy for it and didn't find it that intuitive. San Juan has tended to go down better with that demographic IME.

I'm actually picking up San Juan in my next order too so we have a copy at home. What I love about board games, and why I'm much less reluctant to pick them up than video games, is that most of them can effectively last forever. As much as I loved Virtua Tennis and all my DC games, I haven't broken them out in years, and likely never will again. Puerto Rico, on the other hand?

gonna post pics of my collection one of these days.

 

[AstroLad]

Latest order:

1 x Race for the Galaxy (RGG 301) = $24.47
1 x Hive (Third Edition) (SZG 001) = $22.46
1 x San Juan (RGG 238) = $17.47
1 x Can't Stop! (F2F 013) = $24.50
1 x BattleLore (DOW 7601) = $60.00

 

[Sasquatch]

Latest order:

1 x Race for the Galaxy (RGG 301) = $24.47
1 x Hive (Third Edition) (SZG 001) = $22.46
1 x San Juan (RGG 238) = $17.47
1 x Can't Stop! (F2F 013) = $24.50
1 x BattleLore (DOW 7601) = $60.00

Hive is quite a bit of fun. I've played it with my fiance quite a bit. It's pretty neat to watch the pieces move around and change the shape as you play. We have had some pretty quick games, and other times where we both just sit and stare at the pieces for a couple minutes trying to figure out the best move. Watch out for the beetles... I have had those things beat so many times... Once they are on top of your queen it's a pretty tough situation to get out of.

San Juan is pretty fun too. It is a neat mechanic that the cards act as buildings and money. Forces you to make tough decisions fairly often.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Woot, my Agricola order finally shipped!

 

[Flynn]

Woot, my Agricola order finally shipped!

Did you get any of the Z-Man extras?

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Did you get any of the Z-Man extras?

I missed the pre-order window for that, I pre-ordered from TH.

 

[Arkaerial]

Well just wanted to give an update on my game that I ordered a couple weeks back (Arkham Horror). I have to say this is a great game, I played a couple solo shots on it to get use to the rules. I have to say if you do get this game go to board games geeks to get some of the rules clarifications since some rules explanations are vague at best.

Well the first game I played with my friends and girlfriend (who was a little better prepared then the others) was rather quick. I did the random way of selecting the GOO and we got the random draw of Azathoth . This was now a game against the clock and not to long into the game (maybe the 2nd or 3rd round) my friend pulls the rumor card "Disturbing the Dead". The next 4 rounds we end up rolling a 1's or 2's at the end of the Mythos phase . Not to mention a lot of gates seemed to open on pre-existing gate so the monster floods were horrible. We filled the outskirts in a couple rounds and just kept slowing adding terror points. In the end Azathoth awoke and we died instantly...Again this is a great game.

 

[AstroLad]

Well the first game I played with my friends and girlfriend (who was a little better prepared then the others) was rather quick. I did the random way of selecting the GOO and we got the random draw of Azathoth . This was now a game against the clock and not to long into the game (maybe the 2nd or 3rd round) my friend pulls the rumor card "Disturbing the Dead". The next 4 rounds we end up rolling a 1's or 2's at the end of the Mythos phase . Not to mention a lot of gates seemed to open on pre-existing gate so the monster floods were horrible. We filled the outskirts in a couple rounds and just kept slowing adding terror points. In the end Azathoth awoke and we died instantly...Again this is a great game.

:lol yep rumor cards are a bitch. my current favorite that i've gotten my last 3 games is "good work undone" (eliminates all seals).

 

[Arkaerial]

:lol yep rumor cards are a bitch. my current favorite that i've gotten my last 3 games is "good work undone" (eliminates all seals).

:lol Now that would be an evil card. Since I haven't seen it, does it undo and elder sign seal?

 

[AstroLad]

yep, off the top of my head: you start with six clue tokens on the card, you can "pay" down the card during the arkham encounter phase in one of the streets, but every turn you roll and a 1 or 2 makes you add a clue token, hit 10 and every seal comes off the board. since i usu play with 2 we don't often have a bunch of extra clue tokens so it's a real pain; caused my first "loss" when i was trying to win with a single investigator (har) and barely hanging in (though I did manage to seal 3 gates before I got done in).

 

[Flynn]

I missed the pre-order window for that, I pre-ordered from TH.

My friends both got theirs from Z-Man. We didn't play with any of the extra cards though.

Are you following all the mods on BGG? I think the stickers for the resource pieces are the most useful. A couple of the brown and orange resources are a little close to each other.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

XiaNaphryz: About a month ago, you mentioned that you bought Senji. Have you played it yet? I was kind of interested in some impressions of the game beyond what I've seen at BoardGameGeek, because I'm very tempted to buy it.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

XiaNaphryz: About a month ago, you mentioned that you bought Senji. Have you played it yet? I was kind of interested in some impressions of the game beyond what I've seen at BoardGameGeek, because I'm very tempted to buy it.

I haven't gotten a game yet, no. The last game night I had, we mainly were playing Ticket to Ride then Fury of Dracula. I hope to break in Senji at the next one.

 

[Arkaerial]

yep, off the top of my head: you start with six clue tokens on the card, you can "pay" down the card during the arkham encounter phase in one of the streets, but every turn you roll and a 1 or 2 makes you add a clue token, hit 10 and every seal comes off the board. since i usu play with 2 we don't often have a bunch of extra clue tokens so it's a real pain; caused my first "loss" when i was trying to win with a single investigator (har) and barely hanging in (though I did manage to seal 3 gates before I got done in).

Wow, just read that rumor card and that is not good at all. In fact I looked at them all and they all suck. I can see how one of these cards can change the whole outcome of the game in a few short turns.

 

[AstroLad]

Wow, just read that rumor card and that is not good at all. In fact I looked at them all and they all suck. I can see how one of these cards can change the whole outcome of the game in a few short turns.

and you get no clue appearance. and of course as soon as you get rid of one another can pop up. they're pretty rough.

 

[echoshifting]

Too bad there isn't an electronic version of Arkham Horror, that's one of the few board games I'd be willing to play online just to play it with a bunch of GAFfers.

Not to mention it would eliminate the most tedious aspect of the game...I'd be playing right now if I didn't have to set the damn thing up.

 

[Arkaerial]

and you get no clue appearance. and of course as soon as you get rid of one another can pop up. they're pretty rough.

What? I was actually allowing clues to show up while the rumor was on the board. If I knew that and stopped the rumor tokens we would have probably lost at least 2-3 rounds earlier.

 

[Flynn]

Too bad there isn't an electronic version of Arkham Horror, that's one of the few board games I'd be willing to play online just to play it with a bunch of GAFfers.

Not to mention it would eliminate the most tedious aspect of the game...I'd be playing right now if I didn't have to set the damn thing up.

Funny that you should say that. I know a certain someone who has been toiling on an unauthorized web implementation.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Too bad there isn't an electronic version of Arkham Horror, that's one of the few board games I'd be willing to play online just to play it with a bunch of GAFfers.

Not to mention it would eliminate the most tedious aspect of the game...I'd be playing right now if I didn't have to set the damn thing up.

There ARE electronic versions of other games out there though. I still need to try out the one that lets you play 1960 and TS, so I can battle AstroLad.

Funny that you should say that. I know a certain someone who has been toiling on an unauthorized web implementation.

They should also do one for Fury of Dracula (the remake anyway). That would be another good one to play with GAFers.

 

[AstroLad]

What? I was actually allowing clues to show up while the rumor was on the board. If I knew that and stopped the rumor tokens we would have probably lost at least 2-3 rounds earlier.

Oh no, you can have clues show up when a rumor is active, just meant that the rumor cards themselves don't have clues appear.

 

[Arkaerial]

Oh no, you can have clues show up when a rumor is active, just meant that the rumor cards themselves don't have clues appear.

Wow, you had me really nervous there. Yeah I hate the fact there are no clues that show up with it. In the end you can be pretty sure you either are throwing away clues or the gate tokens.

Here is a separate question on sharing that I've never found a solid answer for. You can share items and such, but can you share tokens like monster, clue, gates and those kinds.

 

[AstroLad]

Wow, you had me really nervous there. Yeah I hate the fact there are no clues that show up with it. In the end you can be pretty sure you either are throwing away clues or the gate tokens.

Here is a separate question on sharing that I've never found a solid answer for. You can share items and such, but can you share tokens like monster, clue, gates and those kinds.

No, from the FAQ:

Q: Exactly where, when, and what can investigators trade?

A: Investigators may trade any time they are in the same location except during combat. They may trade before, during or after movement, which means trading does not end a move.

They may trade Common Items, Unique Items, Money, and Spells. They may not trade Clue tokens, Allies, and Monster and Gate trophies.

Also don't forget if a gate must be sealed by the investigator who closed it.

 

[Arkaerial]

Good, then I did it right. For some reason I thought I read that but just couldn't seem to find it.

 

[AstroLad]

I think it would work with the theme of the game to be able to share clues (i.e., "tell" another investigator about what you've discovered) but I think it's just a difficulty/balancing thing.

 

[Arkaerial]

Yeah maybe for a new group of people, or using expansions...but I'm not going to since I like the difficulty to it.

 

[AstroLad]

Yeah maybe for a new group of people, or using expansions...but I'm not going to since I like the difficulty to it.

Some people don't allow a sealed gate victory period, but I think this is mostly limited to groups of 4+ (never played with more than 4, but apparently it gets quite easy once you get above 4). Play with 2 and you will always have a challenge. Play with 1 to experience hell.

 

[Arkaerial]

Some people don't allow a sealed gate victory period, but I think this is mostly limited to groups of 4+ (never played with more than 4, but apparently it gets quite easy once you get above 4). Play with 2 and you will always have a challenge. Play with 1 to experience hell.

Yeah I've done the solo game and it was hard and I didn't make it. The next solo game I used 2 characters and I had a difficult time but did better and still lost. The 3rd was a group of 4 and we got crushed quicker then I did with my solo game. I can at the best of time field a group of 7, but on average it will be 4-5.

 

[iapetus]

I think it would work with the theme of the game to be able to share clues (i.e., "tell" another investigator about what you've discovered) but I think it's just a difficulty/balancing thing.

There are abilities that allow limited sharing of clues - at least one investigator has a special rule that has this effect, IIRC.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

Does anyone wanna trade this into a board game trading thread?

I wouldn't mind trading my Ticket to Ride: Marklin for a different version of Ticket to Ride, preferably USA.

I'd also like to get rid of my Fury of Dracula.

I'm kind of looking for Galaxy Truckers or Race for the Galaxy, but even online sites don't even have those.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

I'm kind of looking for Galaxy Truckers or Race for the Galaxy, but even online sites don't even have those.

ThoughtHammer has Galaxy Trucker available for pre-order, and Race for the Galaxy in stock.

http://www.thoughthammer.com/galaxy-trucker-p-5046.html

http://www.thoughthammer.com/race-for-the-galaxy-p-3430.html

 

[Flynn]

Quick GenCon report:

• Fantasy Flight has TONS of new stuff. We'll be playing the new Arkham Horror expansion this weekend. A couple guys got and played the new Mutant Chronicles mini game. The new non-collectable A Game of Thrones box is kinda tempting.
• This deserves its own bullet. FFG looks to bring the Wings of War mini-game to consoles. They're demoing the game on a PS3. I'll get more info and maybe an interview about it this weekend.
• Z-Man doesn't have any copies of Agricola at the show, which is a crime, because the game is super, super good.
• There's a new Catan expansion if anybody is really enthusiastic about that kind of thing.

Played two more games of Agricola. Believe the hype. This game is fricking awesome. I have fun losing at this game.

I'm super tired. I'll report back with more news tomorrow.

 

[iapetus]

I wouldn't mind trading my Ticket to Ride: Marklin for a different version of Ticket to Ride, preferably USA.

I'd also like to get rid of my Fury of Dracula.

You are officially wrong in the head. :\

That said, someone has a great chance to benefit from it.

 

[AstroLad]

Quick GenCon report:

• Fantasy Flight has TONS of new stuff. We'll be playing the new Arkham Horror expansion this weekend. A couple guys got and played the new Mutant Chronicles mini game. The new non-collectable A Game of Thrones box is kinda tempting.
• This deserves its own bullet. FFG looks to bring the Wings of War mini-game to consoles. They're demoing the game on a PS3. I'll get more info and maybe an interview about it this weekend.
• Z-Man doesn't have any copies of Agricola at the show, which is a crime, because the game is super, super good.
• There's a new Catan expansion if anybody is really enthusiastic about that kind of thing.

Played two more games of Agricola. Believe the hype. This game is fricking awesome. I have fun losing at this game.

I'm super tired. I'll report back with more news tomorrow.

You guys should do a write-up on the AVClub. I demand more board-gaming coverage.

should be getting agricola in next week.

 

[Flynn]

I'm trying to figure out how to make board game coverage work at the AV Club. There's talk of expanding the gaming section, so maybe there will be more room for it from time to time. I do try to review every damn adaptation of a board game that comes out, though.

 

[AstroLad]

I'm trying to figure out how to make board game coverage work at the AV Club. There's talk of expanding the gaming section, so maybe there will be more room for it from time to time. I do try to review every damn adaptation of a board game that comes out, though.

Always thought you could do a really cool "Top/Best __" column with board games, even a simple one along the lines of "board games you've never heard of."

 

[Flynn]

Always thought you could do a really cool "Top/Best __" column with board games, even a simple one along the lines of "board games you've never heard of."

Yeah, I've been kicking around the idea of an Inventory about board games for while. I'll bug my editor about it when I get back.

 

[Gildor]

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/37397

New expansion for Power Grid coming out this month.

This game rules, I can't wait. We've kind of burned ourselves out on the game, but the two new maps should be great. Plus, it looks like they have some interesting mechanics. The other expansions weren't very different from the base game, but these will be.

I've played Power Grid a few times since my friend recently bought it. It's a lot of fun. Last time I played, the 2 people going first in the last round decided to screw everyone else by having plants that required 3 oil or coal and then completely buying out those resources. They didn't expect to win doing it, but one did because the 3 players in front all needed at least one of those resources. It was hilarious, although I was kinda pissed when it initially happened.

 

[Flynn]

Sat down for a demo game of Dominion. A new game being published by Rio Grande. It's a pretty interesting multiplayer card game. It has a neat deck building/drafting mechanic that you don't really see in non CCG card games.

Good stuff. Plus the developers were very friendly.

 

[AstroLad]

So I guess you're our sole Genconner, Flynn. I'm really excited to get to try out Touch of Evil hopefully in the near future. Jamaica seems interesting as well but I may hold off while I'm getting caught up on my last haul (waiting for me at the front desk of my building right now: Race for the Galaxy, Arkham expansions, Memoir '44, BattleLore, and several others).

Had a Knizia Weekend; played a bunch of Battle Line, as well as some Catan card game, both of which are excellent even if you're a Knizia-hater.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I went to genCon for the first time ever this year. I spent most of my time playing heroclix, but

I bought a copy of Wings of War, which looks pretty cool
I saw that Cosmic Encounter is due for a new release shortly
I watch a ton of cool demos, my favorite of which was the Car Wars with actual matchbox cars and a huge 3D map.

 

[FlyinJ]

I watch a ton of cool demos, my favorite of which was the Car Wars with actual matchbox cars and a huge 3D map.

Wait what? Car Wars? Is there going to be a re-release/update of it coming out soon?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I don't know if they were playing old copies or if there is an impending re-release. I just assumed it was in print, but maybe not.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Anybody here ever played the Age of Empires III board game? On a whim, I just picked it up at lunch, having read positive impressions on BoardGameGeek. I've just recently started getting into the board game hobby recently, so there's little rhyme or reason going into what I'm buying.

 

[Flynn]

So I guess you're our sole Genconner, Flynn. I'm really excited to get to try out Touch of Evil hopefully in the near future. Jamaica seems interesting as well but I may hold off while I'm getting caught up on my last haul (waiting for me at the front desk of my building right now: Race for the Galaxy, Arkham expansions, Memoir '44, BattleLore, and several others).

Had a Knizia Weekend; played a bunch of Battle Line, as well as some Catan card game, both of which are excellent even if you're a Knizia-hater.

That's a nice back log.

One of our group bought the new Arkham expansion, but we never got around to playing it at the con -- set-up time is prohibitive.

Besides, most everybody wanted to play Agricola over and over again (which wasn't a bad thing, especially considering I finally one a game).

My group tested the A Game of Thrones adventure game. They had lots of notes on it, so hopefully they make substantial tweaks. I didn't sit in because I needed to watch the Dragon Age: Origins preview.

Did I mention that I played a little of the PSN Wings of War? It has promise. It's a very early alpha build and needs a little work -- when you're cycling through action cards few of them give useful descriptions. But I was able to successful take down three enemies, so it wasn't all bad. I wonder if they're going to let you control your wing men as well. Having to suffer with turn based AI partners would suck.

We picked up A Touch of Evil, but didn't play it yet. I'm not a terrible fan of the photo-real art. The characters look like nerd friends. Still, the game ought to be good.

Our hardcore collector also picked up Supernova, which looks fabulous. At least the packaging does.

I'll have Flikr pics up soon with tons of shots from the 500 room.