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[XiaNaphryz]

It seemed from some BGG threads on it, that the expansion is more of a... I dunno, branch... rather than expansion. IIRC, you take some of the stuff out of the original game, and use the expansion instead. I think there's no professions in the expansion, but something else maybe? I can't recall.

It's on my Christmas list (along with Through The Ages and like 4 other games), so I'll possibly be playing it soonish...

Yeah, the expansion is more of an extension of the family game version I believe, but there's nothing stopping you from applying it to the full game, though it'll make things more complicated obviously.

 

[platypotamus]

It looks like it might make it harder too. You have to burn fuel to cook!

In the next expansion: Your child died of dysentery

 

[jason10mm]

So after she had used the flare, i had corrected the rule, and she proceeded to grab it out of the discard pile every turn and kill zombie after zombie. Pretty frustrating for me. Then her and my friend stood in the room and would keep picking it up and using it over and over again (which is also against a rule I didn't catch of not being able to use a weapon more than once per turn).

Yeah, that is why the police station and the gun shop are such great hole-up places once some guns appear on the board. You can break some of those tactics if you play a card to paralyze two characters in the same square for a turn (because they are having sex or bickering) and spring some zombies up through the floor. Or just keep away from them, most scenarios require the humans to do stuff, if they stay holed up in one store they won't win.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

LNOE is fun as long as you actually follow all the rules, and everyone plays as if they're trying to recreate a cheesy b-movie zombie flick and less "power-gamer let's game the system to win."

 

[slayn]

LNOE is fun as long as you actually follow all the rules, and everyone plays as if they're trying to recreate a cheesy b-movie zombie flick and less "power-gamer let's game the system to win."

Actually my friends and I are all power games and love LNOE. We abuse the crap out of stuff like the pickup rules when possible. You'd be surprised how often *not* abusing them is the better tactical choice.

We keep coming back to it because, at least for us, it has been *amazingly* balanced. Either side has won a roughly equal a number of times, and it always comes down to the last few turns which makes it incredibly exciting. We have never had a game (out of playing it about 20 times) where the winner was known prior to the last ~3 turns.

 

[AstroLad]

Anyone starting to put together ideas for holiday gaming? I have to head out soon for work so I have to get my holiday suitcases ready together as well. Looking on CSI to see if there's enough new stuff out there for me to put together a new order (haven't put in one for about six months), but all I can really see right now is the Wits & Wagers expansion.

ps I think you are spot on about LNOE xian. My problem with the game is that it feels like it drags quite a bit and the combat just feels anti-climactic and a bit overly simplistic. What it does an amazing job of though is recreating that zombie-movie feel, and not just in the quality parts, but in the gameplay. Touch of Evil? Not quite so much, but maybe I need to give that game another chance one day.

 

[AstroLad]

whoo found some stuff. very christmas-trip focused (although sadly i'll only be able to take about four days off this year)
1 - Say Anything Board Game (New, Board Games, North Star Games) at $17.99 each
1 - Wits & Wagers Expansion Pack 1 (New, Board Games, North Star Games) at $9.99 each
1 - Time's Up: Title Recall Board Game (New, Board Games, R and R Games) at $12.99 each
1 - Dominion: Seaside Expansion (New, Board Games, Rio Grande Games) at $27.99 each
1 - Tales of the Arabian Nights Board Game (New, Board Games, Z-Man Games) at $33.99 each

 

[Fonds]

So me and my roommates are looking for a nice boardgame to play.

We're into WoW and have tried the TCG and the boargame but that didnt really work out since there seem to be a lot of holes in the rule-system still.

I'd love to play something like hero-quest but it seems that that game isnt being made for years anymore.
Could you hardcore boardgamers recommend some fun boardgames please? Doesn't matter how long one game takes. Being able to play with 3 players minimum would be great.

Thanks guys!

 

[platypotamus]

I'd love to play something like hero-quest but it seems that that game isnt being made for years anymore.
Could you hardcore boardgamers recommend some fun boardgames please? Doesn't matter how long one game takes. Being able to play with 3 players minimum would be great.

Look into Descent. It's like HeroQuest turned up to 11(,111). It's fiddly as hell, pretty complex, but a nice little dungeon crawl. One of the expansions even creates campaign rules for it, so it can become a bit more than just a Dungeon Crawl (campaign rules are pretty awesome too).


@AstroLad:

Going to be playing some Dominion while I'm down for Christmas, and probably quite a bit of regular playing card games (Rummy, Pinochle, etc).

I've been debating sticking an extra game or two in the suitcase for travel gaming (Citadels, which I know you're a fan of, and Kachina are very travel-able, and light enough that I could find players) for them.

My sister and my parents both have some board games (we'll be playing my mom's copy of Dominion, I'm not bringing all those boxes), so we'll likely play those too. Plus anything anyone gets for Christmas.

 

[Qaz Kwaz]

Actually my friends and I are all power games and love LNOE. We abuse the crap out of stuff like the pickup rules when possible. You'd be surprised how often *not* abusing them is the better tactical choice.

We keep coming back to it because, at least for us, it has been *amazingly* balanced. Either side has won a roughly equal a number of times, and it always comes down to the last few turns which makes it incredibly exciting. We have never had a game (out of playing it about 20 times) where the winner was known prior to the last ~3 turns.

I totally agree. Most of our LNOE games come down to the last couple turns, which makes the final card playing extremely strategic. Especially for zombies it's all about the cards.

Has anyone played Chaos in the Old World? I've heard a lot of good things.

 

[AstroLad]

Yep, I was going to mention Descent as a recommendation but I figured I'd let one of you dudes jump in since I've only played it a couple of times.

Another co-op game that plays great with four, especially if you're not time constrained, is Arkham Horror. You can read about a kajillion great reviews for any game at boardgamegeek in case you haven't checked it out yet.

 

[BattleMonkey]

I totally agree. Most of our LNOE games come down to the last couple turns, which makes the final card playing extremely strategic. Especially for zombies it's all about the cards.

Has anyone played Chaos in the Old World? I've heard a lot of good things.

Been mentioned several times, great game, though to me it's best when you have a full 4 players to play it and represent all the chaos gods.

 

[Neverfade]

whoo found some stuff. very christmas-trip focused (although sadly i'll only be able to take about four days off this year)
1 - Say Anything Board Game (New, Board Games, North Star Games) at $17.99 each
1 - Wits & Wagers Expansion Pack 1 (New, Board Games, North Star Games) at $9.99 each
1 - Time's Up: Title Recall Board Game (New, Board Games, R and R Games) at $12.99 each
1 - Dominion: Seaside Expansion (New, Board Games, Rio Grande Games) at $27.99 each
1 - Tales of the Arabian Nights Board Game (New, Board Games, Z-Man Games) at $33.99 each

sogood.gif

Has anyone played Chaos in the Old World? I've heard a lot of good things.

Buy it or Eric Lang will rip your wife into pieces. Its great.

 

[Flynn]

As an alternative to Descent (ugh, dice movement) please consider Prophecy - a game that delivers a questing/d&d-style board game experience impoved by light Euro-style balancing.

 

[platypotamus]

Descent doesn't have dice movement.... each character has a move stat. You might be thinking of dice for range on ranged attacks?

 

[Fonds]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I'll be looking into all of 'em to make my pick

 

[Neverfade]

Coolstuffinc.com has new copies of Robo Rally in stock now for $33.XX + shipping. You hate boardgames if you don't grab a copy.

 

[AstroLad]

Coolstuffinc.com has new copies of Robo Rally in stock now for $33.XX + shipping. You hate boardgames if you don't grab a copy.

Wow did they finally do a reprint? That's very nice and an awesometunity. Almost tempted to get a new copy myself since my AH version is pretty beat up and I don't like lugging around my previous WOTC versions.

 

[Neverfade]

Wow did they finally do a reprint? That's very nice and an awesometunity. Almost tempted to get a new copy myself since my AH version is pretty beat up and I don't like lugging around my previous WOTC versions.

Yeah, I got a steal on my copy since it was in.... fair condition at best. It's pretty rough looking. Its serviceable, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about nabbing a new copy.

 

[AstroLad]

Yeah, I got a steal on my copy since it was in.... fair condition at best. It's pretty rough looking. Its serviceable, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about nabbing a new copy.

That's what's so brutal about the AH version. The box especially it just...disintegrates. Overly big and flimsy. That said the rest is pretty much fine.

 

[AstroLad]

Here is my full holiday boardgaming travel set, with commentary.

-Ticket to Ride (w/ 1910): In-laws love it; casuals love it. It's the ultimate gateway that's not really a gateway but I'm going to call it a gateway because of how much casuals love it game.

-Battle Line: Small, brilliant, perfect for planes.

-For Sale: Small, easy, very fun, very quick.

-Race for the Galaxy (w/ all expansions, minus the conquest stuff which is staying at home): My brother will play w/ my wife and I like we did last Christmas. Hope to teach to at least a couple people too.

-Catan (w/ Cities & Knights): See Ticket to Ride, minus the "not really a gateway" part.

-Dominion (w/ Seaside): Not as big of a fan of Dominion as many, but I really want to give this a try with a new group.

-Galaxy Trucker: When I first played Galaxy Trucker I was sort of meh on it and thought it a touch overrated. After five or so plays it really grew on me and is one of my games of the moment. I'm also just realizing I could have added the Big Expansion to my CSI order yesterday; d'oh! Probably better to keep things base anyway since it's not exactly the easiest game to teach.

-Say Anything: Giving this a shot largely on GAF Praise. I have faith.

-RoboRally: I've sung its praises many times in this very thread.

-Wits & Wagers (w/ Expansion 1): Just a guaranteed hit in a party/casual atmosphere. Also funny because in a couple rounds of play every single person is guaranteed to feel incredibly stupid at least once with an outlier answer.

-Tales of the Arabian Nights: The game sounds great to me for three, and it was on sale at CSI. The only question is whether I can learn it in time, so this is a borderline one.

Lots of great games staying home, believe it or not. Now the challenge is finding the time and opportunity to play half of these.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

There's nothing to really learn in ToTAN. :lol

Once you get the whole handing off thing down, it's pretty easy to play. Just try not to take the game mechanics too seriously due to all the randomness.

 

[AstroLad]

Nice, I really only took a cursory look at reviews before picking it up. They noted the randomness/storytelling part so it seemed good for the occasion.

 

[BattleMonkey]

frpgames also got in Roborally, looks like a reprint.

 

[Drey1082]

Picked up ticket to ride, power grid, and bohnanza this week. Figured I needed some good family games to play at Christmas. (and Power Grid just because I wanted to add it to my collection)

Probably going to bring to family parties:

Ticket to ride
Bohnanza
Pandemic (family loves it)
Dominion (family really likes also)
Bang (didn't work too well last time. it's no RFTG, but the symbols still confused my family a little bit. I figure i'll bring it just in case we need a 7 player game.)

Agricola (just as a test to see if they can handle it)

Maybe power grid, just because it's new to me, and i want to give it a shot. Might be a little too much for the family though. Also maybe wits and wagers, just because it accommodates a big group.

 

[Flynn]

Descent doesn't have dice movement.... each character has a move stat. You might be thinking of dice for range on ranged attacks?

You're right. I'm thinking of Talisman. That was awful.

STILL! Look into Prophecy. I like that better than both games.

 

[Qaz Kwaz]

I'm gonna pick up Say Anything and Wits & Wagers as Christmas gifts for myself and the gf. They look like really great party games. Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[XiaNaphryz]

You're right. I'm thinking of Talisman. That was awful.

STILL! Look into Prophecy. I like that better than both games.

Prophecy's less of a coop game than Descent though isn't it? Which could be a factor depending on what a game group's looking for.

 

[platypotamus]

So heading down south for the holidays. Have Citadels and Kachina in tow. Dominion is down there.

It's on.

 

[Flynn]

Prophecy's less of a coop game than Descent though isn't it? Which could be a factor depending on what a game group's looking for.

That's true. Its more of a every-man for himself game, but the Euro balancing kind of meets halfway.

 

[Cyan]

Just got the alternate power plant deck for Power Grid. Anyone here played with it? What's been the best way to use it--mixing with the old deck, or complete replacement?

 

[FnordChan]

You're right. I'm thinking of Talisman. That was awful.

Having played a lot of Talisman back in the day, I won't begin to try to defend it as having clever, well-balanced gameplay. That said, I still think it holds up nicely as a quasi-RPG type experience where you can shoot the shit with your friends and have fun seeing what sort of cards come up without having to pay too much attention to what you're doing. I'm interested in checking out the new 4th edition from Fantasy Flight.

My own travelling game selection consists of a single game: Illuminati, namely the ultra-portable old pocket box edition with the first two expansions included. I'll be taking it with me when I'm visiting friends who are gamers after the holidays. The host already has standards on hand such as Catan and so forth and one of the friends we'll be hanging out with has All The Games. That said, last year a pal and I were craving Illuminati and the problem with having All The Games is that sometimes it's hard to find a particular game when it's buried away somewhere. I'm not taking any chances this time around. I'm hoping we'll also get some Agricola in while I'm visiting and, if we can talk enough people into burning an entire day, perhaps even Advanced Civilization.

AstroLad, as mentioned Arabian Nights is dead simple to pick up. This is because there really isn't a whole lot of a game there: mostly random things happen and eventually someone wins. That said, it makes for a terrific storytelling experience, though I'd recommend keeping the number of players down to three or four.

Finally, for folks who haven't already seen this on BGG:

FnordChan

 

[Cyan]

Having played a lot of Talisman back in the day, I won't begin to try to defend it as having clever, well-balanced gameplay. That said, I still think it holds up nicely as a quasi-RPG type experience where you can shoot the shit with your friends and have fun seeing what sort of cards come up without having to pay too much attention to what you're doing. I'm interested in checking out the new 4th edition from Fantasy Flight.

It wasn't anywhere close to balanced, but it was a whole lot of fun! One of my most-played games of childhood, along with Hero Quest.

Didn't know there was a new edition. You'll have to let us know how it is.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Just got the alternate power plant deck for Power Grid. Anyone here played with it? What's been the best way to use it--mixing with the old deck, or complete replacement?

I've yet to play a game of regular Power Grid.

Our sessions lately just become dominated by Dominion games.

 

[hoverX]

It wasn't anywhere close to balanced, but it was a whole lot of fun! One of my most-played games of childhood, along with Hero Quest.

Didn't know there was a new edition. You'll have to let us know how it is.

I loved playing talisman as a kid as well! what is new/different in the new version?

 

[FnordChan]

I loved playing talisman as a kid as well! what is new/different in the new version?

I haven't played the new edition myself, but I did research it a bit recently before giving it as a Christmas gift to a friend who was my old Talisman adversary back in middle school. This video review compares the different editions; the short version is that 4th edition is very similar to 2nd edition, except with a overall makeover, a lot of tweaks here and there, and the addition of a fate points mechanic. The nice thing about 4th edition is that a) it's in print, b) it's well made (as to be expected from the fine folks at Fantasy Flight) and, best of all, c) there are new expansions available.

The last bit is why I'm tempted to pick up 4th edition Talisman, as there are all smaller card-based expansions such as The Reaper and The Frostmarch, as well as a larger board-based revamped version of The Dungeon. The Dungeon board is arranged so that it fits around one corner of the board, so I'm guessing Fantasy Flight looks forward to releasing at least three more major expansions, along with smaller card expansions here and there. I imagine that, like Arkham, I could be happily buying Talisman 4th edition expansions from Fantasy Flight for years to come, which sounds pretty good to me. If I do break down and snag 4th edition, I'll be sure to let ya'll know how it compares to the original.

For folks who haven't played Talisman at all and are wondering what all the fuss is about, it's a quasi-RPG type fantasy board game where you choose a character class (each with their own special abilities) and travel around the board having random encounters, fighting monsters, and collecting loot. Your goal is to become powerful enough to survive the center region of the board, reach the Crown of Command, and use it to force the other players to surrender or die. So, it's a relaxing evening at home with friends. As mentioned above, Talisman is very, very random and the balance is more than a bit wonky. As long as you go into the game knowing these things and not expecting a Euro-gaming style experience, I think it's a hoot.

FnordChan

 

[Neverfade]

I picked up a copy of Warhammer Invasion the other day, and I'm really enjoying it. Its been a while since I've felt CCG/LCGs got things right. It plays well out of the box, a huge plus, but I feel I'll be grabbing some battle packs for this.

My biggest complaint is that said battlepacks don't come with 3 of every card ("rares" only come 1 per). What the hell would I do with 9 copies of a "common"?

 

[Flynn]

Anybody get cardboard for Christmas?

My wife got me Tigris and Euphrates.

 

[Neverfade]

I got a Runewars preorder, but that's not out till next month.

 

[Qaz Kwaz]

Played Say Anything! for Christmas. Great game! Thanks for the recommendations. We all had a really good time with this. We also played Wits & Wagers. It's a different vibe from Say Anything and less "personal", but it's still really fun.

Next up... PANDEMIC!

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Anybody get cardboard for Christmas?

My wife got me Tigris and Euphrates.

I bought myself Smallworld. Haven't played it yet but all the pieces are punched and ready to go.

We played a couple games of Wit and Wagers last night. It's a good game and really appealed to my family who all love to gamble. We also played a full five player game of Colloseum and it still is a winner even with five players. It did drag a bit but I think it was a case of analysis paralysis more than anything else.

 

[Flynn]

I can see Colloseum getting slow with five towards the end. There's a lot to work out, I think in those last couple of moves.

We didn't play any board games

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

I can see Colloseum getting slow with five towards the end. There's a lot to work out, I think in those last couple of moves.

We didn't play any board games

That's exactly where it dragged. We played with a couple first timers so they didn't plan ahead, it took them awhile to figure out exactly what to do. The funny thing is the first timer who had the most trouble figuring out what she should do ended up winning by one point.

 

[AstroLad]

Yup played a lot of Say Anything so far haha.

 

[Ventrue]

I ended up playing dreaded Scrabble the other day and I learned that I am the only person in my family capable of spelling 'raisin.' They all had a different variant too.

 

[platypotamus]

My sister got me Endeavor, but we haven't had a chance to play yet. Hopefully soon. Also was given Catan, which I already have, but it came with a gift receipt.

 

[Flynn]

Endeavor is fun, looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

You can always hang on to Catan and re-gift it. I'm always trying to turn people on to that game.

EDIT:

My weekend was saved. A friend came over and the movie we had planned to watch had screwed up subtitles so we played 2-player Agricola and Race For the Galaxy.

He wound up having a hard time discerning the green and brown worlds because he's color-blind. I suggested that the green cards are mostly aliens and labs and the brown are mostly mining-related and that helped. But he's basically going to have to memorize the cards or ask ever so often lest he make a mistake.

Its funny that Lehman took such care to give everything a clear symbol, but failed to notice the color issue.

 

[Neverfade]

Anyone interested in some games in prime condition?

Need to unload:

Arkham Horror
Memoir 44
A Touch of Evil
Sorry! Sliders
and some Heroscape stuff.

Most stuff is punched but unplayed.

 

[platypotamus]

Endeavor is fun, looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

You can always hang on to Catan and re-gift it. I'm always trying to turn people on to that game.

EDIT:

My weekend was saved. A friend came over and the movie we had planned to watch had screwed up subtitles so we played 2-player Agricola and Race For the Galaxy.

He wound up having a hard time discerning the green and brown worlds because he's color-blind. I suggested that the green cards are mostly aliens and labs and the brown are mostly mining-related and that helped. But he's basically going to have to memorize the cards or ask ever so often lest he make a mistake.

Its funny that Lehman took such care to give everything a clear symbol, but failed to notice the color issue.

The advantageto returning Catan: Don't have to fit it into my luggage on the trip home.

Probably doing that, then using gift receipt back home in Seattle.

I feel his pain with the colorblindness issues, though I don't have them with RftG. I can't remember the last board game that really messed with my eyes... probably something that had both purple and dark blue as colors

 

[Ulairi]

I got FFG's War of the Ring for Christmas, it's pretty sweet.