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[Xater]

Haha what's wrong with Munchkin?

I'm heading to Amsterdam tomorrow, I think there's a gamestore there. Perhaps I can find something cheap. I've written Citadels and San Juan both down, thanks.

A lot is wrong with munchkin. It looks like it should be fun but once you get over the funny cards the gameplay is just boring and it takes way too long.

 

[AstroLad]

re catan: it does especially because you have to gang up on leader in most cases in order to prevent runaway leader.

also there are trading decisions and robber decisions which ALWAYS piss people off

part of the appeal of the game though certainly if that's your thing

 

[UpperCaseN]

Haha what's wrong with Munchkin?

I'm heading to Amsterdam tomorrow, I think there's a gamestore there. Perhaps I can find something cheap. I've written Citadels and San Juan both down, thanks.

Munchkin is a game that should take like 30 min. instead it takes like 3 hours and sucks

 

[BattleMonkey]

Haha what's wrong with Munchkin?

I'm heading to Amsterdam tomorrow, I think there's a gamestore there. Perhaps I can find something cheap. I've written Citadels and San Juan both down, thanks.

Munchkin is like fun once, and then you will not want to play it again. Course it has it's fans who buy every single set, but the comedy value is what sells it, but once you've seen some of the cards, it often wears off quick.

 

[StoOgE]

A lot is wrong with munchkin. It looks like it should be fun but once you get over the funny cards the gameplay is just boring and it takes way too long.

This is the issue with munchkin. Really funny, twice. At most.

Then you figure out that there isn't much in the way of 'game' there.

 

[BattleMonkey]

This is the issue with munchkin. Really funny, twice. At most.

Then you figure out that there isn't much in the way of 'game' there.

It's like that for most of SJG releases. Illuminati is their only game that I've enjoyed repeating.

 

[fallout]

re catan: it does especially because you have to gang up on leader in most cases in order to prevent runaway leader.

also there are trading decisions and robber decisions which ALWAYS piss people off

part of the appeal of the game though certainly if that's your thing

Someone once gave me a win, just because they were tired of playing. This really pissed off the person who was in second, because they were probably a couple of turns from overtaking me. I think that was the last time I played Catan with that group.

 

[Lumine]

I thought it might be good because it seemed popular and the humor simply made it more accessible. Thanks for the warning, I will avoid Munchkin then.

re catan: it does especially because you have to gang up on leader in most cases in order to prevent runaway leader.

That's another reason Risk is getting on my nerves; if you do too well too quickly, you'll have everyone ganging up on you. So everyone ends up playing slow and careful and the games last even longer.

 

[superrobot]

I suppose so. It seems to be more accessible for people in our situation compared to an all cards game. Personally I just like something that isn't too much based on luck. It's annoying if you're doing well in RISK but lose it all because of a couple of bad dice throws.



I've looked at them, but unfortunately they don't seem to be widely availible anymore. At least not in the Netherlands where I can't seem to find El Grande at all. There's one place that stocks Stone Age, but it's a little pricey. It looks neat though, so I'll keep it in mind.

Thanks for the recommendations so far, they seem to be in the right direction. Got any more?

If you are looking in Nederlands consider amazon.de
They ship for 3€ I think. They have Catan, El Grande, Puerto Rico, stone age, Airlines Europe . Check boardgamegeek in case there is in game text issues.

 

[bloodydrake]

Looks like gaming night is on for tomorrow. first 4 player session in a while.
Instead of going for the big meaty games which always lead to arguing after few hours of drinks(hello Twilight Imperium)
We're gonna just go thru some lighter quicker games.
Think this order should work with the coop games at the end of night.
small world
ad astra
7 wonders
dungeon run
and pandemic.

New table I'm building(ok My Dads doing 90% of the real work..I'm a computer guy LOL) won't be ready till next week so it will have to wait for the Weekly Tide of Iron campaign I'm putting together.

 

[MichaelBD]

Oh man, don't play Rex with 3 people haha. It's fucking neutered. No alliances, no Betrayal cards, and way too easy to win. The mechanics are solid though. Next week: more folks!

Yeah, we played with 3 people last weekend. Never again. It wasn't a total waste of time because it was the first time for everyone and at the very least it was a good walk through of the rules.

 

[cooltrainer]

I've been considering getting Settlers of Catan since it's a classic but reading some comments(not just here) have me concerned with my friends. Mostly that the game can drag on and some people can get screwed with bad dice rolls/robber and get frustrated. I'm really itching for a new game though. I'm thinking of getting Dominion instead, it might appeal to my friends who play a lot of Magic.

 

[StoOgE]

I've been considering getting Settlers of Catan since it's a classic but reading some comments(not just here) have me concerned with my friends. Mostly that the game can drag on and some people can get screwed with bad dice rolls/robber and get frustrated. I'm really itching for a new game though. I'm thinking of getting Dominion instead, it might appeal to my friends who play a lot of Magic.

Dominion is easily the better game. It's also more accessible for new gamers, but crazy deep for more experienced players.

 

[tm24]

So ive been wanting to jump into board games with my brother, and deck-building games seem to be up our alley. We also love Penny Arcade. Should i just go with Dominion or does the PA game offer enough change to be worth the fan service and extra 20 bucks?

 

[fenners]

So ive been wanting to jump into board games with my brother, and deck-building games seem to be up our alley. We also love Penny Arcade. Should i just go with Dominion or does the PA game offer enough change to be worth the fan service and extra 20 bucks?

I haven't played PA but I can tell you now, go for Dominion.

 

[superrobot]

So ive been wanting to jump into board games with my brother, and deck-building games seem to be up our alley. We also love Penny Arcade. Should i just go with Dominion or does the PA game offer enough change to be worth the fan service and extra 20 bucks?

Dominion is great. Everyone who I've introduced it to has gone and bought their own copy, and expansions too.

 

[BomberMouse]

So ive been wanting to jump into board games with my brother, and deck-building games seem to be up our alley. We also love Penny Arcade. Should i just go with Dominion or does the PA game offer enough change to be worth the fan service and extra 20 bucks?

I'll be the dissident voice and say that dominion is an awful, awful game:

• The theme is non existent
• The art is uninspired
• The trigger for the endgame is incredibly artificial and unnatural
• It requires you to shuffle your hand a trillion times per minute.
• Player interaction is minimal

The only good part is the little serotonin your body creates when you realize you can make some combo, that's it until you realize there's no point or purpose in doing so.

 

[StoOgE]

I'll be the dissident voice and say that dominion is an awful, awful game:

• The theme is non existent
• The art is uninspired
• The trigger for the endgame is incredibly artificial and unnatural
• It requires you to shuffle your hand a trillion times per minute.
• Player interaction is minimal

The only good part is the little serotonin your body creates when you realize you can make some combo, that's it until you realize there's no point or purpose in doing so.

You are an awful person, and should feel bad.

 

[InaudibleWhispa]

Get Dominion, you won't regret it. Unless you're BomberMouse. But most people aren't, so you should be OK. Dominion was the first game I seriously got into, and I've introduced countless people to it who don't typically play boardgames.

 

[Yaboosh]

I'll be the dissident voice and say that dominion is an awful, awful game:

• The theme is non existent
• The art is uninspired
• The trigger for the endgame is incredibly artificial and unnatural
• It requires you to shuffle your hand a trillion times per minute.
• Player interaction is minimal

The only good part is the little serotonin your body creates when you realize you can make some combo, that's it until you realize there's no point or purpose in doing so.

It is strange. Every one of your complaints I agree with, but I still really like the game.

 

[ZackieChan]

It is strange. Every one of your complaints I agree with, but I still really like the game.

Yeah, it manages to be fun DESPITE those "flaws". It's really great.

So, I was playing Chrononauts with a group, and while we enjoyed the actual playing of the game, it just kind of ends. Any way to make the ending more exciting or tense?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'll be the dissident voice and say that dominion is an awful, awful game:

• The theme is non existent
• The art is uninspired
• The trigger for the endgame is incredibly artificial and unnatural
• It requires you to shuffle your hand a trillion times per minute.
• Player interaction is minimal

The only good part is the little serotonin your body creates when you realize you can make some combo, that's it until you realize there's no point or purpose in doing so.

I had fun with Dominion, but I quickly came to this realization after a few games.

I still find it fun to play with people who are new to the game. Games with people who are experienced aren't great, though, in my experience. It just feels like going through the motions at that point.

 

[besada]

Yeah, it manages to be fun DESPITE those "flaws". It's really great.

So, I was playing Chrononauts with a group, and while we enjoyed the actual playing of the game, it just kind of ends. Any way to make the ending more exciting or tense?

I find it depends entirely on the big paradoxes. There's plenty of tension when you have enough that the universe is going to implode, and when those later year cards get cut off. But, like its twin Back to the Future, the ends do tend to come suddenly. One guy gets his cards aligned and BAM. BttF deals with it by making you do the draw pile of possible wins, but I never felt that added much.

 

[BattleMonkey]

I'll be the dissident voice and say that dominion is an awful, awful game:

• The theme is non existent
• The art is uninspired
• The trigger for the endgame is incredibly artificial and unnatural
• It requires you to shuffle your hand a trillion times per minute.
• Player interaction is minimal

The only good part is the little serotonin your body creates when you realize you can make some combo, that's it until you realize there's no point or purpose in doing so.

You could pretty much apply all those complaints against more euro games (outside of shuffling for non DBG games).

 

[Yaboosh]

You could pretty much apply all those complaints against more euro games (outside of shuffling for non DBG games).

Not really. Carcassonne for example (depending on your own personal tastes) falls victim to none of those problems. Neither does Ticket to Ride.

 

[tm24]

Alright, gonna bite the bullet for Dominion. Waiting on my new ipad so I can jump into Carcassone and TtR with my brother too. We'll see if we will become board game converts

 

[superrobot]

Criticisms of Dominion aside (I'm not blind to them either), the enquiry was for a DBG for someone getting started.
You could also look at Thunderstone or Ascension.
I've only played Thunderstone online, but having played Dominion first helped.
Getting people to try Dominion in a lunch hour has really helped getting people to try other games outside work. (Carc, TTR, Notre Dame, Stone Age, Arkham, LNOE, Catan)
YMMV, caveat emptor etc.

 

[BomberMouse]

You are an awful person, and should feel bad.

I do

It is strange. Every one of your complaints I agree with, but I still really like the game.

Yep, there's a reason many people like the game. I just wanted to warn him in case any of those points were actually important to him. Dominion gets continually recommended to people who enjoyed MTG but MTG doesn't fall victim to any of those criticism. IMHO, ascension does a much better job.

Alright, gonna bite the bullet for Dominion. Waiting on my new ipad so I can jump into Carcassone and TtR with my brother too. We'll see if we will become board game converts

Carcassone and TtR are both awesome, you should try to get the physical version of Carc too since it's really cheap.

 

[TwiztidElf]

I have to disagree with a lot of the points on the Dominion hate post.
I like both the theme and the artwork.
The endgame trigger makes sense in the context of the game.
Combos are often worth doing.

 

[AstroLad]

Hm I've taught Dominion to Magic folks who I thought would be super skeptical and they loved it. ymmv I suppose. I'm hot and cold on Dominion and the overall theme is very weak (though the way the mechanics reflect the card titles is sometimes quite brilliant) but it's still a top 10er for me and my favorite DBG by a fair margin (and I'm a fan of almost every DBG except Quarriors).

 

[StoOgE]

Hm I've taught Dominion to Magic folks who I thought would be super skeptical and they loved it. ymmv I suppose. I'm hot and cold on Dominion and the overall theme is very weak (though the way the mechanics reflect the card titles is sometimes quite brilliant) but it's still a top 10er for me and my favorite DBG by a fair margin (and I'm a fan of almost every DBG except Quarriors).

I think the theme is pasted on. I even agree that the end game is kind of arbitrary. In no way to I feel that I am building a kingdom when I play Dominion.

That said, it is one of my favorite games. The engine building is absolutely insanely good. Probably the best I've ever seen, and it's a modular game so it's different 100% of the time, and always seems to work.

Dominion is a strange game though. I won't want to play it for *months* at a time because of the theme issues and I have this idea in my head that the game is really dry and solitaire-y. Then I'll crack and play it and not want to stop playing it for weeks.

 

[StoOgE]

Also, I don't want to jinx anything, but I got a super super exciting email in my inbox late last night. Has nothing to do with my game, but everything to do with my publishing company..

so, GAF keep your fingers crossed.

 

[Xater]

Also, I don't want to jinx anything, but I got a super super exciting email in my inbox late last night. Has nothing to do with my game, but everything to do with my publishing company..

so, GAF keep your fingers crossed.

Hey did I understand your post on BGG right in that you want to start your Kickstarter April 1st?

 

[StoOgE]

Hey did I understand your post on BGG right in that you want to start your Kickstarter April 1st?

I wanted to. That changed because of something that got finalized on Friday.

No one told me not to say anything, but I think it's going to be announced in the next day or two. In any case, the brakes are being put on the game a bit so that my new partners can do some legwork on their end.

It was an offer I couldn't reasonably pass up, but it also means I lost some control over my timetable which is pretty annoying. My artist didn't get them the hi-res art assets in time to put the press release out Friday afternoon.. so hopefully something will happen on Monday at GAMA.

 

[fenners]

I wanted to. That changed because of something that got finalized on Friday.

No one told me not to say anything, but I think it's going to be announced in the next day or two. In any case, the brakes are being put on the game a bit so that my new partners can do some legwork on their end.

It was an offer I couldn't reasonably pass up, but it also means I lost some control over my timetable which is pretty annoying. My artist didn't get them the hi-res art assets in time to put the press release out Friday afternoon.. so hopefully something will happen on Monday at GAMA.

So you've been picked up by a publisher?

 

[StoOgE]

So you've been picked up by a publisher?

I'm still publishing the game... sort of. It's a partnership deal with a publisher/distributor. They want to move quickly, just not "hey we signed this deal and it's going on kickstarter in 3 days" quickly.

So, it's still going to go on kickstarter, my company still owns it, and I still don't have the money to actually make the game.. but if I make enough on kickstarter, I have someone who can get it into stores/actually sell the game.

 

[fenners]

I'm still publishing the game... sort of. It's a partnership deal with a publisher/distributor. They want to move quickly, just not "hey we signed this deal and it's going on kickstarter in 3 days" quickly.

So, it's still going to go on kickstarter, my company still owns it, and I still don't have the money to actually make the game.. but if I make enough on kickstarter, I have someone who can get it into stores/actually sell the game.

Fantastic Good luck!

 

[Zia]

Just wanted to say, "Hello," and thank you guys for your informed, intelligent discussion. Have followed the thread long before I joined GAF, and recently picked up my first physical board game, Ticket to Ride. Haven't had a chance to play yet, but I'm really, really excited.

Down the Rabbit Hole.

 

[StoOgE]

Just wanted to say, "Hello," and thank you guys for your informed, intelligent discussion. Have followed the thread long before I joined GAF, and recently picked up my first physical board game, Ticket to Ride. Haven't had a chance to play yet, but I'm really, really excited.

Down the Rabbit Hole.

One of us. One of us.

 

[Xater]

Just wanted to say, "Hello," and thank you guys for your informed, intelligent discussion. Have followed the thread long before I joined GAF, and recently picked up my first physical board game, Ticket to Ride. Haven't had a chance to play yet, but I'm really, really excited.

Down the Rabbit Hole.

Ticket to Ride is a great entry game and should totally hook. I have yet to meet someone who really dislikes it.

 

[ZackieChan]

Played a few games of Eminent yesterday. What a great game! Where's the best place to pick it up cheap? My only fear is that my other gaming group won't "get it". Also, how does it play with two players?

Also played Troyes. I really like it, but the iconography is complete trash. Everything has to he looked up! It's worse than 7 Wonders.

 

[Cj70]

Haven't had a board gaming night before but me and 3 friends decided to try one. We bought Small World, Battlestar Galactica, Forbidden Island and Chronicle.

Really enjoyed all of them after we got over the initial daunting reading of the rules =) I think Small World was our favourite followed by Bsg. we played them all as 4 player then 3 later.

Going to make it a regular thing now so I'm now wondering if getting an expansion for any of those games is worthwhile for next time. I know small world and bsg have a few.

 

[Dreavus]

Just wanted to say, "Hello," and thank you guys for your informed, intelligent discussion. Have followed the thread long before I joined GAF, and recently picked up my first physical board game, Ticket to Ride. Haven't had a chance to play yet, but I'm really, really excited.

Down the Rabbit Hole.

Great choice to start with!

I just played Ticket to Ride for the first time a few weeks ago and it was very entertaining. Lost horribly, but that's to be expected for a first play, hah.

 

[ZackieChan]

Haven't had a board gaming night before but me and 3 friends decided to try one. We bought Small World, Battlestar Galactica, Forbidden Island and Chronicle.

Really enjoyed all of them after we got over the initial daunting reading of the rules =) I think Small World was our favourite followed by Bsg. we played them all as 4 player then 3 later.

Going to make it a regular thing now so I'm now wondering if getting an expansion for any of those games is worthwhile for next time. I know small world and bsg have a few.

Your group of 4 will probably enjoy Dominion, as well. It's a go-to game for a lot of groups, I think.

 

[bloodydrake]

Game night recovery mode ;-)

In the end was a great success. Everyone had fun tho it was slow going since it was all new games for everyone else.
Started the afternoon off with a game of Twilight Struggle that went to round 5 and had to call it with no clear victory when full group showed up, So far everyone thats played it likes it.

Ended up just playing Small World, Ad Astra, and Dungeon Run with full group.

Everyone liked Small world and thought it was really cool how all the combinations really changed how each race acted. All would play again tho everyone expected to cut time in 1/2 now that they got it.

Ad Astra hit the perfect level of Depth vs Fun, The new guy won by not having any expectations and just going for points whenever he could, while the rest of us were holding onto preconceived notions from Catan and Puerto Rico that we'd expand early, score later..

The game went on way to long but afterwards we all agreed if we were way more aggressive to play scoring cards the game would have ended in 1/2 the time.
Definitely a great game if you like Catan or Puerto Rico and want something that blends them..but the game really wants you to race for points as opposed to sitting back and plan for them to come together later.

Dungeon Run was fun way to finish the night. The blend of co-op with backstabbing with a light hearted attitude was great.. going from a game that had no dice to a major dice roller game was cool for changing up the tempo and letting your brain relax and just kick back having a laugh deciding to help or sabotage the guy beside you.

Up to the boss tile everyone probably was thinking this game was a 9..light RPG dungeon crawler that lets you work together or head out on your own if you want...GREAT!

Once the Boss was up everyone got crazy competitive and it fell apart. No one wanted to help each other in the final battle ..and once a couple tried and failed to defeat the boss solo it made everyone kinda lose their enthusiasm.

I think it needs someway to score your characters performance thru out the game and based on that decide who wins.

It feels like it should score more like a game where a bunch of Challengers are thrown into the Minotaurs Maze and only one can escape victorious vs a real dungeon coop where you are a party working together to defeat the end boss. Sure you can help each other but its not really wanted unless its needed.

i think this game could really use an addon to fix the endgame. and expand on the game would be fantastic..more tiles..more characters ...more encounters...more treasure and boss's.

 

[octobot]

Played four games of Risk Legacy yesterday (games 6-9) I am so glad I stayed away from spoilers regarding the envelopes/packets that get opened. During the 7th game we opened two packets (only two envelopes remain) and the contents blew us away! i love this game, i hope they do more in this style of game

 

[BattleMonkey]

i think this game could really use an addon to fix the endgame. and expand on the game would be fantastic..more tiles..more characters ...more encounters...more treasure and boss's.

Well the rulebook does tell you to basically do this buy buying a 2nd set of the game and using those tiles and such mixed with the main set for bigger and longer lasting games.

The endgame to me is just fine as it is, the game just needs to be made longer. Also on repeat plays players become more competitive early on instead of waiting for the endgame.

 

[bloodydrake]

Well the rulebook does tell you to basically do this buy buying a 2nd set of the game and using those tiles and such mixed with the main set for bigger and longer lasting games.

Ya but having an add-on that does this with unique new stuff would be better then buying the base game twice I would think.
I like the idea of adding in more boss cards
more unique tiles
traps that block doorways so you get cut off from the rest
Poison damage that are green tokens that take 2 Rally points to cure..first one turns back to red then second removes


I also think somehow separating the encounter and treasure deck into two stacks would help ..early encounter and late encounter. each pile would break up the easier mobs and weaker items ..for the first 6 encounters or something..that way the early dungeon is easier and the harder mobs(like the UBER ability) won't show up on the second tile till some upgraded skills have been used.

The endgame to me is just fine as it is, the game just needs to be made longer. Also on repeat plays players become more competitive early on instead of waiting for the endgame.

I'm not sure..I think it needs some changes to make the end more satisfying.
for one at a minimum I want 4 more tiles that are endgame tiles you shuffle the boss tile into and put at the bottom of the pile. Tho everyone knows the Boss location is coming, not knowing if its which of the next 5 tiles would be way better. As well I think when the Boss Tile is turned up it should be placed where it was discover not forced to be farthest from the entrance..to much meta thinking happened at that point.

It seems like it needs some way to score...or maybe the entrance/exit is sealed
until only one player is left to escape would be a better variant..

I do know playing Vargagg and having "Burst of Speed" which lets you basically move a third tile each turn made everyone else feel pretty helpless to catch me in a run to the exit.

I do like it alot..maybe we'll just house rule the changes in and see how it plays after.

 

[Zalasta]

Played a few games of Eminent yesterday. What a great game! Where's the best place to pick it up cheap? My only fear is that my other gaming group won't "get it". Also, how does it play with two players?

Eminent Domain is one of those rare games that are better with less (2-3). With 4 the game ends way too quick and you really can't get anything going. Feel free to use http://www.boardgameprices.com/ for price reference, although a lot the popular online retailers aren't listed there.

 

[bloodydrake]

Was reading comments on FortressAT's DR review and the Dev from DungeonRun posted some comments.
Fortressat.com Dungeon Run
Looks like there is a Dungeon Run 2 coming out later this year .

Mr. Bistro
Like Colby said, Dungeon Run couldn't have gone any smoother at GenCon, but in that environment we controlled the "feel" of the experience. I get how some groups may not be as naturally drawn into the interaction. DR2 offers some dynamic enhancements in that area, while still leaving players with all of the choices Dungeon Run 1 offers.

I'm quite excited to show what is in the works for the follow-up. The new dynamics are simple but meaty, and blend really well with the base game. It's going to give players more of what they want, without just being more of the same. My goal is to provide a hefty but simple toolbox for kicking your friends in the nuts.

Thanks for the review Michael.

Michael Barnes
So the million dollar question- is DR2 a full-fledged standalone sequel, a 2nd edition, or an expansion?

Mr. Bistro
Definitely not a second edition.