Board Games

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Pandemic Legacy appears to be out of print over here already. I've checked all the board game specialist (web)stores I've consulted the past two years and all of them list both Blue and Red, both the English and Dutch edition as 'unavailable' or 'availability unknown'. Makes me regret not buying about 3 months ago, when it had just hit the market.

Apparently near impossible to get all across the globe. But no worries, it'll be in reprint. At least according to Z-Man Games' customers service.

Coincidently, I received Pandemic as a birthday gift about a week ago.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by ColtCrazy

U.S. Civil War was my top game last year. It's absolutely brilliant. Remarkably easy to pick up for such an in depth game. Gives you a real feel for the struggles both sides had.

Top Tabletop Games of 2015 — Nick’s List |

How long to play and is it something soloable even by playing both sides. So is there any hidden info?

[mckerney]

Bloodborne is getting an official card game • Eurogamer.net

Looking forward to this one being the Bloodborne setting is fantastic and it's made by Eric Lang who is the designer of two the game I've been playing the most lately, Blood Rage and Warhammer 40k: Conquest.

[albionmoonlight]

Russia banned a Polish board game that simulates Communist-era shopping - Quartz

Polish company makes a board game that simulates the shortages and black-market activity that exist under communism. Game is such a hit that there are shortages of it and people have to buy it on the black market.

Oh, and Russia is pissed at it because it makes communism look bad.

[BYU 14]

We have been playing Game of Thrones 2nd edition card game recently and it is incredibly fun. Much more streamlined than the first version and nowhere near the money sink that Magic is. Three core sets and you can make competitive decks for 3-4 people and it comes in at under $90 total on Amazon. Lots of flexibility and replay value trying different house combinations, so you can play off the core sets for years.

The chapter packs, if you add them contain 3 copies of each card and go for around 12-14 bucks on Amazon so they also have great bang for the buck.

[tarcone]

No hidden info in The US Civil War.

Had a game day today. 5 of us for the 1st part, then 4 for one game then 3 for one game.

Started off with 2 games of Risk Legacy. Games 7 and 8. I won one. Which gives me 2 victories. Great game. Loads of fun.

Then a game of DC Deck Builder. The new bad guy copy. Cant remember the name. I had a terrible game. We have a guy who is a Math teacher and he cleans up.

Then a game if 7 Wonders. A couple expansions in it. Cities and Leaders. I won that one. I am good at that game for some reason. I rarely lose.

We did start with Tiny Epis Kingdoms. We were waiting for a guy to show. Great filler.

Fun day.

[ColtCrazy]

Originally Posted by Galaril

How long to play and is it something soloable even by playing both sides. So is there any hidden info?

No hidden info. Init is done with dice rolls so it's VERY soloable. Now, play length is long if you want to do the whole war, but there are different starting point scenarios. 6 hours for the whole war, down to 2 for the shorter scenarios.

[ColtCrazy]

Big news (for me anyway) from Gaming Trend. My top 5 article got to GMT and they've made a deal with my editors to start sending games to us to get games to review. Since I'm the only writer with any war gaming background, I've been sent the first two titles: Silent Victory and Operation Dauntless. Pretty cool.

A friend and I had a big X-wing day. Two 100 point games, one of which ended with both of us losing our last ship on the last turn together (he killed me but overlapped an obstacle and then blew up as well), followed by a 500 point epic game that I won after destroying his Raider. Good stuff. Really enjoying that game. Got one game of Legendary (Marvel version) in as a buffer.

[Vince, Pt. II]

That's awesome Colt, nice work. X-Wing seems to be pretty great, but I'm super leery of the monetary investment necessary. My roommate just got hooked and he's put together an impressive collection of ships...but he's also something like $400 into it.

[ColtCrazy]

Thanks. I don't know if my editor thought it was as big a deal as I did, but GMT is a big player in wargames, and they tend to do quality stuff. Plus, considering my gaming budget tends to go toward them a lot anyway, it'll be nice if I get a game or two that adds to my collection.

I'll also look forward to playing titles I wouldn't normally play. Operation Dauntless is one of those.

Yeah, X-wing can get expensive. I've been fortunate to trade for a few and find some on sale through Amazon or Cardhaus. My friend has spent a lot on those epic ships. I've only bought the rebel transport, which you can find in the $30s if you're patient. You can get as much into it as you want to. I really like the system.

[tarcone]

Congrats, Colt. Should be a blast.
And if you come across a game you review that you dont want to keep, look me up. I might be a buyer.

[Fidatelo]

Played a few games of Colt Express last night, and it's just a nice fun game that's easy to teach, fun to look at, and has a bit of strategy.

[mckerney]

After playing it a few times I have to recommend Between Two Cities to anyone interested in a quick social game with light strategy. In it you draft tiles and use them to build two cities, working cooperatively with each person your sitting next to. The winner is whoever has the most points in their lowest scoring city.

The strategy isn't simple and not too deep and I found the cooperative planning, while still competing against each other, to be highly entertaining.

[bob]

So based on the recommendations from people here and elsewhere I went ahead and picked up pandemic legacy. If you are looking for it, Barnes & Noble seems to have a lot of copies in-store only. Just look for it online with the "find in a store near me" option. Even better was I had a 30% off coupon so i got it for $52 after tax. I will likely be holding onto it for years until my kids are old enough to play but I wanted to make sure I could get a copy while it was still available.

[tarcone]

Im playing The US Civil War on Vassal with a guy. What a fun game. Very interesting.
We are both new to the game. So it has taken some time to play it. Lots of rule checks and what not.
Im glad I bought the game, its a winner.

[Warhammer]

Picked up Codenames a week ago. This is a great password style game. 2 players give a one word clue and number, teammates must figure out which cards they relate to on the board. If you pick correctly, you get a point and continue picking (up to 1 more than the number given by the spymaster). If you pick incorrectly, you either give your opponents a point and lose your turn, lose your turn, or possibly lose the game (there is an assassin).

The neat game play aspect is there are code names on cards laid out in a 5 x 5 grid. The spymasters have a card that shows where each team's contacts are. So merely changing the spymaster card, or rotating it leads to a completely different board.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Agree, have really liked the game since picking it up. It's quick to learn, quick to play, and a lot of fun.

[Galaril]

I recently found out about this very fun and unique baseball game from over on own Boardgame geek called Bottom of the 9th. It falls into the genre of a si liar games like 3rd and Long, Baseball Highlights 2045. The premise of the game is it is the bottom of the ninth and your team is tied or maybe a different scenario like like you are down by two etc. before the game you pick you lineups and the other team (player) picks the pitcher and the relievers that oppose the batters . The players which are fictional and so not real MLBs are represented on individual players cards that have great art for the color player portrait on one side and the back is setup with the players game ratings, special qualities and a fun fact. The cool aspect to the back is it made to look and even feel like the old Topps baseball cards from the 70s and 80s -very cool. The game comes with 20 players and some other game scenario/solo play cards . I picked up the add on packs for batters and pitchers which added another 24 cards. I got it all cards and game on Amazon for $33 plus shipping.

Also, the developer has a new expansion for the game for $24 that includes shipping. It adds more of everything on that and has an option to get a game box to hold it all and expansions if you want to pay more. The game is loads of fun and no I am not affiliated with the game or developer. I just had not seen anything about this real u inquest and fun game that captures the feel and strategy of the batter and pitcher matchup pitch by pitch. It plays in 20-30 minutes and is great with kids or solo too . The Kickstarter page for anyone interested with 13 days before it closes out:

We're sorry, but something went wrong (500)

Here is a link to Steve Towers reviewing the game at AFR sports board game news: AFR Scouting Report on Bottom of the 9th - YouTube

[Fidatelo]

I have Bot9 and really enjoy it. I also put in for the new expansion and I'm looking forward to it. Fun little game.

[stevew]

Star wars Armada or star wars xwing? Maybe 3-4 of us will be playing so I guess Armada is a 2 person game?

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Russia banned a Polish board game that simulates Communist-era shopping - Quartz

Polish company makes a board game that simulates the shortages and black-market activity that exist under communism. Game is such a hit that there are shortages of it and people have to buy it on the black market.

Oh, and Russia is pissed at it because it makes communism look bad.

Played this (Queue) this weekend. Fun game. The concept is interesting. The gameplay is not not overly complicated (none of us had played it before, but we all picked it up pretty quickly). And there is a nice organic evolution as the game progresses. The early turn strategy (where there are still goods in the trucks to be delivered) naturally differs from the late game strategy (where there are a lack of goods to be had and you start trying to thwart the players about to win) in a way that feels very organic.

Certainly worth a play if you are looking for a lighter game that still involves a decent amount of strategy.

[Vince, Pt. II]

That sounds directly up my alley, I'll have to check it out. Thanks albion!

[Galaril]

anyone is interested I am trying to just sell off a big box of games at pretty minimal cost:

1.Soccer Blast World Football Association 70 countries player cards game not included
2. CV game
3. Flip Football game
4. Monster Menace America game
5. Codesnames game
6. Spearpoint 1943 game
7. Spearpoint 1943 Heavy weapons expansion
8. Rogue Football game
9. Castle Panic
10. Risk 2210 AD
11. Go Tell The Spartans game from Against the Odds magazine #2
12. "Attack" new game plus it's expansion.
13. Pandemic
14. Quiddler
16. Starfluxx
17. Werewolf
18. Pit

These are all like new games most never played or lighly played. Selling them all together if at all possible for $200 plus shipping.
I will consider selling a smaller group of three or more so contact me via a PM to discuss .

[Thomkal]

Most Barnes and Nobles are having a 50% clearance sale this week. Many board games available. Each store has a different inventory. BGG has a forum thread devoted to it:

[ Barnes & Noble ] Summer 2016 Red Dot Clearance Starts Today *First Post Updated Regularly* | BoardGameGeek | BoardGameGeek

[Carman Bulldog]

Anyone else pickup Twilight Struggle for iPad (or Steam)? I've never played it before but it's outstanding.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

Anyone else pickup Twilight Struggle for iPad (or Steam)? I've never played it before but it's outstanding.

Having only played the original edition of the board game before it's great to play it without having to constantly reference a booklet about what info is wrong on certain cards and the board.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Having only played the original edition of the board game before it's great to play it without having to constantly reference a booklet about what info is wrong on certain cards and the board.

So what does this mean? Is there lots f errata with the board game? I was looking to buy a copy of the board game at some point but am curious if I should
steer clear.

[MIJB#19]

Pandemic Legacy (Season 1, Dutch edition) is back in stores. It didn't take long for me to get drawn into buying.

[Umbrella]

Originally Posted by Galaril

So what does this mean? Is there lots f errata with the board game? I was looking to buy a copy of the board game at some point but am curious if I should
steer clear.

I think the latest edition has all the errata fixed in it.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Umbrella

I think the latest edition has all the errata fixed in it.

Yes, the new versions should be fine but the original has a 22 page errata booklet that in addition to clarification of wording mentions where information on the board and cards is flat out wrong.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Yes, the new versions should be fine but the original has a 22 page errata booklet that in addition to clarification of wording mentions where information on the board and cards is flat out wrong.

Ah wow that is bad.

[tarcone]

Its not that bad. Considering it was ranked number 1 on BGG for years. It is a great game and Ive played it several times without errata.

Unless you are an absolute cold war historian that knows everything about the cold war, you will be fine.

[tarcone]

Games for sale. $10-$25. Make an offer



Storm over Stalingrad 1st ed.
The Supreme Commander Cat ate a british airplane
Red Poppies
Stalingrad Pocket 1st ed.
Ici C'est la France 1st ed.
Twilight Struggle Earlier edition. But I bought the mounted board. Its in box
Star Borders Humanuty
Nemos War 1st ed.
Hordes High Command NIS
Kemet
Frontier: Liberty od Death NIS
Pandemic
S&T 1967: 6 Day War Magazine Incl.
S&T Athens v. Sparta Magazine incl.

[Umbrella]

I've got a love-hate (mostly love) relationship with GMT games. Ever since I heard about Mr. President, I have wanted this game so badly. But even though I signed up months ago, it is still looking like it won't be out until the end of the year, at the earliest. Must. Learn. Patience.

GMT Games - Mr. President

[Vince, Pt. II]

Finally tried Five Tribes a few days ago. Really enjoyed it. One of those "sounds complicated, but really isn't" kind of games. Will have to get some more plays in to see how it holds up (just the one game so far, and a two-player one at that), but early returns are good.

[albionmoonlight]

Played Boss Monster over vacation. A fun game for the beach. The atmospherics/artwork are worth it if you grew up with an NES. The gameplay is pretty simple, but there's enough strategy to keep you engaged.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Finally tried Five Tribes a few days ago. Really enjoyed it. One of those "sounds complicated, but really isn't" kind of games. Will have to get some more plays in to see how it holds up (just the one game so far, and a two-player one at that), but early returns are good.

It scales really well to more players, but I think it plays very well with two. If you enjoyed the two-player experience, you'd likely enjoy it with more. It is a very good game.

[ColtCrazy]

Played Academy Games' Mare Nostrum last night. Absolutely fantastic game. Each of the 5 players came within a hair of victory. I had a chance to win if I had sunk Rome's trireme but missed then had a chance to win by building the pyramids but a hero let someone else jump ahead of me and build them first. One of the best gaming sessions I've had in awhile.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Had a gaming weekend with some friends, got to play several new games -

Five Tribes did indeed hold up well with more players, and was possibly our favorite game as a group. The relatively simple concept with room for complex planning and strategy and the need to adjust on the fly is pretty great.

Blood Rage was probably the next favorite. Norse mythology is the theme here, and it's largely an area control game. The kicker here is that all units that die in battle go to Valhalla and are resurrected at the end of the turn - and there are tons of mechanics that allow you to score points by dying (after all, a glorious death is what many Vikings aspired to). We played two games, and in the first someone went rampaging with an Ice Giant to win, in the second I used most of Loki's power to run away with the game by losing literally every battle. It felt really, really strange to run a strategy where I was intentionally losing, but it obviously worked to great effect. The Ice Giant that comes into play later in the game seems to be slightly overpowered, but otherwise a pretty fantastic game.

The final new game to me was Camel Up, an utterly silly game of dice rolling where you play the roles of bettors at a camel race. Despite the fact that the game is largely chance -driven with dice rolls (and I HATE randomness in my games), I really liked the simplicity, the approachability, and the speed at which you can get the game in. The fact that the game is incredibly silly - camels literally ride one another if they end up in the same square - probably plays a role in helping me enjoy the randomness by not taking it too seriously.

[Vince, Pt. II]

As an addendum - the figurines that come with Blood Rage are absolutely fantastic. Incredible detail, and each faction has their own unique look.

[mckerney]

Blood Rage is great. The first time I played I won by having all my guys get killed in Ragnarok. Getting the sea monster and the upgrade that gives you 12 VPs when your ships are killed is great. I love how many paths there are too victory in it.

[albionmoonlight]

Playing Eclipse for the first time this weekend.

Any tips?

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Playing Eclipse for the first time this weekend.

Any tips?

Dont play.

Are all the players 1st timers? If so, play the generic races. Dont delve into the others.

This is an economic building game. You need to build that economy fast. If you do, all else is easy.

Be ready for the end game slaughter-fest. Most games spend the game building up techs to build bad ass ships. Then build the bad ass ships, then kick everyones ass around you.

I really dont like this game. And its been awhile since I played. And this info may or may not be accurate. The last time I played was at geekway to the west. And I spent half the game wandering around while the other 3 guys got into the game.

Have fun.

[tarcone]

Im selling my PnP game The Dice Must Flow. It was made professionally by a dude at BGG. It is the Dune theme, but a dice based game.

It is a fun game that only takes about 60 minutes. Pretty light rules. But has some strategy.

Im selling it for $40 + shipping.

Dune: The Dice Game | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

[Umbrella]

Just ordered Churchill. Sounds like a really interesting concept.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Dont play.

Are all the players 1st timers? If so, play the generic races. Dont delve into the others.

This is an economic building game. You need to build that economy fast. If you do, all else is easy.

Be ready for the end game slaughter-fest. Most games spend the game building up techs to build bad ass ships. Then build the bad ass ships, then kick everyones ass around you.

I really dont like this game. And its been awhile since I played. And this info may or may not be accurate. The last time I played was at geekway to the west. And I spent half the game wandering around while the other 3 guys got into the game.

Have fun.

Eclipse is one of my favorite games, so I'll offer a counter-point

Tarcone nailed it that it's an economy building game. Essentially you're going to have to expand early and grab some territory to help build your economic engine. The game has a fog of war mechanic, so there can be some randomness and it is possible to be put at a disadvantage based on the luck of the draw. That being said you almost always have options, and while military conquest tends to be a slightly overpowered strategy, there are definite ways to mitigate that.

Remember while you are exploring that YOU decide how to orient the tiles you place - and keeping an eye on how your neighbors can use the tiles to access your territory is a big deal. Defensively placing tiles to limit the travel path of your opponent is a huge part of this game.

I much prefer the game using the alien races - they provide flavor and strategic choices, as opposed to an all-human group with little variation (how they suggest you play your first game). Even so, there are tons of options as humans; research, expansion, ship building design, combat...there's a lot to this game.

[bob]

For those of you that have Pandemic Legacy, it is possible to use it to play the base Pandemic game prior to playing "Legacy mode" and modifying the game set? We have both, and don't plan on playing Legacy for a while, but while we are moving and consolidating things down, I'd like to get rid of the base game if I can since at this point we will only be using it down the road to teach our kids the basic before playing Legacy.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Played Super Dungeon Explore with the kids last night for the first time. (ages 8g, 9g, 12b)

They all lost their minds! First board game that I've ever tried where all 3 had fun.

We played with a simplified ruleset, but it was an awesome time. It was even fun for me, playing as the "monsters".

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Playing Eclipse for the first time this weekend.

Any tips?

How did it go?

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

How did it go?

I won! By one VP.

Basically, I discovered a supercomputer very early and I went first on the turn when I could research superduper hulls (clovis (sp?) fields) for only 5 points.

Which allowed me to build supercruisers way ahead of schedule and take over the center of the galaxy. A couple of folks build up ships to take my out by the end, but by that point, I had taken over enough systems and gotten enough battle reputation that I could hold on.

I liked it. I went into the game thinking that I would play a more peaceful, research-based strategy, but I switched gears once I got a fleet ahead of its time.

I like games that force/allow you to play different ways depending on the early game randomness.