Board Games

[tarcone]

Looked at a review by Sam Healy. Seems like Fireteam Zero. Or maybe even a more in-depth Space Hulk-Death Angel. Which is an awesome game.

$65 seems expensive to me.

I would look at Assault on Doomrock or Fireteam Zero. Unless WW2 is the theme you want. Then this seems like it may be for you.

[SirFozzie]

My friend brought Red Dragon Inn: Battle For Greyport. Great game idea, but the rules are.. somewhat full of holes. Like we came upon a winning strategy to deal with the boss of the first fight ((there's a taunt ability to pull ANY monster away, and the boss ability does damage to everyone.. but only if he does damage to the main player.. and basically, we loaded up on taunt abilities to distract the boss, and barely survived... the designer apparently never thought of that idea and said if he had thought of it, he wouldn't allow bosses to be taunted.

[tarcone]

I picked up Imperial Stars 2 in an auction. Looking forward to trying this one out.

[bob]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Looked at a review by Sam Healy. Seems like Fireteam Zero. Or maybe even a more in-depth Space Hulk-Death Angel. Which is an awesome game.

$65 seems expensive to me.

I would look at Assault on Doomrock or Fireteam Zero. Unless WW2 is the theme you want. Then this seems like it may be for you.

I do really like the theme and the videos online look like it would be fun.

I just wish the price was less and it wasn't $15 for shipping. Doesn't seem to be available from Amazon or anywhere else.

I will say I don't like this trend of games launching with expansions already planned (or in this case, released). It's like DLC on consoles. I feel like they build a game, take a bunch of content out, and then have two items to sell.

[bob]

Curious what you guys think of board games on Kickstarter. On one hand, I realize that this allows some new ideas to get published that otherwise wouldn't have. But as the buyer, you have to balance purchasing a game of unknown quality (playability, components, timeline, etc) vs losing out on Kickstarter exclusives that quite often aren't available for sale after the fact or even the game itself if it doesn't make it big.

I also wonder what you guys think of expansions that are available on day 1...

Thoughts?

I bring this up based on the game I asked about a few posts ago, V-Commandos. I missed out on the kickstarter as I never knew it existed. So I've missed out on some exclusives that I can never get outside of ebay or something like that. And now that it is available on the designer's website, I see that there are also expansions available right away. Annoying, because maybe that should have been included in the game from day 1. But if I don't buy the game and / or expansions soon, there is a good chance that I won't get them as they won't show up in retail shops or on Amazon.

Overall I think kickstarter can be a bad thing for this industry.

[Umbrella]

Originally Posted by bob

Curious what you guys think of board games on Kickstarter. On one hand, I realize that this allows some new ideas to get published that otherwise wouldn't have. But as the buyer, you have to balance purchasing a game of unknown quality (playability, components, timeline, etc) vs losing out on Kickstarter exclusives that quite often aren't available for sale after the fact or even the game itself if it doesn't make it big.

I also wonder what you guys think of expansions that are available on day 1...

Thoughts?

I bring this up based on the game I asked about a few posts ago, V-Commandos. I missed out on the kickstarter as I never knew it existed. So I've missed out on some exclusives that I can never get outside of ebay or something like that. And now that it is available on the designer's website, I see that there are also expansions available right away. Annoying, because maybe that should have been included in the game from day 1. But if I don't buy the game and / or expansions soon, there is a good chance that I won't get them as they won't show up in retail shops or on Amazon.

Overall I think kickstarter can be a bad thing for this industry.

I would say GMT games P500 was Kickstarter before Kickstarter was even a thing.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Umbrella

I would say GMT games P500 was Kickstarter before Kickstarter was even a thing.

Yep, and for niche games, I would rather pre-commit rather than see a good game publisher disappear due to no interest in a game they thought was going to be big.

[bob]

Caved and ordered V-Commandos...

[tarcone]

Empires of the Void ll is liveon kickstarter. It is a whole new implementation of the game.

$60 gets the game. It started today and is funded.

I loved the 1st game. This one looks pretty good also.

[PadresFan104]

Originally Posted by bob

Caved and ordered V-Commandos...

Looking forward to your thoughts. My Kickstarter bundle is still in its shrink-wrap, haven't had the time to dig into it!

[AnalBumCover]

Rising Sun is going live on Kickstarter at 3pm ET today. There's a lot of hype going on at reddit.

[bob]

$100 before shipping... Too pricey for me.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yeah, the miniatures games look amazing but are not cheap.

[Abe Sargent]

I was about to post it here too. Coolminiornot is one of the major success stories from KS for board games, and I myself have some stuff of theirs as well.

[bob]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Yeah, the miniatures games look amazing but are not cheap.

I always wonder how good the game is vs how cool are the miniatures.

[Abe Sargent]

They have some good games too.

Here, let me show you some of my BGs from them:

I pledged for this KS:

We're sorry, but something went wrong (503)

Now due to the stretch goals hitting handily, here is what I got in the mail last summer, as my base $100 investment:

1 core board game with two boxes of stuff

All of the core expansion boosters with gluttony and wrath and such

That's six boxes of games on my shelf, all of the basic expansions, and it's a pretty good game. Best game I've ever played? Nah, but it;s solid. I;m also getting, and it hasn't released yet, Massive Darkness too.

And due to the high quality stuff, I have miniatures for Shadowrun or other games if I want to play, I can use these maps elsewhere and more. You know?

Now having said that, if you want to hold off until post-release and then get a chance for board game reviews and such, then that's fine. See if it fits your style before spending the cash. Makes sense to me!

EDIT - I just pledged myself, because I trust them. They don't run a game through KS until it's ready to go, and they use it to fund and pay for the costs of the game. I like the play trhough video of it, and suspect I'll enjoy this game a lot, especially the alliances mechanic. But I waited for some of their other stuff too, so I get you. There certainly is a bit of sticker shock.

[bob]

Oh, that wasn't directed at them specifically, just games with miniatures in general.

Should get V-Commandos in the mail today. Hope to dig into it tomorrow and Friday. PadresFan, did you get either of the expansions?

[PadresFan104]

Originally Posted by bob

Oh, that wasn't directed at them specifically, just games with miniatures in general.

Should get V-Commandos in the mail today. Hope to dig into it tomorrow and Friday. PadresFan, did you get either of the expansions?

I did, both of them. All packages still in shrink as all my tabletop gaming time is going into History Maker Golf at the moment, and probably will continue for some time...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Good deal on Pandemic Legacy......

https://www.amazon.com/Pandemic-Lega...-20&ascsubtag=[t|link[p|1793124168[a|B00TQ0DXR2[au|5727177402741770316[b|deals

[bob]

So what are your guys expectations when a game has misprints? Let's say both on the rulebook as well as actual game components (cards).

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by bob

So what are your guys expectations when a game has misprints? Let's say both on the rulebook as well as actual game components (cards).

Free replacements from the manufactory.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Free replacements from the manufactory.

+1

[bob]

Well, that's strike 1 against V-Commandos. While I can deal with a minor issue in the rule book, there are quite a few misprinted cards with no plans as of yet to replace them.

[bob]

"We are working on a solution. If we manage to find one, it will probably take time."

Seems like a simple issue. Print new cards. Mail them out.

[bob]

Has anyone here played Arctic Scavengers? If so, thoughts?

[AnalBumCover]

With my gaming group (aka family gatherings) meeting up only sparingly, I've started to a look for a more solo experience in between our game nights.

So far I've played Friday, which is a fun little 20-30 minute deck builder. I bought One Deck Dungeon, but haven't played yet until I watch a couple of playthrough videos (I've heard the rulebook is not very clear). And a few sessions of Legendary Marvel. I'm really enjoying this one solo.

Forbidden Island is also fun solo (playing two handed) but lately I've included my 6yo daughter to take control of one of the pieces. She's having a blast, especially when I draw a "Water Rising!" card.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Not so much a game comment but a gaming comment. Anecdote if you will.

While my kid was home for spring break last week we decided to finally go check out the local "board game pub", The Rook & Pawn. We'd meant to actually go & play since realizing it existed late last summer, just never got around to it.

Pretty solid collection of games, $5/game to play (not per hour, per game), light pub grub & bar in the house. We got there about 8p (midnight closing time), had a little fun doing the "oh wow" thing at a few games, started to get in line to check out the original MB Axis & Allies, since it was something the kid knows about but had never actually gotten a chance to play.

And that was when I poked my head around the corner into the gaming area & realized there wasn't a seat in the house to be had. So much for our plans but ... the point to me sharing this little story here is that it has to be encouraging for the niche to have a gaming pub in a college town be not only filled to capacity on a Thursday night but also for the crowd to have been probably 55-60 percent folks under 25 doing "date night" kind of outing. Lots of couples / pairs of couples in evidence, much moreso than I expected. The grognard-y grad school types were there, along with maybe two or three people in my age demographic but on the whole that wasn't the typical customer.

Just thought it was interesting {shrug}

[tarcone]

Very much so. It sounds like the place that just opened in St. Louis. I haven't been yet. But am trying.

[dzilla77]

Picked up Manhattan Project - Energy Empire (standalone game, not an expansion for the original) this week for gaming session this weekend. Looks like another excellent worker placement game from Minions.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

With my gaming group (aka family gatherings) meeting up only sparingly, I've started to a look for a more solo experience in between our game nights.

So far I've played Friday, which is a fun little 20-30 minute deck builder. I bought One Deck Dungeon, but haven't played yet until I watch a couple of playthrough videos (I've heard the rulebook is not very clear). And a few sessions of Legendary Marvel. I'm really enjoying this one solo.

Forbidden Island is also fun solo (playing two handed) but lately I've included my 6yo daughter to take control of one of the pieces. She's having a blast, especially when I draw a "Water Rising!" card.

While somewhat different from typical board games, Plaay.com has some excellent offerings designed for solo play if you are interested in sports games.

[Fidatelo]

I love solo board games. My current favorite is Arkham Horror: The Card Game (not to be confused with the older, larger Arkham Horror game). It tells a great story and solves some of the problems I had with Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. It's a Living Card Game so there is a heavy long term investment but if you are ok with that format then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I love solo board games. My current favorite is Arkham Horror: The Card Game (not to be confused with the older, larger Arkham Horror game). It tells a great story and solves some of the problems I had with Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. It's a Living Card Game so there is a heavy long term investment but if you are ok with that format then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Sometimes I kick myself for selling this game before giving it a chance at the table, especially solo. But then I remind myself how much of a long term investment this is, and how little I care about deck creation, and I don't feel as bad.

[rockboy70]

Originally Posted by dzilla77

Picked up Manhattan Project - Energy Empire (standalone game, not an expansion for the original) this week for gaming session this weekend. Looks like another excellent worker placement game from Minions.

I really like MP:EE. Replaces regular Manhattan Project for me.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

Sometimes I kick myself for selling this game before giving it a chance at the table, especially solo. But then I remind myself how much of a long term investment this is, and how little I care about deck creation, and I don't feel as bad.

I feel like the emphasis on deck creation is much, much lower than it was for LotR. Which is a good thing. In LotR you basically had to play a scenario, learn how it worked, and then rebuild your whole deck specifically in a way that suited the scenario in order to win. Next scenario that deck probably gets destroyed, and you start all over.

With Arkham it seems more like you build a deck for your investigator based on how you want to play, then take it through a campaign and see how it goes, swapping in a single card or two between each scenario (due to experience gained allowing you to add more powerful things).

Now maybe that changes as I get more sets or whatever, but that's my initial impression.

[dzilla77]

So my boardgame weekend has concluded.

Manhattan Project - Energy Empire was the new game I was looking forward to. It did not disappoint. I think its better than the original because spaces don't get locked down if someone uses them. There are a lot of subtle combos in this game as well.

Terra Mystica also hit the table this weekend by accident. My buddy who had the game stack behind him reached back and said without looking, lets just play the one on the bottom - which was TM. It had been at least 3 years since we had played as its a brain burner and many in our game group like lighter fare. I had forgotten how good the game was even though it took about 2 rounds before we really got into the flow.

[Ragone]

Having messed around quite a bit with tabletop simulator(on steam) i would love to wrangle a group together to play some of the games on there (it seems to me that the workshop has literally every game imaginable on it)

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by Ragone

Having messed around quite a bit with tabletop simulator(on steam) i would love to wrangle a group together to play some of the games on there (it seems to me that the workshop has literally every game imaginable on it)

I would be interested in doing this. Just need to buy the simulator

[Ragone]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I would be interested in doing this. Just need to buy the simulator

it's now on sale for 9.99 in the humble bundle store.. among other places, really a great deal for the money.

[AnalBumCover]

I just scored a like new/partially punched copy of Arkham Horror the board game from a BGG auction. I was the only bid in the entire auction and won the item at their starting bid of $10 (plus shipping).

Received it the other day, and all the cards and tokens are all accounted for.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Ragone

Having messed around quite a bit with tabletop simulator(on steam) i would love to wrangle a group together to play some of the games on there (it seems to me that the workshop has literally every game imaginable on it)

I would like to try out the Xwing or Star Wars Armada games w/o having to pony up hundreds of dollars for miniatures.

[Thomkal]

don't have a link for you but Amazon has a boardgame sale today

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

I just scored a like new/partially punched copy of Arkham Horror the board game from a BGG auction. I was the only bid in the entire auction and won the item at their starting bid of $10 (plus shipping).

Received it the other day, and all the cards and tokens are all accounted for.

That's a great deal. For all of its quirks and foibles, Arkham Horror remains my favorite board game.

[tarcone]

Geekway to the West is 23 days away.
2200 gamers getting together at the St Charles convention center.
It has been sold out for a couple months.
If you guys ever get a chancve, it is a fun one. Pure game play. 4 days straight.

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

That's a great deal. For all of its quirks and foibles, Arkham Horror remains my favorite board game.

I played a solo game of Eldritch Horror over the weekend. This was my first foray into Lovecraftian lore. I really enjoyed it, though it's probably something my family wouldn't get into. My only times I'd get to play these games are when I'm alone for an extended time. After playing EH, I'm now itching to get Arkham Horror to the table for a solo experience. I'll have to crack open the rulebook and watch some playthroughs in the meantime.

Also, another reason I'm kicking myself for selling off my AH:LCG.

[tarcone]

Yay or nay on purchasing Warlords of Europe.

Fun game. Dudes on a map. Loads of dice. Lots of chucking dice. All things I like.

Very swingy. Very long.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Yay or nay on purchasing Warlords of Europe.

Fun game. Dudes on a map. Loads of dice. Lots of chucking dice. All things I like.

Very swingy. Very long.

I have it, its not as long as you think, as long as players play aggressively. If they turtle it could go on for a bit.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

I played a solo game of Eldritch Horror over the weekend. This was my first foray into Lovecraftian lore. I really enjoyed it, though it's probably something my family wouldn't get into. My only times I'd get to play these games are when I'm alone for an extended time. After playing EH, I'm now itching to get Arkham Horror to the table for a solo experience. I'll have to crack open the rulebook and watch some playthroughs in the meantime.

Also, another reason I'm kicking myself for selling off my AH:LCG.

There are some really good on-line PDFs out there that do a great job of summarizing and condensing all of the rules. I keep them on hand every time we play. They're a great reference.

[AnalBumCover]

I forgot to post about this earlier, but today, Saturday, was International Table Top Day. What games did you get to the table? Did you visit your FLGS and take home a sweet haul? Take advantage of any online sales?

I was pretty busy most of the day, but I did manage to get in a couple of solo plays of Space Hulk: Death Angel and Viticulture Essential Edition.

[tarcone]

Nope. In Chicago at my daughters basketball tourney. And recently bought Rise of Empires and Warlords of Europe.

So my budget is blown.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I was able to play Scythe with a friend, who had the super-snazzy collector's edition and the broken token inserts, which he had sanded down and lacquered. I was blown away.

The gameplay is fairly simple; this is an area control / engine building game with unique faction powers and variable costs for actions from game to game. The theme is heavy within the game, set in an alternate-history Russia after a major world war has left the area largely up for grabs. The alternate history part being the lack of any overarching governmental structure and the battle mechs that each faction can produce.

The quality of the pieces is possibly the best I've ever seen in a game. The iron resource tokens are actually metal, the paint on the pieces is phenomenal, each faction has a unique plastic model for their champion, the artwork and writing on the various cards/boards was incredible and very thematic...combined with the broken token inserts, this was one of the most impressive presentations for a game I may have ever seen.

The nuts and bolts of the game did not disappoint either; four actions to choose from, and while they are slightly complex in how they interact, the iconography is fantastic and the game is intuitive enough that very little explanation was necessary.

Overall, I was hugely impressed with the game (and extremely disappointed in the exorbitant cost to acquire the game). My only critiques were that the secret mission cards seem relatively imbalanced and that there is very little in the way of a catch-up mechanism, so if you fall behind early there is really not much to do but take your lumps until the 2-hour (-ish) game is over.

That being said, the secret mission cards are a very small portion of the game (completely ignorable if you want), and it's tough to put yourself into THAT big of a hole unless you absolutely had no idea what you were doing.

Anyhow, I will be looking to pick up a copy as soon as I can find one for less than $150.