Board Games

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

So I finally got to play some Gloomhaven; been using Tabletop Simulator with the Gloomhaven Fantasy mod. The UI and controls for Tabletop Simulator are a little bit wonky, but the fact that it has scripting to set up the scenarios and manage the monsters and initiative is a huge advantage.

I never played the Board game, but I picked up the Early Access version of it on Steam. Currently, it has the Brute, Scoundrel, Cragheart, Tinkerer, Mindthief, Spellweaver, and most recently the Elementalist.

Also, it just has a random dungeon crawler. No campaign has been added into the game yet, but will before the full launch.

But what little I've played seems very interesting. Certainly some additional layers of complexity then what it initially appears.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Good stuff! I love this game. So, so good.

Good luck with the baby!

Thanks H_B!

[Danny]

Originally Posted by tyketime

I never played the Board game, but I picked up the Early Access version of it on Steam. Currently, it has the Brute, Scoundrel, Cragheart, Tinkerer, Mindthief, Spellweaver, and most recently the Elementalist.

Also, it just has a random dungeon crawler. No campaign has been added into the game yet, but will before the full launch.

But what little I've played seems very interesting. Certainly some additional layers of complexity then what it initially appears.

I was initially excited about it but I've moved away from games that take equal time to set up as they do to play.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Have you tried the Tabletop Simulator version? It literally eliminates the setup and teardown time. The UI is a little wonky, but once you know how, it takes less than a minute to get an entire scenario onto the table.

[Honolulu_Blue]

While me and my friends play a variety of board games, the vast majority are co-op games. I much prefer them to competitive games. I would just much rather spend an evening working with my friends than against them. I'm largely the same with video games. I guess I am just not overly competitive.

Gloomhaven is one of best co-op experiences we've had. You throw in the RPG elements, the system, which is really quite elegant, and everything else, I don't mind the set up and tear down times.

I haven't tried to table top simulator yet, but I'll definitely look into it.

[AnalBumCover]

Humble Bundle has a digital board game bundle right now.

$1
Small World 2
Carcassone - Tiles & Tactics
Patchwork
King and Assassins
Love Letter
Potion Explosion

~$9.91
Splendor
Splendor - The Cities
Splendor - The Trading Posts
Mysterium
Carcassonne - Winter and Gingerbread Man
Carcassonne - Traders & Builders
Small World 2 - Cursed
Small World 2 - Be not Afraid
Twilight Struggle

$12
Scythe: Digital Edition
The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game - Definitive Edition
Mysterium - Hidden Signs
Carcassonne - The River
Carcassonne - Inns & Cathedrals
Carcassonne - The Princess & the Dragon Expansion
Mysterium - Secrets & Lies
Small World 2 - Grand Dames
Splendor - The Strongholds

[Danny]

E

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Have you tried the Tabletop Simulator version? It literally eliminates the setup and teardown time. The UI is a little wonky, but once you know how, it takes less than a minute to get an entire s cenario onto the table.

I find tabletop simulator/ tabletopia very frustrating. I want to reach into the screen to physically grab and move the pieces.

Generally though I spend very little time on non mobile electronic devices nowadays except for work

I've also found that I personally do not like campaign games. I like playing different games and having full resolution when the game is over

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

While me and my friends play a variety of board games, the vast majority are co-op games. I much prefer them to competitive games. I would just much rather spend an evening working with my friends than against them. I'm largely the same with video games. I guess I am just not overly competitive.

Gloomhaven is one of best co-op experiences we've had. You throw in the RPG elements, the system, which is really quite elegant, and everything else, I don't mind the set up and tear down times.

I haven't tried to table top simulator yet, but I'll definitely look into it.

I'm torn; my wife and I are playing along with the community campaign the developer is running alongside the Frosthaven campaign, and we've been playing with the physical copy. It's fantastic, but the set-up and takedown is brutal. Tabletop Simulator streamlines it all really well, and it's crazy convenient...

... But there's something about the tactility of the physical game that is definitely lacking.

Originally Posted by Danny

E


I find tabletop simulator/ tabletopia very frustrating. I want to reach into the screen to physically grab and move the pieces.

Generally though I spend very little time on non mobile electronic devices nowadays except for work

I've also found that I personally do not like campaign games. I like playing different games and having full resolution when the game is over

Yeah, this wouldn't be the game for you then; tons of the appeal is the development from session to session, both of the characters and the world itself.

[Arles]

My boys (7 and 14) and I have been getting back into Small World. It's great game for mid-age kids that moves fast. My 7-year old needed a little help at first but now he gets it. My 14-year old routinely beats me as well. I just do a few house rules (youngest gets turn choice for the game and an extra dice roll) to keep it competitive. In the last game, I looked like I had it in the bag with my Merchant Elves but the 7-year old got a flying sorcerer on turn 7 and wasted us.

[Alan T]

Oh wow I loved small world when my kids were around 7ish... that is such a great game. I don’t know if it is still around but the iPad version was pretty good too. Not a replacement for the game. But great for trips.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[albionmoonlight]

Brother-in-Law just got this delivered this week: GMT Games - Imperial Struggle

Gonna go play it tomorrow!

[tarcone]

Tell us how it plays

Played Campaign Trail with a couple buddies the other day. What a fun game. Area control with a really cool debate mechanic. It is card driven and there is a possibility of 6 actions you can take. Each card only has 4 of the actions. You play a card at a time then draw.
There are 105 cards split into 3 piles for a month thena debate then onto the next month.

It was a great time. My buddies are heavy into politics and they loved it.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Brother-in-Law just got this delivered this week: GMT Games - Imperial Struggle

Gonna go play it tomorrow!

Sounds like fun. Be sure to stay socially distant!

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Tell us how it plays

It's a really good game. If you like Twilight Struggle, you will like it. It seems pretty well-balanced, and we got used to the mechanics after a turn.

Some random thoughts:

The game is designed to be played through until the last turn. There are some early win conditions, but they are so extreme that it seems very unlikely that one player will reach them as long as both players are minimally competent. They do not seem so much like a strategy to win the game early as a mercy rule type mechanic.

Like Twilight Struggle and similar games, you do not have the action points to dominate every phase of the game, so you have to make strategic decisions about what to focus on and what to leave to your opponent. The victory points you get for different regions and commodities are randomized throughout the game, so you have an incentive to try to not put too many eggs in one basket.

That said, the game does reward building on your past success. I played as France, and I focused on Europe in my early game because of some cards I had. Then, as I developed cards throughout the game, I kept picking ones that focused on Europe, so I could build on my past structures there.

The American Revolution comes late in the game. My opponent (Britain) dominated me there, but that did not seem to help him as much as you think it would, just knowing history, etc.

Finally, the Jacobin Revolution card (or whatever it is called) is super powerful for France if you have the right setup. The designers clearly knew that b/c Britain has several ways to take it out of the game. We both agreed that in future games, awareness of that card would dictate strategy more than it did in our game when I just stumbled upon it and didn't realize how powerful it was until halfway through.

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Sounds like fun. Be sure to stay socially distant!

:-) Both my family and their family had been socially distancing for over a month. We decided that we would expand our circle and start hanging out together. That probably ends once school starts, since it will be impossible for all four kids to keep distancing (NC seems to be leaning toward a quasi-in-person model), but it is nice for the next month or so.

[bob]

Did anyone play Charterstone? If so, can I PM a few questions?

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

It's a really good game. If you like Twilight Struggle, you will like it. It seems pretty well-balanced, and we got used to the mechanics after a turn.

Some random thoughts:

The game is designed to be played through until the last turn. There are some early win conditions, but they are so extreme that it seems very unlikely that one player will reach them as long as both players are minimally competent. They do not seem so much like a strategy to win the game early as a mercy rule type mechanic.

Like Twilight Struggle and similar games, you do not have the action points to dominate every phase of the game, so you have to make strategic decisions about what to focus on and what to leave to your opponent. The victory points you get for different regions and commodities are randomized throughout the game, so you have an incentive to try to not put too many eggs in one basket.

That said, the game does reward building on your past success. I played as France, and I focused on Europe in my early game because of some cards I had. Then, as I developed cards throughout the game, I kept picking ones that focused on Europe, so I could build on my past structures there.

The American Revolution comes late in the game. My opponent (Britain) dominated me there, but that did not seem to help him as much as you think it would, just knowing history, etc.

Finally, the Jacobin Revolution card (or whatever it is called) is super powerful for France if you have the right setup. The designers clearly knew that b/c Britain has several ways to take it out of the game. We both agreed that in future games, awareness of that card would dictate strategy more than it did in our game when I just stumbled upon it and didn't realize how powerful it was until halfway through.



:-) Both my family and their family had been socially distancing for over a month. We decided that we would expand our circle and start hanging out together. That probably ends once school starts, since it will be impossible for all four kids to keep distancing (NC seems to be leaning toward a quasi-in-person model), but it is nice for the next month or so.

Thanks for the review.

Do you think, like TS, that if you know the cards you will dominate? Or is there something that would keep an inexperienced player within striking distance of an experienced player?

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Thanks for the review.

Do you think, like TS, that if you know the cards you will dominate? Or is there something that would keep an inexperienced player within striking distance of an experienced player?

Good question.

The game has, I think, a bit more randomness to it, which can help keep players close together. Scoring for regions is determined randomly at the beginning of a turn.

There will definitely be advantages to experience and knowing the cards. My BIL did a solo playthrough after we played, and he noted that the British have an East India Company card that gives them an incentive to focus on commodities. So a French player who knows that the British have that card in their pocket will be able to play more defensively than a complete novice.

But there are less cards than in TS, so I don't think that it is as hard to learn all the relevant ones.

tl;dr yes there is an advantage to experience, but less than in TS.

[SirFozzie]

Picked this up, it's the crossroad (or is that (Nicki) Cross (Cody) Rhodes? ) of several of FOFC interests, a game that can be played solo or with up to four players, about booking your own pro wrestling company.

Book It! The Pro Wrestling Promoter Card Game – Foam Hammer Games

[tarcone]

Speaking of fighting games. I just go Godzilla: Tokyo Clash.
On of 4 Kajiu fighting it out on the streets of Tokyo. Card driven. Looks pretty fun. And if you are a Godzilla fan, it is a throwback to the old movies.

Godzilla: Tokyo Clash | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

[Izulde]

Obsession: A Board Game Dynasty - Front Office Football Central

New board game dynasty about Obsession starting.

[tarcone]

Cool. I will watch.

I just purchased Blitzkrieg! WW2 in 20 minutes and the expansion Nippon.

Unfortunately when I ordered I failed to motice the expansion was pre-order and MM waits until both are in stock before they ship.

But this game looks fantastic. And 20 minutes of WW2? Im in.

Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

[Thomkal]

Cool stuff Izulde. Pretty sure I've not heard of the game before, and its probably not my area of interest, but your excitement about the game makes me want to see more.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Cool. I will watch.

I just purchased Blitzkrieg! WW2 in 20 minutes and the expansion Nippon.

Unfortunately when I ordered I failed to motice the expansion was pre-order and MM waits until both are in stock before they ship.

But this game looks fantastic. And 20 minutes of WW2? Im in.

Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

This looks interesting. I'll probably pick it up at some point, although I doubt I'll get Nippon. Blitzkrieg hadn't been on my radar at all before, perhaps it's been overshadowed a bit by Watergate.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Obsession: A Board Game Dynasty - Front Office Football Central

New board game dynasty about Obsession starting.

Excellent! My kick-started copy arrived Wednesday, but I haven't even been able to unwrap it yet.

[bob]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Cool. I will watch.

I just purchased Blitzkrieg! WW2 in 20 minutes and the expansion Nippon.

Unfortunately when I ordered I failed to motice the expansion was pre-order and MM waits until both are in stock before they ship.

But this game looks fantastic. And 20 minutes of WW2? Im in.

Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Will be curious in your review of this game. I was interested but not sure I have anyone to play it with.

[Thomkal]

Wingspan the digital version is now available on Steam for about $18. The Digital version of Game of Thrones has been available but is on sale on Steam for about the same price.

Edit: Digital version of Le Havre is 75% off or $1.75

Edit2: Looks like Asmodee is having a sale on most of their digital games, this includes Gloomhaven, which adds online co-op and a new mercernary, the soothsinger and more in its latest update.

[tarcone]

I posted this in the steam thread.

A Game of Thrones board game digital edition is available for purchase on Steam for $15.99, down from $19.99

Not available for download until October 6th.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I posted this in the steam thread.

A Game of Thrones board game digital edition is available for purchase on Steam for $15.99, down from $19.99

Not available for download until October 6th.

This now available for purchase

[MIJB#19]

Third installment of the Pandemic Legacy was supposed to be out 2 weeks ago, but it looks like it has been pushed slightly back to come out this month.

[tarcone]

Let us set up a game of Game of thrones.

Anyone interested?

[tarcone]

Just picked up my copy of Blitzkrieg: WW2 in 20 minutes.

I dropped off my IPhone to get the screen fixed and had 2 hours to kill. Up the road was my real destination; Miniature Market. I bought BlitzKrieg and was on my way to pick it up. Got to the store, browsed the shelves ad was intrigued by 2 games, but Crusader Kingdom in particular, I picked my game up.

Now, before that, I went to Popeys, which is in the opposite direction and on the same road as MM, but that was okay. Got my cajun spiced chicken sandwich, Best out there. Ate it in the parking lot and travelled to MM.

Picked up the game and bought a collapsable dice tray, which cost me $0.28 because a I had a $15.00 gift card after I spent $200 and 2 of the games are still in shrink.

This game is awesome after I read the rules. I cannot wait to get it to the table. Oh yeah, it has a solo mode. Watching football and drinking, will play later.

It has an expansion, which is the Nippon expansion. It takes the game to post WW2 with the Axis winning and trying to split the world. Japan has Godzilla.

I bought the expansion directly from the publisher because it wont be re-released until next year. The company is in England, but I bought the expansion from them because they had a couple copies laying around.

I am excited for this game.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Let us set up a game of Game of thrones.

Anyone interested?

I meant to respond to this-I don't have the game yet, but sure when I do

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Let us set up a game of Game of thrones.

Anyone interested?

I just played through the tutorials and a skirmish on easy. I'm a noob, but I'm down to try a session. I have the physical board game, but never got a group together to play.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Let us set up a game of Game of thrones.

Anyone interested?

Would love to, but just don't have the time right now. It's such a good game!

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Just picked up my copy of Blitzkrieg: WW2 in 20 minutes.

I dropped off my IPhone to get the screen fixed and had 2 hours to kill. Up the road was my real destination; Miniature Market. I bought BlitzKrieg and was on my way to pick it up. Got to the store, browsed the shelves ad was intrigued by 2 games, but Crusader Kingdom in particular, I picked my game up.

Now, before that, I went to Popeys, which is in the opposite direction and on the same road as MM, but that was okay. Got my cajun spiced chicken sandwich, Best out there. Ate it in the parking lot and travelled to MM.

Picked up the game and bought a collapsable dice tray, which cost me $0.28 because a I had a $15.00 gift card after I spent $200 and 2 of the games are still in shrink.

This game is awesome after I read the rules. I cannot wait to get it to the table. Oh yeah, it has a solo mode. Watching football and drinking, will play later.

It has an expansion, which is the Nippon expansion. It takes the game to post WW2 with the Axis winning and trying to split the world. Japan has Godzilla.

I bought the expansion directly from the publisher because it wont be re-released until next year. The company is in England, but I bought the expansion from them because they had a couple copies laying around.

I am excited for this game.

Yeah I got it and despite the hideous board it is a great game. I played with my 12 year and am hopeful I can get my wife to play this one.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Yeah I got it and despite the hideous board it is a great game. I played with my 12 year and am hopeful I can get my wife to play this one.

Played a buddy at work. We got 2 games done in 30 minutes. And that was with me explaining the rules. Fantastic game.

Bought 2 more games. My P500 copy of Apocalypse Road from GMT is strarting to ship. This is from the designers of Thunder Alley, which is one of my favorite racing games. Cant wait for this.

I also bought Coral Sea: Campaign Commander Series. This system looks awesome. A bid system for initiative which could cause you not to do an operation. As well as card play and operational options. This one is one I have been thinking of getting for awhile, finally decided to purchase.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Third installment of the Pandemic Legacy was supposed to be out 2 weeks ago, but it looks like it has been pushed slightly back to come out this month.

Arrived here today, Dutch translated version. It's a bit premature, we haven't even had a chance to finish Season 1 yet (ironically the ongoing pandemic has been the reason behind that).

[Carman Bulldog]

I've had an influx of new games recently as a result of the October Math Trade on BGG as well as an old gift card that I had for a local game store.

First, the BGG trades:

Out
Camel Up
Jamaica
T&G: Three Little Pigs
T&G: The Hare and the Tortoise
Wok Star
Black Fleet
Dice Town w/ Expansion

In
Detective: A Modern Crime Game
Chronicles of Crime
Forgotten Waters
Welcome To..
Whitehall Mystery
Exit: The Game (Orient Express & Mysterious Museum)

And the gift card:

Horrified
Watergate
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

Needless to say, a lot of new games to try out. The only ones I've gotten to the table so far are Horrified and Forgotten Waters. Both were quite enjoyable.

[Thomkal]

Chronicles of Crime is supposed to be very good.

And I'm jealous

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Chronicles of Crime is supposed to be very good.

And I'm jealous

Received it for my birthday last year. The gimmick is fun initially, but to me, it wears off quickly and becomes annoying to need to have a phone in your hands all the time. The app drains the battery of my smartphone so quickly, it's one game and then it needs a complete recharge. Might work better with a good sized tablet, or if you hook up your TV with your phone so those playing with you can share what you see.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I just went on a mad Kickstarter board game bender and backed:

Darkest Dungeon
Frost Punk
Freedom Five (board game based off of Sentinels of the Multiverse card game)

[tarcone]

Campaign Trail is on KS right now. Only a couple days left. This is a fantastic area control game. It is based on a presidential election. It is card driven with a debate mechanism. You have 6 possible actions to take on your turn, but each card only has 4 of the actions, so you have to plan your strategy.

It plays 1-6, but the KS has an expansion to make it a 1-8.

I already own it and love it.

[Thomkal]

Four games that certainly look good at this point. If I backed KS, I probably would go for Darkest Dungeon

[kingfc22]

I'd recommend this game: superclubgame.com

Basically FM in a box. I'd encourage getting the expansion set which provides a bunch of extra players including utility players which can play any position except GK.

[BishopMVP]

For any Brandon Sanderson/Cosmere fans apparently there's a Mistborn RPG, anyone played it? Mistborn Adventure Game | Crafty Games I think I'd have a hard time convincing people to play that narrative driven a game.

Wingspan is also down to a $50 price point - I know that was a little prohibitive. I'm still trying to hold off for a sale, but that's looking fairly tempting haha

[sachmo71]

I was invited to play Scythe legacy edition. Too bad I suck at Scythe.

[bob]

I didn't even know there was a Scythe legacy edition

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by bob

I didn't even know there was a Scythe legacy edition

I'm guessing the Rise of Fenris campaign expansion?

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

I'm guessing the Rise of Fenris campaign expansion?

Yes, it's Rise of Fenris. And I'm stuck with the Poles.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

For any Brandon Sanderson/Cosmere fans apparently there's a Mistborn RPG, anyone played it? Mistborn Adventure Game | Crafty Games I think I'd have a hard time convincing people to play that narrative driven a game.

Wingspan is also down to a $50 price point - I know that was a little prohibitive. I'm still trying to hold off for a sale, but that's looking fairly tempting haha

Hrm, didn't know about the Cosmere game, I might have to look into that. I too do not have great success with narrative games, so it's hard to believe this would change that. But if anyone can...

Wingspan is awesome. There are some legit complaints - luck of the draw is a huge part of things, and there are some massively overpowered cards - but it's just a super elegant game with exceptional components and a cool theme.