This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.

Mobile Board Games [iOS & Android]

edited April 2011 in Everything Else
So I know there is a thread on the (overpriced) Carcassonne app already, but check out what else is coming down the pipe.

There's a company called Sage Board Games that has gone gobblling up the mobile rights for a ton of great board games. They've hired Codito Development, Inc. to turn them into iOS and Android apps. So far, they've released Medici, Ra, and Tikal on iOS. Has anyone played these? Do who know if Sage & Codito are the real deal of if they suck?

This matters because these are their upcoming iOS games:
Puerto Rico - out May 19th
Through the Ages - August
Le Havre - June
El Grande - Fall
Tigris & Euphrates - June
Age of Industry - unknown
A Brief History of the World - unknown
Spectacle (original game that DoW's Colosseum was based off of) - unknown


They also promise Android versions of the following before the end of 2011:
- Medici
- Ra
- Tigris & Euphrates
«13456728

Comments

  • Also, if you hear about app price drops, post here. They come and go like the wind. Right now you can snag Reiner Knizia's Money for zero dollars in the iOS app store.
  • I have been an Android user since the G1 and the games are underwhelming. Tower defense games are about the only thing I have played and actually enjoyed. I have the Nexus One now and the selection is still sad.

    If some quality board games could make their way to Android (and not only for Honeycomb), I would be thrilled.
  • edited April 2011
    I have actually started developing a card game in my spare time. (don't expect it anytime soon as I still need to build it all and get permission to do it) I just don't see how it will work on a smaller than 10" screen. If I get it out of my head and partially working I may come here for some ideas.
    Scratch that...the owner of one of the copyrights I need to do it wants nothing to do with Android, only IOS. I'm out.
    Post edited by Originalme8 on
  • Neuroshima Hex being ported to Android for Q3 2011.
  • edited April 2011
    Edit: wrong thread, whoops!
    Post edited by Matt on
  • Neuroshima Hex being ported to Android for Q3 2011.
    It's already out for iOS; I'm considering getting it to give it a test run before buying the hard copy.
  • I have it for iOS and it's actually a very good app. It had me going for several days and I'm sure I'll play it again here and there. It seems like a game where the hard copy would be great. The only learning curve is picking up the symbols, and having a cheat sheet next to you at a table would make that even easier.
  • Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer is getting an iOS app in May, priced at $4.99. I got a demo of this one at PAX and enjoyed it but held off on purchasing. I am glad to see it get an app b/c I might get enough play out of it for the $4.99 and be done with it.
  • Ascension is OK. But, I feel like one playthough solved it in all but a few mechanical details. A second or third playing will solve it completely. I'm much more interested in the other offerings. ;^)
  • Ascension is OK. But, I feel like one playthough solved it in all but a few mechanical details. A second or third playing will solve it completely. I'm much more interested in the other offerings. ;^)
    It took Will and I a few more playthroughs (though we have significantly less board game experience than you). It's not a BAD game, but I'm pretty sure we're getting very, very close to solving it, if not entirely, than in part.

    Though, it doesn't help that you played the four-player version. Two-player is a little better.
  • IPad emulations of board games have been a revelation for me. Mainly because I've never had the time to play them properly and they do the 'heavy lifting' of scoring etc.

    I've got Carcassonne, Settlers, Samurai, Small World and Risk.

    Carcassonne is excellent in all respects.
    Samurai is a great game but it's not as polished in it's presentation as Carcassonne.
    Settlers of Catan is pretty buggy and the graphics are poor but a good game.
    Small World struggles with it's tutorials and rules explanations.
    Risk is too easy.

    These games only increase my desire to play them 'for real' at NERDNYC board game night.

    My wishlist for new IPad games is Agricola and Ticket To Ride but the news that Puerto Rico is coming out is great.

    Now I need to start coding Dune.
  • Lots of iOS board game news.
    - Carcassonne is getting an update very soon that adds Game Center support. The next update after that will add Inns & Cathedrals and The River II expansions.
    - Bohnanza is now out
    - Caylus is coming out in September and is being made by Big Daddy Creations, the same people who did the great Neuroshima Hex app
    - Puerto Rico is coming out this week
    - A very big unannounced title is coming out for iPad this week. News embargo lifts Thursday at 9AM...
  • A very big unannounced title is coming out for iPad this week. News embargo lifts Thursday at 9AM
    My money is on Tigris and Euphrates.
  • Lots of iOS board game news.
    - Carcassonne is getting an update very soon that adds Game Center support. The next update after that will add Inns & Cathedrals and The River II expansions.
    - Bohnanza is now out
    - Caylus is coming out in September and is being made by Big Daddy Creations, the same people who did the great Neuroshima Hex app
    - Puerto Rico is coming out this week
    - A very big unannounced title is coming out for iPad this week. News embargo lifts Thursday at 9AM...
    The iPad (and theoretically any tablet) are very rapidly revolutionising many aspects of our beloved hobbies.

    It wont be as visceral as handling physical tokens, little coffee barrels etc but if i can start a new game of Rico by pressing "start" then screw the barrels, I'll take the convenience.

    I think within 2 years, if not before, it will be commonplace to see people gathered around an iPad or 2, maybe even with iPhone in hand, happily playing a variety of commonly played boardgames. As opposed to the real physical game.

    As to comics, as to board games.
  • I agree that it could become a commonplace sight, but I think it would be as a supplement to the gaming I already do. As it is now, board gaming is a great hobby where the biggest challenge is getting the people together, yet people still jump through all of the hoops to arrange game nights and meetups. People go through all of the effort because it's worth it for the final experience, and I believe the physical game is a part of that.

    The mobile apps will still be popular. I love them because they allow me to get many, many more plays of a game than I would otherwise ever get. They allow me to actually develop advanced strategy and attempt at solving the game. I bring my lessons learned to the table. The apps are also great for the "play by mail" types of games like Carcassonne, which are a convenient little way to stay in touch with gamer friends by keeping a game going over a stretch of time.

    I could see digital board games becoming a lot more popular in a further future than the 2 years you estimated because I am looking at an entire electronic tabletop as the challenger.
  • I agree that it could become a commonplace sight, but I think it would be as a supplement to the gaming I already do. As it is now, board gaming is a great hobby where the biggest challenge is getting the people together, yet people still jump through all of the hoops to arrange game nights and meetups. People go through all of the effort because it's worth it for the final experience, and I believe the physical game is a part of that.

    The mobile apps will still be popular. I love them because they allow me to get many, many more plays of a game than I would otherwise ever get. They allow me to actually develop advanced strategy and attempt at solving the game. I bring my lessons learned to the table. The apps are also great for the "play by mail" types of games like Carcassonne, which are a convenient little way to stay in touch with gamer friends by keeping a game going over a stretch of time.

    I could see digital board games becoming a lot more popular in a further future than the 2 years you estimated because I am looking at an entire electronic tabletop as the challenger.
    Actually, I think you are right. You really need that larger surface to bring everyone in. Yes, the iPad would *work* just fine, but as an experience, it would be not as fun. And given game nights are often planned well in advance it would make sense just to grab a copy of the game...

    Still, it will be nice to carry around 20+ boardgames (ie iPad) with you in your backpack, you can be pretty spontaneous with that kind of setup.

    Perhaps an iPad specific generation of multi player "board games" will arise alongside traditional board game models. Is it hard to imagine 4 people gathered around an iPad with iphones in hand, playing Gauntlett or any variety of game types? Like and ultra portable console I guess.


    Maybe that's more the role iPad will fill, shared gaming experience wise.
  • edited May 2011
    I think this discussion on digital board games, arguing whether they may ever supplant physical board games, would make a great GeekNights episode topic.
    A very big unannounced title is coming out for iPad this week. News embargo lifts Thursday at 9AM
    My money is on Tigris and Euphrates.
    T&E; is coming out in June, but the big iPad news was Ticket to Ride. Days of Wonder has set the high water mark for iPad games with Small World and Ticket to Ride now. These things are downright beautiful and work like a charm. TTR supports cross-play with the PC/Mac version as well which is very cool. If anyone has an iPad and is considering getting this, jump on it quick. It's $6.99 but you can get the Europe, Switzerland, and 1910 expansions for a buck each. They're really separate games, so you can get 4 for $10 which is a steal on iPad, where companies charge more because there is a reasonable assumption you already love spending money.

    Edit: Oh and allow me to bitch-fest here about embargoed information. Days of Wonder is the only company that sends out press releases that cannot be discussed until some set date & time, then goes and puts the most heavy-handed clues out on their website and social networking accounts. They put a "cannot post before 9AM Thursday" warning on this one and then the app came out Tuesday night. Have we learned nothing about information and secrecy on the internet? Just tell people shit when you want them to know.
    Post edited by Matt on
  • Edit: Oh and allow me to bitch-fest here about embargoed information. Days of Wonder is the only company that sends out press releases that cannot be discussed until some set date & time, then goes and puts the most heavy-handed clues out on their website and social networking accounts. They put a "cannot post before 9AM Thursday" warning on this one and then the app came out Tuesday night. Have we learned nothing about information and secrecy on the internet? Just tell people shit when you want them to know.
    As much as I dislike TechCrunch, gotta agree on this.
    http://techcrunch.com/2008/12/17/death-to-the-embargo/

    My advice is to just break every single embargo every time. If people stop sending you info because of it, then fuck 'em! It's their loss. One less site talking about their products.
  • That is a great post and echoes all of my own thoughts. As soon as I saw that thing was already out in the friggin app store yesterday I emailed my editor and asked her to break embargo. The only time it's ever dealing with is if it's a site exclusive as the author pointed out.
  • The only time it's ever dealing with is if it's a site exclusive as the author pointed out.
    I am not a fan of exclusives either. Obviously embargos are for the benefit of the person with the product to the detriment of the media outlet. Exclusives are the opposite. Obviously a media outlet with an actual exclusive would have no reason to break it. However, the person selling the product is pretty stupid to give someone an exclusive. If you're selling something, you want it broadcast in as many places as possible. If you limit it to just one, you're just hurting yourself.
  • The only time it's ever dealing with is if it's a site exclusive as the author pointed out.
    I am not a fan of exclusives either. Obviously embargos are for the benefit of the person with the product to the detriment of the media outlet. Exclusives are the opposite. Obviously a media outlet with an actual exclusive would have no reason to break it. However, the person selling the product is pretty stupid to give someone an exclusive. If you're selling something, you want it broadcast in as many places as possible. If you limit it to just one, you're just hurting yourself.
    As a fan & consumer, I agree that exclusives are dumb. As I writer I want them for my own selfish desires. Because I know big news exclusives are a pipe dream (I mean, it's just going to be reported everywhere else in 5 min), the ones I like aren't pitched, but are the result of you doing hard work to gain some information nobody else knows, and getting to be the first one to report it.

    For games, an example of this would be getting scans of a few cards that nobody has seen before, or pics of a few components. It's information that was never going to get out anyway until the game was released, but you were able to pry it out of the company so you get the initial traffic bump.
  • My advice is to just break every single embargo every time. If people stop sending you info because of it, then fuck 'em! It's their loss. One less site talking about their products.
    I agree, with the exception of actual product reviews. When a company extends you a curtsey by getting you a product early so you can review it, posting that review before the embargo ends is just rude.

    But if a journalist has information it's their job to publish that information. Most of the time when they don't it has to do with reputation more than fear of legal problems. At Anime Boston when I interviewed Funimation they let slip a bit of information that wasn't announced until last week. They asked kindly if I would keep it quiet and I agreed, because I'd like the chance to interview them again.
  • FYI, iPhone peeps, iDixit is free until June 1st. Grab it!
  • So Days of Wonder has been knocking it out of the park with iPad apps. A lot of people have been speculating that their PC implementation of Memoir '44 would get ported over next, but now that has been shot down. Apparently the AI calculations are just way too intensive and the iPad does not offer enough memory in its current form.

    Speaking of Memoir '44 though, the PC version is now free to play. I downloaded it but haven't checked it out. We talked in the other thread about the whole Memoir/Command & Colors/Battlelore system crossover, and I've been dying to try the others out (I only know C&C). Doing it for free is best.

    Other iOS board game updates: Ascension is out and I have major issues with its online matchmaking, but if you can get a game together it works great. Puerto Rico is still in perpetual beta testing. Maybe next month?
  • We talked in the other thread about the whole Memoir/Command & Colors/Battlelore system crossover, and I've been dying to try the others out (I only know C&C;). Doing it for free is best.
    I'll sell you my Battlelore if you want it. Better yet, I'll trade you for something.
  • edited July 2011
    Speaking of Memoir '44 though, the PC version is now free to play
    Where'd you find that? I just played M44 for the first time last night, and my friend has like over 9000 expansions. I need to get in some practice :)
    Post edited by Byron on
  • Speaking of Memoir '44 though, the PC version is now free to play
    Where'd you find that? I just played M44 for the first time last night, and my friend has like over 9000 expansions. I need to get in some practice :)
    Days of Wonder's official site has the account registration page on it and then you can download the program
  • Anyone up for Carcassonne? ProcessBlue on Game Center.
  • Update: Puerto Rico was submitted to Apple yesterday. Now we wait.

    Timo, when I remember to I will add you on Gamecenter and send you a Carcassonne invite.
  • Update: Puerto Rico was submitted to Apple yesterday. Now we wait.

    Timo, when I remember to I will add you on Gamecenter and send you a Carcassonne invite.
    I will too.
Sign In or Register to comment.