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GeekNights Tuesday - MAGFest 11 and Three Board Games

MrPeriodMrPeriod
edited January 2013 in GeekNights

Tonight on GeekNights, we bring you our coverage of MAGFest 11, along with impressions of three board games: The Castles of Burgundy (buy it), Core Worlds (skip it), and VivaJava (worth a second look). Along the way, we complain about the only thing worth complaining about at MAGFest (the ridiculous wristbands), recall our epic joint victory over the Petian and Philippian alliance in Eclipse, remember the fantastic dance party DJ'd by none other than Yuzo Koshiro (Actraiser, Streets of Rage), and wonder if Team Stompadon will continue their meteoric rise in the Super Art Fight circuit.

We'll have video from this year up soon, but check out last year's MAGFest:

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Comments

  • ColdguyColdguy
    Its sad when you complain about the board game selection and I brought over half of them. Seriously...I counted. Anything that ended in 2224 was mine, nice to know most of my game got the plays.
  • RymRym
    Its sad when you complain about the board game selection and I brought over half of them. Seriously...I counted. Anything that ended in 2224 was mine, nice to know most of my game got the plays.
    We need a dozen more people as awesome as you to fill that library out! ;^)

  • ColdguyColdguy
    Its sad when you complain about the board game selection and I brought over half of them. Seriously...I counted. Anything that ended in 2224 was mine, nice to know most of my game got the plays.
    We need a dozen more people as awesome as you to fill that library out! ;^)

    Working on that ;)
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    No thoughts on Glory to Rome? For shame!
  • AprecheApreche
    No thoughts on Glory to Rome? For shame!
    Needs more playing. I don't even know all the buildings.
  • NukerjsrNukerjsr
    No thoughts on Glory to Rome? For shame!
    Needs more playing. I don't even know all the buildings.
    Great system. However, the Vault System is way OP when it comes down to victory points at the end. Instead of spending 3 turns getting one building and 2-3 VP, you can spend 1 turn to get 3 VP points automatically (Which may help winning 3 more at the end of the game)
  • J.SharpJ.Sharp
    Didn't get a chance to speak with you guys, but I had a great time at Magfest. Thanks for the recommendation. I've yet to find any convention advice on this show to be inaccurate.

    Space Wars was such an awesome unexpected gem. It was definitely one of my highlights as well.
  • RymRym
    Glory to Rome is going to get a full treatment.
  • MattMatt
    Couldn't agree more about Castles of Burgundy. Also agree on Core Worlds. I liked it at first but tired of it quickly. It's definitely a cut above Ascension but has too many problems to consider unless you are Mr. Deck Builder.

    I think you guys really do need to try VivaJava again, only with 7 or 8 players, and you DO need someone to sort of referee the game who really knows the rules. I read through them a while back and the book actually does a good job of answering the specific order questions. Almost all of those BGG threads have answers in the rule book. I have a copy and would be glad to run a game for you guys if you can pull together the players and want to try again.

    The one thing that initially put me off was the amount of variants listed in the back of the book. That usually scares me b/c it makes the designer seem like they couldn't make up their mind or didn't playtest enough, but I actually heard that those were all added in against the designer's will by the publisher, so it could be marketed with "family mode" and things of that nature. This wound up not detracting from the base game. It's still solid and you can ignore all the variants.

    Also, as a side note, I think reading that Garfield book has noticeably stepped up your ability to pick apart a game. I've played Burgundy and Core Worlds each multiple times, and you're right on after 1 play, and able to squeeze all that's worth saying into 10 min, not a 30+ minute exposition. The Garfield book stares at me, sitting on my shelf. I must go read...

  • RymRym
    Also, as a side note, I think reading that Garfield book has noticeably stepped up your ability to pick apart a game. I've played Burgundy and Core Worlds each multiple times, and you're right on after 1 play, and able to squeeze all that's worth saying into 10 min, not a 30+ minute exposition.
    Really, it's the lexicon. We no longer need to explain the terms, lay the groundwork, or any of that. If we assume people know or can intuit the meanings of the terms like "Directional Heuristic" or "Computation" in this context, then basically any technical board game review will be under 15 minutes (excepting particularly excellent games).

    Glory to Rome, for example, will require a great deal of explanation and analysis. It has complex heuristics, but also simple ones, and the high degree of variance in score among different players implies that none of us have approached an endgame of any sort.

  • MattMatt
    I honestly know nothing about Glory to Rome b/c I see it discussed constantly, but it is always this loud conversation where people bitch about the art or card quality from one version to the next. Nobody actually talks about the game, and it's never been put in front of me to play so I never looked into it any further. Looking forward to hearing your take on the actual game.
  • RymRym
    My advice (WhaleShark and Nuri can say more) is to ignore the game unless you can get the "good" version.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    I never seen the so called terrible version, but what does it matter what the art looks like. My impression was this was a game of words on cards.
  • RymRym
    Style and aesthetic matter a lot to a board game, especially a complex one. It reduces the computational/memory load of the player.

    Also, this is some ugly shit:
  • AndrewAndrew
    Old version
    image

    New version
    image

    The new artwork is infinitely better because the color coding is extremely important in terms of resource types and score values. It makes the game significantly more playable because you don't have to deciper the words on the cards in order to gain valuable information about various mechanics.
  • CremlianCremlian
    If I hear Directional Heuristics one more time playing a board game I might slap a Rym :-p
  • WyattWyatt
    http://www.amazon.com/Glory-Rome-Black-Edition-strategy/dp/B006GHUY3E
    2 are left in stock. Get the Black Box. Not the cartoon.

    I'm fine with Core Worlds. It's not my favorite, but it's on par with most deck builders.

    I really need to think about buying Castles of Burgundy.
  • RochelleRochelle
    Core Worlds was fun when I played, but it's ok when your friends own it.

    As for Viva Java, I haven't heard the episode, but I've gathered from some FB posts on how you made some mistakes. It's ok. Jeremy and I will be bringing it to East. We'll also be repainting the red beans because they look so similar to the brown beans.
  • NeitoNeito
    Also, as a side note, I think reading that Garfield book has noticeably stepped up your ability to pick apart a game. I've played Burgundy and Core Worlds each multiple times, and you're right on after 1 play, and able to squeeze all that's worth saying into 10 min, not a 30+ minute exposition.
    Really, it's the lexicon. We no longer need to explain the terms, lay the groundwork, or any of that. If we assume people know or can intuit the meanings of the terms like "Directional Heuristic" or "Computation" in this context, then basically any technical board game review will be under 15 minutes (excepting particularly excellent games).

    Glory to Rome, for example, will require a great deal of explanation and analysis. It has complex heuristics, but also simple ones, and the high degree of variance in score among different players implies that none of us have approached an endgame of any sort.

    You keep mentioning this book, and I meant to get the exact name of it. It sounds like a thing I'd like to read.
  • AprecheApreche
    This is THE BOOK.

    Characteristics of Games
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    Every time I see the old GtR artwork, my eyes want to crawl out of my head.

    The color coding is critical to gameplay, and the minimalist art in the black box edition helps distill the game down to its essential information. Also, it looks way cooler.
  • VichusSmithVichusSmith
    edited January 2013
    image
    Post edited by VichusSmith on
  • RymRym
    I'm adding Glory to Rome as an example of style and theme to our new Beyond Candyland. The same game, but... yeah... I wouldn't play the old one.
  • ColdguyColdguy
    image
    The difference? The Roar has rules to copy it the other ones do not.
  • open_sketchbookopen_sketchbook
    If I hear Directional Heuristics one more time playing a board game I might slap a Rym :-p
    Read the book. Seriously it will change your reality.

    Also, my co-designers on Bloodcrusher are seriously about ten seconds from stepping on my head if I say "atom of play" anymore in meetings.
  • RymRym
    What's cool is that seasoned game designers and students of games already know basically everything in the book. The revelations are purely in having standardized terms for these concepts.
  • open_sketchbookopen_sketchbook
    It makes it a lot easier to think about these things when you have words and categories for it all.
  • MATATATMATATAT
    edited January 2013
    Her head in the last panel is significantly smaller than previously and she apparently lost some hair or some shit is up with her mohawk.
    Post edited by MATATAT on
  • Lt. ChibiLt. Chibi
    Her head in the last panel is significantly smaller than previously and she apparently lost some hair or some shit is up with her mohawk.
    I agree. Her hair loss is pretty colossal.
  • ColdguyColdguy


    Enjoy
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