It's a combined game of Axis & Allies Pacific 1940 and Europe 1940. The rules for the combo are a few pages in the back of the Europe rulebook (but if you buy it, know that they have been superceded by a new set of rules Larry Harris put out on his personal website, they fix a ton of stuff and I'm thankful that he's a designer who supports his games well after release).
They were both made as "limited editions" by WotC after the Axis & Allies Anniversay Edition sold out in a nanosecond and started going on eBay for $500. They did larger print runs for these two though and they have not sold out, but just don't expect it to be around in 5 years. Cheapest price I've seen for it is at Sci-fi City online. You can nab both games for $123 w/ free shipping.
That pic is from near the end of turn 1, so it's largely just the starting setup. Shit got insane in the end. I wound up taking a few pictures with my SLR but I should have done a lot more. I'll have to unload those later. Take note of the laptop tucked under the table. Best way to play! There is a game tracker excel sheet on BGG that you can input your moves using, and it spits out your starting cash for each turn.
I'll post more stories of the game here later if I get the other pics up. We fiddled with bits until the cows came home (5AM).
Oh dude. I did not know that Axis & Allies: Global was a thing that even existed. Look at the action in the Pacific!
The Pacific is nuts. Just so many sea spaces and islands, coupled with the fact that Japan can reach Alaska & Hawaii, and vice versa on any turn means you are constantly threatening to invade each other among all the island hopping. Plus Australlia and New Zealand (ANZAC) gets it's own player w/ a modest fleet of it's own.
56–page rules booklet 12–page scenarios booklet Two 16–page charts and tables booklets 3,200 die–cut playing pieces Seven 22" x 34" colored soft map sheets Various playing aids, displays and cycle tracks: Air/Surface Tactical Display Allied Air Display Allied Game Turn/Cycle Record Track Allied General Record Track Allied Naval Task Force Display Allied Off–Map Movement Display Japanese Air Display Japanese Game–Turn/Cycle Record Track Japanese General Record Track Japanese Naval Task Force Display 2 Dice 2 Plastic trays for playing piece storage
Level Of Complexity: Very High Average Playing Time: 6 hours (Midway scenario) to 200+ hours
One of my friends who's a WWII buff played a game of this that lasted for 6 months. It routinely sells for over $250 on ebay.
In other news, sold my A Game of Thrones game on ebay plus both expansions for a nice amount of cash. Still sad to see it go, but I haven't played it in years and the demand was crazy high because it's out of print and because of the TV show. Hopefully, the rumors that FFG will be putting out a revised edition in a year or so are true and I can just buy the new version.
King of Tokyo. This was my favourite game of the weekend, as it's a new one. You play as monsters attacking each other in Tokyo. There are bonus cards and moneys, but the main mechanic is a Yahtzee-style dice rolling thing. Which is super fun! Because a lot relies on the roll of the dice, it's a very good social game, as you can be as open as you want about your plans and cards and everything. Everyone comments on the best thing to do all the time, and it's almost impossible to gang up on any single player.
I am very interested in this one! You may recognize the designer, Richard Garfield, as the creator of Magic. He also made my favorite large-group game, Robo Rally. Glad to head you played it and that it's not shite. Unfortunately the game doesn't have a distributor in the US yet so I'll just have to wait and see.
I didn't look up the creator, but my friend Daniel, who works in a game shop, told me this same thing.
Anyone have any experience with Advanced Squad Leader? It's essentially a wargame without the minis or modeling.
Uh, there are hundreds of games like this.
This is true, but if you talk to people who are really really into these types of boardgame style wargames, they'll all tell you that Advanced Squad Leader is the king. I don't know why, I just know that it's viewed as untouchable.
This is why. I'll probably pick it up this summer.
Has anyone been to the World Boardgaming Championships in Lancaster PA? It's in reasonable driving distance for me (under 2.5 hours), but I'm not a huge fan of most tournament style play with board games (having second place mean something fucks the mechanics of many games), but a few people from my new Wed night gaming group are talking about checking it out. I have to be very picky with my time out of town this summer as it is rather limited, so I'm really only considering it if I hear from someone else who has actually gone before that this event is worth my time.
Has anyone been to the World Boardgaming Championships in Lancaster PA? It's in reasonable driving distance for me (under 2.5 hours), but I'm not a huge fan of most tournament style play with board games (having second place mean something fucks the mechanics of many games), but a few people from my new Wed night gaming group are talking about checking it out. I have to be very picky with my time out of town this summer as it is rather limited, so I'm really only considering it if I hear from someone else who has actually gone before that this event is worth my time.
Huh, that's pretty close to me, I'll have to look into this.
After an aborted attempt earlier in the year, I finally managed to play two training missions in Space Alert.
I haven't played it in years, and wow, not only was I incredibly rusty, but this game is just brutal. I really like it though, and there's really nothing else like it, a real-time programming game, and I wish I could play it often enough that I could actually play through some of the advanced missions. The new expansions that add a bit of an rpg leveling element really sound cool.
So I'm in the market for a new board game. Help me choose! This is the list I'm trying to narrow down:
--Space Alert --Galaxy Trucker --Twilight Imperium (REALLY leaning towards this) --Small World or Small World Underground --Neuroshima Hex (A close second to Twilight Imperium, right now)
So I'm in the market for a new board game. Help me choose! This is the list I'm trying to narrow down:
--Space Alert --Galaxy Trucker --Twilight Imperium (REALLY leaning towards this) --Small World or Small World Underground --Neuroshima Hex (A close second to Twilight Imperium, right now)
Thoughts?
Those are all vastly different types of games, so it really depends on what you want.
Space Alert is a gamer's game. Very time pressured, short, real-time programming type of game Galaxy Trucker is a fun very random game where it's very hard to have a real strategy. You have to go into the game knowing that you won't really be able to control the outcome all that much. Twilight Imperium is an incredibly LONG but awesome cold war/empire building game with diplomacy, trade, war, and all that good stuff Small World is a fun little strategy game that is light and relatively quick with a great humorous theme. Neuroshima Hex is an awesome 2 player, ok 4 player, strategy game that has some random elements, but is surprisingly deep.
Like I said, all very different, so it depends on what you want.
Very well said. All 5 are highly regarded games, but are quite different when you get down into the weeds. I have a big weakness for Small World and Neuroshima Hex myself. When it comes down to it, you need something you can actually get to the table reliably if you're going to get your money's worth. Neuroshima is a great 2-player so it's easier to get play, but Small World is light enough that it's considered a borderline gateway game, so it has a wider audience.
If you go with Small World, know that you don't need any of the expansions to start. It's fun on its own, and the new races/powers are a quick way to spend $10 and greatly extend the life of the game once you get bored. Small World Underground is supposed to be more of a "gamer's game" in its level of strategy, but we'll have to wait and see. I won't have my copy until the end of June.
If you go with Small World, know that you don't need any of the expansions to start. It's fun on its own, and the new races/powers are a quick way to spend $10 and greatly extend the life of the game once you get bored. Small World Underground is supposed to be more of a "gamer's game" in its level of strategy, but we'll have to wait and see. I won't have my copy until the end of June.
I haven't done much research, but how is Underworld a "gamer's game?" It just looked like more of the same, albeit on a new map, when I looked at it briefly on BGG. That's not a bad thing by any means, but if they're adding another level of strategy, that would be great.
If you go with Small World, know that you don't need any of the expansions to start. It's fun on its own, and the new races/powers are a quick way to spend $10 and greatly extend the life of the game once you get bored. Small World Underground is supposed to be more of a "gamer's game" in its level of strategy, but we'll have to wait and see. I won't have my copy until the end of June.
I haven't done much research, but how is Underworld a "gamer's game?" It just looked like more of the same, albeit on a new map, when I looked at it briefly on BGG. That's not a bad thing by any means, but if they're adding another level of strategy, that would be great.
The rules are not out yet, nor does anyone know the racial/special powers that will be included. The whole "Underground will be more of a gamer's game" thing is pure marketing speak by Days of Wonder, as they are claiming it will require more strategy to win. They have a very solid track record as a company so no reason to doubt them at this point. The only think we know about the game that is different from regular Small World is that certain portions of the map will be more powerful than others regardless of what race is controlling them, and these powerful places will be more heavily guarded by native monsters to start the game. There's also a big-ass river going through the board that will take some special requirement to cross it.
It's not to say Small World Underground will be the epitome of a "gamer's game", but that it will be moreso than its predecessor. I think there will be enough complexity added to bump this out of the "gateway game" classification, but it's not going to hit the extremes of gaming like an Age of Steam, Twilight Imperium, or some of the crazy war games we were talking about earlier in the thread. Who knows, this may wind up putting Underground in no-man's land where it's too much game for some, not enough for others, and only a small few actually enjoy the game.
I might wait and get Underground. How is Age of Steam, out of curiosity?
Another one I've never played myself, but is revered by the train game crowd. Here's what I know about it: very unforgiving in that if you screw up in early planning, you are toast. A polarizing element to this is that if you get burnt, the game literally kicks you out and it's over for you. Some people hate not having a chance to catch up but I actually respect a game that won't force players who are eliminated from continuing to play out their turns. Some people say "fuck this game", others don't mind having to fail misterably three times in order to have an enjoyable experience on the fourth play.
Age of Steam, Steam, and Railways of the World are all iterations on the same game (all by Martin Wallace). I'm not sure what the small differences are, but there is probably a flamewar going on somewhere right now about which one is the best of the three. I most commonly hear people say Age of Steam is the best, but all three have their fans.
Edit: Also, on your Underground decision, Days of Wonder is doing a big game store preview weekend in early July, so there should be an internet consensus on whether it's good or crap by then.
I've heard it described as Talisman and Pandemic having a baby, but I was wondering if it manages to overcome the faults of its "parents." Talisman is fun occasionally, but it's basically fantasy Monopoly, and Pandemic is alright, but I'm looking for something a bit meatier, while still retaining the co-op feel of Pandemic.
Do you want meatier in theme or are you trying to find something with deeper mechanics? If you took that Pandemic formula any deeper I'd be worried about it becoming fiddly. I don't know how Defenders of the Realm plays but it definitley pulls off the fantasy theme well, and has a loyal fan base. From the theme perspective, you really can't argue with Larry Elmore in artistic control.
Any "beat-the-board" boardgame that has tabletalk rules is, in my mind, inherently and deeply flawed.
At least with Pandemic, the designer Matt Leacock has been quoted saying he doesn't think the table talk rule he put in is actually necessary. The only intent of that rule was to prevent bullying, but it's better to just throw out the rule and adopt Wheaton's law.
When forming an opinion on a game, how often you'll actually get to play it is a big factor. With these co-ops, the big flaw is that I just can't stand to play them with "bad" gamers (meaning those who insist on making poor decisions) anymore, yet if I was at a table surrounded by intelligent gamers, we'd play something deeper. Where do these games fit in?
The only intent of that rule was to prevent bullying
"Bullying" being a real problem implies again a fundamental flaw in the mechanism design of the game. These games usually have obvious optimal paths of play. These paths are easily disrupted by an uncooperative or unskilled player. One competent player can simply tell everyone what to do (bullying) to have the best chance of winning, and there is no real need for the other players: everyone is just a piece of the machine.
By eliminating table talk, you eliminate "bullying" and replace it with frustration.
These games are really for casual boardgamers looking for a social experience. They specifically fail upon play by anyone with an understanding of game theory or a willingness to analyze the game and make optimal decisions. One can only enjoy them fully so long as one does not understand them.
Comments
I want that game.
They were both made as "limited editions" by WotC after the Axis & Allies Anniversay Edition sold out in a nanosecond and started going on eBay for $500. They did larger print runs for these two though and they have not sold out, but just don't expect it to be around in 5 years. Cheapest price I've seen for it is at Sci-fi City online. You can nab both games for $123 w/ free shipping.
That pic is from near the end of turn 1, so it's largely just the starting setup. Shit got insane in the end. I wound up taking a few pictures with my SLR but I should have done a lot more. I'll have to unload those later. Take note of the laptop tucked under the table. Best way to play! There is a game tracker excel sheet on BGG that you can input your moves using, and it spits out your starting cash for each turn.
I'll post more stories of the game here later if I get the other pics up. We fiddled with bits until the cows came home (5AM).
Game equipment:
56–page rules booklet
12–page scenarios booklet
Two 16–page charts and tables booklets
3,200 die–cut playing pieces
Seven 22" x 34" colored soft map sheets
Various playing aids, displays and cycle tracks:
Air/Surface Tactical Display
Allied Air Display
Allied Game Turn/Cycle Record Track
Allied General Record Track
Allied Naval Task Force Display
Allied Off–Map Movement Display
Japanese Air Display
Japanese Game–Turn/Cycle Record Track
Japanese General Record Track
Japanese Naval Task Force Display
2 Dice
2 Plastic trays for playing piece storage
Level Of Complexity: Very High Average Playing Time: 6 hours (Midway scenario) to 200+ hours
One of my friends who's a WWII buff played a game of this that lasted for 6 months. It routinely sells for over $250 on ebay.
In other news, sold my A Game of Thrones game on ebay plus both expansions for a nice amount of cash. Still sad to see it go, but I haven't played it in years and the demand was crazy high because it's out of print and because of the TV show. Hopefully, the rumors that FFG will be putting out a revised edition in a year or so are true and I can just buy the new version.
I went over to his house one day and saw it set up and it looked awesome, but WAY to complex for me.
I haven't played it in years, and wow, not only was I incredibly rusty, but this game is just brutal. I really like it though, and there's really nothing else like it, a real-time programming game, and I wish I could play it often enough that I could actually play through some of the advanced missions. The new expansions that add a bit of an rpg leveling element really sound cool.
--Space Alert
--Galaxy Trucker
--Twilight Imperium (REALLY leaning towards this)
--Small World or Small World Underground
--Neuroshima Hex (A close second to Twilight Imperium, right now)
Thoughts?
I want an iPad and a bike first but once I get those, I'm back into the game buying..........game.
Also there is a new one being released that is a stand alone game with new races, abilities, and maps. I will more than likely purchase that.
Space Alert is a gamer's game. Very time pressured, short, real-time programming type of game
Galaxy Trucker is a fun very random game where it's very hard to have a real strategy. You have to go into the game knowing that you won't really be able to control the outcome all that much.
Twilight Imperium is an incredibly LONG but awesome cold war/empire building game with diplomacy, trade, war, and all that good stuff
Small World is a fun little strategy game that is light and relatively quick with a great humorous theme.
Neuroshima Hex is an awesome 2 player, ok 4 player, strategy game that has some random elements, but is surprisingly deep.
Like I said, all very different, so it depends on what you want.
If you go with Small World, know that you don't need any of the expansions to start. It's fun on its own, and the new races/powers are a quick way to spend $10 and greatly extend the life of the game once you get bored. Small World Underground is supposed to be more of a "gamer's game" in its level of strategy, but we'll have to wait and see. I won't have my copy until the end of June.
It's not to say Small World Underground will be the epitome of a "gamer's game", but that it will be moreso than its predecessor. I think there will be enough complexity added to bump this out of the "gateway game" classification, but it's not going to hit the extremes of gaming like an Age of Steam, Twilight Imperium, or some of the crazy war games we were talking about earlier in the thread. Who knows, this may wind up putting Underground in no-man's land where it's too much game for some, not enough for others, and only a small few actually enjoy the game.
Age of Steam, Steam, and Railways of the World are all iterations on the same game (all by Martin Wallace). I'm not sure what the small differences are, but there is probably a flamewar going on somewhere right now about which one is the best of the three. I most commonly hear people say Age of Steam is the best, but all three have their fans.
Edit: Also, on your Underground decision, Days of Wonder is doing a big game store preview weekend in early July, so there should be an internet consensus on whether it's good or crap by then.
I've heard it described as Talisman and Pandemic having a baby, but I was wondering if it manages to overcome the faults of its "parents." Talisman is fun occasionally, but it's basically fantasy Monopoly, and Pandemic is alright, but I'm looking for something a bit meatier, while still retaining the co-op feel of Pandemic.
Anyone?
When forming an opinion on a game, how often you'll actually get to play it is a big factor. With these co-ops, the big flaw is that I just can't stand to play them with "bad" gamers (meaning those who insist on making poor decisions) anymore, yet if I was at a table surrounded by intelligent gamers, we'd play something deeper. Where do these games fit in?
By eliminating table talk, you eliminate "bullying" and replace it with frustration.