I've gotten back into Waterdeep b/c of how well-implemented the app for iPad is. Several friends who aren't frequent tabletop gamers got into it and wanted me to join their matches. It's not a bad game, but it's not my favorite worker placement either. The quest deck adds more luck than I think most people realize, and some of the direct player interaction effects (mandatory quests, especially) are fairly powerful.
When I play Waterdeep I never get the satisfaction of blocking a space I know that others need. There's information overload with each person having their own stack of quests, plus hidden points obscuring the leader. I would like to see what the expansion modes do to the game but haven't had time to sit down and check them out.
I am planning on picking up the expansion set for Waterdeep, probably early next year. I want to play a round or two with some of my other friends too, before playing the xpac.
Finally had a chance to play Cutthroat Caverns. Not nearly as cutthroat as I was expecting. We only had three players, perhaps it becomes more vicious with more?
gees there was a lightning deal on amazon for Eclipse, for 40 dollars, obviously it was sold out before I saw it. Not that I need it but gees 40 dollars :-p
gees there was a lightning deal on amazon for Eclipse, for 40 dollars, obviously it was sold out before I saw it. Not that I need it but gees 40 dollars :-p
I got my copy for $25 about a year ago when Barnes and Noble had it on clearance.
I rather enjoy Waterdeep, because it's streamlined worker placement. But yeah, it definitely needs refreshing after several plays.
I've already played it twice and already feel the latter.
It's also like 7 Wonders where you have to pay attention to what sort of quests your opponents are going for and try to block what resources they need as well as getting the ones you need.
It's enjoyable, but can see myself getting tired of it after several plays.
I get where you're going with the 7 Wonders comparison, Ro. I'd say there is a comparable amount of blocking (low) but the potential for it definitely exists. Everyone needs a little bit of everything, to some extent, and not everyone is put in a position for engine-building, so it's not as crucial to block. There are so many quest cards flying around that it really can drag the game down if you're going to try to digest every one.
Since you don't always get the right cards to build a points engine, it doesn't matter when someone completes their quests, it's just a matter of how efficiently they can collect all of the resources. Rather than blocking people out, it's more of a race for the high-efficiency spots. The strategy and risk calculation comes in whether you can afford to sneak in an intrigue card play and still have your spot available when your meeple re-use comes up.
I will say that this one decision point, how and when to use intrigue cards, was enough to hold my attention for several plays of this game.
The only time I will make a move to outright block is if it's obvious someone has the builder card. If you let them build all the buildings for six points a pop, they will run away with the game hands down. Everyone needs to suck it up and take their turn occupying builder's hall at that point.
I would say it's more beneficial to do that in 2-3 player, but not 4-5. Jeremy was able to block me getting 18 points, but I was able to play an Intrigue card to take away a resource from him.
The game ended up being tied, but I won due to having more monies.
If you're looking for the ultimate in what I like to call "Backpack games" (games like SpotIt that you stick in your backpack and bust out at the slightest reason), Coin Age is wrapping up their kickstarter. For $3-$5, you get several maps (including one on credit card plastic to stick in your wallet), stickers for the coins you use to play the game, and paperboard coins that you can also use to play the game with. The game looks like a fairly decent if simple territory control game.
I would say it's more beneficial to do that in 2-3 player, but not 4-5. Jeremy was able to block me getting 18 points, but I was able to play an Intrigue card to take away a resource from him.
The game ended up being tied, but I won due to having more monies.
Yeah, when the game comes down to the wire you can easily figure out what everyone needs to do on their last 2-3 moves and then the big blocks can come out. Of course, I've seen people hit the 4-card Quest refresh and wind up drawing a 20 point slam dunk on the last play!
Does anyone else find it bizarre how downright bad some of the quest cards actually are? When you factor in the end-game value of your resources, some of them net you very few points, and are only useful if you can use them to pull off some resource conversion that bankrolls a huge quest. Others can be good early-game plays, like the one that gets your points for playing intrigue, but it takes so many resources to get down that it can be near impossible unless you have at least one building out that is complementary to the quest's requirements.
I would say it's more beneficial to do that in 2-3 player, but not 4-5. Jeremy was able to block me getting 18 points, but I was able to play an Intrigue card to take away a resource from him.
The game ended up being tied, but I won due to having more monies.
Yeah, when the game comes down to the wire you can easily figure out what everyone needs to do on their last 2-3 moves and then the big blocks can come out. Of course, I've seen people hit the 4-card Quest refresh and wind up drawing a 20 point slam dunk on the last play!
Does anyone else find it bizarre how downright bad some of the quest cards actually are? When you factor in the end-game value of your resources, some of them net you very few points, and are only useful if you can use them to pull off some resource conversion that bankrolls a huge quest. Others can be good early-game plays, like the one that gets your points for playing intrigue, but it takes so many resources to get down that it can be near impossible unless you have at least one building out that is complementary to the quest's requirements.
Some of those might be useful if you get bonus points at the end for completing certain types of quests. But yeah, I've definitely been stuck with shitty quests before.
Comments
When I play Waterdeep I never get the satisfaction of blocking a space I know that others need. There's information overload with each person having their own stack of quests, plus hidden points obscuring the leader. I would like to see what the expansion modes do to the game but haven't had time to sit down and check them out.
Note: This image shows you things that have not been punched out yet.
They had a stack of OGREs. Like, more than 10 of them. If you think just one is scary...
I managed to order one via amazon for $130 (prime shipping). The non prime vendors were cheaper but with shipping it was about the same price.
I rather enjoy Waterdeep, because it's streamlined worker placement. But yeah, it definitely needs refreshing after several plays.
It's also like 7 Wonders where you have to pay attention to what sort of quests your opponents are going for and try to block what resources they need as well as getting the ones you need.
It's enjoyable, but can see myself getting tired of it after several plays.
Since you don't always get the right cards to build a points engine, it doesn't matter when someone completes their quests, it's just a matter of how efficiently they can collect all of the resources. Rather than blocking people out, it's more of a race for the high-efficiency spots. The strategy and risk calculation comes in whether you can afford to sneak in an intrigue card play and still have your spot available when your meeple re-use comes up.
I will say that this one decision point, how and when to use intrigue cards, was enough to hold my attention for several plays of this game.
The only time I will make a move to outright block is if it's obvious someone has the builder card. If you let them build all the buildings for six points a pop, they will run away with the game hands down. Everyone needs to suck it up and take their turn occupying builder's hall at that point.
The game ended up being tied, but I won due to having more monies.
Does anyone else find it bizarre how downright bad some of the quest cards actually are? When you factor in the end-game value of your resources, some of them net you very few points, and are only useful if you can use them to pull off some resource conversion that bankrolls a huge quest. Others can be good early-game plays, like the one that gets your points for playing intrigue, but it takes so many resources to get down that it can be near impossible unless you have at least one building out that is complementary to the quest's requirements.