I traded in several more Magic cards this weekend and picked up a few games using the store credit.
Legends of Andor The game, Fantasy Flight, is set in a fantasy setting where 2-4 players take on the roles of one of four clases (Dwarf, Warrior, Wizard or Ranger) and set off on a co-op preset adventure defending the realm against various enemies. The scenarios are scripted using cards to add enemies and mission objectives, but there are random elements provided with a separate deck of cards that are drawn from at certain points of the game. I like the game so far, though I have only played the first (tutorial) scenario, which allows you to get the gist of the game right out of the box. The scenario cards tell you how to set up the board before the adventure begins. I really am looking forward to playing more of it.
Zombicide This game was originally a huge Kickstarter success with making over $750,000 versus it's $20k goal. I have only opened it up and looked at the components, but it looks pretty fun, and is also co-op. The game was put out by Cool Mini or Not, which also made Super Dungeon Explore and is a bigger name in the mini market than traditional board gaming. There are tons of minis (71 is the count with the 6 player controlled characters) and looks like it would play similar to left for dead.
Pathfinder, rise of the Runelords is an adventure card game. I haven't played it, as it looked like a bit more to learn than I had time for. The contents of the box are a bit underwhelming, but they left a lot of room for the expansion sets. It is published by Paizo publishing, which are responsible for the Pathfinder D&D modules. I am looking forward to seeing how it plays. I saw a few of the expansions at the store, and they run $20 for what looks to be about 100 additional cards, which is a popular price point.
I am also making some small changes to my game to bring it back to being a bit less complicated and busy while keeping the original game play intact.
I managed to pick up a Treasure Chest over the weekend. I am mostly going to use it for the Puerto Rico and San Juan items but if you would like me to send the stuff for the other games let me know.
I managed to pick up a Treasure Chest over the weekend. I am mostly going to use it for the Puerto Rico and San Juan items but if you would like me to send the stuff for the other games let me know.
Witch's Brew is a good game. Not a great one, but definitely worth playing. However, it is NOT worth the $150 that people are asking for it as an OOP title. Plenty of other games worth playing. Move along.
I've had Brass on my shelf for a year now, and we finally played last night. There's an Amun-Re style board reset at the halfway point as canals get replaced by rails, and that second half of the game contributes 70-80% of your score. Just from reading the rules, it's difficult to comprehend the impact this has on the game until you've seen it once. You still have to build using infrastructure created in the canal age, and if you're not prepared for the switch you can lose two or three turns worth of momentum while your opponents grab all the open space. The added logistical problems of building rails makes the second half feel very different from the first, even though the rules are fundamentally the same. Not sure how long it will hold up, but I'm digging it.
All the board game people turned up at the Uni board game club, ended up play quite an interesting game of the "Game of Thrones" board game.
The people I was playing against really didn't notice me picking up castles and I had a pretty silent ally who was pumping out military units while I took Kings Landing and was gathering influence points to keep control of as many variables in the game.
Would play again especially if everyone knows how to play. (I didn't expect a 10 turn board game to last as long as it did and keep me engaged plus people already start roleplaying as the various houses due to most people knowing about the back story).
Greyjoys took over Winterfell by the 3rd turn organically mimicking the show even though those particular players didn't know of the source material.
Game of Thrones is a surprisingly great game, but one I have a hard time recommending people buy, because I only find it worth playing when you have a full complement of 6 players, and everyone knows what they're doing.
Playing the old edition that doesn't have all of the expansions built-in (which are major chunks of the game), or playing with 3-4 players, gives you a completely different experience, and one that I don't think would be very much fun.
So, I received my copy of Hedge Maze Hijinks in the mail from The Game Crafter I am a little disappointed with the alignment of some of the cuts, especially on the cards, but otherwise, I am satsfied withit. I am planning on running it through a few more play test sessions, trying out to see how the tiles work, and I am working on making a couple of changes already.
You PA guys ever go to Showcase Comics & Games? They have an X-Wing tournament coming up on the 29th. Just looking to see if the store is good/bad, so I know whether to keep it on my list or not. I'm not likely to go due to distance, but it's my backup option if things come up and I can't make all of the other tournaments over the next two weekends.
Getting into arguments about D&D not being a role playing game doesn't sound productive. Basic trick to getting people to actually listen to you about games, positive feedback. "Oh that's cool, have you heard of blah blah blah that is awesome because x y z?" Basically, don't be like them attacking each other's one-true-way to game. I'm not saying to be manipulative or something, but come in with listening and try to dissect what people like and why. Then use that information to figure out how to introduce them to appropriate games.
Never been out there, although it's just down the road. No Netrunner or board game events on the calendar, though, which leaves out most of the reasons I'd go to a hobby store.
I have been there when I used to go to a meetup that took place there on Sundays, it is really close to Villanova and has a college town vibe there.
The store is 70% comics and 30% gaming with magic/Steve Jackson dominating the shelves. If your tourney takes place at the same time as a magic event, ask if they are in "the basement" otherwise the space will be severely lacking.
As for the venue overall, it is ok. I say lower then 7d but not horrible as Alternate Strategies, for your tourney purposes it is fine but the parking is a mess up there depending on the day you are going.
Getting into arguments about D&D not being a role playing game doesn't sound productive. Basic trick to getting people to actually listen to you about games, positive feedback. "Oh that's cool, have you heard of blah blah blah that is awesome because x y z?" Basically, don't be like them attacking each other's one-true-way to game. I'm not saying to be manipulative or something, but come in with listening and try to dissect what people like and why. Then use that information to figure out how to introduce them to appropriate games.
Yeah I'm bringing it up casually and any indie game seems to be shut down immediately by one dude who is part of the group that controls what is bought by the club and what is promoted.
My friends and I are looking into Shadowrun 4th ed. Do any of you have experience with it?
Is that the version that was just released? If so go with the previous edition. Not enough material has been released yet for the new edition to run a proper game.
My friends and I are looking into Shadowrun 4th ed. Do any of you have experience with it?
Is that the version that was just released? If so go with the previous edition. Not enough material has been released yet for the new edition to run a proper game.
I know Scott has seen it (he liked my comment), but on one of the game groups that I am a part of on Facebook, mentioned a couple of the panels that Rym and Scott did at PAX East last year. It's neat to see other people mentioning them.
I wish I was going this year so that I could show people my game... Oh well, Prime is only a little bit more than 5 months away.
Speaking of Prime, when do badges typically hit the street? I'll enforce again if need be, but I'd rather just bask in the now quantifiably better Prime.
Played Battlestar Galactica for the first time, last night. It could have been the group (it was), or the grognard who [poorly] set up the game/explained the rules (it was), or the game design itself (it was), but I was bored. The game can be boiled down into drawing cards, "skill checks", die rolls.
"Skill checks" are a major portion of the game, with typically one, possibly two in one individual player's turn, requiring participation, cooperation, or at least attention from all players. The rules fail to restrict and structure skill checks in order to streamline discussion and participation, and in fact, do the opposite. One rule emphasizes using vague statements (e.g. "I am committing a small-ish amount") to protect the hidden Cylon identities. However, this rule is too vague (lol) to prohibit borderline explicit phrases like "committing a sum greater than half the total needed". This imprecision leads to some players following the law of the rule, while others follow personal interpretations of the spirit of the rule. The more vague the information is, the longer players take in deciding their commitment.
In addition, cards are played and actions taken both in and out of turns. But the lack of clear delineation of phases, or officially enforced organization, leads to heavily disjointed play. A closeted Cylon player has minimal mechanisms by which to sabotage the game, but is overly vulnerable if their identity is revealed. Achieving the objective of the game requires, on average, five sets of five+ (not-so)individual turns. These problems (and others), result in dull gameplay, uninteresting strategy, and overly long games.
Groups I've played with always use the clarification from the FAQ - you can only say "a lot" or "a little" when you contribute to a skill check. We additionally don't have any time for debate before throwing cards into the kitty. Keep those turns moving, the game's long enough. Biggest problem, IMO, is that it's a 2 hour+ game that rewards knowledge of the deck. It can be played in a serious fashion, but most people play for the experience.
I've seen other people play BSG at tables next to me (as recently as last week) and it has never piqued my interest. There is a fan-made version of the game which relies heavily on dice to narrow decision-making, and is guaranteed to play in 30min. It was called BSG Express, but got picked up by Stronghold Games and re-skinned to avoid BSG copyright. They're publishing it this year, and while I can't speak to the quality of the game, it's interesting enough on premise to warrant a look.
Game of Thrones is a surprisingly great game, but one I have a hard time recommending people buy, because I only find it worth playing when you have a full complement of 6 players, and everyone knows what they're doing.
Playing the old edition that doesn't have all of the expansions built-in (which are major chunks of the game), or playing with 3-4 players, gives you a completely different experience, and one that I don't think would be very much fun.
I like this game a lot, even with 4 players. 3 isn't nearly as good tho, way too many npc zones to capture. THere's a ~20min vid on the fantasy flight site that explains the basic mechanics in case you need to teach more people!
I am working on an updated/cooler looking version of my game and could use some feed back before I go through the process of uploading the cards to the printing service. New card look New Tile set A couple of the tiles are the same, but a couple have been changed to reflect a better background overall. Looking forward to feedback!
Disclaimer: none of the art is final, nor mine. The graphic design is not final, and is basic for the purpose of play-ability with some style.
A few of the cards are untested, but knowing the mechanics, I think they will be alright. The game is fairly solid as it stands. I will create a box for the text for the hedges similar to the other cards, but above the Wizard picture instead of below. I am still on the fence (or hedge lol) about the stocks for hedges. They are a bit smaller than I had originally hoped, but as a prototype, they work.
Comments
Legends of Andor
The game, Fantasy Flight, is set in a fantasy setting where 2-4 players take on the roles of one of four clases (Dwarf, Warrior, Wizard or Ranger) and set off on a co-op preset adventure defending the realm against various enemies. The scenarios are scripted using cards to add enemies and mission objectives, but there are random elements provided with a separate deck of cards that are drawn from at certain points of the game. I like the game so far, though I have only played the first (tutorial) scenario, which allows you to get the gist of the game right out of the box. The scenario cards tell you how to set up the board before the adventure begins. I really am looking forward to playing more of it.
Zombicide This game was originally a huge Kickstarter success with making over $750,000 versus it's $20k goal. I have only opened it up and looked at the components, but it looks pretty fun, and is also co-op. The game was put out by Cool Mini or Not, which also made Super Dungeon Explore and is a bigger name in the mini market than traditional board gaming. There are tons of minis (71 is the count with the 6 player controlled characters) and looks like it would play similar to left for dead.
Pathfinder, rise of the Runelords is an adventure card game. I haven't played it, as it looked like a bit more to learn than I had time for. The contents of the box are a bit underwhelming, but they left a lot of room for the expansion sets. It is published by Paizo publishing, which are responsible for the Pathfinder D&D modules. I am looking forward to seeing how it plays. I saw a few of the expansions at the store, and they run $20 for what looks to be about 100 additional cards, which is a popular price point.
I am also making some small changes to my game to bring it back to being a bit less complicated and busy while keeping the original game play intact.
The people I was playing against really didn't notice me picking up castles and I had a pretty silent ally who was pumping out military units while I took Kings Landing and was gathering influence points to keep control of as many variables in the game.
Would play again especially if everyone knows how to play.
(I didn't expect a 10 turn board game to last as long as it did and keep me engaged plus people already start roleplaying as the various houses due to most people knowing about the back story).
Greyjoys took over Winterfell by the 3rd turn organically mimicking the show even though those particular players didn't know of the source material.
Playing the old edition that doesn't have all of the expansions built-in (which are major chunks of the game), or playing with 3-4 players, gives you a completely different experience, and one that I don't think would be very much fun.
The store is 70% comics and 30% gaming with magic/Steve Jackson dominating the shelves. If your tourney takes place at the same time as a magic event, ask if they are in "the basement" otherwise the space will be severely lacking.
As for the venue overall, it is ok. I say lower then 7d but not horrible as Alternate Strategies, for your tourney purposes it is fine but the parking is a mess up there depending on the day you are going.
I wish I was going this year so that I could show people my game... Oh well, Prime is only a little bit more than 5 months away.
"Skill checks" are a major portion of the game, with typically one, possibly two in one individual player's turn, requiring participation, cooperation, or at least attention from all players. The rules fail to restrict and structure skill checks in order to streamline discussion and participation, and in fact, do the opposite. One rule emphasizes using vague statements (e.g. "I am committing a small-ish amount") to protect the hidden Cylon identities. However, this rule is too vague (lol) to prohibit borderline explicit phrases like "committing a sum greater than half the total needed". This imprecision leads to some players following the law of the rule, while others follow personal interpretations of the spirit of the rule. The more vague the information is, the longer players take in deciding their commitment.
In addition, cards are played and actions taken both in and out of turns. But the lack of clear delineation of phases, or officially enforced organization, leads to heavily disjointed play. A closeted Cylon player has minimal mechanisms by which to sabotage the game, but is overly vulnerable if their identity is revealed. Achieving the objective of the game requires, on average, five sets of five+ (not-so)individual turns. These problems (and others), result in dull gameplay, uninteresting strategy, and overly long games.
I think even they have given up on the game.
It's a goddamn mess.
New Tile set A couple of the tiles are the same, but a couple have been changed to reflect a better background overall. Looking forward to feedback!
Disclaimer: none of the art is final, nor mine. The graphic design is not final, and is basic for the purpose of play-ability with some style.
How's the version playing?