Not sure if I should create a separate topic for this, but September 12th is WashingCon, Washington DC's first dedicated tabletop gaming convention. It's one day only, and until July 12th, tickets are only $10 for the day. If you happen to be in the DC Metro area, or want to come and play cool board games in the nation's capital, you should check it out.
I really enjoy inventive social improv games like that. CAH is a little too Mad Libs for me, but something more organic can be really compelling.
You need to play BYOB with us. We're going to review the show soon, and we have a short interview with the creators.
Basically, everyone brings a book. One book. Any book.
Any book.
Someone draws a card, and picks one of two prompts. It is read aloud. Everyone then searches within their own book for a single contiguous section of text of any length that matches the prompt in a direct, clever, or amusing way.
Once someone calls "done," everyone else has one minute to find something. Then the responses are read. Prompter decides who gets the point.
"A one-liner from an action movie" "Something a presidential candidate shouldn't have said" "Dialogue in a romantic comedy" "An unfortunate circumstance"
It's a subjective party game that can fill the slot of something like a Cards Against Humanity, but for bullshitters. You are each dealt out 4 Qualifications, like "Really Bad Aim," "Russian Accent," or "Has an Umbrella" and then everyone has a few minutes to interview for the job that comes up, and must include all of their qualifications in their pitch.
I think it could be fun - and uniquely suited to people with HR training.
I might get a copy of this for my girlfriend. I bet she would get a kick of out it. She likes these types of games but also she does HR so she deals with interviews quite a bit.
I really enjoy inventive social improv games like that. CAH is a little too Mad Libs for me, but something more organic can be really compelling.
You need to play BYOB with us. We're going to review the show soon, and we have a short interview with the creators.
Basically, everyone brings a book. One book. Any book.
Any book.
Someone draws a card, and picks one of two prompts. It is read aloud. Everyone then searches within their own book for a single contiguous section of text of any length that matches the prompt in a direct, clever, or amusing way.
Once someone calls "done," everyone else has one minute to find something. Then the responses are read. Prompter decides who gets the point.
"A one-liner from an action movie" "Something a presidential candidate shouldn't have said" "Dialogue in a romantic comedy" "An unfortunate circumstance"
We can't even finish Utena videos, and I can't even put out all the Netrunner videos I record. To make it a thing we would need someone else to do the video work. I can definitely provide the content, though. That's no problem.
I could crank out an Utena video every two weeks easily if I didn't wait for you. =P
As for a show like this, the setup is pretty simple.
Mic everyone with the Mackie. Bunch of cameras Lighting and all that
Record ALL of the following: Read the rules and learn the game Teach the game Play the game Analyze the game
Then we cut this stuff down into segments for the actual show. Imagine a bunch of footage of us sitting around arguing about a rule and looking it up on BGG. Then the teaching session (which can also be split out to be its own then). Then the full game play.
The biggest things preventing this are
1. Need to read/buy a few more mics 2. Need a space that we can use for an entire day 3. Need an entire day where everyone is 100% available all day and committed.
We could do a jank version with just the two of us and a relatively simple game (like the Mouse Guard game, Oshi, or Battle Line).
It's ideas like these that make me wish we lived closer to you guys. I would totally love to do a show on playing games.
Traders of Osaka is apparently a reprint/retheme of Traders of Carthage. Interlocking systems that wring a lot of player interaction out of four suits and three values of cards. You can play with up to 4 players but in practice it's a duel between Anthony and I while others watch. I also haven't won, yet. Great game.
It must be very difficult to design a fun 10 minute long game with a tiny deck and ~20 branching decisions per player. Eminent Domain: Microcosm tickles my fancy in a way that the parent game doesn't. It feels fresh, unique, and incredibly direct - draft a card, then either a) play a card, or b) take your discard pile into your hand. The drafting can be agonizing because the cards are dense - actions, scoring conditions, and special icons - so there's usually more than one 'best card' available.
Pretty sure I'm done with Core Worlds after a three-player game, under ideal conditions, failed to inspire any passion. Onto the auction pile.
Also dusted the cobwebs off of many small 2p games, in no particular order: Roma, Patchwork, Famiglia. You should play them, if that's your thing.
Pretty sure I'm done with Core Worlds after a three-player game, under ideal conditions, failed to inspire any passion. Onto the auction pile.
I played it once with full expansions. It was clear that the base game is weak, and the expansions add boring and fiddly complexity that is not fun with which to interact.
@pence and @belkalra are better to explain it but you can cheese the game by making a massive Indian army from the lowest position then exploding to the finish in two turns. Then if you read the rules it tells you that you are unable to be in the last position or risk losing all of your meeples.
@pence and @belkalra are better to explain it but you can cheese the game by making a massive Indian army from the lowest position then exploding to the finish in two turns. Then if you read the rules it tells you that you are unable to be in the last position or risk losing all of your meeples.
Yeah, that sounds like we definitely played it wrong. One player used the "scoop" early to get a giant army of dudes. Then kept most of them all to himself preventing anyone else from doing much of anything. You would think that would cost him too many days, but he had bought a bunch of boats to hold them in and such.
Despite playing incorrectly, and once, I get the feeling this game has a problem with card randomness. Your choices seem to be either to have a small hand of cards and camp often, or have a big hand and camp just a few big times. But if other players manage to grab the good cards, when it comes to your turn, you could be screwed. Spending the action to clear the cards is also really painful.
It's worth noting that the strategy below has been patched out of the game by the designer with an official rules change (if you camp on the last space of the river, you reset yourself back to the starting space without any of your resources or new cards), but here goes:
Pre-patch Lewis & Clark has a destructive strategy where one player can take all of the resources out of the game and narrow the strategy space for all of the other players. Every turn, play your best card, and immediately camp to deny symbols to your opponents. Because you can only fall back a maximum of N spaces on the track, there is no further penalty to doing this every turn for the rest of the game. You can win from this position - it plays like a control deck in a CCG. Slow down your opponents for the entire game, draft powerful cards, then take 2-3 actions to generate enough move to get to Fort Clatsop. You can also use this strategy to remove every Indian from the game by playing your interpreter every turn. It is not fun to play against.
With the rules fix, I find L&C interesting and frustrating, like Scott. I can bring it to a con or a party this year.
I played Lewis & Clark about.... 9 months ago. I enjoyed it. There was a tight finish between those who jumped out to early leads and those who decided to hang back and built up for an end-game push. It's been too long that I don't have Deep Thoughts to share on whether the game has issues or not. I wound up picking it up for super cheap on an Amazon sale, so I will play it more at some point and weigh in.
People seem all butthurt about Colt Express winning the SdJ. I've played it several times. It's Robo Rally on a train. It's fun, but I prefer Robo Rally, and it's definitely not something I'd consider owning. I wasn't impressed with any of the nominees this year, but I'm not ready to bust out the pitchforks and declare the SdJ panel frauds because it's been a weak two years.
So mentioned previously in this thread was Sushi Go, which I just recently saw on Amazon. But I can't tell if it's any good. I just see people talking about playing it eventually.
So mentioned previously in this thread was Sushi Go, which I just recently saw on Amazon. But I can't tell if it's any good. I just see people talking about playing it eventually.
I have it and have played it a few times. It's terrible as a 2 player game, but gets better the more people you have. It's an easy game that goes quick for people who like games with draft mechanics like 7 Wonders. I think it's worth the $10 or so it costs.
Finally busted out Impulse last night for a two-player game (woulda been three, but someone had to jet).
The game is definitely really cool and clever, though the rules are somewhat poorly organized. I think we got it mostly right. There is a strong AP problem with the game, but I think that can be solved by remembering to tightly focus your empire - it's a race, after all, so getting points quickly matters more than anything.
I understand what people mean when they say it's not really a 4X game - it's got some 4X feel and flavor, but it's very much a Chudyk "build a crazy broken machine" game.
My one (untested) trepidation is the lack of scaling in 5 or 6 player games. The board seems like it would just be too packed. I saw a picture from someone on BGG who put an extra ring of cards down for a 6-player game, and it looked like just the right about of space. Not normally a fan of house rules, but it seems like a relatively innocuous modification that might add some breathing room to large-group games.
Easily worth having. Aiming to play lots more of it.
Pretty sure I'm done with Core Worlds after a three-player game, under ideal conditions, failed to inspire any passion. Onto the auction pile.
I played it once with full expansions. It was clear that the base game is weak, and the expansions add boring and fiddly complexity that is not fun with which to interact.
My take on Core Worlds was: "If I wanted to play a Sci-Fi themed deck-building game I have EmDo for that." I did play the game twice, but "clunky" is a word I'd associate with Core Worlds.
As for Lewis and Clark... even with the patch for the man cannon strategy, it's very easy to kneecap yourself for the rest of the game if you don't know what you are doing or get unlucky with your card buys. Some people might like games that complex, however there is a long list of games I'd rather play than Lewis and Clark.
Heroes of Metro City - Between this, Cryptozoic's DC game, and Marvel Legendary, Heroes is the best semi-competitive superhero themed deck building game. Sentinels doesn't count because you don't build decks and it's pure co-op. The main selling point is you're making your own heroes rather than using licensed properties.
I was able to play Viticulture recently. It's a worker placement game, but it's pretty entertaining. I find the art fairly relaxing to look at.
Quartermaster General - A very abstracted World War II war game. Each country has it's own deck with it's strengths and weaknesses. Imagine Imperium 2030 without the investing mechanics. The only flaw I see with the game is that it's balanced to favor the allies a little too much. Despite this, it's fairly easy to pick up.
aww, man. I missed the "Way Too Much High Power Man" cannon discussion.
As to the game itself, I really enjoy the hand builder interacting with a board concept. However, I admit that randomization of buys for a deck builder has almost never ended well. heck, even with race for the Galaxy, I still prefer Draft for the Galaxy.
I've been working on a new game. It's a re-skin of an older game, with a couple mechanical tweaks. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to take a look at the rules for me to make sure they are clear enough? PDF Version Word version
If anyone would like a Print and Play version, let me know and I will work on setting one up.
After looking at the instructions (they were hastily written), I have revised and tightened them up. I am posting the revised rules, and the Print and Play card file as well. Instructions Print and Play cards
My local gaming group has a 3-day house party every July. I was able to attend Friday only, and played: - Infamy - Pandante 2nd Ed. - Pocket Imperium - Deep Sea Adventure - Good Cop, Bad Cop - Facts in Five - X-Com - Small World: Designer's Edition
Infamy was a game that one of the guys grabbed off the shelf at the local comic book store. Nobody had ever heard of it, or the publisher. It was actually a not-crap worker placement game, with a neat auction element. There are two paths do victory, and players advance in those tracks by participating in 5 auctions each round. Winning auctions let you take special actions, and sets your turn order for worker placement. Board spaces for placement range from simple resource collection, to completing available mission cards (big bonuses and advancement on victory track).
The neat part about the auctions is that you have 12 bucks, which only refreshes after two rounds. So it's 12 bucks for 10 auctions, and you have to burn a buck every time you bid. This makes bidding twice in an auction very cost prohibitive. It worked out rather well in play. (You can pass and re-renter).
Good Cop, Bad Cop is a shit-tier hidden role game. Just play The Resistance.
X-Com was my first play and I am *hooked*. Really want to play again. We had a nightmare end to our first turn. Was going well until the first base defense roll was a 1/blank. Three soldiers died, three aliens damaged the base, triggering an event that killed two more soldiers. We played a few more rounds very tightly and actually managed to get into the final mission before finally losing.
Small World gets rather silly once you add several expansions in. The combos can become broken. Luckily, we had an awesome stack, and the top 3 out of 4 players scored 84, 81, 80. Some really cool combos came out, and everyone was in it right until the end. The fancy bits help up the joy experienced while playing this game.
Comments
Basically, everyone brings a book. One book. Any book.
Any book.
Someone draws a card, and picks one of two prompts. It is read aloud. Everyone then searches within their own book for a single contiguous section of text of any length that matches the prompt in a direct, clever, or amusing way.
Once someone calls "done," everyone else has one minute to find something. Then the responses are read. Prompter decides who gets the point.
"A one-liner from an action movie"
"Something a presidential candidate shouldn't have said"
"Dialogue in a romantic comedy"
"An unfortunate circumstance"
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironmaus/bring-your-own-book-the-game-of-borrowed-phrases
Traders of Osaka is apparently a reprint/retheme of Traders of Carthage. Interlocking systems that wring a lot of player interaction out of four suits and three values of cards. You can play with up to 4 players but in practice it's a duel between Anthony and I while others watch. I also haven't won, yet. Great game.
It must be very difficult to design a fun 10 minute long game with a tiny deck and ~20 branching decisions per player. Eminent Domain: Microcosm tickles my fancy in a way that the parent game doesn't. It feels fresh, unique, and incredibly direct - draft a card, then either a) play a card, or b) take your discard pile into your hand. The drafting can be agonizing because the cards are dense - actions, scoring conditions, and special icons - so there's usually more than one 'best card' available.
Pretty sure I'm done with Core Worlds after a three-player game, under ideal conditions, failed to inspire any passion. Onto the auction pile.
Also dusted the cobwebs off of many small 2p games, in no particular order: Roma, Patchwork, Famiglia. You should play them, if that's your thing.
Despite playing incorrectly, and once, I get the feeling this game has a problem with card randomness. Your choices seem to be either to have a small hand of cards and camp often, or have a big hand and camp just a few big times. But if other players manage to grab the good cards, when it comes to your turn, you could be screwed. Spending the action to clear the cards is also really painful.
Pre-patch Lewis & Clark has a destructive strategy where one player can take all of the resources out of the game and narrow the strategy space for all of the other players. Every turn, play your best card, and immediately camp to deny symbols to your opponents. Because you can only fall back a maximum of N spaces on the track, there is no further penalty to doing this every turn for the rest of the game. You can win from this position - it plays like a control deck in a CCG. Slow down your opponents for the entire game, draft powerful cards, then take 2-3 actions to generate enough move to get to Fort Clatsop. You can also use this strategy to remove every Indian from the game by playing your interpreter every turn. It is not fun to play against.
With the rules fix, I find L&C interesting and frustrating, like Scott. I can bring it to a con or a party this year.
I played Lewis & Clark about.... 9 months ago. I enjoyed it. There was a tight finish between those who jumped out to early leads and those who decided to hang back and built up for an end-game push. It's been too long that I don't have Deep Thoughts to share on whether the game has issues or not. I wound up picking it up for super cheap on an Amazon sale, so I will play it more at some point and weigh in.
People seem all butthurt about Colt Express winning the SdJ. I've played it several times. It's Robo Rally on a train. It's fun, but I prefer Robo Rally, and it's definitely not something I'd consider owning. I wasn't impressed with any of the nominees this year, but I'm not ready to bust out the pitchforks and declare the SdJ panel frauds because it's been a weak two years.
The game is definitely really cool and clever, though the rules are somewhat poorly organized. I think we got it mostly right. There is a strong AP problem with the game, but I think that can be solved by remembering to tightly focus your empire - it's a race, after all, so getting points quickly matters more than anything.
I understand what people mean when they say it's not really a 4X game - it's got some 4X feel and flavor, but it's very much a Chudyk "build a crazy broken machine" game.
My one (untested) trepidation is the lack of scaling in 5 or 6 player games. The board seems like it would just be too packed. I saw a picture from someone on BGG who put an extra ring of cards down for a 6-player game, and it looked like just the right about of space. Not normally a fan of house rules, but it seems like a relatively innocuous modification that might add some breathing room to large-group games.
Easily worth having. Aiming to play lots more of it.
As for Lewis and Clark... even with the patch for the man cannon strategy, it's very easy to kneecap yourself for the rest of the game if you don't know what you are doing or get unlucky with your card buys. Some people might like games that complex, however there is a long list of games I'd rather play than Lewis and Clark.
Heroes of Metro City - Between this, Cryptozoic's DC game, and Marvel Legendary, Heroes is the best semi-competitive superhero themed deck building game. Sentinels doesn't count because you don't build decks and it's pure co-op. The main selling point is you're making your own heroes rather than using licensed properties.
I was able to play Viticulture recently. It's a worker placement game, but it's pretty entertaining. I find the art fairly relaxing to look at.
Quartermaster General - A very abstracted World War II war game. Each country has it's own deck with it's strengths and weaknesses. Imagine Imperium 2030 without the investing mechanics. The only flaw I see with the game is that it's balanced to favor the allies a little too much. Despite this, it's fairly easy to pick up.
As to the game itself, I really enjoy the hand builder interacting with a board concept. However, I admit that randomization of buys for a deck builder has almost never ended well. heck, even with race for the Galaxy, I still prefer Draft for the Galaxy.
PDF Version
Word version
If anyone would like a Print and Play version, let me know and I will work on setting one up.
Instructions
Print and Play cards
- Infamy
- Pandante 2nd Ed.
- Pocket Imperium
- Deep Sea Adventure
- Good Cop, Bad Cop
- Facts in Five
- X-Com
- Small World: Designer's Edition
Infamy was a game that one of the guys grabbed off the shelf at the local comic book store. Nobody had ever heard of it, or the publisher. It was actually a not-crap worker placement game, with a neat auction element. There are two paths do victory, and players advance in those tracks by participating in 5 auctions each round. Winning auctions let you take special actions, and sets your turn order for worker placement. Board spaces for placement range from simple resource collection, to completing available mission cards (big bonuses and advancement on victory track).
The neat part about the auctions is that you have 12 bucks, which only refreshes after two rounds. So it's 12 bucks for 10 auctions, and you have to burn a buck every time you bid. This makes bidding twice in an auction very cost prohibitive. It worked out rather well in play. (You can pass and re-renter).
Good Cop, Bad Cop is a shit-tier hidden role game. Just play The Resistance.
X-Com was my first play and I am *hooked*. Really want to play again. We had a nightmare end to our first turn. Was going well until the first base defense roll was a 1/blank. Three soldiers died, three aliens damaged the base, triggering an event that killed two more soldiers. We played a few more rounds very tightly and actually managed to get into the final mission before finally losing.
Small World gets rather silly once you add several expansions in. The combos can become broken. Luckily, we had an awesome stack, and the top 3 out of 4 players scored 84, 81, 80. Some really cool combos came out, and everyone was in it right until the end. The fancy bits help up the joy experienced while playing this game.