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GeekNights Tuesday - Food Games Fracas

MrPeriodMrPeriod
in GeekNights

Tonight on GeekNights, with two and .25 plays respectively, we review Fast Food Franchise and Food Chain Magnate. Scott laments a cookie thief, Civilization VI is coming just as we start to get really into Civ V, and the 2016 Spiel Des Jahres nominees are now known.

The GeekNights Patreon is going strong with Rym and Emily reviews, bonus shows, and more!

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  • ChurbaChurba
    edited May 2016
    Aside from the Foil impressioning method, Forever Locks are also pretty susceptible to bumping. As long as you can get a blank or a spare key(not hard to get) or make one(but that requires a bit more fabrication know-how), you can open one real quick. Best time I've seen from key-in to open is about four seconds.

    There's also been some issues with properly prepared keys being able to open most forever locks, because the manufacturer(at the time) wasn't using very good pinning, and didn't have enough difference between the pin positions - since they were relying on the mechanism being very difficult to access to provide protection against picking attacks. I'm not sure if they've fixed the problem, though.
    Post edited by Churba on
  • pencepence
    Fast Food Franchise's equivalent of the beauty pageant is the waste away on a truffle a day fad diet card.

    ...I would buy Fast Food Franchise shirts.
  • demoweaseldemoweasel
    Don't you lump me in with the Rym-yellers! I was off playing a pleasant game of Carcassonne with Tresi where he was mercilessly crushed.
  • pencepence
    Yeah - if you knocked on my door and asked to play Fast Food Franchise, I would probably say yes.

    We played a $700-reserve game of Food Chain Magnate last week in 90 minutes - in my experience games usually go 3-5 rounds after the bank breaks, but those rounds get crazy intense. The CFO (+50% income) and Brand Director (radio tower guy) will last you at least 3 rounds and probably win you games. Brand Director is real dangerous though, because advertising always runs the risk of helping your opponents.

    There's async online Food Chain Magnate over this way.
  • MattMatt
    I'm down for online FCM if we get a group. I understand the comparison to Twilight Struggle, with these being high-skill games that need to be fully digested before you can sit down and have a fulfilling experience. I had some time to sit and study the tech tree before playing my one game of FCM, and it was very enjoyable. I love the deep specialty buildup, followed by the moment where everyone turns and cuts into each other's business.

    My bullshit detector went off as soon as Rym said he'd heard of the super-obscure Kinderspiel game about the lion going to the barber. Confirmed with the story about almost buying a game that's not even out in English yet.

    You're definitely not following much board game news or Twitter if TIME Stories wasn't on your radar at all. I don't think it'd be your jam though, as it seems like a poor man's substitute for an RPG. It's a purely story-driven co-op experience. It looks to be a very polished product (I haven't played it myself), and much of the debate over it is on bang for the buck. $50 for base game and $30 for additional stories, with essentially no replay value.
  • RymRym
    Matt said:

    It's a purely story-driven co-op experience. It looks to be a very polished product (I haven't played it myself), and much of the debate over it is on bang for the buck. $50 for base game and $30 for additional stories, with essentially no replay value.

    That sounds horrible.

    The lion game sounded crazy familiar, but when I went after the show and looked at all the games, the art didn't look at all like what I remembered. I must just be straight up wrong and/or stupid about whatever game it was that I was looking at.
    demoweasel said:

    Don't you lump me in with the Rym-yellers! I was off playing a pleasant game of Carcassonne with Tresi where he was mercilessly crushed.

    We need to have a high stakes game of Carcassonne us two. I'm thinking Traders & Builders, Inns & Cathedrals, maybe even one more.

  • RymRym
    pence said:

    ...I would buy Fast Food Franchise shirts.

    I would wear every single one of those logos on a Tshirt.

    I'm really talking one big logo in the middle, shirt the color of the franchise, no further adornment, no words.

  • ColdguyColdguy
    Rym said:

    We need to have a high stakes game of Carcassonne us two. I'm thinking Traders & Builders, Inns & Cathedrals, maybe even one more.

    I am in on this game once it is set up since my win record is edging into Rym's territory. I think my Alhambra skills transfer way too well in my farming domination.
  • RymRym
    I've transcended farming.

    I'll goad other people into farming, then cut off the cities or prevent completion to deny farmer points.
  • ColdguyColdguy
    Rym said:

    I've transcended farming.

    I'll goad other people into farming, then cut off the cities or prevent completion to deny farmer points.

    They tried that last week only to see me get a 13 city farm and beat second place by a mere 87 points.
  • MattMatt
    I must be alone in preferring straight-up Carcassonne, 2p-only, no expansions, Final Destination.
  • demoweaseldemoweasel
    Rym said:

    I've transcended farming.

    I'll goad other people into farming, then cut off the cities or prevent completion to deny farmer points.

    Science finds a way, especially when that way is, "Thanks for telling me your strategy!"
  • RymRym
    Matt said:

    I must be alone in preferring straight-up Carcassonne, 2p-only, no expansions, Final Destination.

    While I do appreciate the purity of that game, it's far too easy to deny cities than it is to build anything.

    Also... Which farmer scoring? 2 or 4 points for small cities?

  • ColdguyColdguy
    My bet with the Akira game is that they are waiting for the American remake to hit so they can tie it in.

  • RymRym
    demoweasel said:

    Rym said:

    I've transcended farming.

    I'll goad other people into farming, then cut off the cities or prevent completion to deny farmer points.

    Science finds a way, especially when that way is, "Thanks for telling me your strategy!"
    I've seen how you play that game. You wouldn't fall for so transparent a strategy.

  • demoweaseldemoweasel
    Rym said:

    demoweasel said:

    Rym said:

    I've transcended farming.

    I'll goad other people into farming, then cut off the cities or prevent completion to deny farmer points.

    Science finds a way, especially when that way is, "Thanks for telling me your strategy!"
    I've seen how you play that game. You wouldn't fall for so transparent a strategy.

    True, but that doesn't mean I won't take all the information I can get.
  • MattMatt
    Rym said:

    Matt said:

    I must be alone in preferring straight-up Carcassonne, 2p-only, no expansions, Final Destination.

    While I do appreciate the purity of that game, it's far too easy to deny cities than it is to build anything.

    Also... Which farmer scoring? 2 or 4 points for small cities?

    I'm all about 3rd edition scoring. This is purely due to the influence of the iOS app. Back in the day (2010), Carcassonne was the only good board game app where you could hit the quickplay button and always be matched up with a competitive player, any time of day. I played more than I'd like to admit, and worked up to a very impressive ELO. Those rules are burned into me now.

  • RymRym
    I think those rules harm the game a tiny bit.

    With the original farmer scoring, there was never a way to harm yourself by expanding your own farm. Now, there are point-denial strategies involving tying someone else's farms together.

    You didn't answer me on 2/4 points. That's the more controversial rule option. The current apps all support it as a flag.
  • AprecheApreche
    I prefer 2 points per tiny city. Otherwise it's too strong to make such an easy play. Also, it makes it much harder to finish larger cities since people have an incentive to use city closing pieces on tiny safer cities instead. If large cities finish, the game is more fun and exciting.
  • MattMatt
    Ah, when I was actively playing it was not in there as an option. I always played it as 4-point small cities. I understand the controversy, but I grew to love the fuckery of farm manipulation and city denial.
  • SuperPichuSuperPichu
    Low-key thinking about trying to write an online version of Fast Food Franchise so people can actually play it.
  • pencepence
    SuperPichu said:

    Low-key thinking about trying to write an online version of Fast Food Franchise so people can actually play it.

    It would be nice to see... the cheapest copy on the internet seems to be $200 new in shrink... four times as much as I paid for a used copy half a year ago. I've played it 8 times in that time period, and I don't regret the purchase at all. But $200? That's too much.

    FFF isn't a style of game that any publisher would consider in 2016, but I'd love to see it get a reprint. Stronghold Games maybe?
  • MattMatt
    I could put a bug in Stephen's ear. He seems to be all over the place with what he's picking up to publish as of late, but he is definitely a fan of the reprint.
  • pencepence
    edited May 2016
    Matt said:

    I could put a bug in Stephen's ear. He seems to be all over the place with what he's picking up to publish as of late, but he is definitely a fan of the reprint.

    Do it - after all, one of Stronghold's first releases was a 20th-anniversary reprint of a TimJim game (Outpost). Now is the perfect time to get working on the 25th anniversary of a different TimJim game ;]

    It seems like Tom has shopped it around as recently as five years ago. So... if you are seriously considering an online implementation, you should probably drop him a line.
    Post edited by pence on
  • MattMatt
    I didn't even notice the TimJim connection. Funny side story: the guy who designed Outpost comes to PAX East every year with his teenage daughter, and is always very excited to see we still have a copy of the Stronghold re-release.
  • pencepence
    Matt said:

    I didn't even notice the TimJim connection. Funny side story: the guy who designed Outpost comes to PAX East every year with his teenage daughter, and is always very excited to see we still have a copy of the Stronghold re-release.

    We should play it next East - I love Outpost.
  • MattMatt
    I forgot to mention after listening to this, Codenames/Dixit is indeed a thing. It's called Codenames: Pictures, and CGE has a prototype at Gathering of Friends and PAX East. Retail release at Gen Con.

    One of the other interesting things I've seen is people making a grid of board game covers.
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