Board Game General /bgg/ - "board" at work edition

Funnily enough the Trump board game is actually a slightly improved version of monopoly so its not actually 100% terrible.

Answering to my own questions to get the party started.

> What did you play this week? Describe in detail.
We played StarCraft twice on Sunday. A friend rolled his own scenario and much fun was had. I'm probably going to number-crunch it more so that it's balanced but we had fun. It was a 3v2, sides and objectives are imbalanced (but a team always loses when of of their team mates loses)

> Recent purchases or purchase plans?
Not actively looking for anything right now. Might grab a couple of expansions to the games I have, though.

Imperial Settles got stale and I think the Atlantis expansion could help.
Kemet - well I like the base game so getting an explansion is no brainer.
Neuroshima: Hex - getting a little less love nowadays so trying to reinvigorate it.
> Ask a bgg related question.
What's your group like?
> Answer the question of the guy above you. Even if you don't know the answer. Especially then.
N/A

>>46176411
Improved monopoly isn't setting the bar high, though.

>play
Most recent play was 4 rounds of Memoir 44, two Allied and two Axis wins. My favourite was as Axis in the Liberation of Paris scenario, the chokepoint in the right section managed to beat back any Allied units trying to pass through there, letting me get a 5 - 0 medal win pretty quickly.

Post game I found out my friend didn't know how to use/wasn't willing to bet on the special cards he had though (he only had one normal section movement card in his hand), so after teaching him a bit, we had a rematch playing the same sides, and he won at 5 - 4 with a "if this happens I win, if not you win" situation.

Setup for Memoir 44 is still a pain though. I've written a point system using Battlelore 2nd edition as a guideline for unit costs, and modified a terrain placement thing from bgg, maybe I'll try that next time.

>Purchase plans?
I've played Jaipur with my mom so much we've basically lost interest in it, so I've been looking for similar games.
Archaeology the New Expedition(?) seems pretty similar to Jaipur, and lets you play for 2p+ too, so definitely waiting for that.
Arboretum also looks solid for 2p, but I worry if the scoring might be too complicated.
Still waiting for my FLGS to get Cthulhu Realms, hopefully the symbols and stuff wouldn't be too confusing for a senior citizen.
Have had my eye on Roll for the Galaxy for a while, so getting that once it's in stock.
Blueprints for a lighter dice game, though again scoring seems somewhat complicated.

>bgg question.
Do you have games that fill particular needs or niches that your group may have? If so what are they?

>Answer above
>What's your group like?
They're old friends, and although they're not too crazy about the whole board gaming thing, they're pretty willing to try any of the games I have when they have time. Thanks to that all of my games have been brought to the table atleast once, so I'm thankful for that.

>>46177449
> Play
I didn't have a whole lot of time and two of my usual group couldn't stick around Sunday so me and the other two decided to play an awful game for shits and giggles. We played Mathable. It's terrible, the rulebook is awful, the components are cheap as fuck, but throw in a lot of classical music to make the three of us (none of us being math nerds) chuckle throughout the game. Oddly enough, there was no alcohol...

> Purchase
No planned purchases as of yet. Budget is tight and i have games I have yet to play. I also blew my fun budget this month on Pokken Tournament. That game is surprisingly fun with couch multiplayer.

>New Question
What is the one game that you love, but you can't get anyone else to play it with you? It must be a game you personally own.

>Answer to Previous Question
Co-op games are my group's jam. And they love them some Sentinels of the Multiverse, Flash Point, and Hanabi. Out Hanabi games get intense at times, with us yelling at each other when we burn the fuse and forget the clues already given to us.

>>46177449
>played
Carc + builders, river, robber baron and inns. I managed to win by doing nothing but stealing all merchandise, king and robber. It was disgusting and I'm ashamed, won't be using K&R anymore.

>purchase plans
Still undecided, so much junk I crave... Probably Blood Bowl Team Manager and some Netrunner Data Packs. Viticulture if it's reasonably priced.

>niche
Castle Ravenloft dungeon racer fills the nostalgia category. We played a ton of D&D2e back in high school.

>question
If you could have any combination of mechanics, theme and components, what would you like to have as a tailor-made board game?

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Bought this badass. Can't wait to play it

>>46176399
>> What did you play this week?
Just a little Netrunner on jinteki.net, working on some next-level jank nonsense.
>> Recent purchases or purchase plans?
Not a whole lot I'm feeling the need to buy right now, just looking forward to a couple kickstarter deliveries, primarily Mare Nostrum. Maybe some new metal coins for multipurpose gaming use.
>> Ask a bgg related question.
What's the most essential expansion you've played with?
>>Question of the guy above you.
>>46178028
>one game that you love, but you can't get anyone else to play it with you?
Probably Tannhauser, The one guy in my group who liked it is currently in France.
>>46177871
>What would you like to have as a tailor-made board game?
I'd really like to see more purpose-built Team Vs Team games, especially in the tactical / skirmish genre. Maybe with a space or pirate ship-based theme, with a combination of ship-to-ship combat and boarding combat, or something along the lines of Tom Clancy's: Rainbow Six: Siege: The Board Game: The Subtitle, with a heavy emphasis on information control and positioning, but implemented in a less dull setting maybe.

>>46176399
>played
SW:Risk, starting to feel like that lone Italian guy on BGG is right and the deploy/attack clarification makes the empire overpowered

>purchases
No games, but membership ticket to whosyercon counts maybe

>question
What is the one game in your collection that has converted the most non-gamers?

>above question
>>46179056
>most essential expansion
For game mechanics: Tuscany for Viticulture, adds so many nice things
For fixing the one big problem I had with a game: 1910 for TtR, fuck mini-euro cards, my bear paws can't shuffle them.

>>46176465
>Improved monopoly isn't setting the bar high, though.

I'm playing Obama: the Board Game right now, and I've got a question. When I draw a double red, if the first red puts me on the Cherry Pitfall, does that mean I'm stuck? Or do I need to finish my move on that square?

The same obviously goes for Cotton Candy Corner, Molasses Swamp, etc.

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Anyone play Kingdom Death? The models and sleek components keep drawing my attention. Always wanted at least one game with really good models, but hard not to think of all the games I could get with that $400.

Heard there's a lot of dice-chucking. At heart does it hinge more on making good decisions or having good rolls?

>>46176399
>What did you play this week? Describe in detail.
TT RPGs. Again. Takes a literal act of god to actually get board games played. (Live in north Louisiana, huge storms last week flooded roads one person would use to come in to play so he was out, the rest of us played board games.)

>Recent purchases or purchase plans?
Tiny Epic Kingdom Heroes Call just arrived, can't wait to get it played.
Going to be picking up the last of the Sentinels of the Multiverse stuff soon as well finally getting power grid.

>Ask a bgg related question.
How many times have you played a game that you knew you weren't going to enjoy?

>> Answer the question of the guy above you. Even if you don't know the answer. Especially then.
>>46179812
>$400
If Asmodee gets their way, soon $400 will get you maybe 3 or 4 games (muh sustainability) Yes I am being facetious, but the only thing I see when Asmodee drones their mantra of 'race to the bottom' 'rewarding brick and mortar stores' and 'sustainability of the market' without actually answering questions, all I see is 'beaked_man_washing_his_hands.jpg'. Seems they're just trying to take advantage of online retailers. If brick and mortar stores can't compete maybe it's time to modernize, update their concepts, or maybe just let the world move on, but that's a discussion for another time.

But for real there's a lot of decision making outside of combat with what you are spending your limited resources on and what you are doing with your civilization. Inside combat there are tactical decisions to make to give yourself as big of an advantage as possible, but still a lot of unexpected/unpredictable things that can and will happen that can fuck you right up. You can win due to playing well, but expect to lose a few pawns.

I am also currently unable to justify the price tag. I was teetering on the fence during the kickstarter and I wished I had gone in then. But oh well, still plenty of other amazing games to play.

>>46179812
They're nice models, and the system is pretty decent, but it's basically paying a lot of money for a rpg persistent world experience. Granted you'd pay out the ass for full miniatures collection to any existing rpg, but there's also tons more content out there for free in every system.

>>46180153
>brick and mortar stores can't compete
That's the part that confuses the hell outta me, the part where they say they need to reward these stores and help them compete price-wise against the big bad online and 3rd party amazon sellers, but everyone says that brick and mortar is 90% of games sales. No one seems to elaborate on that point though, if it's only hobby games, or includes mass market, is it's specialty stores, or are Walmart/Target/etc included? If hobby games in specialty stores outsell online 9:1 then I fail to see how it's a stability problem, because that means clearly games are being bought full price, and played. My favorite part of the canned responses was the idea that buying online means you're anonymous, and not playing or enjoying your games as much. I'm happy to play games anonymously with my family, rather than develop a personal relationship with the troll cave owner who still doesn't have a cash register, does the old paper imprint format of credit card transactions, and figures out tax on a TI-83.

>>46176399
>Played
>Shadowrun Crossfire
played two games two days ago and got fucked in the last scene by crossfire cards, we won the last one though.
>Splendor, played one game and I wasn't really paying that much attention.
>Eldritch Horror
fuck this game, I have never won a single session of this because the first mystery takes us forever to fucking solve and then shit gets kicked into overdrive nightmare mode once the second one hits and we have no chance. My friends tell me they beat it all the time when I'm not there so maybe I'm just bad luck
>Zombie Dice
Two people go into triple overtime after one of them rolls exactly enough to force the draw, that guy wins.
>Recent purchases
Shadowrun Crossfire, I'm interested in how good the expansions are because I think this is a fun game to play with the campaign mode as long as I don't go full retard and actually use the stickers
>Ask a question
Are the Crossfire expansions worth getting?
Also not really bgg related but are there any good X-Wing videos out there?

>>46180153
>How many times have you played a game you knew you weren't going to enjoy
I feel obligated to do this because a lot of the time we play my games at my place so I don't want to be a tyrant. Games I hate that I've played on several occasions because of this
>Catan
>Munchkin
>Level 7
>Claustrophobia
>Probably several other games that I can't think of at the moment.

>>46180343
>but everyone says that brick and mortar is 90% of games sales.
I've heard that too, but I've looked for source material to substantiate that and haven't been able to find anything.

> My favorite part of the canned responses was the idea that buying online means you're anonymous, and not playing or enjoying your games as much.
Yeah and along similar lines of 'game stores are a social environment', of the twenty people I personally know (who are now scattered about the country) who play board games regularly literally none of them go to game stores to play their games. If I have a coffee pot, why would I haul that coffee pot to the coffee store to meet up with friends and make a drink my coffee there in the middle of a cramped, dark, musty room filled with other loud people doing the same thing that I have no intention of associating with, when I can just invite them over to my place and we all drink coffee and relax in a comfortable, quiet environment?

Also I'm a bit salty on the side due to the closest game store being an hour and a half away from me. I'm not going to drive three hours round trip (spending $20 in gas plus the three hours of precious time during my weekend which is the only time I even have to play board games) to buy a game at full MSRP from a LGS. Yeah sure that helps support the local economy but if they want to talk sustainability, that's not SUSTAINABLE FOR ME.

>> What did you play this week? Describe in detail.

Machi Koro, Sheriff and Pandemic. Surprisingly enough we really liked MK, it is very simple but it has no downtime and everyone was engaged during playtime. After that we just started to cuss each other in Sheriff and finally had a good time in Pandemic.

>> Recent purchases or purchase plans?

I'm looking forward to buying Pandemic: Legacy or some expansions, then Cash n Guns for some mindless fun and then something for my wife and me, maybe Agricola 2 player ver. or Lost Cities.

>> Ask a bgg related question.

What is the shittiest session you ever had?

>> Answer the question of the guy above you.
>>46180554
>Are the Crossfire expansions worth getting?
No, they suck. I really don't know.

>>46180615
The source material is sales numbers from distributors, we won't ever see it, we just have to take their word.

>game stores are a social environment
I'm starting to wonder if these magical "F"LGS are only in major metro areas. I live in a metro-statistical area of around 500k people. We have 2 game stores in the area, and 3 comic book stores that sell games. The best one has a shelf with maybe 30-50 different games on it, the others have less, the closest store to me (directly across from a Big10 university campus) had less than 15 games the last time I visited. There's a local board game meetup group that is happy to have ~30 people at all their events, at both stores and local cafes, the con they run once a year attracted ~150 last year, their best in 10 years. I gotta think it's the toxic environment at these LGS where anytime I walk in I feel lucky if I'm not ignored for 5 minutes while the staff goes about playing some LCG/CCG or waits on a child to open his pack of Magic cards, sort through, sell back, and buy a new pack before repeating the operation.

> What did you play this week? Describe in detail.
Bang! The Dice Game, 6 players - went well... apart from the Sheriff getting bored and looking at her phone after 5 minutes
Smiley Face, 7 players - I'd heard it was good, but I was still pleasantly surprised as to how NASTY this shit got. Seeing my big plan in the last round get show down provided more than a few laughs.
Shadow Hunters, 6 players (but I thought it was 7, so I put one more character card in - I was the only person really taking it seriously, as everyone else was looking up twisted sex acts on their phones... and I still lost, because I got greedy and decided to pick up a black card instead of healing up in Werird Woods (I was playing Bob, so I guess it WAS in-character, but still...)
We almost played 7 Wonders (one person was completely new, and didn't like the look of the huge-ass player's aid) and Viticulture: Essential Edition (a 7th player showed up)
> Recent purchases or purchase plans?
Picked up Tales of The Arabian Nights off eBay for £32. Might get the new Star Wars Risk
> Ask a bgg related question.
What's your favourite worker placement?
> What is the shittiest session you ever had?
Well, there's the one where I played Travel Blog and almost fell asleep, and the time I played RoboRally
>>46176411
>Trump: The Game
>not a horrendous piece of shit that is duller than Monopoly on a logarithmic scale
Pick one, then fuck off back to your containment board

>>46181833
>Bang! The Dice Game, 6 players - went well... apart from the Sheriff getting bored and looking at her phone after 5 minutes

Really? I understand if you are playing the original, but the dice game? It has almost no downtime, maybe she didn't even want to play in the first place.

>>46181833
>Pick one, then fuck off back to your containment board

The containment board for board games?
/tg/?

>>46181978
She sometimes goes into these weird sulks every so often. She's lovely when she's not copping an attitude, and her moods soon pass, but it's pretty awkward when they arrive.
>>46182006
You praised a Trump vanity project (one of his more notorious flops, to boot) so I assumed you were one of his supporters. Apologies if I was wrong.

>>46182088
>I assumed you were one of his supporters.

Even if I was so what?
I'm not even American, but from what I've seen, no small amount of them are in support of him.

>>46178536
Should have went with Eldritch.

>>46181833
But Namefag we're in the containment board, what the hell are you talking about?

>>46178536
>cursed dice set
I think you messed up m8.

>>46182088
MAKE AMERI- /BBG/ GREAT AGAIN.

BUILD WALL TO KEEP OUT MINIFIG AND HIS RETARDED OPINIONS.

OP, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for derailing the thread. Also, Trump: The Game IS 100% dogshit.

http://flipthetable.libsyn.com/episode-9-trump-the-game

Anywho, what's your favourite licensed game?

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>>46182299
>yfw Trump wins.
Flustered?

Question for US anons who use OGS: how is the packaging at Miniature Market? I gotta pick up Mysterium for my niece's bday and I can't decide if I'd rather save $5 on shipping or get the surety of CSI and a giant box of packing peanuts.

>>46182431

Lotr lcg. My solo substitute for mtg

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>>46182431

>>46182431
Found a couple copies of Corto out there Minifig, the best deal would be TWS games, but they don't do international. There is a near mint copy at noble knight for $18, not sure what the shipping would hit you for but worth a look.

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Anyone know about Small World? My friend is thinking of buying it but it's kind of pricey and I'd hate for him to waste his money on a game that sucks

>>46183942
I appreciate the effort - the cheapest shipping would set me back £46.46 exactly, which is about £32. There are a few sellers on eBay selling Corto for about the same amount of money, which is still a bit pricier than I'd like... but it's defintely something to bear in mind, given that Amazon as a whole has gone into full price gouger mode.
>tfw amazon.fr wants €20 for shipping
>>46184606
It's pretty fun. It's better than Risk, for all that's worth.

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I played this the other day with some friends, knowing nothing about the show and I have to say its one of the most fun games of intrigue I play.

You all play as roman politicians aiming to get enough influence and doing so through intrigue and hosting Gladiator battles.

of course Intrigue cards often requires the support of other players and you'll often have gladiator stables who are far superior than others so you'll have to bribe each other to help you out against other players and to rig matches and so on.

also the combat system is pretty cool.

>>46184606
Not a bad game, certainly not a waste of money, but a little long for how lightweight it is.

>>46184806
>The combat system is pretty broken
Fixed that for you. At the very least, change the initiative roll to be highest single result instead of totaling the dice.

Also grab both the expansions ASAP, both help flesh out the game quite a bit.

>>46184870
The initiative is silly i'll give you that, but besides that its fun having your dicepool be your health. I'd love to see a Pen and Paper that uses that system.

>>46184992
It just really, really overemphasizes the SPD stat. Totaling the dice means that teh guy with lower SPD almost never wins initiative, and then you let the winner pick who goes first.
Lets the higher SPD guy kite around the map taking shots and avoiding any return damage pretty reliably. Start out of range? Make other guy go first, then run up and hit him. Start in range? Go first, hit, and then run away. Repeat.

The system is certainly cool though, just needs some help.

>>46185115
Well then you have to remember that you can still win the game without winning gladiator fights.

>>46185115
Also are you rolling initiative for every turn or something? The only way you can kite is if you have the trident or a weapon of that nature.

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What happens in Forbidden stars when both armies fully rout in an execution phase of combat?
The manual only explains what exactly happens if one of them routs.

>>46185301
Just because it's possible to win without participating in it does not excuse a serious balance problem in one of the game's central elements. Luckily, it's easily fixed.

>>46185433
Yes, you roll initiative for every round.

>>46182088
>tripfag telling anyone to fuck off
Is this real life?

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>>46180554
>Are the Crossfire expansions worth getting?
Let me start by saying: Crossfire was one of those games that I had every expectation of loving, and I play all of the time, but I really just friggin' hate it.

Like, I have the worst luck in that game, apparently. The bgg forums for it won't shut up with their "git gud" shit about it, but it doesn't matter. I was at a 25% win rate with the base game (25% "successful abort", 50% outright loss).

There's a lot of potential to the game, BUT for me it's been little more than a "Random You Lose Generator".


That all said, I picked up High Caliber Ops last year at PAX, because fuck, I -really- want to like Crossfire.

That expansion actually -really- helps the game, in my opinion. Crossfire + HCO actually feels like it's what the game should have been from the start. The game feels much more conceptually and mechanically complete, and just runs better.

... So yeah, if you like Crossfire, I'd definitely recommend picking up High Calibur Ops.


The "character packs" are literal trash though. Don't waste your money on those.

>>46185499
I can't find any evidence in either the learn to play book or the rules reference that routing causes you to lose at all. Just continue to resolve combat as normal. What page are you looking at?

>>46185708
I assumed the bottom paragraph on page 4 on combat in the reference book meant unrouted units. Guess we've been playing it incorrectly then.
And now the part about assigning damage to routed units also makes sense, because that has been confusting as well.

Guess it's not to bad though, because we spent 6 hours explaining the game and arguing about rules and only came to turn 5.

>>46182281
Why?

>>46186346
>equipping anything with 'cursed' prefix

>>46186346
The cursed dice are used for things that make only 6s count as successes.

>>46182281
>>46186689
Oh shit, didnt see that it was Innsmouth, I thought it was the base game. Nevermind then.

So I bought King of New York, and am thoroughly disappointed after 1 play.
Is it just not a good game or, am I being too hasty in judgement?

Which of the following are good games:

BOARD GAMES
River Wars Like new
Super Dungeon Explore like new
Zombicide season 1 NIB
Toxic City Mall NIB
zombicide season 3 NIB
Mars needs mechanics nib
Heap NIB
Bodgers mania NIB
Scrapers NIB
Zombies keep Out NIB
What's he building in there NIB
Dungeon twister card game NIB
Fairy tale assassin league storytelling card game NIB
Rum and Bones Wellsport NIB
rum and Bones Kraken NIB
rum and Bones Bone Devils NIB
Rum and Bones Merc Promo pack 2 NIB
Steam Torpedo NIB
Netrunner Base Set
King of Tokyo
King of new York
Smash up
Night of the Grand Octopus
Forgotten Planet
Red Dragon Inn
Red Dragon inn 4
Gear World
Professor Pugnacious
Professor Pugnacious - Trains
Frontiers Liberty or Death
Crazy Creatures
Malta!
Help Me!
Super Dungeon Explore Zombie Town
Warmachine High Command
Warmachine High Command Faith and Fortune
WM HC Big Guns
WM HC Colossal Warfare
WM HC Into the Breach
WM HC Invasion of Sul
WM HC F&F Escalating Conflict
Hordes High Command
Hordes HC Immortal Tales
Belle of the Ball

Doing a trade for some WM figures I have extra.

>>46187069
What did you find disappointing about it?

>>46187319
While I don't recognize everything there, what I can say is that literally every game I do recognize is terrible. Rivet Wars, Super Dungeon Explore, Zombicide, Rum and Bones, King of Tokyo/New York, Smash Up, Red Dragon Inn, and Warmachine/Hordes High Command all range from thoroughly mediocre to bad.

Netrunner is good, but only if you're actually going to play it, and be sure that the person trading you the used Netrunner base set is trading you the entire set. Some people buy base sets, remove a small handful of cards, and then pass off the rest. You don't want that, those cards are important; that's why they bought a new base set just for them.

>>46187326
It's been a while when I last played, since I put it into a closet and put it up for sale on ebay.
I remember playing it with like 5 or 6 people, and it was just really boring for everyone involved. You just roll dice and hope for the best. I bought it knowing it was a dice chucker, but it's just really uninteresting, beyond my wildest imaginations.

>>46187516
Having played King of Tokyo and Red Dragon Inn, I can say you're at least partly full of shit; I wouldn't say they're my favourite games, but they're certainly not bad.
>>46187536
Although I just said I liked KoT, if your group didn't like KoNY then that's fair enough; not everyone has to like the same thing.

>>46187516
Appreciate your input. I do find Netrunner interesting, but currently I'm getting into GoT LCG and I'm not going to play 2 card games at the same time.
I might get KoT / KoNY, they are enough fun for my group.

>>46187585
>Having played King of Tokyo and Red Dragon Inn, I can say you're at least partly full of shit; I wouldn't say they're my favourite games, but they're certainly not bad.
I don't think KoT and RDI are bad, but I do think they're thoroughly mediocre and don't recommend that people buy them.

I shouldn't have called everything on the list terrible; I misspoke with that, though I did clarify in the following sentence how I felt about the individual games. I meant that the list as a whole is terrible and doesn't have anything that stands out to me as good.

>>46187719
With any game, I'd recommend that the person considering it get as much information as they can... which, granted, is what Anon is trying to do.

Hey, Anon who asked us? Do you like lightweight games with mechanics that kind of relate to their themes, but the themes are pretty funny? Get those games, you'll have fun with them. Also, check out reviews and comments about them on BGG.

>>46187953
So far lightweight games have been a success in my group, I can get into heavier games no problem but I'm afraid I will start to scare them away. I don't mind if a theme is loose as long as the game has little to no downtime and is fun.
> Also, check out reviews and comments about them on BGG.
I will, just wanted to hear what you guys thought. Also, is it me or BGG is a pain in the ass to navigate? I really hate their design. I heard they have a re-design already in the works.

>>46188105
Well, KoT has very little downtime, and TRDI can have a bit of downtime, but is the best simulator for getting pissed that I've seen. And yeah, BGG's a bit outdated. At least it isn't I.N.D.U.C.K.S.

IT'S NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE. IT'S WHETHER YOU WIN!

>>46187319
The real question is "which of the following is a good fit for my gaming group?" The solution being that you give us some clues about what games (if any) your group already plays / likes.

I know it's beating a dead horse at this point but I just can't stop thinking about it.

>Still not liking Asmodee's changes
>Reading and watching statements and interviews from Asmodee to learn more about reasoning and thinking about outcomes
>Everything just sounds like they're trying to wring more money out of online retailers
>Watch Dice Tower's GAMA trade show Asmodee interview

https://youtu.be/WEZLeI1Ykng?t=10061

"For most of the people I talked with, they understood the long term goal which is to stabilize the industry so that they are no rushing, devaluing the product so that people look for 40, 45, 48 percent discount to buy online. That should not be what triggers the purchase from a customer. They should WANT to sp- So for example, Star Wars: Rebellion is a Fantasy Flight game. It's a hundred dollars okay? That is a luxury item. We love it, we've invested a lot of time and energy and effort into it, and we think it's a fantastic experience. It's a hundred dollar experience. I mean in order to pay for the sculptors, and the artists, and the game design..."

>>46189572
He just BARELY kept himself from finishing that sentence saying people should WANT to pay high prices for board games. This whole part of the argument sounds like it boils down to only wealthy people deserve to play that hundred dollar game and that you should thank them for the privilege of giving them large chunks of your money. I mean it literally almost sounds classist.

And this whole talk of 'race to the bottom' is just bunk. What CoolStuff or anyone for that matter sells their games for doesn't effect how much Asmodee makes. Asmodee sells their games to retailers for a certain discount and then the retailers sell for whatever they decide makes them enough profit. And actually the more units moved, the more money Asmodee makes as lower prices draws in more customers and Asmodee is still making the same amount per box due to the sale price to retailers still being the same.

I just don't see why they would do this for their stated reasons because online retailer's discounts aren't hurting them. These huge expensive games are still selling like hotcakes due to their amazing quality and the fact that the discounts make them accessible to more people.

The only thing that seems to even make sense is that they just want more money without any work and they see online retailers as an easy target.

At this point I'm going to be voting with my money and swearing off all AsmodeeNA products.

>>46189572
Sorry I suck at correctly embedding youtube times.

Asmodeee interview starts at 2:39:41. Quote starts at 2:47:40.

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> What did you play this week? Describe in detail.

4 player Yashima last Saturday. Finally getting the rules clarified, had fun but it was a bit one sided and I felt bad.

> Recent purchases or purchase plans?

Waiting on kickstarters, will prolly buy code names.

> Ask a bgg related question.

Does /bgg/ lift? Why not?

> Answer the question of the guy above you. Even if you don't know the answer. Especially then.

Not seeing a question, on a phone so I'm not going to look for one.

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>>46189598

I would, but I'm a Netrunner player...and I need to finish my collection of Cosmic Encounter expansions...and I play Star Wars LCG...and I play Lord of the Rings LCG...etc etc etc

It sucks that such great games are coming from a company that's decided to be so shitty. On the one hand, I can keep buying the games I love, but then I'm supporting the cancer. On the other, I can refuse to support the cancer, but then I'm swearing off the games I love.

>>46186689
I know but I wanted to have a set of cursed and blessed dice. The dices have numbers on the 6 sides so I can still use them for normal skill checks

>>46189717
Yeah, I love Netrunner and X-Wing minis to death but I am swearing off buying any more.

>>46189572
>>46189598
>>46189626
That's... kind of nuts.

I'm still trying to process all of it.

>>46190210
So wait is ASmodee and FFG the same deal or what's?

>>46187319
>Zombicide
>Zombies Keep Out
>Netrunner
These are fine

>High Command
These are fine if you like War Machine

>King of Tokyo
I like this game a lot, I hear King of New York is the new and improved version though

>Smash Up
This is gimmicky, mtg-lite trash

>>46192898

Asmodee bought FFG. FFG is now the North American face of Asmodee.

>>46192898
Asmodee bought out FFG. So yes.

Pretty standard tactic. Gets outside investment from venture capitalists, buys up the best studios up for sale, then raises prices.

>>46190210
Well, I play Armada, and given how shitty Wave 3 is for this year, I guess this won't affect me in the slightest.

>>46193044
>>46193042
SHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

And I wanted some more xwing shit too.

>>46193357
The stuff already at retailers shouldn't be a problem.

R-... Right?

>>46193357
>>46193374


Boys FFG sold out to Asmodee partially to IMPROVE their supply lines.

>>46193374
If you look at coolstuff, the currently released stock is listed at the same prices, but the pre-order options seem to be a bit higher. Compare the imperial aces pack (msrp 29.95 csi 18.99) to the upcoming imperial veterans pack (same msrp 29.95 csi 22.49) so I'm looking at it as coolstuff isn't going to up their prices on items already in stock, until they have to re-order. Whether other online stores follow suit is another matter, but when you consider the Asmodee Editions parent company now owns like 20% of the hobby board game market, it's a little scary for a bargain shopper. I'm apparently not the customer they have in mind, since I don't intend to invest hundreds of dollars into one game, hell if I spend $200 a year on new games that's a lot for me, but apparently it has to be a luxury item for me to be committed to that game, and to fully enjoy it.

Studios currently owned by Asmodee:
FFG
DoW
Repos
Space Cowboys
Bombyx
Matagot
Ludonaute
Ystari
Queen Games (US distribution only atm)
And another 4-5 design studios


>>46193584
They did it because a bunch of French bankers offered them a shit ton of money. Anything else about getting their games wider reach, or stabilizing the industry is secondary. I don't grudge them that, but good business for them isn't necessarily good business for us gamers.

>>46193630
>I'm apparently not the customer they have in mind
I don't think I know -anyone- who is that customer, or who supports the industry in any meaningful way WITHOUT bargain hunting,

I'm not-very-patiently waiting on my Shadows of Brimstone wave 1.5.

I love this game. I cannot wait for the new stuff. I neeeeds it.

But god damn, do I hate putting all of the miniatures together.

>>46193630
This hobby has gotten too big.

>>46182421
Kek, this. He'd be the Tommy Wiseau of presidents. Part of me wants him to get elected just to watch America crash and burn.

>>46196930
>This hobby has gotten too big.
I don't really want to think of it that way, but yeah, it kinda feels like it has. But everything is staying afloat for now, so... Hooray for the internet, I guess?

>>46184606
It's fun and a great introduction to area control. Me and my friends still play it from time to time when we're in the mood for something lighthearted to talk shit over.

>>46196906
yeah I feel as though if I had known before backing it on Kickscammer that I would have to assemble all the mini's I probably wouldn't have done so.

So, what I'm gettin here is that Asmodee are the EA of board games?

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This is my current wishlist. From this list, which game/s would you get first?
Help me I can't decide.

>>46198310
Anon that is one hell of a spread. You've got some really light stuff as well as some of the heaviest games out there. Do you like heavy, thinky, 4+ hour games? Have you played them before? You might like the theme and mechanics all you want but the time commitment and dedication could kill it for you.

If you're just getting started and don't have experience with long, heavy games my suggestion is to stick with light games and try to sample some heavy ones at conventions our meet ups before going clean into the deep end. Stuff like Roll For The Galaxy and Burgle Bros on your list.

>>46198290
They're slowly but surely becoming it yeah. Big difference at the moment is that their games are still good.

Honestly, if they had just raised prices, put on some sunglasses, and said "deal with it" we would have nowhere near the outrage we do now. The problem here is that they're trying to make this change out to be "for the good of the industry" and are acting like we should thank them for making us pay more. It's just arrogance, and people are responding likewise.

>>46197380
>if I had known before backing it on Kickscammer that I would have to assemble all the mini's I probably wouldn't have done so.

<Looks over at my Tyranid, Ork, Imperial Guard, and Marine 40K armies...>

Kek!

>>46187516
What is bad about Rivet Wars and Rum and Bones?

Bored at work once again so answering some of the questions here... not that anyone cares.

>>46177449
>>Do you have games that fill particular needs or niches that your group may have? If so what are they?

Well in my gaming group only me and one of my friends really actually owns games - so you could say all of them. That said I did bought all of them to fill a niche, and I'm trying no to have more game in one niche:

Nightfall - in your face deckbuilder
Kemet - beer and pretzels strategy
StarCraft - strategy
Welcome to the Dungeon - filler
Sherrif - bluffing
Ghost Stories - coop
Dominant Species - worker placement

>>46177871
>>What is the one game that you love, but you can't get anyone else to play it with you? It must be a game you personally own.

Right now: Dominant Species - haven't played that game in 4 months.

> If you could have any combination of mechanics, theme and components, what would you like to have as a tailor-made board game?

Theme: fantasy, 4x or empire builder
Components: plastic figurines a la StarCraft
Mechanics:
1. Card driven combat that includes formation, time of day, weather and troup type and quantity
2. Resource management/control and/or trading
3. Schemes and coups/spying/assasinations (also probably card driven)

>>46179056
>>What's the most essential expansion you've played with?

Nightfall really needs an expansion. I haven't played with any other one than Coldest War but at the very least the base game needs another one not to grow stale.

>>46180153
> How many times have you played a game that you knew you weren't going to enjoy?

At least five times and counting. I don't know what people see in Cosmic Encounter but for me it looks and smells like Munchkin.
>>46181003
> What is the shittiest session you ever had?

With a That Gall™. I'm actually impressed as she managed to piss off everybody at the table including people that are usually mellow.
> Highlights include
Not knowing which set of cards is your deck and which one is your hand
Getting lost in managing resources
Asking other players for advice, fucking it up (i.e by not throwing the correct card) and then going "BUT I SAID I WAS GOING TO PLAY THIS CARD"
Whining each and every time someone attacked her "BUT WHY ME?!" "PLEASE DON'T DESTROY THIS GO TO SOME OTHER PLACE".

Shouting matches ensued and everybody was extremely butthurt.

>What did you play this week? Describe in detail.
Been introducing my sister to BattleCON, which has gone surprisingly well. Also played Axis and Allies 1942 last week, which was a blast from the past.


> Recent purchases or purchase plans?
Bought Pax Porfiriana, Kemet, and Broom Service on Monday. Should be delivered today, but I won't get home until 8pm. Gonna be a long day...

> Ask a bgg related question.
What themes does bgg want to see in games that they don't see anywhere else? What off the wall shit do you want to see turned into a game? Or time periods that don't get the love they deserve?

>>46198727
Rivet wars is ridiculously simplistic, there simply isn't much game there. Avoid.
Rum & Bones is fine, just plagued by CMoN's policy of making half the game's content kickstarter exclusives.

>>46199152

>Rum and bones

Ehhhh honestly the game goes on way too long for what it is, and the rules are a bit misleading saying you can play with more than 2 people. You sort of can but its wonky as hell.

>>46176399

> What did you play this week? Describe in detail.
Relic, Pathfinder Adventure card game; rise of the runelords.
> Recent purchases or purchase plans?
Got the kickstarter on Mi Tierra
> Ask a bgg related question.
How do you get new people into boardgames?

> Answer the question of the guy above you. Even if you don't know the answer. Especially then.
N/A

>>46182899
>A
>FUCKING
>LEAF

>Trump Board Game
>Has one card that beats all the other cards
>It's called "The Donald"
I didn't know it was possible to be this mad

>>46198310
Only thing on the list I have played would be Dead of Winter. It was pretty fun despite having a narcoleptic player and another who may as well have been retarded slowing shit down.

>>46189572
>That fuckin interview

I guess it's true what they say, if you want someone to make a fool of themselves, let them talk. I love how little the interviewer says anything, he just probes a question and the guy goes off on a tangent like a politician, just verbal diarrhea.

>Retailers have to make a CHOICE between an antiquated model that hasn't been updated in a century (we think is failing so we're pretending to prop them up with better discounts) or a more modern model that actually serves the hobby populace's needs better in almost every single way.

>Chaos_in_the_Old_Kek.jpg

>>46198290
Either EA or Activision, they seem to be buying up all the design studios they can. I don't think we're going to see the cancellation of projects quite as much as in the video game industry, since board game design involves fewer bodies for mechanics and art per game. That said, when EA, Activision, Vivendi, etc started consolidating in the late 90s, they tended to cancel out projects for 2 years while analyzing the smaller studios they bought, before closing them or stealing the IP to their main company and selling the studio names somewhere between years 3-5. Days of Wonder was the first big buy, which was late Aug 2014, so maybe next year we see Asmodee start killing things off, possibly earlier if this new sales policy blows up in their face.

>>46199994
Watch board game breakfast from this week, finding out the big name at the top of Asmodee from Chaz' segment blew my mind.

>>46199977
So you're saying that it's a trump card?

>>46199714
>How do you get new people into boardgames?
First off, some people just won't be interested in them no matter what your do. Just like not everyone is will get into video games.

I start a new person out with a game that I can explain in a few sentences and get set up almost instantly, like Codenames, Love Letter, or Carcassonne.

Once you find something they like, play that with them several times before you try to introduce them to another game. The consistency will go a long way to making them more comfortable with the hobby.

>>46199994
Another thing to point out is that I, for one, don't think that what they're claiming FLGS's do even happens. I have never seen a board game demo at an FLGS. Board game nights are rare, and tend to be sparsely populated. The staff there basically just push their favorite games, irrespective of their customers preferences. Two years ago when we were just getting started with board games a friend of mine went to our FLGS, yolks the employee "hey I played Pandemic and it was cool what other cool board games should I get" and left there with a copy of Terra Mystica. Turns out that we fucking love that game, so good for us, but in practice it is clear how badly that could've gone.

In short, tl;dr, I don't think FLGS's actually are not serving the board game community. I don't think they have anything at all to do with the current rise at all.

I think it's alpha gamers that are responsible. I think they're the growth vector. People who buy games in bulk, research them, and teach and introduce these games to their friends. And some of their friends catch the bug and become alpha gamers themselves and spread the love further. And this is only accomplished via online game shops.

Board games spread via kitchen tables, not game stores. And this whole FLGS worship that ANA are doing is nonsense that shows how badly they misunderstand their market.

>>46200311
This lines up perfectly with my experience. I've seen at least three sizeable and functional game groups develop just off of me jumping in as what you call an alpha gamer, and playing netrunner at my FLGS's board game nights has been a front row seat to watching no community develop at the staff's hands while they occasionally sell copies of pandemic and seven wonders to people who wander in without knowing what they want.

>>46200311
>Board games spread via kitchen tables, not game stores
This could totally change though. I hear board game cafes are becoming more popular, and if LGS' shifted their focus from "sell magic and whatever else on the side" to "get people in, and then sell them food while they play" they could probably survive.
I mean, I know I'd play my board games in a place that's better ventilated and has a larger table than my basement. And being able to get a nice sandwich on the side is good too.

>>46200381
>>46200510
Like some of the previous anons have said as well, I think that LGS's are going to NEED to adapt and advance their ideas in order to survive and function in the modern world. Just being a storefront isn't going to cut it anymore.

Like some of you say, cafes are rising in popularity but still are mostly just present in larger cities.

What is a person in a small town supposed to do? Currently they are only served by online retailers. Does anyone have any thoughts? How could you make some form of tabletop outlet in a city of 10k, 20k work? Even for coffee shops the only ones that seem to really thrive in those sized environments is Starbucks, so a board game cafe wouldn't likely work unless it was a larger restaurant like place. Is it just too small of a market to work with?

Would someone just have to work out of their house and set up public meets and sell to them there?

>>46200958
>>46200510
I don't think that the cafe idea is going to go anywhere except in the largest of cities. You need a big throughput of customers to pay for a cafe, and there just is not the requisite density of board gamers for this to be viable. You would see these in Germany well before the US, but they aren't catching on there either.

What I see happening, moving forward, is something that is already happening around the world: I predict that conventions are going to continue to fragment and localize and discretize and that meet up groups are going to continue growing and expanding and becoming more formal until these two things meet in the middle and arrive at a sustainable medium. Local leagues, with small membership fees to cover overheads, led by the most personally invested individuals, meeting with some regularity and patronizing local establishments. That's where I see this ending up ten years from now.

>>46200958
In my area, a college campus-adjacent cafe has started running fairly successful game nights once a week as the owner has developed some interest in the hobby. To me, it seems like a pretty viable option for medium-sized towns - and actually something that's pretty easy for people like us to foster, if you can find a similar establishment with a pleasant owner. Just get your group to show up and play some stuff and order some coffee / food on a regular basis. That kind of thing gets the attention of even a half-awake businessperson, because it gives them the ability to generate some extra foot traffic and customer base for relatively little investment in effort or money.

A dedicated game cafe is a hard sell right now outside of very large cities, but a regular cafe hosting a weekly game night serves most of the same function.

>>46185499
You continue fighting until one side has nothing left. If there are no units left on either side after execution ( let's say chaos goes balls in vs Orks going balls in), then everyone dies and combat ends - the exception is if the defender had a factory or city, then he retains control.

>>46185861
I've gotten plenty of plays in, there's a super helpful FAQ on BGG, but I'd be happy to answer any other questions you might have,

>>46201659
>You continue fighting until one side has nothing left
What? No, anon, that's not how the game works. Battles last three rounds tops, and at the end of round three morale determines the victor.

>>46200311
>Another thing to point out is that I, for one, don't think that what they're claiming FLGS's do even happens.
Agreed. FLGSs have been havens for miniatures games, card games and, occasionally, RPGs. But board games are few and far between, and I've -never- seen anyone "get into the hobby" because of them.

>I think it's alpha gamers that are responsible.
I hate the term, but I think I agree.

If I was going to credit anything other than "alpha gamers", I'd credit the internet, and the boom in board game information available. Lots of unboxings, reviews, gameplay, demos, thoughts, lists, whatever. Just tons of information once you decide to start looking.

And the "discount" prices online let people pick up that many more things. Get that much more involved.

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Is this worth buying?

>>46203317
Yes. No. Maybe.

>>46203313

I see more organized play at bars here than I do FLGSs.

>>46203317
Yup.

Even though many disagree with me, I think it's way better coop than Pandemic.

He just looks so much like Dave Mustaine, i love it...

>>46203450
I used to live in Sacramento, and we had a few good game stores, and one great one - but it was almost entirely cards in the smaller shops, and warhammer (or other wargames) in the larger one. Board games were available, but not featured.

Now I live in the fucking desert, in a not-too-small-small-town outside of LA. We have a comics/card store (maybe two?), and one real "game store". It does some stuff, and has board games, but has been run shittily for years, and has a just... odd selection of board games.

I'm considering dragging some of my stuff over to the bigger shop to play and see if I can get some other people interested, but that brings us back to the "alpha gamer" stuff.

>>46203474
I've never gotten a chance to play it, but that sounds appealing. I'm thoroughly unimpressed with Pandemic as a coop game.

>>46203609
The game is much less predictable than Pandemic, especially when you run the expert variant. Explosions ho!

>>46203668

Once you've played a few times, Pandemic becomes a math problem to be solved. You can pretty much look at the character pull and initial board state and declare a win or loss. I've heard Legacy addresses this, but have no hands-on time.

>>46203719
Flash Point has randomly generated fires at the end of turn for every player. Even if you think that you can grab that casualty and run next turn, a sudden fire might cut you off or there is a much greater threat on the board which you must fight.

It's about making the best use of your current situation, rather than planning way ahead.

No game is the same and that's why I like it. Even better if you go with the alternate rule that you cannot swap your firefighters mid-game.

>>46203317
It's definitely worth getting, I won't go as far to say it's a better game than Pandemic, but I will say it fills a wider niche in a collection than Pandemic. It's less of a puzzle, due to the randomness of dice rolls, and the family game variant I've been able to teach to children as young as 5. The hazardous materials, special roles, hot spots, vehicles can all be added to the game independently making it easier to scale to your group. Heavier gamers will say they find it boring after a while, but I find the Dangerous Waters expansion fixes that with the submarine map. I've also taken up making stuff with 2mm chipboard from Hobby Lobby and printed labels to create my own obstacles/hazardous mats.

>>46176399
> What did you play this week? Describe in detail.
Been playing King of Tokyo over and over 1v1 with my wife. Game is really quick and fun. I am looking forward to playing with more players this weekend. I also played a 6-player game of Catan. Pretty fun, but watch out for easily distracted players.
> Recent purchases or purchase plans?
King of Tokyo was the latest, and that was in addition to Star Wars X-wing and MTG AotP. Those will take longer to get into.
> Ask a bgg related question.
Anyone play MTG AotP? Any good? Ideally 1v1 or 2v2 situation.

>>46203317
I prefer the simple rules, the veteran rules that come in the box turn the game into a convoluted dicefest rather than the elegant co-op provided by the original ruleset.

I just got my copy of Castles of Mad King Ludwig. I got the Polish edition with upgraded graphic design which makes the game look fantastic.

If card games count, I've got a big love for The Great Dalmuti. That's just a fun game.

So how good is Archipelago? Buying some stuff I've been putting off from FFG/Asmodee and it looks pretty good. How Euro is it, on the scale of Ameri-Euro?

>>46176399
King of Tokyo with the mutations expansion, Chrononauts with all its expansions, and Guillotine. Shit was fun.

As far as current things to purchase goes King of New York is high on list as is Android Netrunner.

Has anyone played the most recent Illuminati card game and if so is it any good? Additionally any suggestions for good 2 player board games. I'm hoping to get my significant other a bit more into gaming.

No idea what the hell Archipelago is or its quality...

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>>46206576
Twilight Struggle is the quintessential first answer for two-player games, but might be a little heavy for trying to entice someone new into more gaming.

I think this is the most recent version of the gaming-with-SO recs pic we've had.

I'd prioritize the Netrunner core set of King of New York if you've already got KoT+Power Up. Quite a bit of replayability in that box,and depending on your SO, a great couples game as well.

Not sure if this is the right thread, but made a strategy board game about sliding on ice and knocking opponents off the board. Would love feedback.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pa1RdROy_ds1ZoFqV1NLR8pQo877wQmb4aMufRPYCJA/edit?usp=sharing

Playtested the core pretty extensively. Right now, I am gearing up to test and balance the power ups.

>>46176399
> What did you play this week? Describe in detail.
I got to try both Splendor and Five Tribes for the first time. Splendor was completely okay, nice and short, dunno what else can be said about it really. Five Tribes was fun though the djinn part of the game got set back by a draw of three really really shitty ones early in the game. Other than that, as I was the only one who hadn't played before, it was a learning experience for me lel

> Recent purchases or purchase plans?
Thinking about getting either Rommel in the Desert or Pax Baltica soon. Both block wargames, the former a classic obviously about the North African Campaign, the latter not as known but by all accounts also great, about the Great Northern War.

> Ask a bgg related question.
Rommel in the Desert or Pax Baltica?

> Answer the question of the guy above you. Even if you don't know the answer. Especially then.
>>46206377
>So how good is Archipelago?
I looked into it a little bit a while ago and watched SUSD's review of it, got kind of turned off probably mostly due to the nature of the review but also a bit due to the semi-coop mechanic.

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>>46207027
Screw the docs link. This is probably a lot easier for everyone.

>>46201168
Board game pubs are very popular in Poland. You go there with a bunch of friends, grab a pint and play some cool game. There's quite a few of those, even in the smaller cities.

>>46207225
It's weird how some hobbies are more popular than others. Board gaming is almost maintstream here.

I never was to one but Kraków has I think at least 5 dedicated ones and even smaller pubs/bars have dedicated gaming nights It's insane - even a cheap burger joint down the corner has some board games up it's sleave: I saw 7 wonders, Machi Koro, Splendor and a couple more games. At a fucking burger joint!

>>46207561
Honestly, Poland has a huge market for board games. San Francisco bay area with a population of over 7 millions only had its first board gaming cafe opened last year. In Poland, any city above 150k citizens will have at least one.

>>46180153
>TT RPGs. Again. Takes a literal act of god to actually get board games played.

I wish I could switch places with you bro.

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>>46206671
Yup that's the last one, might revise it again late summer, but only if some new hotness comes out that the wife falls in love with.

Initial draft of the kid's pic I started on Monday, I'm sure there's other games not for kids that work for them, but I'm blanking right now.

>>46206377
I was considering it but the random, mostly unknown end game triggers turned me off of it.

>>46207225
I wonder how much the mindset of American restaurants viewing turnover as the biggest number stops board game cafes from growing here. My favorite bar in locally loved having us in for team trivia, but service has always been lesser if we're playing a card/board game. It's not like we order less in terms of booze/food, maybe they just recognize they we've been there for 2-3 hours when it's only us playing.

>>46206377
I'm glad I bought my copy. It's got a lot of strategic elements and social interaction - you can wheel-n-deal, and out maneuver your opponents, but you can't go full "That Guy" mode or you might send the native populations into full on revolt which typically means everyone loses.

>>46189572
>if you buy a game at a discount, you will believe it's cheap quality-wise
>games should be expensive because you will then believe the game is worth its price tag
>you should obviously choose to buy 1 or 2 expensive games in a brick and mortar shop, regardless of actual value and product quality, since it is obviously it's money well spent
>you don't want more games, trust us on that
I can't even...

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>Watch Rahdo run through Evolution and Forbidden Desert
>Dat boardgame temptation rising

Looks fun as fuck, has anyone else played them?

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>>46205699
Kinda jelly desu.

Holy fuck why does Kingdom Death cost 400 dollary-doos?

>>46213428
But anon, it's not like board games are made from recycled and sustainable materials. If we don't make sure to price all the poors outta the hobby we'll run out of chipboard and not be able to make new games, and then where will we be? We have to make them expensive, because those components aren't made in a developing nation by people earning pennies a day.

>>46214175
Hypestarter and the publisher didn't pay attention to costs while constantly expanding the project. This is what happens when you don't fold under the pressure like CGF did with Glory to Rome.

>>46214020
Haven't played Forbidden Desert, but heard good things.

Evolution was fun as hell, though I've only played 2 games of it. Takes some getting used to how things work, and the completely valid strategy of "surprise! My critter is completely different now!" is thematically bullshit, but effective.

>>46214020

Forbidden Desert is one of the best co-op games I've played, provided you're looking for something under an hour that has no traitor mechanics.

Its greatest strength is the way that it foils potential quarterbacking. Quarterbacking is the phenomenon all too common in co-op games where one player figures out how to win, starts directing everybody else, and essentially takes over the game, and nobody can really contradict him effectively without hurting the team's chances of winning.

Forbidden Desert's trick of making almost all the tiles look identical from the back means the best path is rarely clear, so players have to actually discuss what they're going to do and nobody can justify simply assuming direct control of the game. This makes quarterbacking unviable and makes the game an actual team effort.

>>46214068
>>46205699
How do you get it, if you aren't Polish?

>>46213428
Anon, executives and bankers got to eat. And apparently based on the price of games these days they eat a steady diet of Lear Jets and Lamborghinis.

Has anyone played Condottiere? Judging by the reviews it looks like a nice little strategy game with a bunch of elements I enjoy compressed into a small package, but I want to get a second (or third) opinion.
The FFG rules are also garbage, by the sounds of it.

I got introduced to Secret Hitler which is super fun. Also some awful German reverse dungeon crawler called Legends of Arnor which is not.

>>46214020
Evolution is pretty fun, creates it's own meta which varies wildly between game groups. You just missed out on the kickscammer for the expanded version of the game btw.

>>46201846
Herp a derp, yes, you continue to the three round card limit, but you don't stop playing cards once all your units are routed.

>>46217899
uh oh, better not let Rahdo hear you say that.

>>46219994
Yeah, he may seem like a affable guy on his YouTube channel, but if he hear about you bad mouthing a game he loves, he will end you. 7% of missing person cases are people that posted negative things about Agricola...

>>46220144
>7% of missing person cases are people that posted negative things about Agricola...

Lost it...

>>46221400
Anyone have 'favorite' solo games? I've got a couple of war games that are designed for solo play (The Hunters and 'Raid on St. Nazaire') and a few games like XenoShyft which can be played solo, but I wondered if anyone had game recommendations for games specifically designed to be played solo.

>>46222847

Onirim is amazing. Played that one a lot during lunch breaks at work.

Friday is pretty good too.

Dungeon Roll isnt meant to be a 1 player game, but it feels so much like one (even with two players) that I rarely play it any other way.

There's a few games that I like playing solo too, Legendary Encounters Alien, Shadows of Brimstone... But these are games I'd gladly play with friends.

>>46198310
Played Dead of Winter, not too memorable for me, but then I'm not a huge zombie geek. Fun characters, slightly funkilling mechanics, your mileage may vary.

I've seen Dominant Species played by a bunch of professional biologists/ecologists, and they enjoyed it, even though it's hardly scientifically accurate. Your mileage may vary a lot. I'll say this: visually, it looks like a homemade prototype from ca 1980.

Roll for the Galaxy I have played a number of times, and I really enjoy it. Lot of randomization for replayability, good worker placement design, most actions feel like they're doing something useful. Also very sleek graphic design. Possible points against: there seem to be some starting trait combinations that completely break the game, particularly to do with getting extra cash; also the game can feel pretty short (ends when someone reaches total 12 tiles - you start with 2 and can quite easily build 2-3 per turn, given some luck). Don't know to what extent these can be fixed.

>>46206671
My regular boardgame host spoiled Tokaido for me. He's blown inordinate amounts of dosh on getting every imaginable special edition - painted miniatures, metal coins, loads of extra and updated characters. I can't imagine my disappointment if I bought myself a regular edition ...

Fun game though, would leech off loaded friends/10

>>46185574
>Let me start by saying: Crossfire was one of those games that I had every expectation of loving, and I play all of the time, but I really just friggin' hate it.
>There's a lot of potential to the game, BUT for me it's been little more than a "Random You Lose Generator".

Same exact problem for my gaming group. We rolled a full non-human party, and keep getting events that screw over metahumans all the fucking time. Our host officially removed the Humanis Mercs card from all future games, he may have ripped it up too.

And then if you scrape up enough karma by losing 15+ games, the character upgrades are thoroughly meh. I love the premise, but it's just geared to be such a fucking grindfest.

>>46223044
Thanks for the input. I've got Aliens L.E., but haven't played it yet. I'll have to try a solo game to get the hang of the rules.

>>46223181
I like DoW, but my group is pretty entertaining and ad-lib the characters and other goofy stuff.

As for Roll - I love it too. You might want to look at the Ambition expansion. It adds a lot of interesting possibilities.

https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/46066/designer-preview-roll-galaxy-ambition?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


And woot! Part of my KS stuff is on the way:
1 Eminent Domain Battlecruisers Board Game.

Hopefully the Eminent Domain expansion won't be to far behind it.

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>>46176399
>> Recent purchases or purchase plans?
Thinking of purchasing a few more Asmodee / FFG games before the price dickery starts.

Also - someone asked about "Japan Themed Games" in a previous thread and everyone came up with Shogun and Sekigahara. But I knew there was another game I couldn't think of it. It's pic related.

>>46221400
No love for Uncharted, one of the few board games I own?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHjloUYHnS0

Also, I've never heard of Forgotten King, Railways, or Space Empires (as board or vidya)

>>46224231
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17133/railways-world
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/156548/super-dungeon-explore-forgotten-king
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Empires

Not heard about Uncharted, though. I'll look into it.

What's a heavier euro that has direct player interaction? I want to crunch numbers and build engines, but I don't want to leave my friends out of it.

>>46224737
Keyflower

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>>46224737
Some folks don't like it, but my group enjoys Archipelago. You can make deals (and break them), manipulate the market, etc, but you have to be careful not to go total evil or the native population can revolt causing all players to lose the game.

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>>46224231
>Space Empires (as board or vidya)

>>46224981
Well clearly it's both, since it's on a list of video game based board games.

Best co-ops?
I tried Pandemic and Dead of Winter (with and without betrayer) and while they certainly get the tension right, they feel a little cut and dried sometimes.
Got my eye on Robinson Crusoe or Ghost Stories. Forbidden Desert seems kind of underwhelming, but I haven't looked into it too much.

>>46225483
I like Robinson Crusoe, but it can be punishing. A bit of bad luck and it's easy for someone on the team to die.

>>46225050
This I know as I own S.E. 4x. I was simply posting a picture for the other Anon. While I like S.E. - it can be off-putting for some players when they find out it's 'Hex & Chit' based like classic war games.

>>46225483
Ghost Stories is one of, if not the most punishing co-op out there. It's a great tower defense but people brag about winning a game, and not even on the hardest difficulty. That said there are strategies that will help your success rate go up. It also plays quite well at any player count, though it does work best at 4.

If the theme is a hard sell XCom does a lot of what Ghost Stories does. It doesn't scale as well, bad with 1, ok with 2-3 and really needs 4. It changes up the tower defense formula by having each player cover a different role, though some players complain that it feels like you're just playing your own game instead of co-operating. Each role is definitely it's own mini-game but they are interconnected enough that you affect each other if you're paying attention. There's also the fact you need a tablet/laptop to run the app, but that might not be a negative depending on your view.

Forbidden Desert is a nice pickup and deliver co-op, I enjoy it and am glad to own it, but I prefer Flash Point for that role in my collection. Upside it's made by Gamewright so it's cheap and available everywhere, wait for a holiday sale at Walmart/Target/etc and grab it for $12 if you're unsure. Rahdo has some good thoughts on it, and he just brought it up again in a top 10 he did with the Dice Tower guys this week.

>>46205441
Arena of the planeswalkers if literal trash. My wife and I played five or six games and quickly realized that not only were the units themselves horribly balanced and terribly uninteresting, but every single turn was entirely dictated by what spell card was drawn from the top deck. That being said, obviously have was the strongest planeswalker, having the only extra card draw in the base set.

>>46226290
Edit: jace is broken, not some mythical PW known as Have.

>>46224737
Argent is another. It's still very much a Euro, but it incorporates a lot of American design.

>>46226232
How big of a factor is RNG and quarterbacking in Ghost Stories and Flashpoint? I like how Flash Point offers different roles for people similarly to Pandemic.
On a side note, Shadows over Camelot (and the card game) have caught my attention. Not sure if I want to get them because I have enough hidden traitor games.

>>46226573
Dice rolls can definitely screw you over in either, in Ghost Stories the mitigation is playing perfectly, in Flash Point the mitigation is the game isn't as mean as most co-ops. I've never found the RNG to be a bad thing in either, as it keeps the game from becoming a math problem, which I think leads more to quarterbacking, though a lot of gamers prefer Pandemic, which has a lot of people who bash on it for being simple math. There's also a card deck variant for Flash Point that I've seen on BGG replacing the dice.

As for quarterbacking in general on the games, I haven't found either to be much of a problem, though my group is pretty relaxed about that, and plays a lot of co-ops so we're good about discussion without orders. There's a lot of methods to get to victory in either, and some tactics that will work most times, but not if the dice go against you. I've won a game of Flash Point where we left one bathroom to burn and explode 3x in one game, because we had the rest of the house clear, and were getting lucky dice rolls on POI placement. Other games we've had to work on not extinguishing, but keeping each small fire managable while a rescue dog or medic had to run around pulling out people. If you're getting hung up on a single strategy being perfect, or obsessed with the idea that you must win, even on hard, every game you play? That's when you're gonna have quarterback issues.

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There's no Game Design general up, so I'll ask here again. Can anyone give me some advice or information about cooperative board games with group goals? Stuff like Dead of Winter, XCOM, Battlestar Galactica, etcetera. Stuff that has different scenarios and set ups that change how the game is played.

I'm trying to make a game that's sort of like a cooperapetative version of XCOM's board game. Each player is the leader of a Guild, and they work together to solve some crisis or event that happens in the central location of Not!Ravnica, while also sending their Adventurers (special characters like the Survivors in DoW) to go do missions outside the city.

I've figured out how I want to do the "away missions" and conflict resolution mechanics (for now I'm basically going to use World of Darkness' d10 dice pools), but I'm still working on how to manage the other stuff.

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>friend hates co-op games because of quarterbacking
>whenever we play co-op games, he's always the one who quarterbacks

>>46228588
Quarterbacking?

>>46228988

Please see

>>46214945

Is Blood Bowl Team Manager getting a reprint soon? I Found a reasonably priced copy in Spanish, but I'd rather have it in its original form

>>46228988
also known as alpha gamer

>>46228588
This is me. I can't help it and even if I force myself to stay quiet, I end up just wanting to shout at my friends when they make bad plays. The solution is to asymmetrical games, timed games, or games where there can be real debate about what the 'right' play is. I love Mysterium because even if you're telling your friend what the answer is, there's a good chance you're completely wrong anyways so they don't need to listen to you.

>>46229732
Will occasionally go borderline That Guy when his dominance is contested or dismissed.

>>46224737
Power Grid has some nice interaction, auctions, blocking and market dominance can get pretty vicious.

>>46223044
>Onirim
woohoo, I just pulled the trigger on the second edition. the core game seems a bit simple but I'm hoping expansion combos will spice it up a bit.

also ordered sleeves because apparently this can be a shuffler's delight.

>>46207041
Splendor's kinda broken imo. granted I was playing 2p and this could things, but you could basically pick up a couple of high value cards early on and ignore pretty much the rest of the game for certain victory. the chip limit also prevents you from successfully defending against this strategy.

As someone who broke regular Escape: Curse of the Temple, is Escape: Zombie City more challenging?

>>46235209
Bump

Has anyone played Ladies and Gentlemen? It looks like fun from what I can tell, but the Ladies' half the game looks more fun than the dexterity focused Gentlemen's.


>>46224805
It's pretty pricey at $60, is it really that good?

>>46228588
it's the game's fault, not his
but seriously. I'm sure he's self-aware about how controlling he is, just having problems holding back
>>46233567
>>46235209
>broke the game
>game is broken
thismemeagain

>>46233567

Splendor's not broken, but it does snowball. In a 2p game, it's basically just a race to see who can snowball fastest. It's ideal in a 3p or 4p game, where the chip limit becomes a real limiting factor that can be used strategically to slow someone down.

I won a 4p game by focusing on getting a good variety of cheap cards, such that in the midgame I suddenly roared out of 3rd place and became the clear front-runner, sprinting towards the victory line. Overspecializing in Splendor means you'll run out of steam.

>>46237803
I think I had more fun playing as a rich alcoholic bitch than I did actually playing the game, to be honest.

>>46237810
>thismemeagain
I just mean that I found a strategy that made it so we win even before the second gong. If it's a coop game and you find a way to win every time, it's not really as fun or challenging.

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>>46176399
>What did you play this week? Describe in detail.

A few years ago, while working at B&N, some board games went on clearance, and I squirreled away a promising looking one, which I bought for two dollars on the last days of the sale. It languished on the group's collective shelves since then because it was intimidating to start.

The game was Eclipse and me and my buddy played it for the first time tonight. I wish we hadn't waited. I beat him 19 - 18 on victory points in a Terran v. Terran match and I'm itching to play more.

>Recent purchases or purchase plans?

Well, the same buddy's got a Cool Stuff Inc. cart filled with stuff. We're looking forward to getting Codenames.

>Ask a bgg related question.

Anyone know anything about the Eclipse expansions?

>>46237803
>It's pretty pricey at $60, is it really that good?

Indeed it is, and with Asmodee / FFG looking at jacking up prices, I'm glad I snagged it now. I can't say whether or not you'll like it - but it appeals to me. And there are some useful reviews / play through videos out there.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=archipelago+board+game

>>46238907
>Anyone know anything about the Eclipse expansions?

Funny you should ask. This came up last thread...

The mini expansions Supernova / Pulsar / Nebula - are OK, but not must haves unless you're a 'must have everything' kind of gamer.
(If you want them - check on the Board Game Geek store first.)

Rise of the Ancients adds 5 or 6 new races, new tech, more sector tiles, and expands the max number of players to 9. Beware - in a game with 6 or more players it's going to run long, particularly if some of the players aren't familiar with the game. It's a solid investment if you want to add more variety.

Ship Pack One - has alternate ship models for the 6 main colors in the core box. It's nice and adds variety visually but it isn't a 'must have' item.

Shadow of the Rift - adds 3 new races, more new tech, more tiles, and a bunch of new rules like time distortion and evolution mechanics. I haven't played it yet, but it looks like a game changer.

Hope that helps!

>>46239083
Yeah, I figure I'd get all that eventually, probably starting with the main expansions. I would love to have the Ship Pack, actually, because I love that sort of visual difference.

There's also apparently a bunch of print and play expansions that are holiday themed that seem fairly unnecessary, though I do like the Tractor Beam tile that was apparently given away as a gift when the publisher misprinted some tiles in the first edition of the expansion.

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>>46182157

I'll never buy Eldritch, not because it's bad mind you. I just own every damn expansion for Arkham Horror. If you own even the base Arkham set you are getting the better game of the two. Unless you just really can not stand the sometimes arduous amounts of parts movement and such there is no reason to purchase Eldritch over AH. Teaching Eldritch is super easy though Responding to a 3 day old post

does /bgg/ like Resistance?

>>46240923
Try impedance instead, it's the same thing, only classier

>>46241959
And if you switch entirely to reactance you can make anime real.

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Do you prefer square or hex grids and what would you say are the pros and cons of each?
I have an idea for a game and I'm not sure which kind of grid to use.
There will be inside areas so square would fit better but hex allows for better movement imo.

>>46242179
I think that both suck.

Hex grids have a known NS versus EW imbalance.
Square grids work nicely... when you don't move around the diagonal - then you have 4 possible movements. With diagonal movement it turns out that moving along one axis is suboptimal.

Damed if you do, damed if you don't

>>46242255
>Hex grids have a known NS versus EW imbalance.
Clarify? I've never heard of this.

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>>46242304
I'm sure you have or you're instinctually aware of the fact. See picture related:

Diagonal or north-south lines are stronger (in terms of how many enemies a unit in the line has to deal with) than east-west ones i.e there's no clean way to do it. It's subtle but you have to be aware of that and strive for diagonal symetry

>>46237898
>In a 2p game, it's basically just a race to see who can snowball fastest
I haven't found this at all. you can basically hit 15 in fewer turns by ignoring the whole mine-snowball mechanic and even the nobles, just pick a couple of high value cards and specialize.

in fact if you focus on snowballing, you're really fucked because you lose the capacity to keep chips out of your opponents hands in the early game when they're grinding out those cards.

>>46237810
>implying it's not possible to have broken mechanics
it was a sad surprise when going on BGG's forum revealed that others had independently caught on to the same strategy to win almost every time.

nevertheless we're determined to figure out the best way to curb this strategy.

>>46242459
>filenameistoodamnlongbutholykek.png

>>46238907
So you're one of those employees who hides the clearance games in the back and waits 6-8 weeks until it's almost free before ringing it up for yourself.

You know your co-workers walked around the store dozens of times trying to find that game for customers? You might as well have stolen the game outright.

>>46242800
Yep. Except we all did it.

>>46243049
Are you 11? Fucking grade school level excuse

>>46243210
Oh no, my sense of self worth! I have surely been shamed this day. Cowed, even. This regret and guilt shall haunt me to my dying day.

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There's a Dominion card for every board.

>>46242459
The hell are you talking about? This is like complaining that being in a corner in square coordinates exposes you to additional enemies. Of course it does -- it's a corner. What you depicted is the same exact thing; all you've done is notice that hex grids have a second type of corner.

It is not a straight line. Your brain thinking it is is the problem. It is instead a series of corners. This is akin to a crenellated line in square coordinate systems.

>>46243985
I really don't want to be mean - my first instinct was to call you names.

How do you propose to discuss inherent advantages and disadvatages of grid systems then if you don't want to look at basic facts?

No shit it's a corner, I know what it comes from. Ignoring the fact doesn't help.

If you compare grid systems you have to be aware how they translate to real life situations. In this case in a hex grid north-south or diagonal lines of troops are "stronger" than north-east ones. If you situate a players starting position and don't compense for it you will have imbalance.

>>46243571
Look on the bright side, you can console yourself over many games of Eclipse. ;)

>>46244230
And? Your point is? That developers have to think about things before they do them?

I fail to see at all why anything you've said is bad. The only way to remove your observation is to switch to a "circular" distance based system like what 40k and other war games use. In every other system, without exception, there will be optimal and suboptimal configurations.

>>46244411
Yes that's my point.

Somoene was asking about the advantages and disadvantages of hex versus square grids - they both suck (or they both have advantages depending on how you see it).

It's not bad it's just an inherent limitation of the system where you can't go "east" or "west" (or that e-w battles lines are inherently weaker).

>>46244606
Except it isn't a disadvantage that is unique to that system. Every system, even squares, has the same disadvantage in certain lines of battle. An L shaped line in a square orthogonal tile system goes 1/2/1/2. A diagonal line in a square diagonal tile system goes 1/3/1/3.

My point is that your point is pedantic and meaningless. You have this internalized idea of the primacy of cardinal directions and you're forcing that unfounded idea onto a coordinate system and then complaining about it not fitting. Square peg, hexagonal hole.

>>46244691
> An L-shaped line
Why the fuck do I even bother?
> You have this internalized idea of the primacy of cardinal directions.
You have this idea that people only play abstract games and don't have to render buildings or such on hex grid?

Ever play Fallout 1-2? Did you never sigh when seeing the hero go like a retard when traveling east west?

Or did you go "well that's my internalized idea of primacy of cardinal directions speaking here this movement seems totally natural"?

>>46244843
>Ever play Fallout 1-2?
Yes.

>Did you never sigh when seeing the hero go like a retard when traveling east west?
Nope.

>Or did you go "[snip] this movement seems totally natural"?
Yes.

Your complaint is literally that hexes are not squares. And yes, it is that moronic.

>>46245086
No your complaint is literally "this guy notes differences between squares and hexes" AFTER A FUCKING QUESTION WHAT GRID SYSTEM TO USE.

Also I'm done - pray continue if you want to.

>>46245153
My company is that you claim that something that isn't different is. There is no imbalance you claim exists. It is 100% a matter of perception and nothing more. A trick the mind plays on you.

Hexes are not how people naturally think. I will give you that. But there is no inherent imbalance with them.

>>46245389
That is a shitty company to work for.

>>46245389
Jumping in at the end here, but "all grid systems are imbalanced, thus hexes are as balanced as any other grid system" is weird.

Also this discussion of grids just makes me appreciate Tannhauser's pathfinding system that uses circular spaces even more.

>>46176399
Hey guys, are there any good FFG/Asmadee games that I don't have? I've been looking at Merchants of Venus and Archipelago.

This really sucks, FFG used to be one of the good guys.

>>46245858
Oh, here's what I have.
https://boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/Jutlander%20san%20Salvo

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>>46245583
>Also this discussion of grids just makes me appreciate Tannhauser's pathfinding system that uses circular spaces even more.
God, finally, someone cares.

>>46176399
man I saw this at a thrift store at the start of the primary for a dollar and didn't get it, one of my greatest regrets

>>46240923
I love it. it's super easy to convince non gamers to play, it's also super easy to explain, and it almost always goes over fantastically

>>46245858
>>46245909
7 Wonders Duel if you want 2 player.
Archipelago
Mission Red Planet
Fury of Dracula
Citadels

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>>46246226
You mean someone made a map by cutting the corners off of squares? That's HERESY!!!! You are so getting double-Blammed! by the Commisar...

>>46247124
I'm stoked! I got an email yesterday saying:

Eminent Domain Battlecruisers Board Game
Shipped via USPS (estimated delivery date: 03/25/2016 PST)

I open the door to let one of our cats in and there it was! Plays 3 to 5 players - 20 minutes average game time. Hopefully it'll be a nice pickup / filler game.

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Is this good? What do you like about it? What do you not like about? What do other similar games make better? What would you change? How's the replay value?

>>46251332

>Is this good?
Depends what you're looking for
>What do you like about it?
Player customization is fun, game moves pretty fast.
>What do you not like about?
The fact that the overlord is encouraged to crush the heroes and go as hard as he can makes the game feel more like a light skirmish game than a dungeon crawl. Basically no exploration.
>What do other similar games make better?
Imperial Assault does pretty much the same thing but has an aditional skirmish mode that is fine. Some of the mechanics are more refined in I.A. too. Shadows of Brimstone is an excellent dungeon crawl, but it's the ameritrashiest stuff ever, not for the faint of heart : that game can be a MESS. The dungeons & dragons games from wotc/wizkids are pretty fun, but very random, not as tactical.
>What would you change?
I like my dungeon crawl to be exploration-heavy. I dunno. I'd take the good parts of Descent 2 and combine it with the more explorey aspect of Descent 1.
>How's the replay value ?
Without expansions, it's okay. Got a branching campaign you could play once or twice. And with the class system, you could play the same heroes twice without it feeling too samey. With the expansions... Well it can become batshit insane.

It should be noted that an ap just came out that can make the game fully cooperative. It sounds intriguing but I havent tried it yet so I dont know how it affects the game.

el diddly bumperino

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Well tg... We finally did it. On hour two of punching out plastic tiny ships and our fingers are already starting to hurt. What did we get ourselves into here?

>>46257820
Why did you buy the expansions without ever playing the game?

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>>46258144

Because we're fantasy flight shills with absolutely no control over our wallets and WAY more money than brains.

>>46259033
I know dem feels! I'm still considering snagging 3 Asmodee / FFG games before the prices go up in the online sector. Closest FLGS is 35 miles away, and while I do buy from them when I can, I still look for good deals online.

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>>46260368

I don't know how deep this rabbit hole goes but hopefully I'll die before I find out.

Some anon posted that Forbidden Stars is a retheme or reimplementation of Starcraft:TBG. Is there truth to this statement?

>>46260368
>>46259033
I bought Archipelago for precisely that reason. Considered TI3 expansions, but I still haven't played the game...at all. I figure if I actually do get into it, I'll just suck up the cost and pay the $100 it'll cost for both expansions, however many years from now.

I just played Food Chain Magenta for the first time and have to say, wow. What a pleasurable game.

Does anybody know of other games that are similar but not $140 to buy and perhaps a shorter time?

>>46260858
It uses a few similar systems but other than that is entirely different is what I've read.

http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/53015/ttr-island-sodor

>>46260858
>>46262897
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1379593/fs-vs-starcraft-boardgame

>>46257820
I bought TI3, and all of it's expansions at once because it's the perfect game with everything I like in it No other person I know is willing to play it The heaviest game my group will play is Kemet at the moment At least I can play games though

>>46263687
You poor, poor soul.

Your situation is exactly why I'm postponing buying Twilight Struggle indefinitely. I love the game, one of my all time favourites, but from my current group would play it.

>>46259033
You did the right thing, anon. TI3 without expansions is depressing.
When you're done punching out everything you can start on creating Shattered Ascention components.

>>46264855
chantry-games .com/

>>46264855
Not the other anon, but I feel like Twilight Struggle is easier to persuade people into playing compared to TI3. For starters, you only need to convince one other person to spend 4+ hours playing a board game with you.

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What do people like about pic related? My friend always insists on playing it but I find it dull. You roll a die and walk and then you're at the mercy of randomness. I am not against random factors in games but this feels like Chutes and Ladders with a fantasy paint job. Barely any meat on its bones but with a playing time of 2 hours. Way too little content or strategy or immersion for that.

Am I missing something?

>>46266137
Nope, that's pretty much the consensus.

>>46199977
and he is running for president, durr

>>46266137
As long as you don't pretend it's a paragon of game design, and treat it more as a "background game" while you have fun with people who aren't "serious gamers", it's not half bad. The version you can buy on Steam is what I call "podcast vidya" - turn down the music and SFX, alt-tab to a podcast you like, alt-tab back, and have fun.

>>46260783
Damn you! Don't you tempt me! Don't do it! ;)

I really like the looks of Armada, and the minis are sharp looking, but I need another minis game like I need free chemo for no reason.

>>46260993
I'm glad I picked it up before the price hike too. I managed to find an inexpensive copy of the solo scenarios via ebay as well. So even if I can't play it with my group for a while I've got the ability to get in a solo game.

As for TI3, if you're patient the expansions comes up on the used market for reasonable prices.

>>46266137

It's a beer-n-pretzles / "Shits-n-Giggles" kind of game for when you want to hang out, chuck some dice, drink a few beers, and not do a lot of serious thinking while laughing at the 'lol-random' stuff in game. If that isn't your cup of tea, then it isn't the game you're looking for.

>>46259033
Speaking of which...

I just snagged:
7 Wonders Duel
Fury of Dracula
Mission Red Planet
(and a Tash Kalar mini-expansion)

before the price increase fun-n-games goes into effect. Ended up paying less than $100 for all four and saving more than $50. About the only things still on my wish list from FFG / Asmodee at the moment are Kemet and CiTOW and neither are high on my wish list.

Have any of you tried making your own board game?

>>46266516
I can't say that I have, but I'm thinking about it.

>>46266516
I've had two ideas rattling round in my brain...

>super-casual card game where you're students trying to clean up your room before your parents show up. You can either remove a mess token, or play a card that will either remove more tokens or give other players more tokens. Whoever has the least amount after 8 turns (each turn represents 15 minutes before your parents arrive)
>Lucky Luke: The Co-op Board Game. You're the Dalton brothers, trying to rob the stagecoach and kidnap the schoolma'am, and avoiding Lucky and Rantanplan. Haven't figured anything out beyond that.

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>>46266746
>>46266918
I keep trying to coalesce my idea for a game where you run a guild. I actually posted about it earlier >>46228211

I keep tweaking mock ups of stuff.

I wish I had a bigger 'vocabulary' of board games. Is there anywhere I could find scans of game materials? Not necessarily print-and-play quality, but somewhere I could look at cards and boards would be helpful. Or maybe I should try playing things on Vassal...

>>46266516

Been working on a Saint Seiya themed deck building game, but right now it feels too much like a reskinned star realms with bits of legendary thrown in. I'm constantly trying to come up with mechanics that will help distance myself from those. It's my most advanced prototype as I've printed a few playable prototypes.

I also have this zombie apocalypse themed worker placement game that I keep thinking about. Nothing solid though, I havent even tried making a prototype.

I also really want to make an old school dungeon crawler. With some of the more modern aspects of say, Descent or Claustrophobia, but more geared towards adventure and exploration, and with a simple ruleset reminiscent of Heroquest.

I'm getting into board games after playing a lot of tabletops in general, as well as Magic and assorted card games.

I want co-op board games, though. I understand a big appeal of board games is the competition, but I think working together towards a common goal is what my group would be after.

I've got myself Samurai Spirit and Cutthroat Caverns, and I've heard of Dead of Winter and Pandemic. Are there any lesser known, but good board games that focus on cooperation?

>>46266918
>super-casual card game
That sounds like a super neat setting where things can go off the rails really quickly, like needing to save the world from a Lovecraftian horror or get pulled into a hole in the ground a by a white rabbit, when all you really want to do is clean your damn room.

>>46228211
>>46267059
Have you tried looking through the top 100 boardgamegeek entries yet? There's plenty of material in there you could probably use, just need a little bit of elbow grease sifting through everything for relevant stuff.

>>46267373

A lot of my favourite games are Co-ops. Here's a few games I love :

Legendary Alien, the deck building game : Relive all 4 alien movies through cardplay and cooperation. Gotta work together to win, pretty tough, but not impossible.

Escape : Curse of the temple : A real time game, you have ten minutes to escape from a temple. Players all roll tons of dice simulatenously to move and perform actions in the temple. Very stressful, but exhilerating.
Castle Panic : A very casual tower defense game, play cards to defend the castle from an army of invading Greenskins. There are rules to determine a winner at the end, but I suggest skipping that. Just focus on working cooperatively.

Btw. Cutthorat Caverns IS NOT a cooperative game. Sure, players have to cooperate, but it's a god damn backstab fest. Also, Dead of Winter is arguably not coop either.

>>46267466
>There's plenty of material in there you could probably use, just need a little bit of elbow grease sifting through everything for relevant stuff.
Can I, like... look at the actual materials? At this point I've just been watching Rahdo and Watch It Played. I want to look at the individual cards and scenarios and stuff like that. I'm tempted to create a Vassal session by myself.

>>46267559
Most have pictures from random players on some of the components in a game, plenty have documents detailing every single card in the game, plenty have a full pdf of the rulebooks, etc. Have at it. Vassal's fine too though you'd need to familiarize with the GUI a bit.

>>46267466
I was thinking more of a quick and dirty "take that" kind of game, but I suppose there's always expansions...

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Is Relic any fun? I've played Talisman HH edition, and it's a one-two times playable.

>>46267373
See >>46203317 and >>46225483.

A note about Flash Point is that players seem to graduate from it pretty quickly if you semi-regularly buy new games into your collection. I bought it first and it has only seen 2 plays. Still solid for introducing new players to the hobby though.

>>46267709
It's alright. My buddies and I got a few evenings out of it. Beat my entertainment $ / hour watermark of watching a movie in a theatre.

>>46267631
I'll give it a look. I've been to Boardgame Geek a few times, but *that* is a UI you've got to familiarize yourself with...

>>46267373
I'd suggest that you don't set your sights at only coops. I actually got into board games from pretty much the same background and can honestly say coop games are by far the weaker of the board game genres. There are many pit falls to coop games that are more or less remedied in many games. For instance down time mitigation through cross roads in DoW. DoW CR systems also helps keep people from Alpha gaming / Quarter Backing. Essentially once you get the general feel and a successful strategy down for any given coop that kills the game entirely. The allure to the coop game is also it's downfall. Without a human touch the game is fairly predictable and general strategies will be developed, and eventually you will find a sure fire way to win almost every coop every time regardless of board state. That being said get the game which is thematic most interesting to you as this will help greatly in a decent coop. But, I can almost guarantee you will move away from coops soon rather then later.

Rules question for Twilight Imperium:
If I have Landed Forces on a Planet within a system (hex) and want to move them to another neutral planet within the same system what kind of action do I have to take to do so? If I load units into a transport they can't disembark until the landing phase... Do I really have to leave the system and come back over two turns?

what game would you guys pick for an introduction to worker placement? I've been trying to pick between Lords of Waterdeep and Stone Age, but I'm by no means tied to just these two so feel free to recommend something different

I have friends who have only really played Pandemic and Ticket to Ride, and then some family members who haven't played any modern board games. for that reason I'm personally leaning towards Waterdeep since the way it handles player scaling seems easier to explain. you don't even need to explain that with more players you get fewer workers, while I can see the limitations on where you can place workers with fewer players in Stone Age being a bit fiddly

>>46178536
>I made a mistake.

>>46179812
It's not a great game honestly, it lacks originality in everything except the sculpts. It's not a great RPG or boardgames experience.

What do you do about people that fit into that nerd archetype that insists on inviting a bunch of other people (even if only one or two show up) every game night even though you're trying to play games that don't support more players?

I've literally taken these people aside and told them not to invite people and then later on they're like "Oh yeah, X and Y are on their way!" so we have to play light filler games that support 8 people all night when we were going to play some war games or similar.

Need recs for a game to play with gf's family. 2 sisters and mom plus her play pinochle. Dad usually sits out but has a mind for games. Was thinking about buying sheriff of nottingham but also have dead of winter, ticket to ride. What you think?

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>>46266506

Do you already have xwing and armada?

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>>46266318

It is so worth it though. Even in just straight 2 player but with 4-6 fielding massive fleets it's just insane.

Also the games are surprisingly quick to play and easy to set up once you understand the mechanics. Much faster than a game of xwing. Our shortest game was around 30 mins, but you ABSOLUTELY need a laser leveler.

>>46271360
Castles of Burgundy, maybe Viticulture
>>46271972
I guess at that point you need to be blunt, because it doesn't seem like being polite is working. Explaining WHY they shouldn't invite people would probably help (assuming you haven't done so already).
>>46272057
Ticket to Ride is good for newcomers, as long as it's the USA map. Maybe get an abstract or dexterity game, like Gemblo or Hamsterrolle

>>46271972
I have the exact opposite problem.
>invite 3 people
>1 bails without saying anything and the other 2 show up late
>yet another night of Smash 4 and sad 3 player mahjong

>>46271360
>what game would you guys pick for an introduction to worker placement?
>>46272456
>Castles of Burgundy
Minifig, at least get the genre right. Burgundy is not worker placement. It's a good game, but there's nothing worker placementy about it. It's also a bit on the heavier side, and I'd personally be a little hesitant to recommend it to someone coming from Pandemic and TTR.

On topic, I would second Viticulture, but keep in mind that it is not the easiest thing to find. Jamey Stegmaier may be a great designer and may be able to run a mean kickstarter but they guy just can't seem to figure out regular distribution at all.

You may also wish to look at Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is the reason worker placement is a genre. It's a little heavier than Stone Age, Lords of Waterdeep and Viticulture, but not by much, and it's a classic for a reason.

Euphoria is another pretty simple worker placement game, and another Jamey Stegmaier design too. It's a easier to get a hold of than Viticulture, being currently in print and purchasable at the usual suspects, and to boot it scales up to seven and supposedly works great there. I haven't personally played it, but it's been on my wishlist for a while.

Finally, there's Kanban. Kanban pretty much just speaks for itself. I'll let you do the research on this one, but it does come highly recommended.

>>46272307
>>46272379
I don't already own Xwing or Armada. I'm avoiding starting. I've got several fleets from the old BFG game, and I've looked at multiple 'fleet' style minis games. I just don't have the need for more, no matter how much I like the minis. (Storage space, and time to play is also an issue, not to mention the cost $$$.)

>>46267373
It's getting harder to find - but Gears of War is a great co-op game. Even when it's not your turn you can play cards to help out your team mates, etc. You could also look at Level 7 Omega Protocol - similar, but one person takes control of the opponents. I like Gears better myself.

>>46268244
You have a gift for gross understatement, anon.

>>46268244
>>46274088
If you don't like the classic design, set your account to view the beta UI, it's more facebook era.

Good night, sweet prince.

>>46274775

New thread up at >>46275053

>>46272708
I really should check out Puerto Rico. I know thye play differently, but I absolutely love San Juan

I'll look into those other games. thanks.