OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:56 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: We followed that up with California, which was much more fun than I anticipated from the initial description.

Yeah I didn't exactly try to sell that one. The mechanics are better than the theme.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:04 pm

Castle Ravenloft goes for the drawn-out tension, but Wrath of Ashbardalon just opens up. You need the magic items in there to keep up with the monsters.

Some of the older game stores still carry expansions for Nuke War. I got my set from Games Plus for a decent price after hearing hepcat and Red Warlord wax nostalgic about blowing the crap outta each other. Flying Buffalo always seemed to have Nuke War stock and specific cards available to purchase at Origins, and that helped tip the balance.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:11 am

I'm diggin' 51st State after reading through the rules and checking out game sessions on BGG. It's reminiscent of R4tG in a Fallout setting. Sure, it uses the icon driven gameplay I rail against in R4tG (although I also own it and still play it), but for some reason 51st State's use of icons makes more sense to me. I also dig that the location cards (think worlds from R4tG) can be acquired in 3 different ways: negotiating with them to create deals which provide a slight benefit each turn, contracting them to add them to your tableau (again, think buying worlds from R4tG) as a location card for slightly less benefit each turn but with more Victory Point allocations at the end of the game, or outright attacking and conquering them for spoils and a significant one time reward.

The addition of leaders who you can exchange at will by spending a weapons resource to execute them is a nice addition too. They give you individualized powers each turn.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:14 pm

Complete sidebar, I just got my replacement tiles for Betrayal at House on the Hill from WotC and I must say they look like they fixed the problem. A bit early to claim total victory (have to see if there is any long-term curling) but for now they lay flat.

The customer support was very easy to work with as well. No hassle at all to get these sent to me (and no cost).

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:08 pm

Just received my copy of Nightfall. The rules are up on BGG and the official AEG site for the game. I read through them this morning and it strikes me as a fun variation on the draft/deck building mechanic.

Basically, you accumulate wound cards every time you take damage which can't be blocked by any minions you have in your play area. Those cards go into your discard pile and, by extension, your deck. At the end of the game, whoever has the LEAST amount of wound cards in their deck wins.

The other fun twist is that cards can only be put into play through "chaining". Chaining is a phase in the game turns that allows players to play cards from their hands into a group linked by similar card colors. Once the player finishes his chain (usually because he runs out of cards with similar link colors) other players can then play their cards with the same link color as the previous card into the chain. After everyone passes, the chain is resolved from last to first card.

I'm hoping to get a game in later. It does look like fun.

Daveman · Post by **Daveman** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:27 pm

Grrr... my copy of Ghost Stories arrived in perfect, factory shrink-wrapped condition, unpunched cardboard bits, sealed deck of cards, rules, etc... but no Player/Ghost figures

I sent an email to Asmodee (still no reply) and submitted a return request to Amazon. Within 30 minutes they replied apologizing for the problem, told me to not bother sending the "defective" product back, and said they've overnighting me a replacement. Go Amazon!

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 8:37 am

7 Wonders is going to be back in stock today, which means I'll probably place another order on Monday. What are the hot games? I'll likely want to get my order up to $100 to get free shipping so I'm looking for OO reveiws/recommendations/commentaries and I really don't want to comb through 20 pages.

I really need to hit more generic gaming nights out and try new games again.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 9:29 am

GMT Games is offering a 50% discount on one order from their in-stock games to those who were one of the first 1,000 people to 'like' them on Facebook, which I was. (They've posted the code on the profile of their Facebook page, though, so I'm not sure what's keeping other people who liked them later from using it). Unfortunately, though, Labyrinth is sold out, and 1989 isn't out yet...so I'm not sure if there's anything that I want to use the discount on. Oh well.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 9:32 am

I say go ahead and order Nightfall if you liked thunderstone and want a deck building game with a horror theme, the ability to attack other players and an interesting twist on getting your minion cards into play. I got my copy wednesday and while i haven't played yet (I will sunday), i've sorted through the cards and read the rules. It's an interesting base game that I'm sure AEG is going to fully support with some nifty expansions.

My other suggestion is that if you like Race for the Galaxy, give 51st State a try. It's fantastic. It's got a bit of a learning curve (like R4tG) but I love the depth. There are so many different ways to acquire the Victory Points to win that you're not forced into one tactic the entire game.

El Guapo wrote:GMT Games is offering a 50% discount on one order from their in-stock games to those who were one of the first 1,000 people to 'like' them on Facebook, which I was. (They've posted the code on the profile of their Facebook page, though, so I'm not sure what's keeping other people who liked them later from using it). Unfortunately, though, Labyrinth is sold out, and 1989 isn't out yet...so I'm not sure if there's anything that I want to use the discount on. Oh well.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:44 am

I thought you were done buying games for now.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:56 am

LordMortis wrote:I thought you were done buying games for now.

Well, nightfall and 51st State were my last orders...the ones that prompted me to say "enough!"

. I WAS eying Dominant Species from GMT for a while, but after just checking the pricing, it's still cheaper for me to go with an online retailer and get free shipping when I do decide to get it. but i think i'll stick to my guns for now and put a hold on my evil ways.

besides, I'm having a lot of fun with 51st State and want to spend some time getting to learn its nuances.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:12 pm

LordMortis wrote:I thought you were done buying games for now.

We were going to stage an intervention...but hepcat hasn't quite hit bottom yet.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 8:53 am

Zarathud wrote:
LordMortis wrote:I thought you were done buying games for now.
We were going to stage an intervention...but hepcat hasn't quite hit bottom yet.

you're just saying that because you're hoping I buy games YOU want to play...

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 9:14 am

He's saying that because you aren't returning beer cans at walmart to buy Pokemon booster packs.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:06 am

hepcat wrote:
Zarathud wrote:
LordMortis wrote:I thought you were done buying games for now.
We were going to stage an intervention...but hepcat hasn't quite hit bottom yet.
you're just saying that because you're hoping I buy games YOU want to play...

Isn't that how it works? (Says the guy looking to get $100 together to buy more games when he hasn't played two of the last three he bought but sees that 7 Wonders should be back in stock today or tomorrow).

Daveman · Post by **Daveman** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:22 pm

Amazon delivered on the next-day shipping, don't-bother-returning-the-defective-copy promise so my son and I played Ghost Stories this weekend. Only had time to play one game, at the beginner level (4 chi to start and 4 tiles haunted to lose). We were doing very well through the first half of the ghost deck and I was starting to wonder if everyone else plays this game at Hell difficulty when things went bad really quick. Several bad curse rolls (-1 chi came up a lot), plus a string of ghost draws who all forced the draw of another ghost quickly filled up our boards and took away what chi was left. We also had 3 haunted tiles at the end as well

I loved the game though, and look forward to giving it another try.

Boudreaux · Post by **Boudreaux** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:20 am

Did a 6-hour gamefest last night with a couple of friends, and got in three great games:

First off was Twilight Struggle, which saw a ridiculously easy Soviet win on Turn 6 (I was the USA). USSR started out by realigning West Germany and breaking US control, then dumping influence into it and wresting it away from the US. France and Italy quickly followed, and the USSR controlled Europe fairly easily. The ease of this was compounded by the fact that my hand of cards was almost entirely USSR cards for the first 4 turns of the game. It was brutal. I managed to fend off scoring in Asia and the Middle East and just barely missed losing the game by breaking control of Poland and then scoring Europe - USSR still gained 11 points. Ouch. A few feeble attempts were made at swinging the balance back my way, but the USSR continued to dominate at hit 20 points with a well-timed capitalization in Africa. From the start, USA really had no chance.

Second game was Betrayal at the House on the Hill, the new reprint version. It was my first time playing it, and it was a blast. The entire game can be summed up in one sentence of awesome: "12-year-old boy becomes titanically strong creature of waxen flesh and tries to eat everyone else in the house". How have I not played this before?

Last up for the night was Stronghold, another new game I hadn't played before. Basically, a two-player game where one side is Defending the stronghold, trying to maintain stone walls, build cannon and cauldron defenses, man the battlements, and keep the invading hordes at bay. The Invader can build various siege engines, conduct dark rituals, train his troops of goblins, orcs, and trolls, and generally throw a frothing mob of nasties at the stronghold in an attempt to break through. The central mechanic in the game is great - the more preparations and advanced weapons and training the Invader uses, the more time is granted to the Defender to prepare their defenses. It provides a very clear back-and-forth struggle between the two sides.

I'm a little torn on this one, probably because the Invader side (which I played) has a pretty high learning curve and I made a few mistakes. The game ends after 10 turns, and the longer the game goes the more points the Defender wins. Eventually the Invader can hit a point where even if they break through, they're so far behind in points there's no way to win. I don't like games like that. The game ends at Turn 10, but realistically if the Defender hasn't broken through by Turn 6 or 7, the game's pretty much over. The Invader has a few nice options like catapults or ballista that can attack the stronghold walls directly or the men defending, and a neat mechanic that makes hits more and more likely as the game progresses. Still, most of the time the Invader's siege engines have maybe a 1-in-3 chance of a hit. The defender's weapons, on the other hand, have more like a 5-in-6 chance of hitting, and felt way overpowered. Almost every benefit the Invader can build has a direct counter for the Defender, and since the Defender reacts to what the Invader does, it's very hard to set up anything sneaky or surprise the Defender. I suppose there's some thematic consistency there, but the game was an overwhelming defeat for the Invader. I want to play a few more times, there's definitely a lot going on, and it's one of the more interesting takes on a board game I've seen in awhile.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:05 pm

Boudreaux wrote:
Last up for the night was Stronghold, another new game I hadn't played before.

That's by the same designer who created my current obsession, 51st State.

Jow · Post by **Jow** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:46 pm

Boudreaux wrote:Did a 6-hour gamefest last night with a couple of friends, and got in three great games:

First off was Twilight Struggle, which saw a ridiculously easy Soviet win on Turn 6 (I was the USA). USSR started out by realigning West Germany and breaking US control, then dumping influence into it and wresting it away from the US. France and Italy quickly followed, and the USSR controlled Europe fairly easily. The ease of this was compounded by the fact that my hand of cards was almost entirely USSR cards for the first 4 turns of the game. It was brutal. I managed to fend off scoring in Asia and the Middle East and just barely missed losing the game by breaking control of Poland and then scoring Europe - USSR still gained 11 points. Ouch. A few feeble attempts were made at swinging the balance back my way, but the USSR continued to dominate at hit 20 points with a well-timed capitalization in Africa. From the start, USA really had no chance.

Outta curiosity, does the "no chance" thing happen often with this game? Been considering picking this one up for years and am definitely NOT a fan of games that are predestined.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:15 pm

Boudreaux wrote:Did a 6-hour gamefest last night with a couple of friends, and got in three great games:

First off was Twilight Struggle, which saw a ridiculously easy Soviet win on Turn 6 (I was the USA). USSR started out by realigning West Germany and breaking US control, then dumping influence into it and wresting it away from the US.

How exactly did he do this? I'm guessing that he re-aligned West Germany on his first action after the headline phase. But why didn't you just dump four (or at least 3) influence into West Germany immediately after? Did you not have *any* 4 or 3 strength cards?

I'm also curious how he broke through Italy *and* France so easily. Why not launch a coup on some battleground country to prevent him from doing further re-alignments / coups in France and Italy?

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:24 pm

Jow wrote:Outta curiosity, does the "no chance" thing happen often with this game? Been considering picking this one up for years and am definitely NOT a fan of games that are predestined.

Nah, you can usually turn things around given a bit of luck and good planning. For example, unless the USSR really screws up, they generally have the upper hand in Europe early on. However, later in the game, the US can really make European life a living hell for the Soviets (NATO, all those Solidarity / Pope cards, etc)

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:41 pm

NickAragua wrote:
Jow wrote:Outta curiosity, does the "no chance" thing happen often with this game? Been considering picking this one up for years and am definitely NOT a fan of games that are predestined.
Nah, you can usually turn things around given a bit of luck and good planning. For example, unless the USSR really screws up, they generally have the upper hand in Europe early on. However, later in the game, the US can really make European life a living hell for the Soviets (NATO, all those Solidarity / Pope cards, etc)

+1...although for me it was the other way around.

Zarathud as the USSR was taking a beating on South Asia and Asia scoring in our last game the first few turns. Around turn 5 he started locking down the Middle East (take away the US foothold in Israel and it's a bitch to get back in there) and I just gave up on that region and concentrated on maintaining my hold in Asia and getting him out of South America. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late by then and I went under by the final turn.

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:48 pm

With my current temporary daytime work schedule, I have brought out old card games with the kids after dinner. Family Business, complete with lousy accents and jokes (the kids are fond of Munchkin Booty amongst other Munchkin games), was a huge success. We had the others in the house snorting laughter and earwormed chaosfaerie with Wassa Matta You

Boudreaux · Post by **Boudreaux** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:54 pm

Jow wrote:Outta curiosity, does the "no chance" thing happen often with this game? Been considering picking this one up for years and am definitely NOT a fan of games that are predestined.

No, it does not happen very often. It was shocking, in fact, how quickly the game degenerated and how quickly I was scrambling to make any headway. The USSR player typically has a bit of an advantage early on, but as the game progresses the balance of power and the effects of cards gradually shift in favor of the US.

El Guapo wrote:How exactly did he do this? I'm guessing that he re-aligned West Germany on his first action after the headline phase. But why didn't you just dump four (or at least 3) influence into West Germany immediately after? Did you not have *any* 4 or 3 strength cards?

He re-aligned both West Germany and France, and with huge margins in the die rolls. I lost almost all influence in both countries. I had nothing but 2 and 3 strength cards, and they were almost all USSR cards. Not only that, they were USSR cards that directly benefited him in Europe, cards like De-Stalinization, deGaulle leads France, and Socialist Governments. Every time I tried to add influence to reclaim countries, my cards actually benefited him more. Then he'd turn around on his turn and increase his control. Using USSR cards on Space Race was nearly as bad, because it did nothing to improve my position on the board.

I'm also curious how he broke through Italy *and* France so easily. Why not launch a coup on some battleground country to prevent him from doing further re-alignments / coups in France and Italy?

He didn't need to. Thanks to my terrible hand, he was nearly matching my influence with every card I played, without having to follow the rules of placing influence in controlled countries (he was dropping influence into US-controlled countries at will). Then he'd get his own turn to increase the lead even further. He was able to control West Germany and Italy within 2-3 rounds. France ultimately went up to something like 8-10 in influence, it was the only country I was able to keep him from controlling for awhile. Everywhere else he was able to add influence beyond the amount necessary to take control, which required me to add twice as much influence to break control as it took for him to reclaim. The Defcon never got low enough for me to coup/realign in Europe, and I never got a card that let me raise it.

Eventually, he took France but I was able to remove influence from a bunch of Eastern European countries, including East Germany and Poland. He immediately re-controlled East Germany, but left Poland uncontrolled which was the only thing that kept him from winning outright. I had the Europe scoring card in Turn 3 and was desperate for a chance to play it during a round where he did not have Control. When that turn finally came I didn't even have presence, thanks him playing Suez Crisis (remove 4 influence from France, the UK, and Israel). I scored Europe, and even though he didn't win outright he gained 11 points and surged way into the lead. I could never get a decent enough hand to recover. Once we hit Mid-war I had nothing but USSR cards and US cards that focused on Central/South America, and even there I could never get much of a foothold.

Seriously, at one point I wondered whether he'd accidentally removed all of the US cards from the Early War deck, because I couldn't remember seeing ANY of them. They were just coming out in ways that never benefited me. Truman Doctrine? There were no uncontrolled countries with USSR influence. NATO came out too late, he already controlled most of Europe. Marshall Plan came out too late, too. Basically, all the good USSR cards came out early and all the good US cards came out way too late.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:07 pm

Sounds like you got ridiculously boned by the luck of the draw there, then.

Yeah, Boudreax's game is a pretty extreme example that's atypical of the game. Yes, the USSR usually gets an advantage in Europe in the early war as Nick noted, but not *that* big.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:28 pm

Twilight Struggle usually involves a lot of tension points where things turn one way, then another. Getting 11 points scored against you is huge -- victory comes on a 20-point score difference. Maybe the solution was to score Europe early in the turn before things got too bad, but there's always the chance your opponent will eventually have to play a card that will help you.... My sense is a lot of Twilight Struggle strategy comes down to knowing when to make a run on the different regions.

The Rocketman · Post by **The Rocketman** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:48 am

Jow wrote: Outta curiosity, does the "no chance" thing happen often with this game? Been considering picking this one up for years and am definitely NOT a fan of games that are predestined.

For what it's worth, I know this game has a great reputation, but it's the only game I have ever traded away. By this I mean it's definitely not for everyone. It is TOO strategic and deep for me and my gaming group. So definitely not a "let's have some beers and fun" type of game. But that's just my opinion off course. I like simple games more. With pretty stuff. And miniatures. I'm shallow

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:20 am

The Rocketman wrote:
Jow wrote: Outta curiosity, does the "no chance" thing happen often with this game? Been considering picking this one up for years and am definitely NOT a fan of games that are predestined.
For what it's worth, I know this game has a great reputation, but it's the only game I have ever traded away. By this I mean it's definitely not for everyone. It is TOO strategic and deep for me and my gaming group. So definitely not a "let's have some beers and fun" type of game. But that's just my opinion off course. I like simple games more. With pretty stuff. And miniatures. I'm shallow

That's a fair assessment. GMT games in general are more wargame-ish. However, TS's learning curve is much lower than the majority of their catalog. I'm still slogging through the rules for The Successors so I can get it onto the table at some point.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:10 am

7 Wonders came in and suddenly I'm going all hepcat. I ordered it 51st State and Stronghold yesterday and I haven't even played two of the last three games I bought.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:36 am

LordMortis wrote:7 Wonders came in and suddenly I'm going all hepcat. I ordered it 51st State and Stronghold yesterday and I haven't even played two of the last three games I bought.

Don't forget to bring Stronghold to Octocon as I really would like to play that. We'll get in a game or two of 51st State that weekend too.

Speaking of 51st State, make sure you check the rules thread on Boardgamegeek.com for the errata and other rules related updates. The translation from Polish to English is decent, but it still has some small issues. The designer and the guy who wrote the English manual frequent the thread and are really helpful. I've posted a couple of questions and received quick answers. My only remaining issue is that I don't believe that Universal Resources should be treated like a 5th resource in the game, which seems to be the general consensus on bgg.

Also, the designer has stated that an expansion is coming in 2011 that puts direct interaction between players into the mix.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:48 am

I will try to remember to compile a list of games to possibly bring... Of course, we haven't even organized how OctoCon is going to work this time around so game space will be in question. Remus said he was out for volleyball in one thread and then he posted he was in another thread. Redrun is trying to organize a long Chicago weekend that weekend as well and last I knew chaosraven's work schedule was in crazy mode and kinnetikid has a new job. I think that covers everyone I might commute with... I can drive, but my car, being an economical car powered solely by hamsters and rubber bands, doesn't really drive any real distance with more than two adult males. And so this trip will actually require organization amongst our chaotic few, organization that is not likely to happen until the Thursday before we leave and which I won't find out about until Friday morning.

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:19 am

I will be taking vacation or awols for that weekend.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:07 pm

Chaosraven wrote:I will be taking vacation or awols for that weekend.

I am also guaranteed as I have already requested the time off work. Now would probably be a good time to get commitments form others (May isn't that far away)... Or not. Like I said, I can drive but realistically my car can only drive me and one other on that long of a trip. That's the price you pay for an inexpensive car with good gas mileage.

redrun · Post by **redrun** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:55 pm

LordMortis wrote:
Chaosraven wrote:I will be taking vacation or awols for that weekend.
I am also guaranteed as I have already requested the time off work. Now would probably be a good time to get commitments form others (May isn't that far away)... Or not. Like I said, I can drive but realistically my car can only drive me and one other on that long of a trip. That's the price you pay for an inexpensive car with good gas mileage.

-- I've got the Friday off from work. I can drive, but my car is smaller then yours, so I'm not the best choice. I might just drive out myself for the visiting and such. I'll get in touch with my neice and figure out what my plans are... er, I know I won't be staying at her place, so I'll be looking for a roomshare. (She's great, her husband is great, the less then 1 year old kid - he'll be great someday.) I will want to visit with the neice, and I can't go to Chi-land without visiting Cloud Gate - but most of the time will be gaming.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:29 am

No matter how it works then we can make it work. Worse comes to worst we both drive. I'll try to take this to the Octocon thread so as not to spam this thread.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 2:10 pm

Trying to set up a Mansions of Madness game for tonight. Getting dizzy.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 2:54 pm

I'm going to the next boardgame meetup that coop introduced me to. The girl I have been dating specifically asked if I was going after our second date on Wednesday, but deliberately avoided stating that she would definitely be there.

Daveman · Post by **Daveman** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:53 pm

Allllmost won my first game of Ghost Stories today, playing solo. I worked my way through the deck pretty well, but right before Wu-Feng was drawn 2 neutral players were dead and there was only one spot open on the board to place him. But I had 5 Chi, 3 black Tao tokens and a few others saved up, and only 1 village tile haunted (the one that lets you move a ghost/player around).

So I draw Wu-Feng and I get... um, forget the name, but it's the one that has to be placed (or moved) to an active Buddha before you can attack it

Sadly my Yin-Yang was used up, the village tile to de-haunt a tile was on the other side of the board, etc. I didn't have enough Chi to get the critical tile de-haunted, let alone pick up a Buddha, clear a space to lay it, then move Wu-Feng to it and kill him.

I think just about any other incarnation I could have dealt with

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:44 pm

Hey boardgamers...Tanga has 7 Wonders on sale for $36. Including 2 packs of premium sleeves. Great price for a great game. Only for a short time...

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:12 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:I'm going to the next boardgame meetup that coop introduced me to. The girl I have been dating specifically asked if I was going after our second date on Wednesday, but deliberately avoided stating that she would definitely be there.

If you're talking about the one tomorrow, I'll see you there.

yay more board games