OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:10 pm

I was definitely using the default decks.. I did no deckbuilding. I do remember some wonderfully timed card draws, like Gandalf exactly when I needed him. There was another card that prevented some other card effects (yeah, I don't remember the details) that I always seems to have when I needed it.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:17 pm

Smoove_B wrote:In the last week I've played six rounds of the Lord of the Rings card game base set - a game I hadn't touched since the Fall of last year. As a way to quickly re-learn the basics, we played through the starting scenario (difficulty 1 out of 7) and once again found the only way we could beat it was with a Tactics and Lore co-op. Tactics and Spirit failed nearly as badly as Tactics and Leadership. After two defeats, we switched back to the winning combo and beat it easily. Feeling confident, we tried the second scenario (difficulty 4 out of 7) with a Tactics and mixed 40 card Leadership/Lore deck that I found online. I think we lasted 7 rounds before the threat level catapulted over 50, in part thanks to the Hill Giant you start with in the staging area. A second attempt ended similarly. I then went back to using the core Lore deck and we made some progress over the next two attempts, but never actually completing the first quest.

This is easily one of the most punishing games I've played that doesn't have Old Gods in it -- somehow it seems to know exactly what to throw at you to completely send you into a tailspin. I feel like we know the rules and flow well enough now and that it's really coming down to the luck of our hands and the draw of the event deck. I'm feeling rather mixed about it, quite frankly as it feels like the balance is still firmly against the player. I have no interest in creating my own decks (which I guess is part of the attraction) and the deck I found online was seemingly useless. I really don't know how I feel about this game anymore as it's turning out to be mostly frustrating. In particular for this second scenario where my opening hand pretty much has to include a Sneak Attack card, Gandalf and the Forest Snare to try and deal with the initial threat of the Hill Giant. But even then, everything went crazy with a few Wargs and Goblin Archers that were able to attack and run without ever being counter-attacked.

It just feels like unless you have the right cards in your hand AND the right cards come up in the staging area there's just no way to recover.

Never heard of the game but now I want to play.

CSI don't have it (any more?) and the expansions look difficult to understand. Am I to understand there are 24 $20 expansions that are basically decks of cards in addition to 4 $40 sets for a total of about $600 for the full game as it currently stands. That sounds extreme much less for a card game. I must be seeing something wrong.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/ ... -card-game

Oh, I missed some of the Hobbit expansions...

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:19 pm

All you need is the core set to get you started. I can confirm beating the first scenario is possible with just the included cards. Others online have allegedly beaten the other two scenarios, but we're still struggling.

I would imagine if you like the game then yes, you can go down the rabbit hole and buy the 37 other boxes of cards available. It's one of the few games I've played completely solo and enjoyed. Those other expansions add more cards and adventures. What I find quite interesting is that the adventures themselves aren't necessarily about just fighting [X] number of creatures -- they definitely have more diversity than what I've seen from the Pathfinder card game (at least through Deck 2).

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:21 pm

CSI has it in stock:
http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/137070

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:24 pm

LordMortis wrote:Never heard of the game but now I want to play. CSI don't have it (any more?) and the expansions look difficult to understand. Am I to understand there are 24 $20 expansions that are basically decks of cards in addition to 4 $40 sets for a total of about $600 for the full game as it currently stands. That sounds extreme much less for a card game. I must be seeing something wrong.

The base set plus the first cycle of expansions was about perfect for a $100 order.

LotR LCG: Core Set (Fantasy Flight Games, No, New, B)
$26.99 $26.99
LotR LCG: A Journey to Rhosgobel Adventu... (Fantasy Flight Games, No, New, B)
$9.99 $9.99
LotR LCG: Conflict at the Carrock Advent... (Fantasy Flight Games, No, New, B)
$9.99 $9.99
LotR LCG: Return to Mirkwood Adventure P... (Fantasy Flight Games, No, New, B)
$9.99 $9.99
LotR LCG: The Dead Marshes Adventure Pac... (Fantasy Flight Games, No, New, B)
$9.99 $9.99
LotR LCG: The Hills of Emyn Muil Adventu... (Fantasy Flight Games, No, New, B)
$9.99 $9.99
LotR LCG: The Hunt for Gollum Adventure ... (Fantasy Flight Games, No, New, B)
$9.99 $9.99
LotR LCG: Khazad-dum Expansion (Fantasy Flight Games, No, New, B)
$19.49 $19.49

Total
$106.42
-$4.26
$0.00
-------------
$102.16

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:26 pm

coopasonic wrote:CSI has it in stock:
http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/137070

Weird. When I searched I came up with pages and page of LotR games and that was not listed.

...Tempted... My problem is I am obsessively a completest and 37 expansions doesn't sound like exaggeration.

...Still tempted...

45 Results

GACK!!!!

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:26 pm

LordMortis wrote:Oh, I missed some of the Hobbit expansions...

Yeah, there's a ton of stuff. I have the Shadows of Mirkwood cycle adventure series (6 decks) but haven't even touched them because we can't beat the second scenario from the base box.

I think I remember reading that the only initial recommended expansion that really opens up the game is Khazad-dum to the point where (I think) I remember seeing people wonder why these cards weren't included in the original box set.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:35 pm

The place I get games from seems to have the base sets for a bit more, but the expansions for significantly less. Though I gather some of you get perks for buying from CSI.

I don't want to come across as 'pimping'. But if you are interested I can put it out there as an option. I pick the games up from the warehouse, so I pay tax but no shipping. Not sure how shipping costs would factor.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:38 pm

LordMortis wrote:
45 Results
GACK!!!!

You don't buy into an FFG LCG 3 years later. You just don't. It hurts so much less to buy it as it comes out. Much like when I added up my total costs for the Pathfinder Card Game. I immediately stopped my sub.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:40 pm

TheMix wrote:The place I get games from seems to have the base sets for a bit more, but the expansions for significantly less. Though I gather some of you get perks for buying from CSI.

I don't want to come across as 'pimping'. But if you are interested I can put it out there as an option. I pick the games up from the warehouse, so I pay tax but no shipping. Not sure how shipping costs would factor.

I go for whatever is cheap. I tend to buy from CSI because of free shipping at $100+ orders and I get something like and additional 2.5% discount based on volume of past orders. They've done goofy things with breaking up orders and billing me in advance for pre orders that they then don't guarantee. They also often just discontinue older games that I may be looking for, so I have no loyalty to them but they are my baseline for pricing.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:41 pm

Yeah, looking at the expansion list for A Game of Thrones LCG makes me very glad that I never got into it. 74 by my count.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:31 pm

Tuesday I went over and hung out with my old pen and paper group for a board game night (I haven't been able to attend the P&P sessions since I got sick.) We did King of Tokyo with the Power Up expansion, plus two games of Castle Panic with Wizard's Tower.

The first CP went poorly, but we were able to win the second match with one tower left. We were surprised - a badly timed Troll Mage caused us to lose all six walls in a single turn toward the middle of the game.

Tonight, a couple of friends came over here. We ran a couple of King of Tokyo + Power Up games, a Ticket to Ride 1910 game, and a Small World. I won Ticket to Ride, and came in second on Small World. It is only the second time we've played Small World, and I'm still trying to get a handle on strategies. There is a lot of depth there, but it looks like it will take some experience to know how to approach it.

I will say that Power Up adds a ton to Kind of Tokyo. It actually makes different monsters play differently, which is something that the base game needed badly.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:44 am

The trick to Small World is knowing when to fold 'em. Often your best move is to start over earlier than you want.

Ertic · Post by **Ertic** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 10:53 am

wonderpug wrote: Hoping to make it again soon! Was there anything in my list of games besides Shadows Over Camelot you think your crew would want me to bring?

WP,

I know I like trying anything new. I know you mentioned your Star Wars stuff as well, which I imagine would go over well. Bring it all! Lol

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:14 pm

Zarathud wrote:The trick to Small World is knowing when to fold 'em. Often your best move is to start over earlier than you want.

I started getting a handle on that aspect yesterday. Starting with Spirit Humans and *something* Ghouls helped.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:33 pm

Ertic wrote:
wonderpug wrote: Hoping to make it again soon! Was there anything in my list of games besides Shadows Over Camelot you think your crew would want me to bring?
WP,

I know I like trying anything new. I know you mentioned your Star Wars stuff as well, which I imagine would go over well. Bring it all! Lol

Woops, meant to say Defenders of the Realm! Hoping to bring that by if I can make it tonight.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat Aug 02, 2014 11:08 pm

wonderpug wrote:
Ertic wrote:
wonderpug wrote: Hoping to make it again soon! Was there anything in my list of games besides Shadows Over Camelot you think your crew would want me to bring?
WP,

I know I like trying anything new. I know you mentioned your Star Wars stuff as well, which I imagine would go over well. Bring it all! Lol
Woops, meant to say Defenders of the Realm! Hoping to bring that by if I can make it tonight.

SpaceLord · Post by **SpaceLord** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:44 am

My latest obsession is Impulse. This game, designed by Carl Chudyk, is a fast, 2-6 player 4x card game.

Chudyk’s other big games, Innovation and Glory to Rome, have their fans, and just as many detractors. Personally, Innovation is a big favorite of mine. Everyone I’ve taught Impulse to so far, however, has liked it.

In Innovation, players are space-faring races looking to exploit the galaxy for profit. The first player to 20 points wins the game immediately.

Starting from their corner of the map, players move their ships between and onto cards, building actions onto the board, and sharing a queue of actions called the Impulse.

There’s several ways to score points:

• Destroying any ship, and/or winning a battle is worth one point.
• You can Trade cards from your hand for 1-3 points.
• Sort of like Race for the Galaxy/Eminent Domain, you can Mine/Refine cards for VP.
• Patrolling the Core can be worth points as well, and you can Occupy the core for quick VP.

It’s fast, it’s tactical, and really, really good.

If you like Innovation or GtR, I’d suggest taking a look. It's fast, taking less than an hour, it’s also cheap(25 bucks) and comes in a small box.

I give it 7 of 8 tentacles.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:46 am

I had a gaming weekend!

On Saturday, I taught my wife Reef Encounter. I haven't played this in years, and it's kind of a pain to teach, since the whole thing is circular and interrelated. Fortunately, she prefers to learn by doing, so I taught it as we went, which worked out well. We wound up finishing with tied scores, and decided to just leave it a tie instead of figuring out the tiebreakers.

On Sunday, we did Wiz-War, which neither of us had played before. I smashed all the decks together, and played with most of the original rules variants. Turns out I lost on the second turn, when she cursed me with Slow Death. That card makes the target take a damage whenever they draw a card. That's a huge damper on things when you don't have a way to remove it, and fishing for one costs you life. I also sucked at drawing anything except energy cards and counterspells. I liked it, but I think I may want to pull Slow Death and thin out the number of counters to keep things more smash mouth. My wife did okay, though it's hard to answer questions without looking at the cards in her hand. Hopefully she'll try it again.

Also found out that the FLGS near me just dropped all their prices to be very close to online prices. They had Crusoe priced at $60, and with the $5 birthday coupon they gave me, I convinced my wife to let me pick up a copy for $55. The tradeoff was that she's going to hold onto Fire in the Lake until Christmas.

I tried out a few rounds of a solo game, and I liked it, though I need to print out a player aid. I can see this game amusing me for a while.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 12:07 pm

Got to play Lords of Waterdeep with both expansions and 6 players. So different than when my wife and I play it 2-player. It took me a while to adjust to how little you can do each round in comparison, but I had a lot of fun and eked out a win by 1 point thanks to some luck, a well-timed mandatory quest, and my strategy to hog the harbor on the last round so nobody else could play their Intrigue card collections.

Then we moved onto King of Tokyo. Loved it. It's going on the Amazon wishlist.

Final game of the night was Rampage, which is one of the most hilarious games I've ever played. Loved it.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:32 pm

On Saturday, I played good old Kremlin with my cousins -- always a good time. It wasn't the most exciting game ever, since the party chief was seriously ill for most of the game, but the machinations of the Politburo are always good for plenty of laughs.

Unintentional Batman · Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:20 pm

We played a few games of Alhambra on the weekend. One of those games that I can get even my less geekish friends interested in (alongside Carcassone), so we had a bit different group playing than usually, which was nice.

Also, bought (but didn't get a chance to play yet), the three Dollar replica of the original version of Steve Jackson's Ogre. It's a nice thing, my old Ogre got lost in a move many years ago so getting to play this should be a blast.

Moat_Man · Post by **Moat_Man** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:12 am

A bit late to the party but I picked up Alien Frontiers 4th Edition and the Factions expansion recently. We just finished our third game and it is holding up well. Moat_Girl made some really good moves but went into the lead a bit too early as Moat_Boy took her down a notch which allowed me to slingshot past everyone with a crazy six point last turn (2 colonies down that took control of two territories, 1 alien artifact VP card, and 1 Agenda card).

I am reasonably (read: very) competitive but even I felt bad about that soul crushing come from behind victory. I *almost* wanted to throw the game to let one of the kids win. I don't want them to get discouraged but I also want their victories to mean something. Does anyone else ever have that feeling?

Boudreaux · Post by **Boudreaux** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 8:39 am

Moat_Man wrote:I am reasonably (read: very) competitive but even I felt bad about that soul crushing come from behind victory. I *almost* wanted to throw the game to let one of the kids win. I don't want them to get discouraged but I also want their victories to mean something. Does anyone else ever have that feeling?

Yes, all the time. It's a challenge. I'll go easier on the youngest, it's more about him having fun than winning or losing. My older kids get the more competitive me. I won't always make the most optimal move, especially if they just made a really dumb one. Sometimes I will, as a teaching point. Sometimes, they get the full treatment. One of my kids really likes Summoner Wars, and he's played it a ton on his iPod. When we play the board game version, I don't hold back. I don't think he's won yet, but he still enjoys playing.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:23 pm

Bought Formula D a couple of weeks ago and that was a hit with the family. It's so simple that they learned the rules in like 5 minutes. I don't know how long it will last, but it's a pretty fun diversion when you don't want to get deep into something. The only thing I regret is that they had Mystery Express and I almost bought it. Found out later that it's out of print and sells for well over 100 bucks online if you can find it.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:29 pm

Good. Next time I run a forum game, you can join the drivers.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 11:11 am

I'm slightly nervous that I haven't heard anything about my Dead of Winter preorder. I ordered at the end of May through Plaid Hat. Copies arrived and shipping started on Tuesday, with lots of people getting shipping notice emails. Copies actually started to arrive in Michigan this morning.

I still haven't gotten a shipping notification email. I know it's a small operation, so it's totally possible that packaging and shipping is still going on, I just haven't seen any confirmation of that via BGG or Plaid Hat directly. Part of me wants to email them and check. The reasonable part of me says just wait another day or two. Of course, there doesn't seem to be a way to check order status on the store page either.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:02 pm

I got a shipping notification on mine. I would check in with Colby or check your spam filter. The email is from Stamps.com but has Colby's name on it.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 1:49 am

baelthazar wrote:I got a shipping notification on mine. I would check in with Colby or check your spam filter. The email is from Stamps.com but has Colby's name on it.

I got one of those on Monday, it arrived today. Turned out to be my Kickstart'd "Run, Fight or Die!" game shipped via CSI.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:17 am

I just sent and email to see what's up. No email's turned up, and I've been checking my spam filter since Tuesday. I'm hoping that it went out, and there was just a hiccup in generating the shipping notice email. Finding it sitting on my doorstep when I get home would be sweet.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:11 am

baelthazar wrote:I got a shipping notification on mine. I would check in with Colby or check your spam filter. The email is from Stamps.com but has Colby's name on it.

Is the shipping notification from Colby Dauch? I got one of those a few days ago and had no idea what it was for.

Did I buy Dead of Winter???

I think I have a problem...

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:18 am

Yeah, supposedly that's what it looks like.

Hey, if you don't want your copy, feel free to send it my way!

Actually, there was a guy on BGG offering to trade someone his Study in Emerald for Dead of Winter. I'm kinda tempted by that, since DoW should be cheaper and way more available than Study in Emerald.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 10:22 am

MonkeyFinger wrote:
baelthazar wrote:I got a shipping notification on mine. I would check in with Colby or check your spam filter. The email is from Stamps.com but has Colby's name on it.
I got one of those on Monday, it arrived today. Turned out to be my Kickstart'd "Run, Fight or Die!" game shipped via CSI.

Well, hell. Turns out I did pre-order Dead of Winter as well so must still be on the way!

(arrived today!)

SpaceLord · Post by **SpaceLord** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 10:58 am

hentzau wrote:
baelthazar wrote:I got a shipping notification on mine. I would check in with Colby or check your spam filter. The email is from Stamps.com but has Colby's name on it.
Is the shipping notification from Colby Dauch? I got one of those a few days ago and had no idea what it was for.

Did I buy Dead of Winter???

I think I have a problem...

Yeah, it said "Colby Dauch has sent you a package." Mine should arrive today.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 11:23 am

They misfiled my order, and it hasn't gone out yet. They're sending it out today, which is good, but it means I won't be able to muck with it over the weekend.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:05 pm

Chaz wrote:They misfiled my order, and it hasn't gone out yet. They're sending it out today, which is good, but it means I won't be able to muck with it over the weekend.

Move out of the wilderness of NH and over to civilization in OH and you can play my copy (with me, of course).

The game looks like a huge winner - BSG meets Zombicide meets, oddly enough, Alien Frontiers. My only caveat is that I don't think it is going to be all that great as a 2-player, which I fully expected. Yes, it probably still is playable, but may not truly shine. Still, I look forward to getting this out at some point with a group of 3 or more.

I hear the KS of Heroes Wanted is going out soon. Did anyone back that? I'm curious about the game, but have far too many games coming soon to jump on it.

MythicalMino · Post by **MythicalMino** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:03 pm

Played a 4 player game of Archipelago (with the War & Peace expansion). Such a great game...love the Evolution cards. Lots of fun, although, by the end of it, we were ready for the game to be over. We played the "medium" game, but it went on for a very long time, it seemed. Right around 3 hours or so...could be because it was our first game of it, though. Just a fun game, though. Heavy, but the complexity really didn't seem too bad. Even my two boys were able to figure it out for the most part.

We then pulled out Robinson Crusoe. One of my favorites ever, I think. This was just a 2 player game (also using Friday and the Dog). Played the Castaways scenario...got closer this time than any other time before...but still lost. I was the Explorer, and my buddy was the Carpenter. I ordered the Sailor and the Beach cards mini-expansions for it, so hopefully within a couple of weeks or so they will show up.

Boudreaux · Post by **Boudreaux** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 12:16 pm

MythicalMino wrote:Played a 4 player game of Archipelago (with the War & Peace expansion). Such a great game...love the Evolution cards. Lots of fun, although, by the end of it, we were ready for the game to be over. We played the "medium" game, but it went on for a very long time, it seemed. Right around 3 hours or so...could be because it was our first game of it, though. Just a fun game, though. Heavy, but the complexity really didn't seem too bad. Even my two boys were able to figure it out for the most part.

I so badly want to get Archipelago and the expansion. I played it once a few months ago and had a blast, there are so many interesting things going on. The fact that I'd hardly ever play it coupled with the expense - close to $100 for both - have stayed my hand so far. I really wish my kids would get interested in something besides superhero and dungeon crawl games.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 2:17 pm

I finally had the chance to sit down for a solo game of Crusoe to figure out what's going on. Playing as the Cook, I was SOO close. I was on round 11, was going to get the wood filled up, and should have been able to re-make fire that round for the win. How the hell my fire managed to wear out, I dunno, but there it was.

Then the gorilla that had been skulking around my camp that I forgot about popped up and hit my big fat cook for his last three points of health. Crap.

Hilarious goings on:
-a string of adventure cards popped out of the event deck all at once. Seriously, it was, like, five in a row. One card said everyone got diarrhea from eating berries. The next one said everyone was arguing with each other. Probably on edge because of the diarrhea.
-Friday found a treasure that turned out to be a cursed bowl. Stupid Friday. Fortunately, he manage to chuck it into the ocean or something before anything bad actually happened, so good for him?
-My cook completely blowing his build rolls for the furnace at least three times, and once for trying to increase weapon level to 4. Of course, that was the one that killed us.

I like this game.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:57 pm

I showed up too late to get into the game, but I watched the second half of a game of Dead of Winter. They won and every player completed his secret objective, none of which were particularly exciting. It just didn't seem that interesting. They lost 3 survivors in one turn and nobody cared. It seems like that shouldn't happen in a survival game.