Tabletop Randomness

[TheMix]

Sadly, I am 58.

Ah. For some reason I thought you were a year or two younger than me.

Edit: Top of page context

[hepcat]

No, I just have he maturity level of someone much younger than I really am.

[Holman]

No, I just have he maturity level of someone much younger than I really am.

And the hair of a 21-year-old!

Spoiler:

in a baggie in the freezer...

[hepcat]

Sadly, I have the bald spot of a man of 58 years of age.

[Smoove_B]

You know who's turning 50 and doesn't have a bald spot? Dungeons and Dragons:

The first edition of tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons was released 50 years ago this year.

Since then, the game’s publisher, Wizards of the Coast, estimates that over 50 million people have played.

And it’s changed a lot since 1974. It was a pastime of nerds in the ‘80s and in part fueled the “Satanic Panic,” a time when concerned parents and news outlets linked the game teen killings and witchcraft.

It’s become more mainstream after featuring in Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things. It also made its way to the big screen multiple times since 2000, most recently with 2023’s Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

During the pandemic, it became a popular way for friends to stay connected through virtual campaigns held on Zoom or on ‘virtual tabletop’ websites like Roll20. NBC reported that D&D product sales rose 33% in 2020.

That momentum continued after lockdown into 2023, as Baldur’s Gate 3, a video game based on D&D, exploded in popularity, reaching over half a million concurrent players at its peak in September of 2023. It went on to win Game of the Year.

The rest of the article is shared stories from five different people about how D&D was/is part of their lives.

[Blackhawk]

It’s become more mainstream after featuring in Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things.

I think they're underestimating the impact that Critical Role had on the resurgence of D&D.

[Smoove_B]

Yes, but also no. What I mean is that it absolutely helped increase interest, but at the same time it also increased interest in a specific type of D&D play. I have nothing against Matt Mercer or the CR crew, but the way they play is alien to me; they're actors playing a game. I'm not saying it's not genuine, but they're playing to entertain an audience. If I ever played a D&D game like that in private, I'd be exhausted and I don't think it would be enjoyable.

I do think (but can't prove) that Critical Role is partially responsible for the insane demand there now is for DMs but that no one can seem to find one. I think players (new? old?) are expecting a typical D&D session to look and feel like Critical Role and that's not something many (most?) DMs are capable of encouraging or creating.

I think Stranger Things sorta reminded everyone what their first D&D game was probably like and for those that never played as kids or teens, showed them what it most likely was like.

[baelthazar]

Sadly, I am 58.

Wait, what?! What are we doing for your big 6-0?

[TheMix]

Sadly, I am 58.

Wait, what?! What are we doing for your big 6-0?

Vegas trip, obviously!
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Where we will grab the early bird dinner special between sessions of board gaming in the hotel room....

[Isgrimnur]

I hear there's a number of boardgame conventions in large cities.

[hepcat]

When I hit 60 I’m going straight to Golden Coral. Where I’ll apply prison yard rules to establish my dominance. I’ll march up to the largest senior there and knock him( or her) flat cold. This will ensure that I get my choice of seating during that crucial 3 o’clock early bird special period from that point forward.

….I mean, it worked for me in daycare.

[Zarathud]

hepcat will be at GenCon. Come for dinner with the hepcat, and play some games!

[hepcat]

"Who's that old guy with the cane and the torn up copy of Pax Renaissance II screaming at the kids to dress more appropriately!?"

"That's hepcat. Don't make eye contact or he'll....ah shit, too late, here he comes!"

[hepcat]

Happy Halloween!

[Blackhawk]

I cosplayed that at GenCon!

[Skinypupy]

One thing I've started to realize about myself over the past couple weeks, as I've tried learning the half-dozen games I got for Christmas. I don't really enjoy learning new games.

I'm totally fine if I have someone who can teach it or if there's a really good (i.e. Rodney Smith) "how to play" video, but I generally really struggle trying to piece together how to play from an instruction manual. I do think part of the problem is that most manuals these days are terrible, but I'm also finding that I just don't really enjoy reading about how to play.

Guess I'm far more of a visual learner than I thought.

[hepcat]

Oddly enough, learning a new game is part of the fun for me. I like nothing more than to grab a beer and sit down with a brand new rulebook. When I was a kid, I'd actually buy RPG books just to read too. So I've always been weird.

[Skinypupy]

I do ok with manuals or tutorials that actually walk you hands-on through the game. Gloomhaven JOTL was one of the best examples of this. It had you actually jump in and start playing a simplified version that gradually introduced layers of complexity that built on the basics. It was an excellent way to wrap one's head around lots of different gameplay elements. Imperial Assault is another good example. Granted it's app based, but my 11-year-olds were very easily able to understand because it had you actively moving, fighting, and leveling as you play.

What I don't do well with are manuals that walk through a bunch of game systems, but don't really describe how all those disparate parts come together into a gameplay flow. The HOMM3 board game arrived this week, and the manual for it is a prime example of this. It describes how movement works, then describes the leveling process process works, then describes resource management works, then describes how combat works, but it never ties them together. It feels like I'm reading about systems from four entirely different games that are completely separate and disconnected pieces. It never walks through how all these things flow together for an actual gameplay turn, but instead just throws a "turn order" sheet at you and hopes for the best.

I'm finding the latter to be much more common than the former, sadly.

[YellowKing]

I don't particularly enjoy learning new games either as it can be a significant time investment. However, I've come up with a recipe over the years that works pretty great for me.

1. Watch a how-to video (nuts and bolts set up, how to play, etc)

2. Read the manual cover to cover

3. Watch a playthrough video (to see how the game actually flows, get a sense of the strategy, etc.)

4. Play a throwaway session. This is a no-pressure session in which I make a best effort to get through it, but don't get hung up on rules minutiae. This is me reinforcing what I watched in the playthrough, getting a first-hand feel.

Usually by the time I get through these 4 steps, I have the foundational ruleset pretty ingrained. Then during my first "real" session I'll stop and look up rules if a question comes up.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, I've become heavily reliant on Youtube videos but they can be a mix - many are filled with tons of errors. But usually I get enough from them to give me some visuals to whatever is in the manual. My buddy swears by the online tool where you upload the game manual as a PDF (assuming you have one) and it kicks out answers to any questions you might have - like how to set things up to get started or what a round looks like.

[Skinypupy]

Yeah, I've become heavily reliant on Youtube videos but they can be a mix - many are filled with tons of errors. But usually I get enough from them to give me some visuals to whatever is in the manual.

All the HOMM3 how-to-play videos are either from the initial prototype 2 years ago, or are from folks with such heavy accents that I can barely follow what they're saying. I found a playthrough from a French guy that's pretty good, so I'm giving that a shot along with reading the manual again.

[hepcat]

I just picked up the Arkham Horror LCG campaign Feast of Hemlock Vale after watching a glowing review of it. I used some credit I still have at a local game store after their last auction where I sold a bunch of stuff. They don't discount, so I paid retail for it. 70 bucks. When I opened the box, I found a few small deck of cards and a campaign guide. Definitely NOT 70 dollars worth of stuff though.

I realize it's worth whatever people are willing to pay, but sheesh...

[baelthazar]

I've been struggling with having space for painting and gaming in my home office, so I finally moved my 3'x3' wooden table to a wall to be my painting station and then picked up a cool gate-leg Kallhall table from Ikea to put in the middle of the room to be my gaming/hobby table. So far, I am loving the setup because the table top can be put down, making the profile only around 8 inches, one side can be put up - giving me back my 3x3 or I can put up both sides and get a full 3'3"x 4'10". I was resorting to using TV trays to get extra space for certain games and this should be a good solve.

Here is what it looks like:

[Isgrimnur]

That sure is a tabletop.

[TheMix]

But is it random enough? That could be the question...

[Fardaza]

That looks nice! And practical.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, I switched to a Norden gateleg, also by Ikea - it has the added bonus of drawers on both sides in the center - for my office to use for gaming and painting. It's been a huge asset over the last ~3 years. It's not nearly as large as what you can transform into and there are definitely games I wish it was bigger, but it's definitely a better option than what I was using. I feel like for gamers or hobbies in general, they're a great solution.

[baelthazar]

Yeah, I switched to a Norden gateleg, also by Ikea - it has the added bonus of drawers on both sides in the center - for my office to use for gaming and painting. It's been a huge asset over the last ~3 years. It's not nearly as large as what you can transform into and there are definitely games I wish it was bigger, but it's definitely a better option than what I was using. I feel like for gamers or hobbies in general, they're a great solution.

My wife has a Norden (the cool wooden one) and it is longer, but not as wide. Since I need more width and my wife needs more length (I said what I said), I was happy to go with the cheaper option (Kallhall is $100 less). This one has metal legs, which is cool, and the fabric middle piece is where I put the surprisingly comfy folding chair.

Look this was both a tabletop and random non-sequitur from the topic above. I feel like I won the thread.

[baelthazar]

It is big enough to fit Arydia (which arrived Saturday) on one side.

[Smoove_B]

Look this was both a tabletop and random non-sequitur from the topic above. I feel like I won the thread.

At least we can agree that gateleg tables are great.

[hepcat]

I just found out Alan Emrich passed away recently. In addition to being one of the minds behind Master of Orion (and also famous for coining the term 4x strategy game), he was a board game designer/educator that started the fantastic game studio Victory Point Games quite some time ago. They specialized in smaller but still deep games like Nemo's War, and an extensive series called the State of Siege that covered both historical and fictional events. I own quite a few of their games and love them.

Alan Emrich, a designer and writer of board games and videogames credited with coming up with the term "4X" to describe sprawling, empire-building strategy games, has died. Emrich's death was reported by friends in a forum post on the wargaming community website ConsimWorld.

Emrich was a notable figure in the world of boardgaming: His bio at BoardGameGeek says he was the founder of boardgame publisher Victory Point Games as well as multiple tabletop gaming conventions.

He was also a significant presence in the early days of videogaming, working on games including Castles 2: Siege and Conquest, Warlords 2, Conquest of the New World, and Master of Orion 3. His most recent credit listed on MobyGames is as a design consultant on the 2016 Master of Orion remake.

As well as making games, Emrich also wrote about them, which is where I came to know his work: He served as a longtime editor on Computer Gaming World, the preeminent gaming magazine of the 1980s and '90s, including as its first-ever "On-Line Editor." It was in those pages that he made what I would consider his most enduring contribution to the form, although it's unlikely anyone realized it at the time: Creating the term "4X," which continues to be used today to describe the subgenre of strategy games in which economic development and expansion is as important as military conquest.

While he didn't use the term directly, he very clearly laid its foundation in his September 1993 review of Master of Orion (via CGW Museum), calling it a "quadruple-X" game, a play on the unofficial triple-X rating applied to porn flicks.

[YellowKing]

Awww that's too bad. I met him at GenCon in 2018, not knowing who he was. We were walking past the Victory Point Games area and I exclaimed "Nemo's War! I WANT THAT ONE!" I was a bit excited because A) it was my first GenCon and B) Nemo's War had been on my want list a long time. Alan heard me and said, "Well we can fix that right up for you!" He then guided me over to a copy and hooked me up with a bunch of promos.

Later I came back by and he went through a full tutorial for Nemo's War with me. Super nice guy. It wasn't until I got home and was reading BGG forums that I realized he was Alan Emrich, designer of the revamped Nemo's War and so many other great games. I thought he was just some rando VP games volunteer.

Rest in peace, good sir. I still adore Nemo's War and have bought every single thing they've ever released for it. And that chance encounter is still one of my favorite GenCon memories.

[hepcat]

Yeah, he sold me my copy of Darkest Night at Origins. I also didn’t realize who he was until later.