OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

[Smoove_B]

As you can see, I have finished the video and uploaded it. I did it off the cuff in segments with no retakes. Vertical video was chosen as a stylistic choice. No dogs were harmed in the making of this video.

Excellent. Now I know you're right handed; database updated.



But seriously, that's pretty interesting. You should run a KS.

[Isgrimnur]

At best, it's worth a BGG post if I get motivated enough to figure out a better basing strategy.

[Smoove_B]

I was thinking about some kind of wire rack - like a dish drying rack that would fit in the grooves. But that's not easy to store and you'd need a few. Those legs are definitely key, though the prepper in me appreciates having cans of food ready in case of emergency.

[Isgrimnur]

The squares underneath are ~15/16" wide internally, so I imagine that the aforementioned 1x1s or appropriately sized dowels would work for supports. Just have to base them. Wood circles bases and a spade bit would probably work with the appropriate sizes.

[Tao]

Good video Isgrimnur. This definitely has promise although I am pretty sure I would leave it connected. I keep thinking there should be a way to use PVC to construct a stand or frame to set it on that would be sturdy.

Oh and I find it marvelous the lengths you have now gone to in order to win an argument on the internet.

[Isgrimnur]

1/2" PVC is actually 13/16 in. in outer diameter. That would allow you to hacksaw your way to any height you wanted to, and allow you string together a structurally-sound stand in a variety of heights.

And I'm as surprised as you are. I'm a software guy. I normally only solve problems in meatspace when required to.

[Isgrimnur]

And now I'm planning a weekend trip to Home Depot for PVC pipe and fittings.

Since the fittings are larger than the pipe, I should increase the size of the pipe on the bottom for any horizontal pieces to ensure good contact.

[Blackhawk]

You did get much better results than I did:

[Isgrimnur]

You just need more vegetables.

[hepcat]

We really should start a new thread called "OO Boardgamers, what did you play ON this weekend?"

[AWS260]

Last night I played Escape Plan, about a gang of crooks trying to escape a city after a successful heist. Whoever leaves town with the most cash wins. Everyone's money is hidden in locations all over the map, so you dash around trying to collect as much as possible before heading to the exit, all the while dodging trigger-happy cops.

Escape Plan is... a lot. You need to visit businesses to collect cash, work your contacts to avoid the police, keep your notoriety in check, collect keys from your safehouse, use those keys to unlock lockers full of money at the convenience store (?!?), hire local gangs for protection, pay a fixer to activate special abilities, visit the hospital to patch up your wounds, etc, etc, etc.

There are a lot of moving parts, but they are mostly intuitive. Not every option is available on every turn, so the decision space isn't as intimidating as it seems.

Really fun overall, although I'd like to try it with more players. We played the 2-player version, which includes a third AI player to clog up the map and keep things tense. It works pretty well, but I suspect that a third human player would have been better.

I ended up in second. While I did a great job of collecting cash, I escaped with sky-high notoriety and seriously wounded by the cops, both of which pulled down my score. The next time around, I might try a more cautious play style.

[Smoove_B]

Did you ever play The Big Score? I remember looking at Escape Plan when it came out and my assessment was similar - it was rather complicated. The Big Score is thematically similar and was a blast to play. I'd recommend it if your group was mixed on Escape Plan but liked the them. Though, my experience was with 4 (not 2).

[AWS260]

Interesting -- I hadn't heard of The Big Score before. I don't think it would fly with this particular group, since they like heavier games, but maybe I'll get to try it with the family sometime.

Caper is another good heist-themed game. Simple rules, attractive production, plays great with two players.

[hentzau]

Played several games of D-Day Dice Pocket on Tuesday night. It's a fun little dice chucker, and the game comes with two flavors, cooperative and battle.

Co-op is played out in six rounds, on six different beachheads (represented by cards). Each round is another sector on the beach, and each sector will have special rules (if you want to play with the advanced rules. The special rules make it harder.) At the top of the round, the first player rolls a number of Axis dice, 2 for the first sector, adding one die for each additional sector. These dice are identical to the six dice that each player has. After the roll is made, each player has 3 rolls of their six dice to exactly match the dice the Axis has. Simple enough.

There are also specialists that you can recruit using a RWB. An RWB is rolling 3 of a kind on a red, white, and blue die. These specialists are vital for the later sectors, because they can be used to change die faces, colors, give extra re-rolls, etc. We played through about 3 rounds of this, and had a good time. Great game for in-between games.

The battle version is a press your luck version of the game, where you start with rolling 2 Axis dice and the battlefield die. The battlefield die will give you either multipliers for your score, force you to advance/retreat, or make you lose a die. Same deal, you have to match what the Axis dice show with 3 rolls. RWBs will get you medals that you can use to affect rolls, or you hang onto them for points at the end of the game. If you're successful in matching the Axis dice, you score as many points as you matched dice (multiplied by any multipliers.) You then have a choice of retreating, scoring the points you have banked, or advance, adding another Axis die and going at it again. If you lose at any time, you lose any points you have banked.

We didn't like this one nearly as much as the Co-op version. Might be different with more players.

Recommended, depending on the eventual price point it gets released at.

[Skinypupy]

Mage Knight has been taunting me from the shelf since I got it for Christmas. Pulled it out this morning to at least start figuring it out.

I’m 2 hours into sorting everything and reading the Walkthrough guide, and I think it has broken my brain. I’m starting to understand the basic structure (I think), but the endless wave of specific, granular rules feels damn near impossible to keep up with.

Part of the challenge comes from what they give you in the box. While I appreciate having all the xpacs as part of this package, they don’t do a good job of delineating what is base content and what is expansion stuff. For example, the Walkthrough guide says I’m supposed to have 28 advanced action cards. I’ve got 44. Am I supposed to mix them all together? Are there some I’m supposed to keep out? Does it matter?

I think this game will be cool, but figuring it out is...a lot.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Mage Knight has been taunting me from the shelf since I got it for Christmas. Pulled it out this morning to at least start figuring it out.

I’m 2 hours into sorting everything and reading the Walkthrough guide, and I think it has broken my brain. I’m starting to understand the basic structure (I think), but the endless wave of specific, granular rules feels damn near impossible to keep up with.

Part of the challenge comes from what they give you in the box. While I appreciate having all the xpacs as part of this package, they don’t do a good job of delineating what is base content and what is expansion stuff. For example, the Walkthrough guide says I’m supposed to have 28 advanced action cards. I’ve got 44. Am I supposed to mix them all together? Are there some I’m supposed to keep out? Does it matter?

I think this game will be cool, but figuring it out is...a lot.

Yeah, Mage Knight's learning curve is undeniably steep. Alas, you're absolutely correct about the game bursting at the seams with nonintuitive granular rules, and the included documentation does little to clarify the learning process. Perhaps the best place to start would be watching Ricky Royal's Mage Knight video walkthrough series. I'd suggest watching them through, then try a couple of solo games, and maybe watch the videos again to catch if you're doing anything wrong. And here's a card list for the Ultimate Edition that should help differentiate the cards of the base game from the expansions.

Personally, I much prefer Star Trek: Frontiers (AKA Trek Knight) over Mage Knight though, as it's a little more streamlined (e.g. no more day/night cycle, only 3 basic colours of mana/data crystals, being able to attack from an adjacent space, and taking wounds and defending in combat is much simpler and easier). The modern Star Trek theme seems more fitting and engaging than Mage Knight's prosaic fantasy too, which also eases the learning process a wee bit.

[Skinypupy]

Perhaps the best place to start would be watching Ricky Royal's Mage Knight video walkthrough series. I'd suggest watching them through, then try a couple of solo games, and maybe watch the videos again to catch if you're doing anything wrong. And here's a card list for the Ultimate Edition that should help differentiate the cards of the base game from the expansions.

Thanks for the card list.

I started watching the Ricky Royal videos, but without having read the Walkthrough first and familiarizing myself with the components, I actually ended up more confused. Now that I have a better general sense, I'm going to check them out again and see if they make more sense.

Personally, I much prefer Star Trek: Frontiers (AKA Trek Knight) over Mage Knight though, as it's a little more streamlined (e.g. no more day/night cycle, only 3 basic colours of mana/data crystals, being able to attack from an adjacent space, and taking wounds and defending in combat is much simpler and easier). The modern Star Trek theme seems more fitting and engaging than Mage Knight's prosaic fantasy too, which also eases the learning process a wee bit.

I'd love a simpler/streamlined version, but actively dislike Star Trek.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Personally, I much prefer Star Trek: Frontiers (AKA Trek Knight) over Mage Knight though, as it's a little more streamlined (e.g. no more day/night cycle, only 3 basic colours of mana/data crystals, being able to attack from an adjacent space, and taking wounds and defending in combat is much simpler and easier). The modern Star Trek theme seems more fitting and engaging than Mage Knight's prosaic fantasy too, which also eases the learning process a wee bit.

I'd love a simpler/streamlined version, but actively dislike Star Trek.

Yeah, that's unfortunate, as Star Trek: Frontiers might've otherwise been a better fit for you.

But now that you've gone over the 'First Reconnaissance' walkthrough, hopefully the Ricky Royal videos should help you grasp the basic gameplay fundamentals. When playing through 'First Reconnaissance', just focus on discovering the city rather than trying to score points. Then stick with base game solo conquests until you learn the ropes (don't forget to check out Ricky Royal's solo conquest playthrough, too). Rest assured, you will get the hang of it eventually, and it's worth the effort to surmount the intimidating learning curve. Stick with it, and you'll be rewarded with one of the best solo boardgame experiences around.

[Malificent]

My copy of Cthulhu: Death May Die arrived on Saturday and our group played 4 sessions, losing 3 and winning 1. 2 of the losses were quick and brutal. The 4th game was our single win and we felt like we had gotten at least comfortable with strategy. For that combination of Elder God (Hastur) and scenario (Season 1, Episode 2) anyway. But we all had a blast and are looking forward to playing again soon.

Meanwhile, I now have a bunch more minis to paint. I need to take a vacation to paint.

[Skinypupy]

Finally got it on the table and finished my first game of Mage Knight. Woo hoo!! Have to admit, it’s a damn good feeling when it finally clicks (especially after a few hours of manuals and walkthroughs).

Got through the initial mission, although I’m 99% sure I was missing a few things, especially in combat. Some of the mobs had icons that I couldn’t for the life of me find what they meant. I basically just played this first game with “base” enemies (disregarding their combat mods), which helped me get the feel of combat. Next time, I’ll start mixing in their resistances and other effects.

I know I’m relatively new to the hobby, but this game makes every other game I’ve ever played look as simple as Candy Land by comparison. The hardest part is figuring out to keep track of so much at once. Definitely a bit overwhelming, but I’m sure it’ll get easier with practice.

Gonna need a bigger table too.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Finally got it on the table and finished my first game of Mage Knight. Woo hoo!! Have to admit, it’s a damn good feeling when it finally clicks (especially after a few hours of manuals and walkthroughs).

Got through the initial mission, although I’m 99% sure I was missing a few things, especially in combat. Some of the mobs had icons that I couldn’t for the life of me find what they meant. I basically just played this first game with “base” enemies (disregarding their combat mods), which helped me get the feel of combat. Next time, I’ll start mixing in their resistances and other effects.

I know I’m relatively new to the hobby, but this game makes every other game I’ve ever played look as simple as Candy Land by comparison. The hardest part is figuring out to keep track of so much at once. Definitely a bit overwhelming, but I’m sure it’ll get easier with practice.

Gonna need a bigger table too.

Nicely done. That's no mean feat if you're relatively new to the hobby considering the Complexity Rating for Mage Knight scores in at 4.29/5 on BGG.

The game does indeed tend to be a bit of a table hog. When I'm not in the mood for setting up and breaking down the physical game, I sometimes play using the Trek Knight mod for Tabletop Simulator. So if you own TTS, you may want to try out Mage Knight Plus (Highly Scripted) or Mage Knight (Tragic Edition v2).

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Had the first round of a "board game Olympics" yesterday. Eight players each picked one four-player game and everyone plays every game once (randomized which four players play together). The exception was 7 Wonders, which we played with all 8 players. 1st place on each event gets 6 points, 2nd 4 points, 3rd 2 points, last 1 point. Winner of the Olympics is the player with the most overall points after all eight games.

I played in three of the "events" yesterday: 7 Wonders (tied for 4th out of 8), Castles of Burgundy (1st), and Quacks of Quiddlinberg (2nd). Currently tied for 2nd in the overall standings with 12.66 points. The leader has 16 points (placed 1st, 2nd, 1st ). Left to play: Ra, La Grande, Carcassonne, Roll Player, and Brass Birmingham. I've never played La Grande and only played Carcassonne and Brass once, so I'm expecting to drop in the standings...

[Isgrimnur]

3/4"X1/2" PVC MALE ADAPTER MPTXS 4@0.79 3.16

1/2" X 10' PVC40 PE PIPE 1.98

Cut with a rotary pipe cutter, 1 foot lengths. The front right is not screwed into the corner block, as the molding has two protrusions interfering with that one corner.

[YellowKing]

Been getting together with a coworker to knock out some games at lunch. The last couple of weeks it's been Cthulhu: Death May Die. So far we are 2-0 against the first two scenarios, but man have they been close.

In both instances, I died before we won, and Terry saved the day with a last ditch effort. And in both instances, Terry's unique skill literally won the game for us. In Scenario 1 it was Rasputin's extra life that gave us the chance we needed, and in Scenario 2 Borden's Savage ability provided the 5 extra wounds against Cthulhu we needed just before he went insane.

It's amazing how balanced the game is to come down to the very end. Every time I have won or lost (roughly 6-7 games at this point), it's been with everyone right at the edge of the sanity track and teetering on the edge.

Terry also picked up ATLANTIS RISING, which I'm very eager to try out. We're going to hit that one next after we finish the Cthulhu: DMD core content.

[AWS260]

Lots of games yesterday. First was Res Arcana, an drafting, engine-building tableau builder with a Magic-esque vibe. I think there's a lot to dig into if you play it a lot, but I found it a bit too fiddly for my liking.

Then In Front of the Elevators, a quick, clever card game about family members lining up as they wait for elevator. Each new person usually has to go to the end of the line, but little boys cut in front of mothers, mothers cut in front of fathers, fathers cut in front of grandmothers, etc.

Cinecitta 1937 is another short card game, about building a movie studio. You have a hand of cards representing directors, actors, and other studio employees. Each turn, you secretly place one card and an amount of money into an envelope, and hand it to the player on your left. They can take the money and return the card, in which case that card is played onto your studio. Or they can take the card for their studio, paying you the amount of movie you had put in the envelope.

We closed the day with Navegador, an exploration-themed Euro with a stereotypically boring cover and beige board. I came in second by focusing on exploration and founding colonies, while the winner came in first by focusing on building churches and working the market. That sounds pretty dry, but I really enjoyed this one.

Terry also picked up ATLANTIS RISING, which I'm very eager to try out. We're going to hit that one next after we finish the Cthulhu: DMD core content.

I'm really interested in that one. Would love to hear your impressions once you've had a go at it.

[coopasonic]

Picked up Point Salad and ordered Dune and King’s Dilemma.

I love combo games with engines. Terra Mystica, Race for the Galaxy, Terraforming Mars, Eclipse and similar games get their grips into me hard.

I saw the SUSD review for King's Dilemma this weekend and it looks very cool. A quick search didn't turn up any follow-up, have you played it? Thoughts?

It's totally not my kind of game, being more story/negotiation than actual game (kind of like Fog of Love), but I liked Fog and I think I would like this too. Getting a 5-person game group would be a different kind of dilemma.

[hepcat]

It's a fun time once you realize it's all about the story, not the game really.

Also, if anyone in your group starts acting like a jerk because they've been drinking all day and they're now suffering from a horrible headache, just punch them. That's what Seppe and Zarathud should have done to me.

[coopasonic]

Also, if anyone in your group starts acting like a jerk ... just punch them.

Noted.

Yeah I get that it is not as much about the gameplay as it is about the story and roleplay. I am intrigued. Of course it also appears to be pretty scarce at the moment.

[Zarathud]

I like it. With 3, the bidding mechanism is pretty sparse. Only 1 person is committed to most votes and the others hoover up the extra influence or control of the agenda. Getting 4 would be better.

Usually, I’ve been at the losing end of the controversial votes. But I’m seeing where sitting on a bunch of influence and cash isn’t really getting me much. Each agenda values gold or influence or track position differently, so why not fight for what I value more and give up what I value least. I can see controlling the trend of the kingdom is going to build as we start hitting milestones.

The story arcs are flowing though. We’re going to be seeing some benefits next game from a particular vote. We can see where things may start going downhill or could create complications but the axes hasn’t fallen yet. But we can see the danger. Remembering what happened is easier than I expected.

The ending should get interesting as the story snowballs. Hepcat has been getting white crown VPs but I keep getting black crown Crave. If things go badly, that might mean I win. Or at least get to be in control. Or avoid the bad stuff. I have no idea. It should be fun.

[coopasonic]

I like it. With 3, the bidding mechanism is pretty sparse. Only 1 person is committed to most votes and the others hoover up the extra influence or control of the agenda. Getting 4 would be better.

Yeah I would be looking to play with 5, but apparently not for a bit as the SUSD review caused a run on the game.

[paulbaxter]

I normally play Gloomhaven every other weekend with my kids. Last weekend I finally retired my Beast Tyrant (motto: just stand still and enjoy the game from your starting spot), so I'm ready to take on something new next weekend. Going to be trying out the Doomstalker. Looks like tons of fun, honestly. So far the Berserker has been my favorite, but it always made me a little nervous to play around with death constantly. Just doing ranged attacks all day seems like a blast to me right now.

We still have three unopened characters, but might be about ready to face Mr Gloom.

I'm curious what other folks favorite characters have been so far.

[YellowKing]

I'm curious what other folks favorite characters have been so far.

We've beaten the campaign and started FORGOTTEN CIRCLES, so we've unlocked every character and I've seen all of them played.

I'll throw this in spoiler tags just in case, since technically unlocked classes are "secret."

Spoiler:

I've played Mindthief, Sunkeeper, Soothsinger, Plagueherald, and Diviner.

My sentimental favorite is the Mindthief, because he was the first character I started with and I've had the opportunity to play him a second time in the late game so I've seen all facets of play. He's just particularly well-rounded and with the right items is great at both ranged and melee. In terms of most "fun" of the classes I've played, he wins hands down.

However, I was surprised at how much I loved the Soothsinger. Her songs are ridiculously-powerful, and while she is true support (don't expect to kill much), the boons she granted our party were insane. Our group fired on all cylinders when I was playing her, as I could just keep stuff muddled and cursed to the point we almost never got hit. I almost NEVER play support classes in RPGs, but I grew very fond of just sitting back, throwing out an overpowered song, and watching my group tear stuff up.

The most complex class I've played so far has to be the Diviner from Forgotten Circles. I still haven't quite figured out how to play her effectively (though to be fair I'm only two scenarios in). She's very powerful, but you really have to understand your cards and play them in the right order to make her efficient.

[AWS260]

So, Age of Steam last night. It has without a doubt the most unforgiving economy I've ever seen in a game. Just brutal. I had a great time.

The gameplay is straightforward: you're spending money to building rail networks and increase your shipping capacity, and making money by shipping goods along your networks. But you start with nothing, and to generate capital you need to issue shares.

In addition, you bid for turn order, which is yet another money drain but can be crucial for your success.

To give an example of a typical first turn:

1. You issue two shares at five dollars each. +$10
2. You spend one dollar bidding for turn order. This puts you pretty low on the turn track, but at least you didn't spend much. -$1
3. You spend seven dollars building track between two cities. -$7
4. Because you're low in turn order, the best routes were taken, so you can only ship goods once this turn. +$1
5. Pay dividends on your outstanding shares, at one dollar each. -$2
6. Pay locomotive maintenance. -$1

Congratulations, you ended the turn with zero dollars! Guess you'll have to issue more shares next turn.

Eventually, you start make longer, more profitable deliveries, but it's a steep climb, with expenses climbing neck-and-neck with income. And the whole time, the other players are competing for the best routes, blocking your tracks with their own, and delivering the goods that you had been planning to ship.

At the seventh turn of our seven-turn game, my income finally outpaced expenses by $1. It felt like a triumph.

[coopasonic]

That sounds both dreadful and very interesting, like Ticket To Ride for gamers (or Ticket to Ride crossed with Power Grid).

I managed to skip out on the monthly board game meetup again. I guess it is just too many strangers for me. My social anxiety seems to be ramping up the older I get or maybe I just have started caring less about the consequences of just sitting at home.

I've actually started a discussion with some folks from work (and my wife) about doing a game day at my place. I don't know if it will go anywhere, but it's worth a shot.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Round 2 of the Board Game Olympics was yesterday. Played Ra (got 1st place) and Roll Player (got last place ). We messed up some rules of Roll Player which had a pretty big effect, but since we all played by the same messed up rules it is what it is.

I am still in 2nd place (out of 8) overall in the Olympics, but the lead between e first place player and me grew bigger due to my failing in Roll Player. Only 3 games left, so might be hard to catch up unless the first place player really stumbles.

[Malificent]

Played some more Near and Far (4 games out of 11 in the campaign done, yay!) and one quick game of Fire Rescue that we lost when the building collapsed around us.,

Finished last night with a game of Mansions of Madness, Path of the Serpent expansion so I could see all my new painted minis on the table. And it was glorious. Also helped by the fact that we won....kind of. We squeaked out a victory right before my wife's character would've been killed. But my character died just before that, so victory with qualifications.

[hentzau]

So, Age of Steam last night. It has without a doubt the most unforgiving economy I've ever seen in a game. Just brutal. I had a great time.

The gameplay is straightforward: you're spending money to building rail networks and increase your shipping capacity, and making money by shipping goods along your networks. But you start with nothing, and to generate capital you need to issue shares.

In addition, you bid for turn order, which is yet another money drain but can be crucial for your success.

To give an example of a typical first turn:

1. You issue two shares at five dollars each. +$10
2. You spend one dollar bidding for turn order. This puts you pretty low on the turn track, but at least you didn't spend much. -$1
3. You spend seven dollars building track between two cities. -$7
4. Because you're low in turn order, the best routes were taken, so you can only ship goods once this turn. +$1
5. Pay dividends on your outstanding shares, at one dollar each. -$2
6. Pay locomotive maintenance. -$1

Congratulations, you ended the turn with zero dollars! Guess you'll have to issue more shares next turn.

Eventually, you start make longer, more profitable deliveries, but it's a steep climb, with expenses climbing neck-and-neck with income. And the whole time, the other players are competing for the best routes, blocking your tracks with their own, and delivering the goods that you had been planning to ship.

At the seventh turn of our seven-turn game, my income finally outpaced expenses by $1. It felt like a triumph.

I haven't played AoS, but I have played Railways of the World and really love it. It can be a hell of a brain burner. I've wanted to get some of their expansions, but it doesn't hit the table often enough to justify buying them. But it makes me want to play the game again. Thanks for the reminder.

[paulbaxter]

For my son's birthday today we I took the boys to play laser tag. In the same shopping area there's a board game store, so I stopped in while they were playing. They were in the middle of a remodel and had a giant section of the store with some older games marked 75% off. We picked up Seasons and Thunderstone and something called Battleship Galaxies and a Dr Who dice game that my son picked out.

I texted one of my board game loving friends. She bought 11 games on sale.

Before all of that, we'd started playing a German card game called 6 Nimmt. Just a delightful yet simple card game. And somehow it seems to defy any ability to execute a strategy.

Had another Gloomhaven session when we got back home. Not to get too spoilery, but we might now fairly just call the game Haven.

[coopasonic]

Just finished a 4 player game of Escape from Colditz. It was the first time I played with more than 2 and with anyone other than Isgrimnur. It took 4 hours (I was the only one that had played before, playing the security officers) but it was a pretty tense affair. The polish managed to get their second POW out through a tunnel and over a wall with support from the english and americans with 6 turns left.

[Skinypupy]

I ran through another round of Mage Knight this afternoon. Just did the tutorial mission again, so I could get a better handle on the myriad mechanics.

I think I've got a good enough grasp to try one of the actual missions. Wish me luck.