OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

[Skinypupy]

Yeah, honestly that's what scares me about Middara. While Middara should be a little less brain-burn from the puzzle side, it's still a lot to keep up with. I've given up on campaign games before due to the upkeep (Folklore: The Affliction, and to a lesser extent Sword & Sorcery), so I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking going in on Middara.

I thought about that last night as well. I think (hope) that the Final Fantasy/JRPG theme and extensive story elements are likely to go a long way towards lessening some of that concern with Middara. I backed it when I was still completely new to board games and exploring what I might and might not like. if I had it to do over today, I'm not sure I would have thrown in for that Kickstarter.

I always like the idea of big, complex campaign games, but it's pretty rare that I actually buckle down and finish one of them before getting frustrated and wandering away. My shelf is littered with unfinished campaigns at this point. LotR: JiME, Sword & Sorcery, ToEE, Dungeon Alliance, Gloomhaven JoTL, original Gloomhaven, Imperial Assault Hoth xpac, Descent, Altar Quest, etc. While I'd give most of them a thumbs up and think they're still fun to bust out for a scenario or two, I just don't have the patience to actually play through an extended campaign. Especially with games where the difficulty ramps (and ramps and ramps) in the latter stages.

[baelthazar]

I am anxiously awaiting Middara (supposedly the boxes are in Indy right now, waiting to be shipped), but I sort of worry about weight too. I busted out Shadows of Brimstone and really enjoyed it, since it is a good mix between fiddly and fun, but found the set up and organization to be the biggest barrier for playing. It also has a lot to keep track of, so many small bits, rules exceptions, and pieces. In many ways, other than the setup, this is why I really like Core Space - it does streamline some of the management to a fairly easy flow (comparatively speaking).

If I hadn't started painting the minis, I might consider selling Altar Quest. I need to get more time with it, but I just feel like something is "off" in the way it plays for me. It reminds me of what I didn't like about the D&D games (e.g. Castle Ravenloft) in the ""open a door, there is a trap that has a global effect in the room" type of abstraction, and mixes the "puzzle" card-play aspect of Gloomhaven with luck-based rolls in a strange way. It could be that the theme doesn't appeal - particularly after I realized the enemies could basically be replaced with the Muppets (Kermit a Giant Frog, Miss Piggy and her Pig Warriors, Baby Count and his Mom).

The last two days, I have been hitting Robinson Crusoe pretty hard. I have yet to be victorious in the Castaways scenario, playing the solo rules with Friday and the dog. I love how fast the game plays (I think I could finish it in about 45 minutes to an hour) but I am struggling with all the little rules that are not noted on any sort of reference guide. I don't know if the solo rules with Friday and the dog are harder, if I am just bad at the game, or if I am forgetting something (or doing something wrong), but the game is just brutal. I might try playing two-handed, since I am finding that the dog is great in the beginning but sort of sucks halfway through, when I need more gathering and building. Overall, though, I am super happy with my purchase, and you all are right that the game is truly something everyone needs. I remember owning the old pre-Portal version and, I don't know if I was just inexperienced or if the rules got an overhaul, was so intimidated by the book. Now I feel much more confident, despite still being uneasy with every little nuance.

[Skinypupy]

It could be that the theme doesn't appeal - particularly after I realized the enemies could basically be replaced with the Muppets (Kermit a Giant Frog, Miss Piggy and her Pig Warriors, Baby Count and his Mom).

I really like Altar Quest, but admit to playing it with a few house rules so I don't end up throwing it through a window in frustration.

[YellowKing]

I feel like Altar Quest was one of the rare KS bullets I dodged. I went all in on Street Masters Aftershock, and though I really love the premise and the mechanics and the maps and the minis, I haven't gotten to the table enough to even scratch the surface of the content. It seems like every time I try to do so, I somehow get bogged down in setup and rules and I just end up not having fun.

I did play Street Masters one time with a group and had an absolute blast, so I know the game is fun. I'm just not sure that for me it's a good solo fit.

[tylertoo]

I've been on the fence about Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade because I'm not a fan of "beat your score" games, but everyone I know who has played it loves it. And the low price point certainly helps "tilt" me in the right direction.

For what its worth (and I know some folks don't like the guy) but Tom Chick reviews the game on this podcast.

https://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2021/ ... -imperium/

I listened a while back, and from what I recall he generally liked it (and is a pinball nerd).

[malchior]

I almost feel bad posting this as I don't think you can get copies now unless you were a KS backer and/or you're willing to pay absurd prices. I think it's slated for retail release, but that might not happen until May-ish (if I'm remembering correctly). What's the game? Sleeping Gods.

The May release date held up. It was actually supposed to ship 2 weeks ago but the usual shipping delays got it. In any case - it's out. My copy is arriving on Sunday!

I've been on the fence about Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade because I'm not a fan of "beat your score" games, but everyone I know who has played it loves it. And the low price point certainly helps "tilt" me in the right direction.

For what its worth (and I know some folks don't like the guy) but Tom Chick reviews the game on this podcast.

https://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2021/ ... -imperium/

I listened a while back, and from what I recall he generally liked it (and is a pinball nerd).

It's not that I don't like him but basically I'm opposite of him. Anything he likes I hate and vice versa.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, it's nice to see Sleeping God is finally hitting retail. I finished the tutorial mission but need to get it back to the table. I really enjoyed it, despite being a ridiculous table hog.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I'm finally dipping my toes into the world of Roll and Writes. I've tried a few and haven't enjoyed them. I would say I'm not a gamer that enjoys playing 'beat your score" type solo games . I just don't like chasing points or point salad games in general.

However after doing more research, I decided to give Fleet a try, specifically the new second edition. From what I understand the changes are minor, mostly clarifications.

These types of games apparently don't make for exciting screen shots, but I figured with this you can see all the choices you have at the start of the second game as I've barely crossed anything out.



For solo you're playing against an AI that makes very specific decisions. It felt complicated at first, but after a round, it totally makes sense. Basically, the AI captain is trying to undermine your efforts and limit your options for scoring. It does so in specific ways, based on what you roll and what round it is as they move around the pad and focus on different, specific scoring elements to disrupt.

And honestly, that's why I like this game (surprisingly). The dice rolling adds enough variation each round so you're not just making the best decision - it's not always possible. Instead you have to change your strategy each round based on not only your rolls but your turn order as you're alternating with the AI for who goes first.

Fundamentally each round you're looking at what you can do and running through options to see what makes the most sense or what would have you ultimately scoring the most victory points. There's just so many options and so many different ways to score it really feels quite strategic each round. Choose one option and you're making money and possibly unlocking bonus actions. Or choose another and you're getting more victory points or additional income in future rounds (which can give you more free actions). If you don't take another option, the AI will and that will potentially hurt you in future rounds. It's just a never-ending cascade of running through possibilities. It sounds paralyzing (and I guess it could be for the wrong person), but I actually found it to be a quick and enjoyable game. I'm actually considering playing it with others, which is also unusual!

I know I said I hate point salads and score chasing, but for whatever reason it really works for me in this specific game. Maybe it's the theme or maybe the design. Possibly both. I'm now more open to looking at other Roll and Write titles, but as near as I can tell this seems to be one that stands out among fans.

Anyway, I share because it just goes to show that sometimes there's a game that you'll still like even if its not normally in your wheelhouse (intended). That being said, I still don't think Euros are for me, solo or otherwise.

[$iljanus]

So I was able to get in two games of the gore fest that is Zombicide 2nd Edition. After doing the tutorial to reacquaint myself with the system I played the first official mission from the core set. If I can indulge in some "off topic" miniature painting discussion I decided to take a "spray and play" attitude towards painting the minis which was essentially priming with an acceptable color, doing a primitive attempt at zenathal painting of the survivors using rattle cans, washing with an acceptable tone and playing. Taking this approach actually let me do some other things with them like a simple painting of the zombie bases followed by dry brushing them with a matte black to dirty them up. And the fatties and abominations were brushed with Army Painter quickshade which had some pooling in places and a shiny varnish which I'll dull in the future but I liked the final result. Even the shininess of the varnish reminded me of a polished stone figurine so I didn't mind it too much. I really liked the freedom of just doing a quick prime and wash because the figs are markedly improved from their unpainted state, you still get to play around with painting things as the mood suits you but you're not overwhelmed by having to painstakingly paint to completion a truckload of minis and most importantly you get to actually play the damn game!

So here's some pics of my adventure in zombie killing:

Strolling around the neighborhood



None shall pass! The survivor had a Molotov so I was letting the zombies get to a critical mass before incinerating them.



Time to go! (unfortunately didn't have a Molotov when this guy popped up so had to lead it on a merry chase around the map while I gathered objectives)



And some zombies just wanted to make friends



I forget the differences between 1st and 2nd edition but all in all it was quite a bit of fun to play. Rules were simple to pick up, no shortage of action and finishing the objectives and getting off the map was a near thing at the end when that abomination showed up which is just how you want to end a Zombicide session. I have the two campaign expansions as well (Washington ZC and Fort Hendrix which have zombies that shoot at you ) Looking forward to playing an actual campaign and using the day/night rules to add to the fun. Also have the reboot box which contained additional survivors which are primed and ready to play and some different zombies and abominations which I still have to prime. And I have the presidential survivors which need priming. Looking forward to playing Abe Lincoln, Zombie Hunter. Obama as well. Trump, not so much.

[Skinypupy]

So, I started my Middara campaign on Saturday and played through the first four missions (the tutorial, basically). A few initial thoughts:

1. This game is incredibly beautiful. Probably the best in my collection in that regards. The artwork is stunning throughout, and the boards, tokens, and minis are all very well done. I especially love the way they've used glossy vs. matte finishes. Even the smallest tokens have a glossy finish that makes parts of them stand out (i.e. a lightning bolt, a lantern, etc.). It makes the whole game look amazing on the table. My only real gripe is that Remi's mini is way too big. Her wings overlap into two adjacent squares, which makes her really difficult to use. I have begrudgingly set her aside and am using her cardboard marker instead.

2. So far, I really like both the setting and the story. There is a ton of detail and world building, and the story segments between each mission really bring the characters and the world to life. It's well written and really interesting, and feel like long story segments between the action during a Final Fantasy game. JRPG fans will probably love it, but it may test the patience of those who don't enjoy that sort of thing and want to jump immediately into the action. Oh, and the campaign book is HUGE. Like, ridiculously huge...nearly 500 pages. This is a game that requires your full attention, definitely not a casual "jump in and jump out" sort of game. Also, I haven't used it, but having a narrated version of the story segments available is a nice touch.

3. The game feels completely overwhelming at first, but I've been pleasantly surprised how it all flows very smoothly once you get the hang of a few basics. There's still a lot to remember (the rule book is 80 pages, after all), but it's pretty intuitive after 2-3 scenarios. I thought I would have to switch to a 2-character variant due to the complexity, but have decided to stick with playing all 4. I'm sure there's some synergies that I've missed out on, but it seems to flow very smoothly so far.

4. Between the myriad equipment and skills, there seems to be a nearly infinite amount of builds. I'll admit to having a bit of analysis/paralysis here, along with the concern that I may end up gimping a character in the long run due to some bad early choices. Hopefully that can be mitigated by a respec or two, but the level of choice in how you progress is a little intimidating.

5. The gameplay is an absolute blast. It's simple enough (get a set number of skill points each turn, and spend those SP to move, attack, cast spells, interact, etc.), but the range of skills and abilities allow for a ton of flexibility in how you approach each battle. The enemy AI seems to be very good as well, making smart, logical decisions about how to engage. It does suffer from some of the standard RNG swinginess you see in any dice-based dungeon crawler though. RNGeezus was especially angry with me last night, seeing two characters get one-shotted on poor rolls to very basic enemies. Frustrating, but it happens (thankfully, I was able to use Remi's flying ability to sprint for the exit and make my escape before TPKing). I've heard lots of people complain that it's too easy overall, but that's actually a positive in my book, as I prefer my games to skew easier than harder.

In short, my first impressions are excellent, and I can't wait to get back to the table tonight to continue the journey. While I've cooled on big campaign games over the last year, this one is definitely worth checking out.

[Smoove_B]

I'd only echo your thoughts. I'm really looking forward to getting all my updated materials, likely in June from FunAgain. On paper, I really shouldn't like this game (because of the theme) but the combat mechanics were at just the right level for me in terms of complexity. And yeah, the books it comes with are absurd. I'm quite curious to hear how development is going for the next two chapters and hope they can maintain momentum!

[YellowKing]

Thanks for the impressions, Skiny!

It's going to be tough to resist playing this before getting the minis painted. I may run through some Crawl mode to get the hang of it before starting the campaign and to give me time to at least get the heroes painted up.

[Malificent]

Thanks for the impressions, Skiny!

It's going to be tough to resist playing this before getting the minis painted. I may run through some Crawl mode to get the hang of it before starting the campaign and to give me time to at least get the heroes painted up.

I'm working through painting minis for Chronicles of Drunagor, which folks in BGG seem to love as well. So we'll play some Tainted Grail while I paint Chronicles. When I'm done with Chronicles, we'll play Chronicles while I paint my friend's copy of Middara. Always painting one long campaign while playing another. And who knows, maybe I'll get caught up. But I'm happy to hear Middara getting positive feedback from folks. I trust your opinions.

[Skinypupy]

I trust your opinions.

See, there's your first mistake.

I do think Middara will resonate spectacularly for some folks, and completely clunk for others. I sent some pictures to my brother (who has a 400+ board game collection) as I was unboxing it on Saturday, and his general response was "hell no".

If you like games that have big, epic, involved campaigns with fun combat and a ton of customization, this is a complete no-brainer. If you don't generally like ameritrash, dungeon crawls, or big overarching games, this likely won't change your mind.

[hepcat]

I just got my box. Good Lord is it huge.

I'm still not sure what prompted me to back it. While I do love long campaign games, dungeon crawlers and Ameritrash, I really dislike JRPG stuff. Hopefully the artwork/characters/monsters take a back seat to good game mechanics though.

[Malificent]

I trust your opinions.

See, there's your first mistake.

I do think Middara will resonate spectacularly for some folks, and completely clunk for others. I sent some pictures to my brother (who has a 400+ board game collection) as I was unboxing it on Saturday, and his general response was "hell no".

If you like games that have big, epic, involved campaigns with fun combat and a ton of customization, this is a complete no-brainer. If you don't generally like ameritrash, dungeon crawls, or big overarching games, this likely won't change your mind.

Big? Epic? Campaigns? I'm all aboard that train.

[hepcat]

Question on Middara for those who have played. Can you "lose" during the campaign in such a way as to force you to start the whole thing again?

[Skinypupy]

Question on Middara for those who have played. Can you "lose" during the campaign in such a way as to force you to start the whole thing again?

Curious about this as well.

I like the fact there's instructions when you lose a specific scenario (i.e. try it again, move to the next at a disadvantage, etc.), but I have no idea if there's the equivalent of a final GAME OVER screen here.

[Smoove_B]

Endings have been an interesting topic of discussion for us here at Succubus. First, we wanted to avoid making players simply try again when they lost an encounter. After all, performance is moot when you always start over when you lose. However, we wanted to temper that idea with the possibility that you could in fact simply be murdered by failing certain encounters, or making specific decisions. This has pushed us to find a middle ground of sorts.

In Middara, you’ll find a handful of Endings. These will typically be telegraphed so that players will have a good idea when losing an encounter could result in one. In addition, the only time we’ve utilized them in our story is when it’s the only reasonable outcome for the current situation the players find themselves in. When we can, we usually have more long term negative effects occur as opposed to simply ending the story. This might be the death of a character, the loss of items, or a flag that changes something in the future.

The idea behind endings is to provide an ultimate end to continued poor performance and poor decisions. While we might not expect our average gaming group to start over a 60 hour adventure when they reach an ending at hour 40, our play-testers certainly did.

[Skinypupy]

One other thing I forgot to mention. It's probably just my old eyes, but I'm having a hell of a time reading the coded sections of the campaign book that require the red film. I had to download a magnifying glass app on my phone just to be able to see them. Will be interested to see if any of you run into that.

I did notice that my red film lens was scratched as hell when it came out of the box, so I'm sure that's not helping. Someone at BGG said these work really well, so I ordered one yesterday. I figure it's worth a try for $5.

[Skinypupy]

Looking for a quick Middara rules clarification. Is there any sort of "engagement range" for mobs? Or do they simply begin marching towards you when it's their turn on the Initiative track, regardless of where they are on the map?

I had a scenario last night where an Animate mob was on the opposite side of a 6-tile map and had no line of sight to any of my characters. It (obviously) had no available attack actions because it was so far away, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to:

a) Use the "move towards the nearest opponent" Golden Rule and have it start moving towards me to engage, or
b) Wait until it gets line of sight before taking any actions

Couldn't find any clarification in the rule book, figured someone might know.

[Smoove_B]

a) Use the "move towards the nearest opponent" Golden Rule and have it start moving towards me to engage, or
b) Wait until it gets line of sight before taking any actions

This was something (I think) that people were complaining about in the original release - that you could cheese your way through some combat scenarios by positioning yourself in a specific location to avoid AI activation. I had thought they were addressing it with (a), but maybe I'm not clear?

EDIT: Yeah, it's (a):

We’ve added a new Golden Rule to prevent our AI from being abused. The following has been added as our fourth Golden Rule:

“No Actions Available
Sometimes, a Combatant will be Attacked from a position where they cannot retaliate or won’t act as none of their AI Steps are true. In these cases, if a Combatant has been the target of an opponent’s Attack, Spell, or Ability and has no true AI Steps on their turn, add the follow to the bottom of their Card. “Otherwise: Move towards the nearest opponent. This figure may jump up to 4 spaces during this movement.”

[Skinypupy]

a) Use the "move towards the nearest opponent" Golden Rule and have it start moving towards me to engage, or
b) Wait until it gets line of sight before taking any actions

This was something (I think) that people were complaining about in the original release - that you could cheese your way through some combat scenarios by positioning yourself in a specific location to avoid AI activation. I had thought they were addressing it with (a), but maybe I'm not clear?

EDIT: Yeah, it's (a):

We’ve added a new Golden Rule to prevent our AI from being abused. The following has been added as our fourth Golden Rule:

“No Actions Available
Sometimes, a Combatant will be Attacked from a position where they cannot retaliate or won’t act as none of their AI Steps are true. In these cases, if a Combatant has been the target of an opponent’s Attack, Spell, or Ability and has no true AI Steps on their turn, add the follow to the bottom of their Card. “Otherwise: Move towards the nearest opponent. This figure may jump up to 4 spaces during this movement.”

Yeah, I'm guessing that a) was the fix. I just wasn't sure if that started on the very first turn, or if you had to be within a certain range for the monster to begin their movement. Thematically, it seemed a little odd to me that mobs from the complete opposite side of the map who couldn't even see my party immediately started moving towards me, but I guess that's what they do.

Seems like it would make sense to at least wait until there was either line of sight or a specific range (i.e. double the SOI, or 8 squares). That wouldn't cause the AI to be abused because the moment I came within either line of sight or range to attack, it would also trigger the mob to start acting.

[Smoove_B]

Seems like it would make sense to at least wait until there was either line of sight or a specific range (i.e. double the SOI, or 8 squares). That wouldn't cause the AI to be abused because the moment I came within either line of sight or range to attack, it would also trigger the mob to start acting.

I think by doing it their way it stops the player from always having the advantage - being able to attack first all the time before the AI can retaliate or respond in any way. If they're always going to actively move towards you, there's always a chance then that they can see you first and do something (depending on the turn track).

[hepcat]

Is there an optional rule for putting pants on some of the characters? Also, is there a way to play against some of the enemies without feeling like a pervert if someone sees you playing?

Sheesh, this game has some questionable clothing choices. I guess that's part of the JRPG aesthetic though.

I'm going to play it still as you folks are saying the game itself is fun. But I doubt I'll be doing it in public.

[Smoove_B]

They definitely go right up to the line, tap dance on it, and then step back. When I feel weird about it, I just look over at my miniatures shelf and see the KDM Sunstalker's penis tentacle creeping out over the ledge and I'm reminded it can be an interesting hobby.

[hepcat]

I think it's the questionable age of some of the characters that always creeps me out with this artistic style. I was thumbing through the giant quest book last night and a few of the scantily clad figures stuck out as REALLY young looking.

I've said it before, but I'm really glad I don't have kids. If I had daughters into anime, I'd be on constant high alert.

[Smoove_B]

I've said it before, but I'm really glad I don't have kids. If I had daughters into anime, I'd be on constant high alert.

Yeah, that's me. I know nothing about anime but she's watched dozens of different shows and hundreds of episodes. I've seen a tiny slice of some of them and I don't know what to make of it either. It's a whole different hobby (sub-hobby?) that I'm in the dark about.

[YellowKing]

I just look it as the Japanese engaging in their pervy schoolgirl fantasies again. <shrug> Never really bothered me I guess because I grew up playing JRPGs and watching anime. I have a hard time applying sexuality to cartoons - it doesn't really float my boat so seeing big boobs on a drawing doesn't titillate me so to speak.

[YellowKing]

Middara is here, and it's a big boy. So big, in fact, that when my wife saw the packaging she said, "Oh yay, another moving box!"

I've already decided this game's too pretty to put on the table without some paint on it. Immediately spray primed all the minis and will start on the heroes tonight.

Have also spent a good part of the day enjoying my friends' Kickstarter envy. It's nice to be on the other side for a change.

[YellowKing]

Another Middara question that has me totally confused.

The rulebook clearly states on page 38:

"At the start of EVERY new round, shuffle the Initiative Track." Later on it even repeats it: "Don't forget to shuffle the Initiative Track at the start of EVERY new round!"

Yet every playthrough and tutorial video I've watched, the player keeps the same initiative track throughout the entire encounter. What gives? Was this a change between 1.0 and 1.1?

[Smoove_B]

Yet every playthrough and tutorial video I've watched, the player keeps the same initiative track throughout the entire encounter. What gives? Was this a change between 1.0 and 1.1?

Yes, that was probably one of the biggest changes. They tweaked the enemy AI as well and changed how the Dodge skill worked. But I think changing the initiative track was the single biggest.

[hepcat]

Wait, what? They changed initiative track completely? Is this in the rulebook they sent us with the kickstarter?

Sigh...is this one of those damn games where I have to go wading through friggin' faqs and bgg postings to play the damn thing correctly?

[YellowKing]

Thanks Smoove, that clears it up. Having never played the game before, I'm OK with that change. Thematically it's closer to how initiative works in most JRPGs, and sounds like it will ramp the difficulty up being unable to predict the next round's turn order.

[Skinypupy]

It also mentions this in "Difficulty Tweaks" in the Variants section (page 72) as one of the "for an easier experience" tweaks.

Static Monsters: Don't shuffle the Initiative Track at the end of each round. Instead, Combatant's (sic) will always go in the order in which they were spawned.

[Smoove_B]

Sigh...is this one of those damn games where I have to go wading through friggin' faqs and bgg postings to play the damn thing correctly?

No, the only people that have to unlearn things are people like me - that played 1.0 rules, not the 1.1 rules that just shipped in the new core boxes. That's one of the advantages of waiting for KS reprints. In theory, you're getting the new/tweaked version!

Thanks Smoove, that clears it up. Having never played the game before, I'm OK with that change. Thematically it's closer to how initiative works in most JRPGs, and sounds like it will ramp the difficulty up being unable to predict the next round's turn order.

It did seem like the most easily exploitable element of the game when I started playing, so yeah, I welcome the change. But as SP mentioned, if things get too crazy with combat, maybe I'll just keep it the way they originally had it. I'm mainly playing for the story and the die rolling; I don't have any interest in really puzzling out a combat encounter aka Gloomhaven.

[hepcat]

Okay, i'm a little less steamed now after realizing it was just a rule about when to shuffle the initiative cards, not a change that says you don't shuffle them.

Also, puzzling out a combat situation is actually a strong point for me in these games (hence my love of Mage Knight, City of Kings, Gloomhaven, etc.). So now I'm more excited to try it this weekend.

I decided to start a solo game after reading that waiting for the KS2 box doesn't allow me to use the new characters in the campaign mode. They're for the crawl mode. Apparently the campaigns are intended for a specific set of adventurers, all of whom I have with the core box.

[hepcat]

Good lord, Middara is a table hog. I set up the start of my solo campaign earlier and realized rather quickly that the player area for the 4 adventurers was going to be huge. I think it’s the numerous cards you have in play. They’re not kept in hand, but rather laid out in front of their sheet.

Anyone have any suggestions for keeping this bad boy under control?

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, it's nuts.

I remember looking into printing out this player mat on BGG and laminating it, but didn't as the game arrived right as I was moving; it was chaos.

I was using two deck holder tray things to keep everything organized, but picked up a laser printed insert last year at some point during the pandemic. Things got weird, apparently.

It's a bit of a strange game in that sometimes your player area is bigger than the game board.

[YellowKing]

I'm still trying to figure out how to organize the damn thing, since the packaged insert is no help in that regard. I did manage to get most of the tokens in a slim Plano box that fits inside without too much lid lift, but the cards are still a hot mess and currently just in baggies crammed anywhere I could fit them. I've got all kinds of various organizers, pieces of foam, etc. I've used for other games that I may scavenge and try to hobble together some workable solution. It's just going to take some puzzling out.

I finished painting the four heroes (and let me tell you brother, they ain't going to win any awards), and am currently halfway through the Cave Sickles. That should be good enough to let me dive into the first Crawl Mode encounter this weekend.

P.S. Cave Sickles were easiest paint job ever. Large brush + Citadel Contrast Gore-Grunta Fur. Does it look like a splotchy brown rock? Ok good, that's probably what they look like. Let's move on.

[Skinypupy]

Seems like it would make sense to at least wait until there was either line of sight or a specific range (i.e. double the SOI, or 8 squares). That wouldn't cause the AI to be abused because the moment I came within either line of sight or range to attack, it would also trigger the mob to start acting.

I think by doing it their way it stops the player from always having the advantage - being able to attack first all the time before the AI can retaliate or respond in any way. If they're always going to actively move towards you, there's always a chance then that they can see you first and do something (depending on the turn track).

Had a scenario tonight that made me think that either we're reading this wrong, or the scenario is kinda glitched.

The initial scenario setup was 6 tiles, set up like below. My party started on the blue tile (SE) and an Animate mob started near a treasure chest in the red tile (NW)

X X X
X X X

If we're reading the rule correctly, the Animate on the NW tile would immediately begin moving towards my party on it's first turn. So my strategy was to let it come to me while I took care of a couple other mobs on the starting tile. The strategy worked, and it moved all the way across the map and got into range just as I took out the initial mobs (took a couple turns). I then dispatched it before moving on.

HOWEVER, the green tile had an encounter token that activates as soon as you enter. It says something along the lines of "The Animate (on the NW tile) that is guarding a treasure chest sees your party and begins lumbering towards you." But...that Animate had already lumbered towards me starting on the first turn, and I had already killed it. Makes me wonder if it's only supposed to start moving when I'm within a certain range.

Not a huge deal (the scenario was still fun), but I'd be curious which is correct.

One other quick question. I assume that you record loot on your adventure sheet and reset the loot deck at the end of each scenario, correct? Or do you only reset that deck when you hit one of the "Shop and Train" breaks in the story? It would make a difference in how likely you were to draw the unique loot cards if you didn't reset and had a bunch of basic gold cards in your inventory.

I've heard lots of talk about how incredibly easy this game is, but man, it's been absolutely kicking my ass. Part (ok, most) of it is just bad RNG, as I've been reduced from full health to 1HP twice now on shitty Conviction rolls with no way to mitigate. I'll be glad when I get a few more abilities and weapons that might actually be able to hit something. I'd say my rate of rolling high enough to actually connect on an attacks is somewhere below 50% at this point.