Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:39 am**

Apparently this was all the rage at GenCon (the cool kids would need to confirm that): The Isofarian Guard just hit KS.

It's a solo or 2 player "bag builder", heavy with narrative. You can upgrade your pledge to include access to the Forteller app and it'll actually provide voice-actor assisted audio for the game's narrative. What I think it most interesting is that they're using the same chip manufacturer as Chip Theory Games, so the tokens you pull from the bag are the same weight/style as Too Many Bones or Hoplomachus.

Regardless, it's nice to see more and more games coming out that are recognizing there really is a a solo market out there - not just a tacked on game mode to draw in a few more dollars.

Posted: **Tue Sep 10, 2019 1:01 pm**

I was eying this, but I'm trying to avoid expensive kickstarters like this until 2nd edition kickstarters (which seems inevitable at this point).

Posted: **Tue Sep 10, 2019 1:21 pm**

Man, that looks really fantastic. I was just about to pull the trigger on it, but jeez, December 2020? I know that's not that unusual, but it's become so hard for me to drop a hundred bucks on something I won't play for over a year. I guess I'll at least drop a buck to get access to the pledge manager.

Posted: **Tue Sep 10, 2019 3:24 pm**

Yeah, 15 months does seem like a really long development cycle. I thought about getting the app, but I'm impatient with being read to by a game when I can read it faster myself. It sounds like a really great idea for immersion though. I'm just doing the base pledge then without it and mentally assuming it'll be here in early 2021 with some more (but not all) of my Kingdom Death monster stuff from 2016.

Posted: **Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:01 am**

Slate

On Thursday morning, Kickstarter fired Taylor Moore, an employee who was one of the organizers of a unionization effort within the company. This was the second firing of a union organizer since last week, when Clarissa Redwine was also fired. Moore had been at the company for six years and Redwine since 2016, and both worked on the outreach team. Both had been heavily involved in the union effort since it began earlier this year. Moore and Redwine, according to four sources who work at the company, were both fired for what management alleged were performance-related issues.

Kickstarter would not specifically comment on Moore’s and Redwine’s firings and said it has not fired anyone for union activities. On Monday evening, Redwine and the Office and Professional Employees International Union (through which Kickstarter employees are organizing) filed an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the severance agreement offered to her by Kickstarter contained an illegally phrased nondisparagement clause. Kickstarter told Slate it has not seen the filing and could not comment.

Posted: **Sun Sep 15, 2019 12:47 pm**

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Aug 09, 2019 3:54 pm
Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Aug 09, 2019 11:38 am Hasn't been an update from Ulisses Spiele for the latest Aventuria KS in almost a month, but apparently they were selling copies of it at GenCon? There goes any faith I have in them to resurrect the Myth license.
That's disappointing.

It's pretty clear they DGAF about KS or backers of this game. The last update was telling us that they're really busy running KS projects and it's too hard to keep track of messages sent to them via KS so just email them instead. I'm just going to throw this out there - maybe don't run so many KS projects at once?

"Shipping started" and it looks like European customers have started seeing copies. No indication as to when US copies are coming and how we should expect them. Again, I've absolutely lost all faith in their ability to manage Myth. It's pretty apparent they're focused on licensed properties, not in-house projects.

Posted: **Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:03 pm**

Got a shipping notification that my Eclipse 2.0 matt has shipped. I was hoping for the actual game, but hey things are starting to ship.

They send it by wagon train, as it still has a week until it get's here.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:43 am**

I just backed a post-apoc 3D printer kickstarter. Welcome to Atom City

It looks close enough to Fallout terrain that if you squint real hard...

They have an interesting campaign going on, where as they reach milestones for stretch goals they send out a survey about what the next "area" of the wasteland they should explore, and base the stretch goals on the majority vote.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:46 am**

RMC wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:03 pm Got a shipping notification that my Eclipse 2.0 matt has shipped. I was hoping for the actual game, but hey things are starting to ship.

They send it by wagon train, as it still has a week until it get's here.

I've been seeing those mats on BGG and they look pretty great. I'm a little jealous. Had there been an option to order only the mat in the KS I would have jumped on it.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:54 am**

hentzau wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:43 am I just backed a post-apoc 3D printer kickstarter. Welcome to Atom City

It looks close enough to Fallout terrain that if you squint real hard...

They have an interesting campaign going on, where as they reach milestones for stretch goals they send out a survey about what the next "area" of the wasteland they should explore, and base the stretch goals on the majority vote.

You should sell me some of the terrain you print to recoup your investment!

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:56 am**

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:54 am
hentzau wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:43 am I just backed a post-apoc 3D printer kickstarter. Welcome to Atom City

It looks close enough to Fallout terrain that if you squint real hard...

They have an interesting campaign going on, where as they reach milestones for stretch goals they send out a survey about what the next "area" of the wasteland they should explore, and base the stretch goals on the majority vote.
You should sell me some of the terrain you print to recoup your investment!

Be happy to print you up some. I'm trying to resolve an issue with my printer right now where my top layers aren't as clean as I would like, but once I get the files and get my printer tuned I'll get you a list and tell me what you need/want.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 11:01 am**

Whoo hoo, thanks!

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 11:49 am**

hentzau wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:43 am I just backed a post-apoc 3D printer kickstarter. Welcome to Atom City

It looks close enough to Fallout terrain that if you squint real hard...

Single use atomic shelters? It doesn't take that much squinting, especially after a paint job.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 12:54 pm**

Detective: City of Angels is back on KS with an expansion and reprint. I've come to really enjoy VanRyder games. We played Big Score in the Spring and I think it went over well. Not sure I'd play this any other way than solo, but I'm tempted. The artwork on some of those cards looks fan-damn-tastic. Off to look up solo reviews of the base game!

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 3:40 pm**

Minimal squinting required. Pretty cool.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 3:48 pm**

Lordnine wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:46 am
RMC wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:03 pm Got a shipping notification that my Eclipse 2.0 matt has shipped. I was hoping for the actual game, but hey things are starting to ship.

They send it by wagon train, as it still has a week until it get's here.
I've been seeing those mats on BGG and they look pretty great. I'm a little jealous. Had there been an option to order only the mat in the KS I would have jumped on it.

Thanks. I owned all of the version 1.0 game, and went all in for the Version 2 of the game. Have a big game day in December, so would love to have the game and mat by then. Crossing my fingers.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2019 10:04 pm**

I stopped at the mat. But tempted.

Posted: **Thu Sep 19, 2019 11:48 am**

Pretty sure it's been hinted strongly, but an official announcement has been released:

Blacklist Games is thrilled to announce Hour of Need, a cooperative game of superhero action for 1–4 players (or up to 6 players with available expansions). Designed by Adam and Brady Sadler, Hour of Need is the latest installment in their line of Modular Deck System (MDS) games. Set in an original world inspired by modern comic books, Hour of Need puts players in the roles of diverse heroes attempting to thwart dangerous villains from carrying out nefarious deeds!

Coming to Kickstarter on November 5th, Hour of Need features fast gameplay, highly-detailed miniatures, and a variety of modular fixed decks for heroes, villains, and issues, letting players create their own comic book stories in the MDS Comics world!

Brook City has been a bit of a letdown for me - generally speaking, I think it's unwieldy. I backed Altar Quest and this seems like another hit, given the theme. In listening to their video update, Hour of Need sounds closer to Street Masters. It does include miniatures, but significantly fewer than both Brook City and Street Masters (which I think is a good thing).

Let the Sentinels of the Multiverse comparisons officially begin!

Posted: **Thu Sep 19, 2019 12:53 pm**

I gave Brook City a few more tries and ended up enjoying it more than I did initially, but it does suffer from a lack of variety in what you can do, fiddly setup, and it usually just becomes a slog towards your goal without any real danger of losing at some point. Still, I'm surprised to find myself looking forward to playing it. Especially since I picked up the serial killer expansion.

I hope to get in a few games of street master before I go all in on the superhero entry in their system. I'd like to see if I love it enough before committing to a fourth game by the brothers.

Posted: **Fri Sep 20, 2019 12:25 pm**

Got the playmat for Eclipse 2.0. Looks very nice, and it is huge. Comes with a carrying case/bag. Which is also nice. The box it shipped in was very cheap, and was falling apart when it got to my house. And the post office left it leaning against a tree in my front yard instead of my covered porch. So, that was odd...

But other than oddness with the delivery, it seems to be what was ordered.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 3:14 pm**

Just got my Inn Patron pledge for Aventuria. So they're hittin' U.S. shores now.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 3:43 pm**

Yes, I meant to share that. FedEx notification came late yesterday and it arrived this morning. There's all kinds of stuff in the box, but no manifest so it's off to the KS page to try and figure out what it all is. Just lots of random cards and card packs in baggies.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:10 pm**

I think mine is arriving tomorrow and Too Many Bones early shipments are supposed to go out next week. I'm going to need a bigger shelf.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:23 pm**

With TMB, you're gonna need a bigger room.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:29 pm**

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:23 pm With TMB, you're gonna need a bigger room.

They promised a Kallax friendly storage solution, they better deliver a Kallax friendly storage solution. I am dumping Gotham City Chronicles primarily because of the storage space required.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:30 pm**

I wasn't aware they offered a Tardis version of the Kallax shelving units.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:37 pm**

I'm paying enough for one.

Posted: **Thu Oct 03, 2019 7:55 pm**

I wasn't expecting to pledge on a new tabletop RPG but found myself doing so anyway. I pledged The Nuadan Chronicles described as an Electro Fantasy game where you explore a post-post-apocalyptic world filled with magic, electric-powered steam tech, ancient ruins, and dark secrets. It's a husband and wife team behind the game. It's a d100 based game which I've never played before but it sounds interesting and hopefully I get a few of my regular gaming group friends to try it out after I receive it.

http://kck.st/2l9gsmk

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:33 am**

coopasonic wrote: ↑Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:10 pm I think mine is arriving tomorrow and Too Many Bones early shipments are supposed to go out next week. I'm going to need a bigger shelf.

Aventuria arriving today, Too Many Bones arriving Monday.

Posted: **Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:54 pm**

I really like what they’re doing with the Inn of the Black Boar expansion for Aventuria. The mechanic that sees your character start with only 10 cards to start the adventure, then grows that deck over the course of the game is fantastic.

Posted: **Sun Oct 06, 2019 9:18 am**

hepcat wrote: ↑Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:54 pm I really like what they’re doing with the Inn of the Black Boar expansion for Aventuria. The mechanic that sees your character start with only 10 cards to start the adventure, then grows that deck over the course of the game is fantastic.

I played three games with the base set yesterday, two duels to learn the system and then the first adventure with three players. We enjoyed it. I opened everything up and there are a lot of cards and no dividers. I checked BGG and didn't see anything in Files for it. That is disappointing. I'm going to have to figure out a storage/organization solution.

Posted: **Sun Oct 06, 2019 9:46 am**

I just baggied them all. Each hero deck, the monsters, the quests...they all went into their own baggie.

Posted: **Sun Oct 06, 2019 12:54 pm**

Yeah that works. I generally prefer something a little more elegant because what else am I going to do with my money, retire? Ha!

Posted: **Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:01 am**

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:23 pm With TMB, you're gonna need a bigger room.

Wave 1 shipment arrived yesterday. Couldn't they make the box for the base game any bigger? That's a LOT of stuff.

Posted: **Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:10 pm**

Check out their latest update on the kickstarter page. Sounds like in their rush to get everything into the new graphic design program, they screwed up quite a few things. However, they're nothing if not conscientious about their goods, so I'm sure they'll make good on everything in short order.

I've got the loot box, the upgrade kit, and all the new stuff coming in wave 2, so I hope they've resolved it all by then at least.

Posted: **Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:13 pm**

Yeah I saw that last night. It doesn't sound like the problems are huge and they are going to fix it, so I'll live. As my single largest board gaming purchase ever, I hope I like the game.

Posted: **Tue Oct 08, 2019 12:58 pm**

It's definitely a luxury item, but thankfully the game behind the rich Corinthian leather can be a blast. It has its detractors, and I fully understand their reasons for not liking it (you can lose in the first turn in some battles...especially in solo or two player, movement is too limited to be a true tactical experience, and you can get by just putting points into your attack and defense attacks in most cases...although to be fair, you can always find a min/max solution in any game, imho.) but once you start building your character with all those wonderful choices, they stop being that big of an issue for me.

Posted: **Wed Oct 09, 2019 1:18 pm**

I played the "tutorial" for Too Many Bones last night and I think it will be a winner. I opened up the other 4 gearlocs and added them to the box with no problem. It looks like 40 Days in Daelore will also fit with no serious problem. Undertow and Age of Tyranny may be another story.

Posted: **Wed Oct 09, 2019 1:22 pm**

I took this advice from Shannon (the TMB guru):

-All of the Gearlocs
-All of the Baddies (Base, Undertow, and 40 Days)
-The Encounters from 40 Days and Base, keeping Undertow separate. Mechanically they could all be mixed together, but it creates thematic weirdness. When I go to play, I choose if I'm playing Undertow, or Base, and grab those Encounters and a Tyrant from that set.
-The Day 1-3 cards from Age of Tyranny and Base - again, I keep Undertow separate and grab the Undertow Day 1-2 cards if playing Undertow Encounters and Tyrant.
-All of the Loot (Base and Undertow) except there are 9 Loot/Trove Loot from Undertow that I keep out if not playing Undertow, as they are Krelln/Mech/water battle specific.

Also, I avoid using the diagonal movement rule from Undertow when playing the base game as it was designed to close some exploits specific to Undertow baddies/battlemat (I took that from Shannon as well).

Posted: **Fri Oct 11, 2019 5:05 pm**

I'm not going to link it, but DVG is about to launch another KS project for a mini-based board game that looks like a knock-off of Battletech. What amazes me is that they currently have 4 unfulfilled KS projects and they're getting ready to launch another one, claiming a February 2020 delivery. I'm still astounded KS allows publishers to do it.

Octopus Overlords

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