Octopus Overlords

Almost all of our games of Elder Signs have been pretty close calls.

I also brought my Alien Frontiers to Octocon but we didn't want to split out 4 people from the group to play.

The new Alien Frontiers expansion (allowing more players) just finished its kickstarter and the bonus at some levels was a copy of the base game, so there will be a new print run soon.

I just got my Kickstarter copy of Eminent Domain. The game looks simple to play, with deep strategy, and pretty fast paced. Something like Glory to Rome meets Race for the Galaxy. Should be fun to play!

baelthazar wrote:I just got my Kickstarter copy of Eminent Domain. The game looks simple to play, with deep strategy, and pretty fast paced. Something like Glory to Rome meets Race for the Galaxy. Should be fun to play!

I hear tell that it's a lot like Race for the Galaxy, but with cards.

BAM!

I'm not sure I get the joke.

FWIW, my wife and I disliked RftG because the icons became impossible to understand.

EmDom (cause ED is just too funny) is far more simple, almost to the point that it has distilled deck building to a core principle of drafting a card to improve future card drafts. You don't "pay" for standard actions, you just take one per turn and add it to your deck. You can "boost" these standard actions by playing more from your hand when you take an action. So the more times you take an role, the better your deck gets at that role.

I like this better than RftG because your strategy in RftG was largely determined by your card draw. If you got all military planets, you went military. That is not the case here, you choose what to do and how to proceed.

My worry is that, with everything open, once you learn the winning formula you may play the same game over and over. Certainly a risk with games like Dominion, but Dominion has a lot more cards. I did not but Rune Age, but I wonder if EmDom might lose out in comparison.

The joke comes from a verbal pause I made while explaining Eminent Domain at Octocon.

Eminent Domain uses the cards to power the actions when played out of the player's hand, while Race for the Galaxy uses the cards to get other cards in play and to trigger combos once in pla. The Eminent Domain mechanic is much cleaner for new players to learn.

Zarathud wrote:The joke comes from a verbal pause I made while explaining Eminent Domain at Octocon.

It was beautiful and I thank you for an explanation reminiscent of when we used to say things like "It may cold and windy outside but at least it's raining."

Great game of Star Trek Fleet Captains last night. Zarathud's Klingon fleet bested the feds in a stunning 10 to 4 loss. I own the damn game and i've yet to win.

While luck can still play a large part in the missions you get (which can be high VP with low risk/easy conditions), the game is so thematically rich and can be so damn tense when the two sides finally meet in the middle of the board that I just can't stop whipping the game out when I have company.

Also, I think it's EXTREMELY important to cycle through missions until you get stuff that you can easily (read: quickly) finish. It's all about managing your turn to maximize the VP's from missions...although the encounters that provide victory points are a nice countermeasure that helps to make missions a bit more balanced.

Last night's episode saw the Klingon's finding a time distortion and exchanging their largest science based vessel for the Bortas...or as I like to call it, That Big Ass Ship With All The Damn Weapons.

Then the feds stumbled across the distress signal of a colony in danger and subsequently spent the next 3 turns futilely attempting to save them (for the VP's). They were so intent on saving those poor colonists that they pretty much ignored That Big Ass Ship With All The Damn Weapons as it arrived in the same sector. What followed was a brutal smack down of the U.S.S. Enterprise A.

Attempting to win via some late game exploratory missions was a no go for the Feds and they quickly lost after those pesky klingons drew a number of control based and combat condition missions.

The FAQ for the game was recently released on BGG, by the way. I highly recommend anyone starting a game to check it out.

hepcat wrote:I loved my game of M&M at Octocon. I'd love to play again sometime.

Come to Michigan, I have a copy and I'm sure we could round up the others if there are visitors to game with.

Remus West wrote:

hepcat wrote:I loved my game of M&M at Octocon. I'd love to play again sometime.

Come to Michigan, I have a copy and I'm sure we could round up the others if there are visitors to game with.

I will someday. What's a light drive by shooting day in your area?

hepcat wrote:

Remus West wrote:

hepcat wrote:I loved my game of M&M at Octocon. I'd love to play again sometime.

Come to Michigan, I have a copy and I'm sure we could round up the others if there are visitors to game with.

I will someday. What's a light drive by shooting day in your area?

Febuary 30th.

in all seriousness, one of these days I should load up some of the chicago gang and come out your way for a convention or something. you folks have any gaming cons in the area?

hepcat wrote:

in all seriousness, one of these days I should load up some of the chicago gang and come out your way for a convention or something. you folks have any gaming cons in the area?

Yep. I'll have to look up when they are and let you know. Of couorse we could always hold "LordMortis' Basement Con" on our own. We could even invite/tell LM about it.

His mom could make us smores upstairs while we play!

We have lots of gaming this, that, and the other if you look around through meetup or through some of the gaming stores. If you want official gaming cons (none of which I usually attend) then you are looking at:

UCon is the biggest (in November)
Michicon (which I've never been to, in the summer)

Are probably the biggest.

And they say Penguin Con (in May) is drawing more and more of a gaming crowd, though I stopped by this year and the gaming area was small S M All. That might be changing. Who knows?

Getting function space at a hotel shouldn't be crazy expensive or several bars are gamer friendly. I wouldn't think and if you could draw west side hibernating OOers out of their cocoons that would be awesome. Maybe even get the elusive Hell's Taco oot and aboot. That's on someone else to organize though. I think the last event I tried to organize was a GG night at Copper Canyon in Southfield where we had like six yeses and maybe ten more maybes and I was the only who showed up.

hepcat wrote:His mom could make us smores upstairs while we play!

I wish. 1) The amount of money I could have right now if I still live with mom and dad could three times over pay cash for the house I am paying stupid amounts of money for now in perpetuity. 2) Mom's awesome. And I'm sure you could find out on the cheap if I put in a good word for you and you've got recent medical records giving you a clean bill of health.

LordMortis wrote:. Maybe even get the elusive Hell's Taco oot and aboot.

Those aren't real people. They're alts for some of the mods.

The Bortas was my only ship worth a damn in combat, but it was nasty against an early Enterprise with the catastrophic damage card (additional damage equal to your 10 point sensors). The Klingons pulled 3 light probe ships, and I used the Science of War cards and multiple ships to pull off 5 points in Nebula scanning missions.

The theme and variations were compelling.

My copy of Eaten by Zombies just arrived. I must say, this is some sweet packaging.

Met up with RevHempus for some EDH Magic last night, he won 2 with his evil W/B/G, I won 2 with my evil W/B/G, and our friend Dennis won 1 with his W/U/G. Weird night with no Red on the table. Rev brought my attention a new ruling for deck construction, they have amended the rules to have Commander Color Identity include any abilities in its text box, so now you can build Blue Memnarch, Red Bosh, and Green Black Rhys. Sweeeeet. My youngest is at home right now building a Memnarch Deck.

where in Michigan are you guys located? I am in Coldwater....


I have enjoyed Fleet Captains every time I have played. The last game I played, I was Klingon (I have been Klingon every time). I won 10-5. What helped me was the Federation destroyed a small ship of mine. I had a 3pt mission to destroy a ship that destroyed one of my ships. I brought in the Bortas into the location that my ship was just destroyed...and...got 3 easy VP's, putting me in the win column. Awesome game. I really enjoy everything about it.

Although, it doesn't seem so much like an "episode" as it does a "season".

There are a few in the Ann Arbor area, I'm thinking that's about an hour away in non UofM football traffic on the weekend and redrun is dying to play Star Fleet Clicks.

Kenetickid, RevHempus, and I are near Detroit. LordMortis is a bit west, and redrun and Remus West are over by Ann Arbor. Bb2112 is a bit north.

and i'm between ann arbor and detroit.

I'd let hepcat drag me over there some weekend in the middle of the winter. I'd do my best to be as entertaining as him, too.

hepcat wrote:

in all seriousness, one of these days I should load up some of the chicago gang and come out your way for a convention or something. you folks have any gaming cons in the area?

ConClave (scifi con) is Tomorrow, Sat Sun at the Hotel by the Airport.

Chaosraven wrote:

hepcat wrote:

in all seriousness, one of these days I should load up some of the chicago gang and come out your way for a convention or something. you folks have any gaming cons in the area?

ConClave (scifi con) is Tomorrow, Sat Sun at the Hotel by the Airport.

Hotels by the airport make me nervous ever since...the incident.

I may have to get a group together and come up your way for one of the other cons, though.

I'll be in Kalamazoo in May... That's between Chicago and Detroit and not too far from Ann Arbor.

We could reclaim the Annual Medievalist Convention and convert it into a Game convention. I'm not sure anyone would care.

Chaosraven wrote:

hepcat wrote:

in all seriousness, one of these days I should load up some of the chicago gang and come out your way for a convention or something. you folks have any gaming cons in the area?

ConClave (scifi con) is Tomorrow, Sat Sun at the Hotel by the Airport.

ConClave has no gaming to speak of. I've also showed up for the last five or six years running, since it move down the street from my house. I walk in. Look around. See it's still not for me and walk out. Depending on whether I get motivated to work on Theatre Bizarre this weekend, it may the be first time I don't bother.

baelthazar wrote:I'll be in Kalamazoo in May... That's between Chicago and Detroit and not too far from Ann Arbor.

We could reclaim the Annual Medievalist Convention and convert it into a Game convention. I'm not sure anyone would care.

Talk people others into it and they may talk me into it. However, I think April/May is already traditionally OctoCon time.

K-Zoo is right about the halfway point between Cicago and us (about 2 hours from us which means about 2.5 for them) but LM is correct that that time is usually Octocon so depending that may be out. On the other hand, K-Zoo is within range for a day trip IMO.

LordMortis wrote:

Chaosraven wrote:ConClave (scifi con) is Tomorrow, Sat Sun at the Hotel by the Airport.

ConClave has no gaming to speak of.

Because gamers need to show up and take over!

Chaosraven wrote:Because gamers need to show up and take over!

I've checked every year. One year, you, me, and Andy managed to take over a table in the lobby and later me, remus, redrun, and John took over a table by the elevator (I was the last to hold out, apparently leaving about five minutes before you showed up). I've not paid for an admission since that year. I've walked in. Surveyed the surroundings, maybe talked to someone I knew for five minutes and left. Not sure if I'll try that this year or not. My plans for the weekend got canceled but I might try and get out to watch the Wings season opener tonight, and then spend the rest of the weekend offering my skilless help for setting up Theatre Bizarre at the Masonic Temple this year.

...and NOW i'm taking a buying break. Stopped in Chicagoland games last night on my way home from work to grab some more card sleeves for Star Trek FC and the owners Lexx and J.P. were there. They had told Zarathud and I about Star Trek the Deck Building game at Origins and had raved about it pretty enthusiastically. Well, they had just received it and after having Lexx give yet another glowing review, I just had to buy it. The nice thing is that as soon as I bought it, the guys grabbed their copy and told me, "We'll teach you how to play.". You can't beat that kind of service.

I have to say, it plays a little like Rune Age but I found it a bit more fun. It's too early to tell whether or not it has legs, but it's the perfect compliment to a night of Star Trek FC, that's for sure.

Is it like Race for the Galaxy?

Remus West wrote:Is it like Race for the Galaxy?

yes...but with cards.

hepcat wrote:

Remus West wrote:Is it like Race for the Galaxy?

yes...but with cards.

It's also much like Fleet Commander...but with cards.

My wife and I played Eminent Domain tonight and we very much liked it. It took a while to get it into our heads, but once we got over the hump of "sometimes I need to do worthless stuff to make future actions better" then it clicked. It is going to need expansions of technology cards and planets to keep it fresh, but that is normal for a deck-building game. She won her first game, which means she liked the game. I have to remember to do that so she'll keep playing...

Today I played two new games:

Tichu is a card game with elements of Asshole and Poker. It's a classic, and I liked it.

I also played Thurn and Taxis, sort of a heavier Ticket-to-Ride game. I liked it as well.

Got to play Merchants and Marauders today. Played three games with LM and redrun. We each won one. I like it. We shall see how long term interesting it is but there are definitely different paths you can take which is good. Seemed to us that going pirate early to gain cash then moving into the merchant aspect was the best way and if that is the case I'm a little bummed that the other paths are not as powerful. We did play the first game incorrectly (thinking you had to use an action for each of the Port action options rather than 1 action to access all of them) so it may change on replay.

Played Lost Cities and Jambo with the wife this morning. That was nice.