Octopus Overlords

You could come down to Texas and play my punched, unplayed copy.

I'm getting an uber right now. I'll see you tonight!

Punisher wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:01 am My BM:GCC is expected Tuesday. Yay! i am most excited about this and my Core Space pledge... I'm still waiting on a shipping notice for that and people who did the pre-order after the KS have already received theirs due to some "length of time" shipping reasons. Not happy about it, but at least the KS people get extra stuff.

Hey Punisher...I just started getting into Core Space. Are you playing it at all?

hentzau wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 4:18 pm

Punisher wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:01 am My BM:GCC is expected Tuesday. Yay! i am most excited about this and my Core Space pledge... I'm still waiting on a shipping notice for that and people who did the pre-order after the KS have already received theirs due to some "length of time" shipping reasons. Not happy about it, but at least the KS people get extra stuff.

Hey Punisher...I just started getting into Core Space. Are you playing it at all?

Hahah.. You are funny! Imagine backing Kickstarters and actually playing your games.. Thats just crazy talk!
But no..unfortunately. I have a HUGE backlog of KS games that are not touched. some arent even open at all (I did open Core Space because their manual is gorgeous...)
I'm honestly not sure when I will play 99% of my games. My families job schedules have changed completely and my son and his girlfriend arent able to commit to game night anymore and neither is my wife. SO I just back the KS then store it. No plans to get rid of anything (except maybe the Game of Thrones Cmon stuff.)

hepcat wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:38 am

$iljanus wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:07 am

hepcat wrote:My gigantic box of Street Masters stuff has shipped. Should be here by Tuesday of next week. More than a few folks are reporting that the Aftershock Stretch Goal box is missing from their shipment, but it's listed as being in my order. So hopefully I won't have to send an email to their customer service about a missing item.

Just got a notice that my box with all the goodies will be arriving next Thursday. I think my wife will be out of town that day which is good. Even though she doesn't give me a hard time about those mysterious brown boxes that arrive every so often with a new board game I think a box that weighs as much as a small child may elicit some reaction...

Did you go with the super street master tier (includes streetmaster core and the aftershock expansion with all stretch rewards)? 33 pounds and 6 bloody boxes?

My wife is going to kill me. Mine hasn't shipped yet, and I am really looking forward to it. I was able to sneak the giant Cloudspire box under her radar, which was good. But my next three KS to arrive are Street Masters (Super Street pledge with some add-ons), an All-In Planet Apocalypse (if they ever freaking ship the damn thing), and Tainted Grail. I may end up living in the boxes when I get thrown out!

Punisher wrote:

hentzau wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 4:18 pm

Punisher wrote: Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:01 am My BM:GCC is expected Tuesday. Yay! i am most excited about this and my Core Space pledge... I'm still waiting on a shipping notice for that and people who did the pre-order after the KS have already received theirs due to some "length of time" shipping reasons. Not happy about it, but at least the KS people get extra stuff.

Hey Punisher...I just started getting into Core Space. Are you playing it at all?

Hahah.. You are funny! Imagine backing Kickstarters and actually playing your games.. Thats just crazy talk!
But no..unfortunately. I have a HUGE backlog of KS games that are not touched. some arent even open at all (I did open Core Space because their manual is gorgeous...)
I'm honestly not sure when I will play 99% of my games. My families job schedules have changed completely and my son and his girlfriend arent able to commit to game night anymore and neither is my wife. SO I just back the KS then store it. No plans to get rid of anything (except maybe the Game of Thrones Cmon stuff.)

I’m hoping to get the game on the table this weekend. Really wish I would have known about these guys years ago, I would have backed their kickstarters hard.

Kasey Chang wrote: Mon Oct 21, 2019 3:36 am Just received my Kickstarter object uCast a sort of body-mount (with magnets) for smart devices. if you already have a mag plate on your phone, this will stick to it, even through a shirt or two. Or mount it to any stable metal surface, or to just about any surface you can stick a metal disc to. It's simple as heck, and so far, quite effective. Jogging won't toss it off, nor would climbing stairs.

Tried this at work. It is very convenient that I can just move my phone to near my chest and it "docks" securely, instead of trying to fit it into a pocket. Saving a few seconds here and there adds up, as well as the security of not dropping the phone.

Punisher wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 5:55 pm Hahah.. You are funny! Imagine backing Kickstarters and actually playing your games.. Thats just crazy talk!
But no..unfortunately. I have a HUGE backlog of KS games that are not touched. some arent even open at all (I did open Core Space because their manual is gorgeous...)
I'm honestly not sure when I will play 99% of my games. My families job schedules have changed completely and my son and his girlfriend arent able to commit to game night anymore and neither is my wife. SO I just back the KS then store it. No plans to get rid of anything (except maybe the Game of Thrones Cmon stuff.)

Had to laugh when I read this, this is so much me.

Me too.

The new Cthulhu miniature for the Zombicide reboot is tempting me to get the Reboot rather than the Upgrade. Must resist....

Kasey Chang wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:21 am Got my second KS item: an ultra-portable mouse called Tracpoint (no, not the IBM Trackpoint) It has 3D gyroscopic sensors so it can work as a mouse or a presentation remote. Works over BT so compatible with any platform, and has software and app to map functions to movements. And it's smaller than an apricot (2.2 inches long), weighs in at 24 grams. When combined with a BT keyboard, it'd be a good writing platform for me.

Paired it to windows PC. It is TINY, and you hold it like a pen, not grab it with the whole hand, but otherwise it's pretty comfy. Just tilt it right by about 30 degrees to engage "tilt mode" which remaps the movement into some other action (defaults to scroll/pan, but can be something else). Updating the firmware is a bit of PITA, as you must add the device again in "update mode" in order to update it. But it is at least straightforward. Updated the old firmware (shipped with 1.02) to current 1.29. After fiddling with it, decided that's enough and turned it off. It is a very cool device.

Waiting for updates on all the OTHER projects... In the meanwhile, I'm backing Keyhook, a combination key organizer with a simple belt loop hook, and CardShark, an ID badge holder with a bunch of tricks hidden inside, such as a pen holder, an auto-docking spool, hidden tools (like USB drive, etc.) and a few other tricks. I also put in a few bucks for "Quick Draw Card Holder", which is basically a minimalist wallet that only holds IDs and credit cards.

Waiting on a night safety jacket (looks gray, but it's actually reflective), a wearable USB cable, a wallet, an EDC pen that fits as a keychain, and a "travel tool roll", basically a Dopp Kit organized as a tool roll.

And a 33 pound box full of Street Masters stuff was just dropped off. The box looks like it's been through hell and back, with holes ripped into the sides and top, but everything inside appears to be okay. I dropped it 3 times trying to get it to my car (it was delivered to my office), it's so damn big.

The 4th edition of High Frontier was just kickstarted. It hit the target in a day and keeps rising.

This is the 4th edition of Phil Eklund's signature game High Frontier. When Phil started working on High Frontier's predecessor, many years ago (Rocket Flight in 1978), he envisioned players as space entrepreneurs in 2020 trying to profit in trade and technology development in space, with water as the basis for rocket travel. Three versions of High Frontier have passed. We are now at this year, 2020 and High Frontier 4 All will turn High Frontier into:

- a more accessible game, adding introductory games to guide through the mechanics step-by-step as well as tutorials and a lot of illustrated examples and strategy tips throughout the rules.
- a game system, open for additions and modules which allow it to evolve as technology advances and discoveries are made. For this evolution, we depend upon the community of High Frontier enthusiasts to submit modules and updates. Module 1 and 2 will be published at the same time as the Core Box. Module 0 is now an unlocked stretch goal in the Kickstarter. Since it has unlocked Module 0 will be included for free in the Core box! Module 1 and 2 are separate products.

While promising accessibility, it looks like this game is not a dumbing-down but a tweak to 3rd edition that presents the game in a staged-learning format without (at the highest level) sacrificing any detail from before. There are also some revisions to base-game tech and even to our knowledge of orbital bodies on the map.

In the way of all Kickstarters, it looks like they've pre-planned the stretch goals and priced accordingly. $89 gets you the full game with the two promised extra modules (More tech & Colonization), with other stretch goals being mostly aesthetic upgrades. Those two first modules are rewrites of expansions that were released for HF3, but apparently there are further modules planned. I've seen hints of EXPANSE-style solar-system factions and interstellar travel.

If you already own 3rd edition, a 4th-edition upgrade kit is an option in the Kickstarter.

I've never played HF, but I've always been intrigued. I'm in for this one unless I hear some reason not to be.

hepcat wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2019 12:43 pm And a 33 pound box full of Street Masters stuff was just dropped off. The box looks like it's been through hell and back, with holes ripped into the sides and top, but everything inside appears to be okay. I dropped it 3 times trying to get it to my car (it was delivered to my office), it's so damn big.

I late-backed Street Masters, and it shockingly arrived today. Coincidentally, I had taken a sick day for tomorrow . . . so I guess I'll try it out while I recuperate from this crud going around.

Does anyone have suggestions for a first time player? I'll probably just run the game thru solo with the recommended setup. Normally I prefer to play at least two characters solo, so if people here who've played think it's not too much overhead, I'd love to hear.

The only issue I have with Sierra Madre Games is the abysmal quality control I experienced with the new editions of Greenland and Neanderthal from their second to last Kickstarter. They literally made mistakes on cards that were correct in the editions BEFORE the new editions. And to top it all off, they even made multiple mistakes on the player board I paid extra for. Oh, and I had to remind them I purchased said board before they would even send it to me....months after I made the damn order.

Still a little steamed about all the crap I went through with that. Enough so that I swore to never back another of their games on Kickstarter again. I’ll wait for retail and pay possibly more in the hopes that they correct any mistakes before doing so.

Fishbelly wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:28 pm I late-backed Street Masters, and it shockingly arrived today. Coincidentally, I had taken a sick day for tomorrow . . . so I guess I'll try it out while I recuperate from this crud going around.

Does anyone have suggestions for a first time player? I'll probably just run the game thru solo with the recommended setup. Normally I prefer to play at least two characters solo, so if people here who've played think it's not too much overhead, I'd love to hear.

I just spent 3 hours sorting and organizing cards. I am astounded at how much I received. I already own Brook City so I’m somewhat familiar with the basic rules, which are pretty intuitive and easy. But the complexity seems to come from the story cards, enemies, stages, etc.

The collector box rocks, by the way. Was able to get all my cards and tokens into it without any issues. Then I put all the tiles and rules over that. Tomorrow I’ll bag the minis and hopefully they’ll fit as well on top.

Have not received any indication mine has shipped. Never change, KS delivery, never change. Maybe it's because I added all kinds of things so it's not just a straight packing? I dunno. Frustrating.

Incidentally I've been seeing rumblings online that Black List is not amused with Black Box and their shipping antics. This is now the second time (Brook city was the first) they've been holding onto a KS for over a month before shipping it out. I'm hoping this means moving forward they really consider someone else, preferably on the East coast.

hepcat wrote:The collector box rocks, by the way. Was able to get all my cards and tokens into it without any issues. Then I put all the tiles and rules over that. Tomorrow I’ll bag the minis and hopefully they’ll fit as well on top.

Yeah I spent most of the afternoon organizing everything. My immediate goal was to fit it all inside the deluxe box, as I had ZERO room for all those other boxes and inserts. Fortunately I managed to pull it off. The cards and tokens fit comfortably, then I put all the minis in a shallow plastic tray I had lying around. Immediately threw out all the other boxes and inserts.

I'd love for someone at some point to put together a full inventory so I can double check everything, but at first glance it looks good.

I probably won't get a chance to actually play until this weekend, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm a tad overwhelmed at where to begin, but I figure I'll just go through the suggested tutorial and then start working my way through the story decks.

YellowKing wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2019 10:42 pm I'd love for someone at some point to put together a full inventory so I can double check everything, but at first glance it looks good.

Here you go.

Recieved my Reavers of Midgard. The insert is pretty disappointing as it’s so thin that the component and dice trays doesn’t stay shut without rubber bands. The cards didn’t get the promised linen card-stock upgrade. I’m also missing a longboat for one player.

hepcat wrote:Here you go.

Awesome, thanks hep!!!

I took two of the large miniature tray covers from the original boxes, turned them upside down and then put all my miniatures on those. They fit perfectly within the collector box. However, I think I'm going to bag up the figures after all as sorting them on the fly before a game seems like it would be rough using that method.

Had a bit of a scare this morning when I was throwing out all the original boxes. Thankfully I was going over all the boxes as I tossed them in the trash bin outside my building, as I found one lone figure still in a blister pack just before I tossed it in the bin. I'm pretty sure I was thorough during my pre-trash inspection, but there's that nagging part of me that keeps wondering if I tossed away a crucial miniature now.

Yeah my trash day isn't until Thursday so I'm going to double check one more time...

Was reading in the forums about bagging minis by enemy faction which sounds like the way to go, Then it's just a quick grab during set up. Can also use those nifty enemy faction stickers to label them.

FWIW - I counted 220 minis (verified with a second count).

I'm an obsessive double-checker when it comes to things like that. Every punch board, every baggie, every box. They're unpacked/opened/punched, then set aside, then carefully examined before being tossed.

Okay, so I bagged all the enemy decks (took me a good 2 hours) and then tossed the spare card divider for that faction in its respective baggie. Now I can find the right figs for a game with just a glance, it was tough going trying to identify a few of the miniatures, but I was able to find everything it seems.

4 1/2 hours of organization later...and I’m ready to play.

You're doing better than me, hep. I stupidly (STUPIDLY) threw all the minis together figuring I'd sort them out later. Not thinking ahead at how difficult it was going to be to match 220 identically colored miniatures to their respective decks based on artwork alone.

I managed to somewhat get them grouped into like types and have started the process of figuring out who each one is, but it is painstaking. Could have saved myself hours of work by just sorting them as I opened boxes.

Zarathud wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 7:04 am Recieved my Reavers of Midgard. The insert is pretty disappointing as it’s so thin that the component and dice trays doesn’t stay shut without rubber bands. The cards didn’t get the promised linen card-stock upgrade. I’m also missing a longboat for one player.

Woah, that sucks. Now I'm worried about my copy

No worries. They did attach rubber bands. Which means that someone knew the GameTrayz were a problem.

The non-linen cards are really annoying those who asked for it in the kickstarter stretch goals.

Zarathud wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 3:03 am No worries. They did attach rubber bands. Which means that someone knew the GameTrayz were a problem.

The non-linen cards are really annoying those who asked for it in the kickstarter stretch goals.

I read in the comments that in some cases the rubber bands broke the gametrayz.

YellowKing wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 11:44 pm You're doing better than me, hep. I stupidly (STUPIDLY) threw all the minis together figuring I'd sort them out later. Not thinking ahead at how difficult it was going to be to match 220 identically colored miniatures to their respective decks based on artwork alone.

I managed to somewhat get them grouped into like types and have started the process of figuring out who each one is, but it is painstaking. Could have saved myself hours of work by just sorting them as I opened boxes.

I did the same thing, so I was in the same boat. But it's not that bad. Refer to the kickstarter page as images of the enemy factions are usually featured on the main page, or in the updates. The Blacklist web site also has some of the factions listed with images. Then I used the artwork on the cards to match those I couldn't find. Still not sure what Onyx League is though. That enemy faction has just a few cards.

hepcat wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:42 am Still not sure what Onyx League is though. That enemy faction has just a few cards.

Onyx League is in the Twin Tigers expansion. Maybe you have the card errata?

My box was shipped last night; 11/4 scheduled delivery (and firebombing from USPS carrier).

EzeKieL wrote:
I read in the comments that in some cases the rubber bands broke the gametrayz.

The plastic is thin (unlike Endeavor) so the rubber bands did put a tear in my component tray. Not excusable but it is a thin skirt of the tray.

Smoove_B wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:55 am

hepcat wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:42 am Still not sure what Onyx League is though. That enemy faction has just a few cards.

Onyx League is in the Twin Tigers expansion. Maybe you have the card errata?

My box was shipped last night; 11/4 scheduled delivery (and firebombing from USPS carrier).

Ah, thanks. That's probably it. I didn't get that expansion because the vanity characters of the makers doesn't really interest me. I'm not against doing that, mind you. I just don't have any interest in adding them to my games.

hepcat wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:43 amI just don't have any interest in adding them to my games.

I thought that too, but it's really just more characters, more areas to fight and more options. Plus, one of the characters is named Rhys and he fights with two knives named Rhys' Pieces. Regardless, I'm pretty excited to get and sort it all. I still think it's a top 5, maybe top 3 game for me overall. The quick play and insane combination of options is unparalleled, as far as I'm concerned.

Sometimes this hobby of ours is a little bit insane...



Oh, how many baggies are we talking about for the minis? Should I just buy a couple of boxes of one gallon ziplocks...

I grabbed a package of poly bags of Amazon and used a Brother P-Touch to just label the outside. I'd have to verify, but i think I used 6"x8" bags by Plymor, 100 of them for $14 shipped. Would recommend as it make setup (and cleanup) so much faster.

Smoove_B wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 1:28 pm I grabbed a package of poly bags of Amazon and used a Brother P-Touch to just label the outside. I'd have to verify, but i think I used 6"x8" bags by Plymor, 100 of them for $14 shipped. Would recommend as it make setup (and cleanup) so much faster.

I think our label maker is busted so I just bought a pack of address labels I'll stick on to those poly bags you recommended. All that fun stuff is coming tomorrow but at least I'll get started on organizing the cards and counters. My huge DVG Modern Warfighter Shadow War order with a ton of expansion packs came on Monday. I was going to organize those tonight thinking that the Street Masters small child box would be coming tomorrow but nope as I saw the FedEx guy crossing the street with that box in his arms. I had put the box in an out of the way spot but in our house there aren't many out of the way spots. Needless to say, as my wife was leaving for a business trip she saw the box and said with a smile, "A game?". I just shrugged and said "Love you, have a great trip!".

I just used sandwich baggies, tossed each enemy faction into its own bag, and then dropped in the appropriate enemy faction divider cards that were provided for those losers who didn't get the Aftershock epic box with its own plastic dividers. For the characters, I just put them all in one baggie. If folks can't figure out which character they should use from that, I don't believe they should be playing with me.

Here's my final organization from bottom up:

2 card wells filled with decks, 1 card well 2/3 filled. Used remaining space for dice and base rings. Fourth card well used for character figures. Had each of them in their own small token bag (bought in bulk from Amazon) with matching spare divider inserted trimmed to fit.

Map tiles and instruction books laying on top.

Token wells filled with tokens separated by type. Remaining tokens bagged by type and laying on top. I'm considering ditching the black and white defense tokens, though, as they were replaced by the colored ones. That would free up 3 token wells to be used for other things.

On top, enemy minis bagged (snack bags) by faction with divider card inserted as a label. Threw all the miscellaneous ally/rival figures together in one bag unlabeled.

It's a little snug but everything fits flush.

Now that I'm finished with Street Masters, I guess I can look forward to Middara. Oh wait.....I'm supposed to PLAY it too?

YellowKing wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 9:32 pmI guess I can look forward to Middara.

I gave up and just purchased a 3D printed insert of Etsy. It holds everything but the 37lb campaign book. I hope they really figure out something for the next two boxes, but I'm quite pleased with the 3D printed insert. What a world we live in.

My Street Masters should be here Monday. My current dilemma is card sleeves. I *always* sleeve my cards (habit from having too many beta Magic Cards get damaged in play). To fully sleeve my Super Street Masters Order (with some add-ons) is going to be like 3000 sleeves and around $60-77 for the premium sleeves (I am not a fan of the 100-to-a-pack cheaper sleeves). I just can't pull the trigger on sleeves that cost as much as a new game.

Any thoughts? I have about half the sleeves I need, so my initial plan is to sleeve the fighters I am most interested in and play with them, then - as I get to new fighters - buy some more sleeves.