Octopus Overlords

hepcat wrote: Mon Jun 12, 2023 2:14 pm I think I'm at the point now in life where my gaming obsession is entering a new phase. One in which I just stick with stuff I know I'll play consistently.* I've already avoided more than a few kickstarters that I would have jumped on immediately "back in the day" (which, let's be frank, is just a matter of a few months ago).

Welcome to the club. I hope the board game industry can survive the shift.

I feel like I've hit that phase too. Fortunately all of my outstanding Kickstarters I think fall into that category. The only one I'm regretting slightly is the burncycle all-in, because I'm questioning whether the game is good enough for me to even begin to play all that content.

The rest are either proven personal favorites (Set a Watch expansions), gameplay mechanics right up my alley (Freedom Five), or BGG-proven (Townsfolk Tussle, Oathsworn).

Firefly: The Game - 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition

Launches tomorrow

I don't even have to look to see what board game kickstarters I am waiting on. I used to look and be surprised by what I saw. Now, without even looking, I can tell you it's just Lords of Vegas, which I have actually played so I know exactly what I am getting and am unlikely to resell it (in the first year or two anyway).

It's a whole new world.

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Jun 12, 2023 2:53 pm Firefly: The Game - 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition

Launches tomorrow

So I own everything on this game, and I still might jsut rebuy everything... Sigh.. I have a sickness

So I just got an email about this game that some folks may be familiar with...

https://gamefound.com/projects/awaken-r ... -boardgame

So I enjoyed Stalker a lot and playing a board game set it that world does interest me. But if the game mechanics are the same as ISS Vanguard and Tainted Grail then that's a hard pass from me. Now off to see the various videos on BGG about it.

$iljanus wrote: Tue Jun 13, 2023 1:42 pm So I just got an email about this game that some folks may be familiar with...

https://gamefound.com/projects/awaken-r ... -boardgame

So I enjoyed Stalker a lot and playing a board game set it that world does interest me. But if the game mechanics are the same as ISS Vanguard and Tainted Grail then that's a hard pass from me. Now off to see the various videos on BGG about it.

It looks like ISS Vanguard but with a more tactical map. I am not seeing a lot the same with Tainted Grail. They also seem to have a lot more about equipment and stuff in the game.

This screenshot makes me think "Nemesis meets ISS Vanguard."

I like the tactical map and I do like seeing more contemporary gear like an old fashioned AK vs some future tech or magic bauble. (except the anomaly which is a special kind of magic that is central to the game).

Sigh even though I was underwhelmed by ISS Vanguard my optimism has me looking at this game to see if there's enough differences to pledge. But I won't feel any FOMO if I miss the pledge deadline.

If you want a straight up adventure game set in pretty much the same world as STALKER, check out Zona: The Secrets of Chernobyl. It’s fun, has an interesting press your luck combat and chance system, and it can be found fairly cheap.

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a really long time...

Now that I may back based on nostalgia alone.

Smoove_B wrote: Thu Jun 15, 2023 3:20 pm Now that's a name I haven't heard in a really long time...

I backed the Wiz-War kickstarter from Steve Jackson games and it's in the mail on the way to me now! We played tons of Wiz-War over the years on a pirated copy of the original version that we heavily customized with handmade boards, etc. Since we only have the one copy (and it's not at my house) I couldn't resist even if the new art wasn't A+ it scratches that late 80s itch for me.

I have the Fantasy Flight version of Wiz War.

Zarathud wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 6:19 pm I have the Fantasy Flight version of Wiz War.

Very nice, wish I had jumped on that when it was at least somewhat reasonable!

My copy of Wiz-war 9th edition came yesterday, can't wait to try it out!

Most of the criticisms on BGG have been about the quality of the art (I don't really care for it but it's really just the box cover and player standees) and the lack of art on the cards (I think I actually prefer the simple, legible text and don't care if the Fireball card doesn't use 50% of the space to show a picture of a wizard throwing a fireball).

What I don't like about it are the flimsy cards with black borders (front and back) and the flimsy box. I'll be sleeving the cards for certain.

Daveman wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2023 7:38 am My copy of Wiz-war 9th edition came yesterday, can't wait to try it out!

Most of the criticisms on BGG have been about the quality of the art (I don't really care for it but it's really just the box cover and player standees) and the lack of art on the cards (I think I actually prefer the simple, legible text and don't care if the Fireball card doesn't use 50% of the space to show a picture of a wizard throwing a fireball).

What I don't like about it are the flimsy cards with black borders (front and back) and the flimsy box. I'll be sleeving the cards for certain.

I love Phil and Kaja Foglio (the artists)! Not sure why people are complaining, since Wiz War has always been gonzo and silly. The Foglios did some of my favorite classic Magic cards and have the Girl Genius comic.

I had an ancient copy of Wiz War that was FAR less quality. Paper cards and very flimsy tiles in a thin box. I sold it years ago to buy the new FFG version. I immediately regretted the decision as I felt the FFG game was just too serious and convoluted. Yes, the rules were mostly the same, but all the extra art and fluff got in the way of a silly game about wizards doing dumb things to each other. So I am pretty excited to try out this version with the seven year old. She may take some time to read the cards, but I think she will love it!

I think the overall responses have been from people who expected a new edition to expand on the previous FFG edition, which had miniatures, tokens galore, schools of spells to pick from, 2 expansions, etc. What SJG has put out is a comparatively basic (detractors say cheap) version of the game.

Wiz-war is one of those games I'd heard about and wanted but missed the FFG edition. This 9th edition works very well for me. SJG explained they thought the game had swung too far away from its beer and pretzel roots. It's a curated collection of spells, minus things they didn't think worked well and all in an inexpensive package that supports 6 players.

Sleeving the cards and using wizard miniatures in place of the standees fixes the only things I don't like about the production.

I received my copy of the 9th edition Wiz-War, and yeah, I am not seeing those complaints either. Given this is coming from someone who used to play on a custom made set with cards printed on Kinkos cardstock back in the day, I actually can get on board with liking this version over the FF one, even as pretty as it is. Can't wait to get a play in soon!

RMC wrote: Mon Jun 12, 2023 3:06 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Jun 12, 2023 2:53 pm Firefly: The Game - 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition

Launches tomorrow

So I own everything on this game, and I still might jsut rebuy everything... Sigh.. I have a sickness

I successfully resisted the urge to spend money on what I've determined is effectively competitive solitaire.

I swore I was done doing Kickstarters, but couldn't resist Tanares Adventures. Just backed the Ultimate Edition.

People love it, so you have that going for you. I'm not in the crowd but part of my issue is that I was an OG backer of the very first game. It feels like every KS they publish is getting closer and closer to the game they always wanted to release so this seems like a great time to get in on it. But I have like 37 boxes of things, and no less than 5 or 6 manuals that all need to be cross-referenced. Sure, I can get another set up updated manuals (it would be my 3rd time) but at this point I've had the game mostly shelved since 2019. The idea that I'd wait until some time in 2024 (I still don't believe February of 2024 is accurate) to really get into it is...a bit too much for me.

But I totally get why you'd back it. It's not complicated or dense to understand and apparently plays quite well with others and in solo. Components are all great too. Don't beat yourself up too much - you could be into worse things.

hepcat wrote: Wed Aug 24, 2022 1:40 pm Uh oh....Praised by David Thompson and David Turczi you say? Plays a bit like an area control version of Robinson Crusoe you say?

From an abandoned mountain fortress you command a group of Norwegian volunteers fighting numerically superior German forces in the early days of WW2.

Halls of Hegra is a solo only game in the same vein as Robinson Crusoe, This war of mine and Dead of winter. The mechanics are worker placement, bag building and area control / tower defense.

I'm going to fold on this, aren't I?

Halls of Hegra, a solo wargame with worker placement, bag draws, and tower defense.



edit: Yup, I folded.

Mine arrived today. With the exception of Maladum, it was the last boardgame KS I have backed (and I have no real plans to back more - I'm actively avoiding it as money's gotten much tighter since my former ex got re-exed.)

I've glanced at it, but I've yet to give it much real time. I've had enough going on lately that solo board gaming hasn't really been a thing for me.

Woo hoo! Play it now so we can hear how great it is!

Did you get a shipping notice? Or did it just show up?

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 7:32 pm Woo hoo! Play it now so we can hear how great it is!

Did you get a shipping notice? Or did it just show up?

An email with the title, "Your Tompet Games order has shipped" four days ago, from noreply@shiphero.com

I will continue to the trend of being the last one to get game when they're being shipped. Hope you can play and share your thoughts!

And I will continue to be the first one to receive it, and the last one to play it.

My brain hasn't been in a good board game place lately, something I'm trying very hard to address.

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:39 pm

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 7:32 pm Woo hoo! Play it now so we can hear how great it is!

Did you get a shipping notice? Or did it just show up?

An email with the title, "Your Tompet Games order has shipped" four days ago, from noreply@shiphero.com

And I just got my shipping notice from that entity this morning!

Vampire: The Masquerade - Milan Uprising

I stlll haven't got my Halls of Hegra email. Which I guess is OK, my gaming table is filled with painting right now that I need to finish up first.

I got my copy this morning. Just finished rolling out a major update for an application for work, so I'm going to unwind with a little Hegra-ing and some margaritas a little later.

Update 1: Good Lord, this game has a lot of set up. This is GMT wargame level setup.

Update 2: I see what they’re trying to do with the rulebook, but honestly it’s a mess. It reminds me of the Dawn of the Zeds 3rd edition rules where they tried to give you bits of the rules they expect you to encounter as you play, instead of following the flow of the game. Instead of making it easier though, you end up flipping through the rulebook to different sections that really should just be listed next to each other.

The game itself though looks very promising so far. It’s like Robinson Crusoe the wargame. I see a bit of Pavlov’s House in it too.

Mine should be here in a couple of days, finally got the notice. I was suspecting the rulebook was less than adequate given the large number of rules questions in the BGG forums.

Fortunately there are quite a number of playthroughs on YouTube (including at least one by the designer), so I should be able to muddle my way through.

I think I understand it enough to play now. The videos I saw on YouTube for it didn’t really go over setup and turns, and most of them used an older prototype of the game. So they were less than helpful.

After a few turns in the mobilization rounds, I have to say there’s a lot to love here. There are just so many things going on during every turn, and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I can do. It’s much deeper than I expected. It’s procedural though, so once you go through the cycle a few times, you understand the flow.

It’s still early, but so far I’m very glad I backed this…even if it’s already showing up in retail at a cheaper price.

The forum affect is horrible...
But...
Can someone post 2 links to videos for me please?
The first should be the best overview video explaining the game and how it plays but not a full playthrough.
The 2nd should be the best playthrough one.
I realize that "the best" is very subjective but I trust people here more than my random clicking.
Both should have english audio and should have someone who won't put me too sleep (although that may help my issue of having trouble getting to sleep) so should be a bit lively instead of monotone.
Basically trying to see if it's something I'd not only like but also be able to understand and follow as a solo game. If these 2 videos lose me than I'll probably have to skip it which is why I'm looking for help selecting the best videos.
Also, will someone who has the game tell me the smallest footprint you can play on and the recommended footprint? Sunce my son moved back in our game room renovations have been put on hold and we don't gave a game table yet.
I may buy a folding table at some point but not yet.

This is the video I used while trying to play.. Some of the game pieces have changed as he plays with a prototype…although it’s a fairly complete prototype.

As for table space, there are a lot of pieces, but it’s not terribly spread out. I’m playing on a 2x2 area of my table. Maybe a little more for pieces off the board.

I’m a few turns in now and man this ramps up. Sending defenders out for supply runs is friggin’ tense. And I love that you can sneak, attack, etc. with them. And that the weather determines how far they can go each turn.

I also love that the actions available to you change over the course of the game. You mostly get new ones, but a few disappear as the battlefield changes.

Update 3: played through my first attack phase finally (I’m slowly playing through the game in late afternoons and learning as I go). I’m going to say that the rules aren’t as bad as I initially thought. At least the layout in the book. I see what they’re doing now and it’s clicking. I really am loving the game so far. It’s such a deep game.

Warning: I suspect this is going to be a long game. The box says 70 to 90 minutes, but I think at least twice that is realistic. There are 11 days and each day has three phases.

Found another playthrough of Halls of Hegra I really liked.

Mike from One-Stop Co-op Shop Plays Halls of Hegra

Good example of why Mike's one of my absolute favorite YouTube board game teachers. He does a great job of both explaining game mechanics but also sharing his thought process in taking the actions he does. You wind up not only learning the game, but also get a sense of the strategy.

He does make a couple of rules mistakes but they're quickly caught and noted in the video. My copy will be here tomorrow, but that's Frosthaven night so I won't be able to dig in until Tuesday.

As I live and breathe, the 28lb Gambler's Box was delivered to me today for Kingdom Death Monster. For those unaware, this represents the first *new* content from a KS project that was funded in January of 2017 - 6.5 years ago. I was lucky enough to jump in on a Black Friday deal during the pledging and so I picked it up for $50. I'm not sure if it was worth the wait, but it's absolutely impressive.

He's allegedly going to deliver more new content in Q4, but I am a bit skeptical that will happen. It does sound like perhaps the Gambler's Box took too much of his attention so maybe now that it's out he can really focus on everything else that was promised in 2017.

Was this part of the Kenny Rogers expansion?

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2023 2:40 pm Was this part of the Kenny Rogers expansion?

Nice. You got an actual chuckle with that.

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2023 2:40 pm Was this part of the Kenny Rogers expansion?

Would not surprise me if there was a Kenny Rogers themed miniature buried in the pile somehow.