Octopus Overlords

Lordnine wrote:So...on the personal Kickstarter front I think we've made an improvement.

Awesome... he just needs something for scale, a severed head or leg or something stuck between his teeth perhaps. Maybe it is OK without it.

Looks great! One nit-picky cover question, though: why binary code rather than DNA sequences?

Still embracing the holographic nature of some of the other design elements, the DNA sequence is a cool idea though and the logo bar will probably change slightly before we go to print.

So a bit of a brag here, but the guy that did that illustration is actually a Games Workshop artist. I have no idea why he agreed to work on my tiny project but I certainly appreciate him!

coopasonic wrote:

Lordnine wrote:So...on the personal Kickstarter front I think we've made an improvement.

Awesome... he just needs something for scale, a severed head or leg or something stuck between his teeth perhaps. Maybe it is OK without it.

there are people in the background for scale

hepcat wrote:One of the brothers behind Chip Theory Games releases videos of them playing their games underwater whenever a new one releases. You can spill drinks on your copy until the cows come home and it won't ruin it.

Didn't know that - pretty funny.

Not sure if I'm being nit-picky but I'm a bit confused about the lower insert. The giant "pocket" that is cut out for the character mats and aids seems to be too short. I wasn't bothered by it (since they're not things that can be bent) but in looking at pictures of other inserts online, the materials are all laying flat inside - mine are bowed and I don't think I can add more without then pushing the top layer of storage up (because the edges would be popping out). I don't know if I just got a bum insert or what.

I was also going to contact them because the tokens in the lower tray punched through the plastic. I'm just going to duct tape it, but I figured they should know that they need to somehow address those heavy tokens rocking back and forth against the plastic walls inside.

Certainly not something I'd want a replacement over, but annoying for an otherwise stellar set of components. I'm still working my way through the rule book - their inclusion of the Youtube symbol to indicate I can go online to get more information is fantastic.

Harkonis wrote:

coopasonic wrote:

Lordnine wrote:So...on the personal Kickstarter front I think we've made an improvement.

Awesome... he just needs something for scale, a severed head or leg or something stuck between his teeth perhaps. Maybe it is OK without it.

there are people in the background for scale

They are too far away, perspective makes it impossible to judge the scale of the big guy right in front of the camera (in my opinion). It was mostly a joke because I want to see body parts.

Just got the expansion for Aeon's End and the upgrade kits for all the previous material.

I love this game so I'm anxious to give it a go with all the new stuff.

Lordnine wrote:So...on the personal Kickstarter front I think we've made an improvement.

Looks great. Looking forward to backing again.

Both my second edition So Many Bones and the WW2 Warfighter games showed up yesterday. Woot!

If you like So Many Bones, I'm betting you'll love Too Many Bones!



I played Warfighter WWII with Seppe on Saturday. I screwed up a rule about reinforcements in our first game, but more importantly, we learned that you REALLY need to take a mix of soldiers (one per player, preferably) and squaddies and/or NPS (non player soldiers). Two players going in with just two soldiers is a recipe for disaster as you need to be able to lay down supression fire and absorb some hits when advancing. Our second game we made it all the way to the objective card...only to realize we hadn't actually read the damn requirements on said card and didn't bring enough explosives to actually blow the bunker up.

I think the original (modern) Warfighter can be played in "Rambo" mode where you just load up a single dude and run wild. I don't think the squad-based nature of the WW2 combat mechanics allow for that same type of game play, but maybe there are missions that do work well with two player characters.

hepcat wrote:If you like So Many Bones, I'm betting you'll love Too Many Bones!

Ack! That's what I get for posting before rushing out the door. Probably should have said So Many Dice! LOL

Have you guys seen this?

https://storemyboardgames.com/

An interesting new take on board game shelving.

coopasonic wrote:Have you guys seen this?

https://storemyboardgames.com/

An interesting new take on board game shelving.

My IKEA shelving solution works pretty well but this system just looks classy. I will have to track this Kickstarter and hopefully it won’t cost a gazillion quatloos.

Yeah I already have a set of Kallax shelves, but these look nice. We'll see how the price looks and what my wife thinks.

Chrisoc13 wrote:
A couple more kick starters I'm backing currently-

....

Twin Stars This kickstarter only has a couple days left but it is a small wallet sized solo game that I think looks reasonably interesting. You can get in pretty cheap if you just want the cards and want to provide your own dice and tokens, or you can get the "deluxe" version which basically includes the game components.

I got my copy a few days ago and played a game of it on Saturday. It was quite good! You will need to check online for some of the rules though. Some of the rules are not clearly explained in the small, fold up rule book included. I think one of my favorite game mechanic is when a developer figures out how to include a large amount of gameplay in a very small package. Phil Eklund is a master at it, but a lot of times a game will include a large number of bits and pieces...but only a small amount of actual choice and/or a sense that you're playing something deeper than it looks. This one definitely skews towards a feeling of depth with very little in terms of components and rules. Don't get me wrong, it's still a lighter, fast game. But it fools you into thinking it's more when you actually play.

All my Folklore stuff just arrived - 13lbs worth. Time to start inspecting...

Smoove_B wrote:All my Folklore stuff just arrived - 13lbs worth. Time to start inspecting...

Pictures!

Smoove_B wrote:All my Folklore stuff just arrived - 13lbs worth. Time to start inspecting...

I transferred all the mini trays to one box, then all the cards, boards, tokens (which there are surprisingly few of...thank god) and manuals to the other.

I'm hoping to finally play this on Saturday. I've been putting it off in favor of Gloomhaven and Too Many Bones. The manual does a nice job of giving you the essentials, then telling you to crack open the campaign book and start playing. It will then direct you back to the appropriate rule(s) as you play through the story.

Lots of stuff going on in the boxes. I didn't remember that the tiles were cardstock and not cardboard, but I'm actually happy with that decision. Many more tiles provided at a fraction of the weight and storage requirements. So here's what I opted for - just the base game and all the stretch goals (which was apparently bundled into the Dark Tales expansion and I think might be sold as multiple retail SKUs).



Here's what's in that box:



And here's what's in the core box:



All the manuals and documentation look great, I'm definitely going to start skimming through them and hoping I can get this to my table sooner than later. In terms of theme, it's perfect for the season. I *think* it's 88 miniatures in total and the idea of painting them is giving me pause. Then again, they're different enough from what I already own that it might be a good winter project.

What I'm a bit surprised about is the actual miniature size. The detailing doesn't look too bad, though I do see quite a few mold lines and gaps. It's the size I'm scratching my head over. To the left is a Frostgrave 28mm miniature for scale. I guess Folklore miniatures are 35 mm? That's a Butcher character figure on the right.



For some of the monsters, the size difference might be ok for use in other games, but the scale does seem a bit larger than what I was expecting. In terms of painting, my old-man eyes are happy for the size, but for use with other games I am a bit disappointed.

So... is anyone backing Time of Legends: Joan of Arc?

I admit, I might end up backing just for the half meter wide dragon as a display piece...

I am seriously thinking about it. I was pretty surprised by the price, although these are 15mm scale minis (and thus tiny). It comes with terrain, however, which is pretty cool. I want to see a rulebook before going to crazy, though.

That's a crazy amount of figures. But to include the dragon, it's about $200. That's a lot of cheddar. It looks cool, but I don't play that many games.

On the other hand, the big figures could hang out on my shelf with my abominations from the Zombicide games.

Mocking me for not being a painter....

I ‘m actually thinking of just going in for the $1 pledge and then getting the dragon by itself…

Then again, I think they are killing my Kickstarter right now so maybe I don't want to give them money...

Smoove_B wrote:All my Folklore stuff just arrived - 13lbs worth. Time to start inspecting...

Mine showed up yesterday. Will have to bust it open sometime this (wife's birthday) weekend.

Edited to add: Hey, there's a picture of what-goes-where in the miniature's tray. That's a first in my experience.

I've read through the rules and it seems really straight-forward in application. It also left me with the impression that it's the most D&D-like game I own that isn't explicitly a TSR title. Everything about it feels like it's a game version of a D&D campaign. Again, that's just my read on the rules, but I'm actually hoping to try and get through the tutorial / intro scenario today or tomorrow. I was really regretting my support after it ended and everything suddenly changed (delay, art updates, etc...) but I'm actually quite impressed with what I now have in front of me. I'll definitely start a new thread and post pictures and impressions when I get to it.

We played through the first story in Folklore today. We had a blast...until we realized that we couldn’t heal or gear up once we started the final encounter series. At that point it was just an exercise in futility as we were slowly whittled down to nothing. I must be playing something wrong as it just seemed way too hard for even 4 characters. It may just be the case that you need to do a lot more road events and skirmishes to gear up and level up before heading into the end game.

Why didn't anyone tell me this fact about the 7th Continent?

Inspired by the Fighting Fantasy book series

Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 9:39 am Why didn't anyone tell me this fact about the 7th Continent?

Inspired by the Fighting Fantasy book series

Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in.

Yeah, it's very much a "choose your own adventure" story.

I still have about 30 Fighting Fantasy books from the early 80s when I was a kid, plus another 30 or so I picked up 20+ years ago when I was in the UK for a few weeks - newer Fighting Fantasy books that were never released here in the United States. I don't know what thought The 7th Continent was, but after seeing that label and following up, I had to become a backer.

hepcat wrote: ↑Sat Oct 14, 2017 10:38 pm We played through the first story in Folklore today. We had a blast...until we realized that we couldn’t heal or gear up once we started the final encounter series. At that point it was just an exercise in futility as we were slowly whittled down to nothing. I must be playing something wrong as it just seemed way too hard for even 4 characters. It may just be the case that you need to do a lot more road events and skirmishes to gear up and level up before heading into the end game.

Getting ready to go and try this myself, but from my understanding of the rules, why didn't you visit a town and try to utilize services? You can rest at the Inn for 10 coins, purchase potions at the Apothecary, or have a Physician provide healing? Was the adventure too much on the rails and you didn't have free ability to roam around on the map?

My take on the official resting move (that you can do once an adventure) is a last-ditch option to help get you to the next spot. But yes, with all the gear cards and optional items you can purchase (from vendors), my impression from reading everything was that you really do need to gear up.

The problem is that once you start one of the final encounters it leads into two or three more. No chance to return to the world map. And the one rest you get per story, while it can be used at the end of an encounter, nets you a grand total of 4 vita and 4 power. It’s way too little. We went into the final boss battle with around 10 health or less each out of the original 21 to 23.

In addition, ammo is very limited. You usually get 2 to 4 shots for ranged weapons...then you’re stuck with just your damage bonus for melee. If you’re on that end path with no chance to visit a town, you had better pray you make those shots count...because you’re not getting a refill anytime soon.

It may sound like I’m unhappy with the game, but I’m not. There’s a lot to love about it. I just think they should work on some balancing.

Ok, I was just about to post a whole bunch of stuff. I finished the first chapter of the introductory story and I see what you mean. Up until I made it to the city and then helped someone, I was doing ok. I'd lost some health during skirmishes, but the city I visited just before let me heal vita for gold - so I was all topped off.

Then I had my first battle and proceeded to get Heroscaped with the dice. I'm playing with the Arcanist and the Madman, and the Madman was getting lit up during the first battle - down to single digit health. I had bandages, so he's up to 13 and I traded more bandages to him from the Arcanist so he could go back up to 14-17 health. However, now we're deep into an underground area and about to enter combat again. If I'd rested on the last map I guess I could have healed 4 more, but I didn't.

I think that's what the issue is - that "rolling combat" does not favor low-level characters. I think in their desire to provide tutorials of all the game elements, they forgot that the characters likely don't have any way to mitigate all the damage. I certainly didn't rush to get to this point, but nothing I found so far could have helped and I certainly didn't have enough gold to purchase it.

As a retired DM, I know it's painful to craft adventures for 1st level D&D characters and it usually required some serious babysitting behind the scenes. I suspect that this intro tutorial needs some tweaking.

My only other concern was the Road cards. I guess there's a whole bunch, but it seems like over time the chances of repetition are going to be rather high. The only way to fix that is to release a whole bunch more, which I'm fine with.

I have a feeling I’ll be playing this solo. It really didn’t click with the other player due to that final slog to failure. But I want to try some other stories to see if they suffer from similar issues. Plus...magicians as a character class? Come on. You can’t resist that kind of cool.

Also played a game of Massive Darkness. It rapidly turned into an uninspired dice off. It’s not a horrible game, but it’s a game that doesn’t really distinguish itself from the dozens of other dungeon crawlers. I’ll probably dump it at the next Gencon auction. Or use the minis for Frostgrave.

That's unfortunate, above and beyond the space it takes up for a solo game and all the accounting required, it really does feel like a old school D&D campaign-style adventure book. Once I can hammer out some of minor issues I'm still not completely clear on (like the resting stuff), I'm looking foward to trying it with others. The other thing you could maybe do is level up the characters a bit. They have that included table in the instruction manual that indicates how to level up characters automatically (like if they join the campaign late).

I'm still hopeful a better tutorial is released or maybe there really is something we both missed. With most people getting their copies now, I'd imagine more and more of them are going to be running into the same issue.

I'm still scratching my head on the minis though - they just feel like they're slightly too big. I am going to paint them though and thankfully the bigger size should make it a bit easier.

Heads up: tomorrow at 10am Central, the kickstarter for the Too Many Bones expansion (I think it may also be a standalone expansion, although I'm not sure) goes live.

I'm still diggin' TMB. I haven't played in a few weeks thanks to a bunch of newer games catching my eye, but I fully intend to go back and play the other 6 characters I haven't even touched yet. Plus, I'll be lugging it to Octocon for a few games.

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2017 1:08 pm Heads up: tomorrow at 10am Central, the kickstarter for the Too Many Bones expansion (I think it may also be a standalone expansion, although I'm not sure) goes live.

I'm still diggin' TMB. I haven't played in a few weeks thanks to a bunch of newer games catching my eye, but I fully intend to go back and play the other 6 characters I haven't even touched yet. Plus, I'll be lugging it to Octocon for a few games.

This just went live. I backed at the 100 dollar level because i'm a sucker for the goodies. Now I'm beginning to wonder if I should stick with 7th Continent. The numerous addons is a bit off putting to me.

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2017 11:06 am

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2017 1:08 pm Heads up: tomorrow at 10am Central, the kickstarter for the Too Many Bones expansion (I think it may also be a standalone expansion, although I'm not sure) goes live.

I'm still diggin' TMB. I haven't played in a few weeks thanks to a bunch of newer games catching my eye, but I fully intend to go back and play the other 6 characters I haven't even touched yet. Plus, I'll be lugging it to Octocon for a few games.

This just went live. I backed at the 100 dollar level because i'm a sucker for the goodies. Now I'm beginning to wonder if I should stick with 7th Continent. The numerous addons is a bit off putting to me.

I wish the timing worked out better for OctoCon and 7th Continent. You could try out my copy and see if that would help you decide, but the campaign is only going on for another 2 days.

It won't be available retail, which is what's driving my backing of it.

Yup, that's my issue as well and why I'm backing 7th Continent. The Too Many Bones stuff will be available stateside and directly from them, though perhaps in limited quantities. There's no good answer here.