Octopus Overlords

baelthazar wrote:Really... We are going to let "accept deeper ramming," in a gladiator game no less, fly by with no comment?

I got a package yesterday. Very much hoping it is Ogre. If so, I will post some pics.

The guy who wants to comment on "accept deeper ramming" then mentions that he got "a package yesterday"..........

I've got a colleague I'm slowly turning into an avid boardgamer. So far we've played and enjoyed Space Hulk, Dominion, King of Tokyo, Flashpoint, Merchants & Marauders, Neuroshima Hex, Starcraft, Battlelore...

His birthday is coming up and I'd like to buy him a game. Caveats: It should be ideal for 2 players, and not be too costly. I was thinking of Claustrophobia, but it's a tad too expensive. If anyone has any brilliant ideas for a fun 2-player game with a cost of max €30, please advise

Oh, nothing overly complicated or slow (such as Twilight Struggle).

Mage Wars (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/101721/mage-wars" target="_blank) is pretty awesome, and only costs 40 dollars at coolstuffinc.

The Space Hulk: Death Angel card game is also pretty fun, and fairly cheap (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/ ... -card-game" target="_blank), and you could get the expansions also for not too much (if you can find all the expansions, coolstuffinc looks as though they don't at the moment...)

But, Mage Wars is really a great game for 2 players...not too complex, but at the same time, pretty deep.

One of my favorite two player games is Memoir '44. But you already have Battlelore listed, so you may not want to add in another Borg game. (But IMHO, Memoir '44 is a much better game than Battlelore.)

So BGGCon starts in two days. At the moment, my expectations are for Wednesday and Saturday attendance, with the possibility of Thursday or Friday. Give Sunday's 3 p.m. close, an appearance on that day is not anticipated.

Isgrimnur wrote:So BGGCon starts in two days. At the moment, my expectations are for Wednesday and Saturday attendance, with the possibility of Thursday or Friday. Give Sunday's 3 p.m. close, an appearance on that day is not anticipated.

My flight arrives at 11AM. I'll be posting my plans for gaming sometime today.

SpaceLord wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote:So BGGCon starts in two days. At the moment, my expectations are for Wednesday and Saturday attendance, with the possibility of Thursday or Friday. Give Sunday's 3 p.m. close, an appearance on that day is not anticipated.

My flight arrives at 11AM. I'll be posting my plans for gaming sometime today.

I'll be there bright and early Wednesday through Saturday and leaving when my ability to deal with people runs out each evening. Now that I am more familiar with the event and a larger selection of games I hope to last a bit longer this time. I don't have any firm plans except meeting to get rid of ~25 games Thursday morning and possibly Disc Golf Friday morning if the weather doesn't suck.

With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

Double stuffed.

Zarathud wrote:With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

I am literally one of the two people in Ohio who has not had their copy shipped. At least according to the shipping maps in the updates.

Zarathud wrote:With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

I am literally one of the two people in Ohio who has not had their copy shipped. At least according to the shipping maps in the updates.

Zarathud wrote:With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

I am literally one of the two people in Ohio who has not had their copy shipped. At least according to the shipping maps in the updates.

Zarathud wrote:With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

I am literally one of the two people in Ohio who has not had their copy shipped. At least according to the shipping maps in the updates.

Or, 4 of 8.

I assume if I quote you I will create 8 posts. I am afraid.

Zarathud wrote:With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

I am literally one of the two people in Ohio who has not had their copy shipped. At least according to the shipping maps in the updates.

Zarathud wrote:With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

I am literally one of the two people in Ohio who has not had their copy shipped. At least according to the shipping maps in the updates.

Zarathud wrote:With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

I am literally one of the two people in Ohio who has not had their copy shipped. At least according to the shipping maps in the updates.

Zarathud wrote:With Ogre, deeper ramming isn't the issue but the size of the package could be -- 28 lbs. My package arrives tomorrrow. It apparently takes some time to fully assemble.

I am literally one of the two people in Ohio who has not had their copy shipped. At least according to the shipping maps in the updates.

8 of 16 now. The numbers are growing.

Ummm... Ohio has been buggy today.

If he was looking for something to ram he should have stopped at 7 of 9.

Thanks MythicalMino and hentzau for the replies. I was thinking of Memoir 44 myself, and Mage Wars is a good suggestion as well. However, both are a bit above my price range (for a gift to a colleague) here in Belgium.

I think I'll keep looking at possible sales for Claustrophobia, or Earth Reborn. I think he'd like a game with some miniatures.

Remus West wrote:If he was looking for something to ram he should have stopped at 7 of 9.

Needed some cheering up this morning and this thread delivered. Specifically this page. Thanks guys!

The Rocketman wrote:Thanks MythicalMino and hentzau for the replies. I was thinking of Memoir 44 myself, and Mage Wars is a good suggestion as well. However, both are a bit above my price range (for a gift to a colleague) here in Belgium.

I think I'll keep looking at possible sales for Claustrophobia, or Earth Reborn. I think he'd like a game with some miniatures.

Where do you buy your games? I used to order mine at http://adriaensen-speciaalzaak.be/" target="_blank , I don't anymore since I don't live in Belgium anymore.
The site can be a bit slow, but the difference in prices with the other stores is often significant ^^

The Rocketman wrote:Thanks MythicalMino and hentzau for the replies. I was thinking of Memoir 44 myself, and Mage Wars is a good suggestion as well. However, both are a bit above my price range (for a gift to a colleague) here in Belgium.

I think I'll keep looking at possible sales for Claustrophobia, or Earth Reborn. I think he'd like a game with some miniatures.

I really enjoy Mage Knight the board game as a 2 player.

Remus West wrote:

The Rocketman wrote:Thanks MythicalMino and hentzau for the replies. I was thinking of Memoir 44 myself, and Mage Wars is a good suggestion as well. However, both are a bit above my price range (for a gift to a colleague) here in Belgium.

I think I'll keep looking at possible sales for Claustrophobia, or Earth Reborn. I think he'd like a game with some miniatures.

I really enjoy Mage Knight the board game as a 2 player.

I enjoyed the one game of it that I've played so far. But I suspect it is well above the price range he is looking at. Over $50 for the base game.

EzeKieL wrote:

The Rocketman wrote:Thanks MythicalMino and hentzau for the replies. I was thinking of Memoir 44 myself, and Mage Wars is a good suggestion as well. However, both are a bit above my price range (for a gift to a colleague) here in Belgium.

I think I'll keep looking at possible sales for Claustrophobia, or Earth Reborn. I think he'd like a game with some miniatures.

Where do you buy your games? I used to order mine at http://adriaensen-speciaalzaak.be/" target="_blank , I don't anymore since I don't live in Belgium anymore.
The site can be a bit slow, but the difference in prices with the other stores is often significant ^^

I've ordered once or twice from that site, but more often I try http://spelshop.be/" target="_blank, http://www.sheepgames.be/index.php?main_page=page&id=1" target="_blank or even http://www.bol.com/nl/index.html" target="_blank. All of these have comparable prices though, and depending on the game I go with one or the other.

But these sites never have any real drastic sales, and I'm glad to get a whopping 7% discount

WHAT THE FRAK!

My phone was telling me that it was not posting and timing out. Sorry guys... apparently I'm trying to artificially inflate my post count... to prepare for "deeper ramming."

Ogre did ship. I look forward to my wife seeing it and saying "Oh! It's so big!"

Since I have never heard that from her ever before.

zarathud wrote:Box is opened. My wife thinks it's insane and frankly she's right. But..MY GOD, IT'S FULL OF CARDBOARD OGRES. The glory of more than a Thousand Counters!

19 punch sheets complete -- and I'm only halfway done. I feel like I need a cigarette....

And I have luggage not much bigger than the box.

Played Hordes from Privateer Press on Saturday. It's my second miniatures game after Malifaux. I felt that having a game that could handle armies as well as having Malifaux for skirmish level, character driven miniature gaming would compliment each other. Plus, the 2 player battle boxes are a steal at around 70 bucks online. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that I already have all the terrain and paints and such. So the cost is going to be minis and rules for any miniatures game I get into in the future.

While Malifaux adds hand management to the genre by replacing dice with hands of cards, Hordes adds a level of resource management via "Fury" which is generated by your warbeasts during combat and that your warlock (your commander) uses to power his spells. Generate TOO much by forcing your warbeasts to act and you run the risk of having them frenzy on you, attacking anything within sight.

It works very well and the game certainly benefits from having been around for years. The rules are very mature and cover almost everything that might arise during a game. Two major thumbs up. I added some units to my amazon wish list and noticed today that a family member has already purchased them for me for Christmas.

Then we got in a game of Mage Wars. Every time I play, I fall for this game even more. It does what it does almost perfectly. And that's be a tight, surprisingly deep combat game. It's Magic meets minis in a way.

This weekend we're having a rather large gaming day at a friend's place, so I'm sure I'll get in some more gaming.

spent most of yesterday checking out the vendors stuff. Isgimnur wandered in after work, 5 hours later and we played Spartacus, then joined SpaceLord for Glass Road and then Isgrimnur left and Spacelord and I played Tash Kalar.

Spartacus I still like a lot even if Isgrimnur decided to push a stranger to victory. We only played from 7 to 12 but I led from the start drawing the big target. We only had 1 gladiator come up at market and he never got into the arena. All starter gladiators all the time.

Glass Road is not really my sort of game, but I found it interesting. It was very much a learning game for me so my performance wasn't good. I can do better! It's not a game I am going to go out of my way to play.

Tash Kalar was more my style, but Spacelord got screwed on cards and by the 3rd turn I had a pretty dominant position that he just couldn't come back from. The flare cards that are supposed to help keep the leader from running away are a good idea, but aren't always enough... or sometimes even useful. I'll definitely play more if I can find opponents (I haven't bought it, but I probably will).

This morning is the meetup for the virtual flea market. I unloaded 4 games ahead of time, that only leaves 23 to unload in the space of one hour with hundreds of other people milling about trying to do the same thing.

Game group got in a play of Descent this weekend. We had not played in a few months, and it was nice to get back to this one.

We played the Cardinals Plight scenario, and the Overlord was able to get three zombies off the board in the first half of the scenario. In the second half, the Cardinal was able to hold back the zombies without much effort, and our group managed to find the key to the library in the first room. Making our way out of the library with the cardinal in tow wasn't too bad, as the remaining monsters were unable to block our path before the cardinal had already made it to the exit tile.

I really need to pick up the big expansion box for this, as the new campaign setting seems to be a bit more enticing, but all in all still a strong game without.

Ertic wrote:Game group got in a play of Descent this weekend. We had not played in a few months, and it was nice to get back to this one.

We played the Cardinals Plight scenario, and the Overlord was able to get three zombies off the board in the first half of the scenario. In the second half, the Cardinal was able to hold back the zombies without much effort, and our group managed to find the key to the library in the first room. Making our way out of the library with the cardinal in tow wasn't too bad, as the remaining monsters were unable to block our path before the cardinal had already made it to the exit tile.

I really need to pick up the big expansion box for this, as the new campaign setting seems to be a bit more enticing, but all in all still a strong game without.

Man, our overlord always wins these scenarios. In the cardinal one, through bad rolls, the cardinal was almost dead before our second turn, and we never did find the key prior to him dying.

I have never felt like the group, 4 of us, ever had a chance. I have all the expansions from Descent 1, and the conversion kit, so the overlord always has a ton of monsters to draw from. And he finds the right combos that block us, and kill us prior to being able to do anything. <sigh>

RMC wrote: Man, our overlord always wins these scenarios. In the cardinal one, through bad rolls, the cardinal was almost dead before our second turn, and we never did find the key prior to him dying.

I have never felt like the group, 4 of us, ever had a chance. I have all the expansions from Descent 1, and the conversion kit, so the overlord always has a ton of monsters to draw from. And he finds the right combos that block us, and kill us prior to being able to do anything. <sigh>

RMC,

We were fortunate with the cardinals defense dice; which are two gray. I do not believe the zombies were able to get the cardinal under 10 hp until after we had found the key. We were also lucky with the key being in the first room, which contained a pair of ogres. The second room had the dreaded shadow dragons, which we never engaged, as once the library was open we just hightailed it out of there.

We also play with four players as well, one being a spirit-caller that basically just heals every round. Burning sweat for movement also helps the heroes out quite a bit, as it allows for double attacks.

I have played both sides, hero & OL, and believe the game is balanced. It can be rough for first timers as they mostly want to kill,kill,kill, and the objective can quickly be lost before they know what hit them.

-Ertic

When I GM Descent 2nd edition, I tend to be more like a GM of an RPG. I want people to have fun, not necessarily feel like some God is trying to destroy them at every turn. That doesn't mean I don't try to make it challenging. It just means I don't go into it with the belief that my primary goal is to kill everyone.

Yes, that was the problem I had with Mansions of Madness. I tend to play the game like a GM, not a player that's trying to beat the other players. I like the theme and the overall idea of the game, but I'm just not wired to play that game to win it as the keeper.

This is the reason why I didn't like Descent in general. I just couldn't get cutthroat enough, and when I did, the players didn't enjoy themselves.

hepcat wrote:When I GM Descent 2nd edition, I tend to be more like a GM of an RPG. I want people to have fun, not necessarily feel like some God is trying to destroy them at every turn. That doesn't mean I don't try to make it challenging. It just means I don't go into it with the belief that my primary goal is to kill everyone.

Hepcat,

I learned that lesson as well after playing with some new folks via Vassal.I was playing as the overlord vs. three folks I was introducing to the game. I played fairly nastily, and demolished them in the first two campaign scenarios. I was surprised when they didn't want to play the game again, and when I probed further, they advised that it wasn't fun getting beaten so badly.

Since then I have adopted the GM mentality when playing as the Overlord. I try to provide the players a fun experience, and don't consider it a loss if I don't win as the Overlord.

-Ertic

hentzau wrote:This is the reason why I didn't like Descent in general. I just couldn't get cutthroat enough, and when I did, the players didn't enjoy themselves.

I didn't have that issue. To the contrary, the players enjoyed it when I was running the game as a story driven RPG with miniature style combat, not as a head to head board game in which I only want to win at any cost.