Tabletop Randomness

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 1:54 pm

On a related note, I could use some input. I sorted my games last night based on which would fit on my table, but there are a few I wasn't sure about. Which of the following are playable on a 32x32 table?

~Journeys in Middle Earth (I don't own this yet, but it may or may not be in the Christmas box.)
~Arkham Horror card game
~Apocrypha

Malificent · Post by **Malificent** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 2:45 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 1:54 pm On a related note, I could use some input. I sorted my games last night based on which would fit on my table, but there are a few I wasn't sure about. Which of the following are playable on a 32x32 table?

~Journeys in Middle Earth (I don't own this yet, but it may or may not be in the Christmas box.)
~Arkham Horror card game
~Apocrypha

Arkham definitely should - it has a relatively small game footprint. There is a layout for locations for every scenario and that takes up the most space, but even that rarely stretches much.

Journeys tiles may stretch too much - several scenarios stretch in a single direction (rather than being square and equidistant). It might fit, but there may be some scenarios that are a tight fit.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 3:39 pm

Groovy, thanks!

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 4:14 pm

Yeah, I'd agree with all that. Apocrypha should also fit on a 32x32 area, particularly if you're using deck/card holders. But even without I don't think it'll be a problem. I still love the art work on the game even if I struggled with the mechanics.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Tue Nov 24, 2020 12:46 am

Hollandspiele's annual sale has begun. Time to grab their entirely normal and mainstream games, like that time Henry VIII threw a huge party, dinosaurs punching each other, and slavery.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 5:06 pm

I've just started reading the manual for for The Vote, and it is bracing.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Wed Dec 16, 2020 3:36 pm

New Lorini:

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:41 pm

AWS260 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 01, 2020 5:06 pm I've just started reading the manual for for The Vote, and it is bracing.

This is why I'm such a fan of Hollandspiele.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:12 am

A friend who I used to D&D with who moved away sent me a surprise Christmas gift - a full copy of Brook City with the Kickstarter stretch goals. I know nothing about it, but the theme looks fun.

agent123 · Post by **agent123** » Fri Dec 18, 2020 12:07 pm

Spammalamadingdong

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:25 pm

Follow up to the lawsuit from October:

Two months later and the Dragonlance lawsuit has been “dismissed without prejudice.” Here’s what that means for WotC, Dragonlance, and beyond. The lawsuit between Dragonlance creators Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and Wizards of the Coast has come to a close with a “dismissal without prejudice.” Dismissed without prejudice means that the complaint could be raised again if Weis and Hickman so choose, though it seems unlikely, given Weis’ announcement about the dismissal earlier:

I know some of you have seen that our lawsuit against WoTC was dismissed. I can't say anything yet, but watch for exciting news in the weeks to come! And thank you so much for your support! — Margaret Weis (@WeisMargaret)
...

Note that it’s the plaintiffs bringing notice of voluntary dismissal, and that Wizards of the Coast never filed a response, nor were there any proceedings or discovery. All of which seems to indicate an out-of-court agreement has been reached between the two parties. This is especially exciting given that WotC has three different settings on their docket in the next few years. And with Dragonlance’s creators working on novels again (at least up to the point when the lawsuit began), it seems like some sort of return to Krynn is in the cards. This could possibly be connected to a mention by Joe Manganiello that he has stats for Draconians–a tidbit dropped during Wired’s “D&D Support” stunt.

RMC · Post by **RMC** » Mon Dec 21, 2020 6:46 pm

Zarathud wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:14 pm Boardgame Co has an interesting youTube channel, so I’m predisposed to liking him.

Hepcat has sold games at the GenCon auction for great prices. I would have sold Eclipse 1.0 and Endeavor 1.0 there if it was possible.

Are you going to part with Eclipse 1.0? I have the kickstarted 2.0, and all the pieces parts for 1.0...But I just can't part with it... Of course games I hate, I usually keep as well, since I have a rather large basement to store them all in, and just add a new shelve if I run out of space.. But I liked Eclipse 1.0 so much, I hate to part with it..

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:04 am

I will part with Eclipse 1.0 and Endeavor 1.0 at the next GenCon.

I finally parted with my original Talisman after getting a complete set from Fantasy Flight. I'm getting close to filling up two 5x5 Kallax shelves, so it's time to think about rotating some of the collection to make room. I will keep my original Avalon Hill set of Dune given to me by my youngest aunt back in the 80s.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 5:06 pm

A while back I got a copy of Apocrypha along with Box 2 and Box 3. I'm trying to consolidate space right now. It seems like both of the extras are meant to be kept in the base box. Before I start getting rid of boxes, is this correct?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:22 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sat Jan 09, 2021 5:06 pm A while back I got a copy of Apocrypha along with Box 2 and Box 3. I'm trying to consolidate space right now. It seems like both of the extras are meant to be kept in the base box. Before I start getting rid of boxes, is this correct?

I was able to get all three boxes (plus the manuals, dice, etc...) into a single box (#1) without any problems.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:27 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:22 pm
Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sat Jan 09, 2021 5:06 pm A while back I got a copy of Apocrypha along with Box 2 and Box 3. I'm trying to consolidate space right now. It seems like both of the extras are meant to be kept in the base box. Before I start getting rid of boxes, is this correct?
I was able to get all three boxes (plus the manuals, dice, etc...) into a single box (#1) without any problems.

I wasn't so much worried about them fitting so much as to whether it would present logistical problems later (IE - supposed to keep some stuff completely separate, which doesn't really make much sense now that I've typed it out loud...) I figured they were meant to fit based on all of the extra space and dividers in the base set. I wanted to double check before I took the permanent step of the garbage can.

I really hate throwing those boxes away, though. I love the art!

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:38 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:27 pmI really hate throwing those boxes away, though. I love the art!

Ahh...yeah, I didn't think there were any logical issues in making them fit in one box. When the KS was running originally, I think it was all supposed to be a single release, but then they realized it was too much and ended up splitting it into 3 different sets. It does feel wasteful and the 2nd and 3rd boxes were mostly empty (as I recall). But I agree about losing all the art. Had I been smarter I guess I could have cut the covers out and saved them for wall art, but I don't really have that much wall space any more either.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 6:54 pm

I did recycle one of the boxes for a bunch of third party map tiles for the Conan board game that I've had sitting on top of it for a while. Now I just need something to give me an excuse to save the other...

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:12 pm

Aha! I have a bunch of Gotham City Chronicles miniatures from season 2 that are individually packaged. They fit inside perfectly. Art kept, no extra space used, and organization improved.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:54 pm

Now that the lawsuit is over, I guess a new Dragonlance novel is coming out in July:

And at 304 pages, that’s a pretty respectable return to the world so many have been hungry to see again (hey Jenn), but is this a tie-in with the new book debuting tomorrow, or are we waiting until the Summer to see Dragonlance?

As mentioned, there's a new D&D 5E book being announced tomorrow and perhaps it'll be related to running a campaign on Krynn...

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 3:40 pm

I'm intrigued, but I haven't read a new Dragonlance novel since the mid-90s when they were still pumping out forests worth of mediocre spinoff novels ("Read Spuds Against Darkness, A new trilogy describing how Otik learned to make spiced potatoes!") I have no idea what canon (well, core) novels came out in the intervening time.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 3:45 pm

I only ever read the original trilogy, but I'm still kind of excited. Memories of happier times!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 4:04 pm

I seem to remember that the core was always the original Chronicles plus the Legends. This suggests that the core novels grew quite a bit after I stopped reading them. It is interesting that even the Wikipedia skips past the spinoffs. Some were actually pretty good - I remember liking the Tales - but a lot of it was just awful. I'm thinking the Preludes, Heroes, Meetings Sextet, etc. There may have been a few good ones, but TSR was just pumping out books like crazy. I couldn't stomach some of them, and I was a teenager who was very, very tolerant when it came to cheesy novels.

I also seem to remember reading that toward the end, TSR was hiring absolutely anybody who'd so much as penned an article to write speed-write novels in a terribly misguided attempt to become more profitable. Both Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms put out a lot of garbage in those days until TSR went under and Wizards of the Coast took over.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 4:53 pm

New D&D 5E book is not related to Kyrnn - it's Candlekeep Mysteries:

It’s another adventure anthology along the lines of Tomb of the Yawning Portal or Ghosts of Saltmarsh.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:14 pm

A new Lorini video on Paris, with bonus Eurogame history.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:30 pm

Oof, I stepped into the comments section of the Pax Renaissance/Pax Vikings kickstarter to see if there were any updates on shipping...only to be met with a slew of people asking to cancel their orders because of Phil Eklund's opinions.

Long story short, Phil loves to expound on history via essays he attaches to the footnotes in his rulebook. They've gotten him in trouble before, and it appears he's ruffled a few feathers with some of his latest essays in PR...which lead to people digging up some other stuff from his earlier games.

It's gotten so bad that Ion Games/Sierra Madre Games have issued a statement as of earlier this week:

Footnotes and non rule text in our game

Continued concerns with personal statements, footnotes, and other none rule text have brought forward our work on new practices related to how we handle certain aspects of our games. We honor our contractual obligations regarding our game designers work, details regarding this is specified in separate statement about our development process. We'll continue to listen to our community and adjust and adopt new policies as necessary. Thank you for taking the time to work with us on this.
Footnotes and other none rule text in our games

At Ion Game Design, we condemn discrimination of any kind, be that based upon age, culture, gender identity, gender expression, social status, sexual orientation, religion, race, educational level, disability, mental health, ethnicity or physical appearance.

We have previously reprinted and published games with text and footnotes that may conflict with our values. If so, we regret this, and we acknowledge and apologize for these mistakes and will do better going forward. We plan to begin to address the rules in the following ways:

Rulebooks and living rules will not contain non rule texts, only game rules or factual footnotes.
Footnotes will only be included if peer-reviewed by experts in the relevant fields, including sensitivity readers.

We also would like to ask everyone for patience and understanding that these processes take time.

I can understand Phil's need to explore history through the lens of an impartial observer, but doing so sometimes leads him to apply that same lens of impartiality to the perpetrators of some of histories most atrocious crimes. I don't think he's racist, nor do I think he's a believer in the righteousness of colonialism (another thing that's gotten him in trouble), but I do think he's short sighted and doesn't take into consideration all the details behind historical events.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Jan 22, 2021 5:35 pm

AWS260 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:14 pm A new Lorini video on Paris, with bonus Eurogame history.

Thanks! Gonna try to get another up this weekend, keep your eyes open

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 5:03 pm

New Dragonlance trilogy is official:

The new trilogy will return fans to the most beloved characters from the original novels along with introducing a new strong protagonist. The books will be published by Del Rey Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Although a publishing date has not yet been formally set, they anticipate announcing when the first book will be released later this year.

When?

It appears Amazon UK might have jumped the gun on them; a recent listing for a paperback by Weis and Hickman is set for July 29, 2021.

While I don't know anything else, I'd think this also adds to the idea that 5E materials for Krynn might be in the works...

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:57 pm

Made the front page!!!!

https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/2823 ... hlickbernd

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:58 pm

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:45 am

Congrats!

And that's a pretty interesting history and story. Always cool when you see a story like that and it's someone you know (at least as well as any of us who haven't met in person know each other).

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 2:09 am

Congratulations!!!

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:11 am

Lorini wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:57 pm Made the front page!!!!

https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/2823 ... hlickbernd

Wow, that's some staunch eurogamer bona fides right there. Kudos and congratulations, Lorini.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:57 am

Good job! We can now say “we knew her when”!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:58 am

Awesome! Congratulations.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 10:50 am

Try to remember us now that you're all famous.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:30 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 10:50 am Try to remember us now that you're all famous.

Will always remember you all

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:50 pm

SHE SIGNED MY FORUM! I'm never washing these pixels again!

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 1:05 pm

Lorini wrote:Made the front page!!!!

https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/2823 ... hlickbernd

Respect! (insert virtual fistbump here)

Fardaza · Post by **Fardaza** » Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:20 pm

In all the years I lived near L.A., I only went to one gamecon. It wasn't really my thing for most of those years. Now that I've moved to TN, I feel like I've missed out on knowing another celebrity!