OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 1:53 pm

Well, that was unexpected. I just received a package and I had no idea what it was. Opened it up only to realize that it was the expansions for The Fallen that I'd pre ordered...well...a long time ago. I honestly had forgotten about it. But it looks like the maker came through after all.

Now to pull the game out of the closet and see if these expansions address some of my issues with the original game. Namely: everything you did up to the final battle seemed almost pointless in the game's resolution.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 1:57 pm

So it felt like an NBA game?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 2:00 pm

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 4:35 pm

hepcat wrote:Now to pull the game out of the closet and see if these expansions address some of my issues with the original game. Namely: everything you did up to the final battle seemed almost pointless in the game's resolution.

So true. With one tiny exception. You might be able to pick up an item that would improve the final fight. But the fact that it's possible to lose virtually all of the lead up fights, but then still win the game is absurd. (I did it. So I know it's possible. I think I won 1 of the initial fights.)

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Thu Jun 09, 2016 11:50 pm

hepcat wrote:Well, that was unexpected. I just received a package and I had no idea what it was. Opened it up only to realize that it was the expansions for The Fallen that I'd pre ordered...well...a long time ago. I honestly had forgotten about it. But it looks like the maker came through after all.

Now to pull the game out of the closet and see if these expansions address some of my issues with the original game. Namely: everything you did up to the final battle seemed almost pointless in the game's resolution.

Hey! Me too!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sun Jun 12, 2016 7:57 pm

Getting toasted and losing Farmingdale to the zombies in the new edition of Dawn of the Zeds. What a great game.

Yesterday saw an epic game of Xia that I'll let the winner Hentzau expand on. But also got in a great game of 13 Days which I now wholeheartedly recommend to any fan of Twilight Struggle, as well as two games of the new 51st State which I now also can rave about. It may be missing a few things from its predecessor, but it's fantastically streamlined and easy to learn now.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Sun Jun 12, 2016 11:48 pm

I wish I had kept my Zeds pledge, I dropped it thinking "I'll get it at retail" without knowing there would be NO retail. This makes me doubly glad I backed Nemo's War and Darkest Night (although I wish I had used my Nemo's War pledge to get a copy of Zeds when they offered). Something tells me these games are going to be collectables in the future...

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:52 am

Yeah, that game of Xia was pretty epic. It was a 3 player game, with me, Hep and Seppe playing. Fame point goal was to 15. I was last to choose ships, so I grabbed Persistent Memory...I had never used it, but I had seen the Mag Grapple used to some decent effect, so that's what I went with. I jumped out to an early lead on Fame Points just through exploration and completing missions. Lots of risk taking and blind jumping helped me to get to that lead, but it also caused me to run headlong into a debris field where I blew up spectacularly. Hep and Seppe spent time trying merchanting and missions to various degrees of success. I then had an opportunity to pick up a Title card by running out of energy in a nebula and recharging (a roll of 8 helped me to make that decision when I entered the nebula.) But getting to a planet to recharge took me way longer than I thought it would, because of a stupid mistake I made.

In that time frame, both Hep and Seppe were able to pick up a couple of extra fame points and upgrade their ships to Tier III ships, while I was still on my starting ship. Seppe had caught up to me on FP's and his ship was way more capable of getting missions and merchant points. Hep had stalled out spending time blowing up the merchant ship, which was fun, but not very conducive to getting FP's.

And the end, it ended up being a race to the final FP. I was at 13, Seppe was at 14 and I could tell he was on his way to getting that 15th point.I had made it to a planet with 5,000 CR in the bank. I contemplated picking up a tier 1 ship with my 5000, but I said hell with it, I'll buy a FP to tie myself with Seppe. I then sold my tier 1 engine and blaster outfits and upgraded my tier 1 engine outfit to a tier 2. I would live or die with my Tier 1 ship! Seppe was on the planet with me, and took off. I had a mission that could MAYBE be completed in one turn, but I would need a couple of great rolls to do it. So I spent an energy and grappled onto Seppe as he headed out, to get me out of the planetary shield and partway to my destination. I was 2 spaces from my mission start location.

My turn came around, and I added it up. I could get this done, but I would need a miracle. Everyone was really excited to see what would happen. I impulsed to the mission start point, and spent an action to get the mission started. I needed to get to the mission spot on Neo Damascus with one action left to be able to complete it and win the game. I was 14 spaces away, via a safe route. My first roll was a 5. That eliminated the safe route. Now, my only option was to fly through the planetary shield to get to the spot, but I would still need at least a 5 on my move roll. I activated my engine a second time, picked up the die and...rolled another 5. I had the distance. Now, I needed to get through the shield.

I moved on up to the shield, and Hep took a couple of shots at me with his Rail Gun as I flew past. He punched some holes in me, destroying my cargo holds. I have to admit that my hand was actually shaking as I was getting ready to make the roll. I had a 50/50 shot...anything less than an 11 and I would bounce off of the shield and the game would be Seppe's. I picked up the die and rolled...

A 20.

Final roll of the game, I nailed a 20, giving me an immediate Fame Point. That put me to 15, and I cruised into the mission spot on Neo Damascus, spending my last action to get a final FP, ending at 16.

Man, do I love this game. The love that I managed to win this game with a tier 1 ship vs two tier 3 ships.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:34 am

Hep had stalled out spending time blowing up the merchant ship, which was fun, but not very conducive to getting FP's.

Well, the one time I did so, it was because it would produce 2 FP upon completion (one for blowing it up, one for the mission I had to blow it up). My real problem was overextending myself on the first few turns trying to complete a long haul mission. I ended up having to limp back to planets on impulse by doing so. That wasted a good 3 or 4 turns for me.

Eventually, when I realized there was no way I was going to win, I just bought a big ass gun and parked myself between you guys and your victory conditions. Unfortunately, I ended up whiffing on my combat rolls then.

But I had a blast (just not a literal blast, thanks to those damn rolls)!

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:37 am

hepcat wrote:
Hep had stalled out spending time blowing up the merchant ship, which was fun, but not very conducive to getting FP's.
Well, the one time I did so, it was because it would produce 2 FP upon completion (one for blowing it up, one for the mission I had to blow it up). My real problem was overextending myself on the first few turns trying to complete a long haul mission. I ended up having to limp back to planets on impulse by doing so. That wasted a good 3 or 4 turns for me.

Eventually, when I realized there was no way I was going to win, I just bought a big ass gun and parked myself between you guys and your victory conditions. Unfortunately, I ended up whiffing on my combat rolls then.

But I had a blast (just not a literal blast, thanks to those damn rolls)!

Oh yeah. I forgot you had a mission to take out the merchant ship. That does make it make a bit more sense to keep shooting the hell out of it.

And I thought it was fun you sitting there just shooting at us. As I'm flying to my final destination I was thinking "Stop shooting holes in my Gorram ship!"

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:00 am

We didn't do enough trade stuff to really see if the economy variant was viable though. Next time I'll upgrade to merchant class ships and give it a try.

Punisher · Post by **Punisher** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 11:26 am

Had our first game day on Saturday with my wife, my son, and his girlfriend. Played X-Wing Miniatures game using the very basic starter rules so no focus, or anything in play, nor any critical cards.. Played for several hours and everyone had fun.
I can us investing a lot in this.

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:41 pm

Taught another friend to play Dicemasters, had a great time playing Avengers (him) versus Justice League (me) then Teen Titans (me).
Pulled out the entire Avengers collection for him to tweak and playtest ideas throughout the evening.

Stopped by LGS on the way and traded 8 MtG cards for 50 packs of the first Battle for Faerun boosters.

Working on a DnD now.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 2:42 pm

As I mentioned before, the DnD Dice Masters game surprised the heck out of me with how thematic it was. I would love to play a monsters vs. adventurers themed game, but I just don't have enough cards/dice. They sell out almost immediately in these parts. I really need to just buy a gravity feed with seppe or something.

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:07 pm

Three of us split a Civil War gravity when it came out, 25 bucks each for 30 packs each.

Debating ordering both DnD starters from Troll and Toad

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:24 pm

We've split a couple of gravity feeds in the past. But we've got so many damn games between all of us in the Chicago group that we rarely play anything for more than a few months at a time (although with games like Malifaux, we often circle back around for periods of activity).

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:29 pm

Hmmm, I think I should lend Isg half my Dice Master collection so he can build something to play with me. Having what is probably close to $500 of dice masters sitting on the shelf collecting dust...

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:30 pm

You know how to find me.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:32 pm

Look under the beds of children?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:33 pm

Do you have any idea how bad the wifi strength is down there? I much prefer the (server) closet.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 9:20 am

In other news it looks like Robinson Crusoe (a game hepcat and I actually agree on) is getting a new edition this fall. Adios Z-Man!

Summary from a thread at BGG:

- square box shape** (Ticket to Ride-esque box)
- rewritten rulebook**
- discovery token with names**
- Sticker for worker*
- small rules summary sheet**
- cardboard character sheets
- custom resource meeples*
- King Kong scenario*
- new starting player marker

* is/was already available on the portal homepage
** already implemented in localized versions (e.g. German version) in a similar way

If the cardboard character sheets means cutouts for the health marker I am in just for that.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 9:24 am

This bugs me a bit. There's a trend now to redo/update games within 2 years or so of initial release. I don't want to double dip on a game, but if I want the superior experience that some of these new editions offer, I don't have much of a choice.

Of course I'll buy it. I'm weak. But that doesn't mean I can't complain about it.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 10:13 am

hepcat wrote:This bugs me a bit. There's a trend now to redo/update games within 2 years or so of initial release. I don't want to double dip on a game, but if I want the superior experience that some of these new editions offer, I don't have much of a choice.

Of course I'll buy it. I'm weak. But that doesn't mean I can't complain about it.

I've been super annoyed by this for years. There's probably been half a dozen games I've bought that had some kind of weirdness in them that gets fixed by an improved version released later. The other fun one is when they release an expansion whose components aren't quite compatible with the ones from the first printing, and you have to get some kind of upgrade kit.

I'm really hoping that they release the revised version of the rules for Crusoe, and that those rules are compatible with the original version of the game. The rules for that version are probably the biggest problem, and I'd love to see that fixed.

Moat_Man · Post by **Moat_Man** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:51 pm

We played Above and Below for the first time this weekend. The kids loved the storytelling aspect of the game. Unfortunately nine of the cards were misprinted and the backs were off center. I emailed support and they said the replacement cards shipped today. Great service from Red Raven Games!

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 10:11 pm

Ran across FEUDAL and The Challenge when dropping things off at storage.

May have to dust these guys off.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 9:01 am

Chaosraven wrote:The Challenge

With the expansion? I loved that game.

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 3:48 pm

not sure I recall an expansion for it

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 4:07 pm

Chaosraven wrote:not sure I recall an expansion for it

BGG says there was no expansion but I know the copy Andy had had an expansion that we played with

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1682/challenge

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 5:21 pm

Chaosraven wrote:FEUDAL

The old Avalon Hill game? We had that when I was a kid. I don't think I ever played a proper game, but I did have fun moving the little plastic soldiers around the board.

Moat_Man · Post by **Moat_Man** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:30 pm

I have (had?) Feudal. It might be in a box in storage or it might be at my brother's house. I'm not sure if it survived my move cross country many moons ago.

Fun pseudo four player chess game if I remember correctly. it's been 20+ years since I played.

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 9:39 pm

Feudal is kind of a cross between Battleship (for setup), Chess (for moves), and has the tricky portion of Winning by Controlling the Castle.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 8:26 am

Played the Dark Titan expansion for Castle Panic last night (just Dark Titan, no Wizard's Tower).

First game we got our asses handed to us. To the point where it felt like the game was broken. Admittedly we were playing a Level 3 Agranok, but we were getting crushed before he even showed up. I can't say we had much fun, and we were beginning to think this expansion just sucked. The problem was that the few cards it adds and the Cavalier didn't do nearly enough to offset all the bad stuff they added.

The second game we used a Level 1 Agranok, and this time we hoarded our Barbarian and Nice Shot in an attempt to take Agranok out instantly once he appeared. This plan worked up to a point, but by doing this we got in trouble with waves of other mobs. We were down to 1 tower and 2 walls with a huge wave incoming. We went through at least three "miracle" turns in which we managed to scrape and claw towards survival - one in which a giant boulder and a lucky die roll was literally the only thing that saved us from losing.

In the end, we eked out a narrow victory which was really satisfying. However, the general feel of the group was still that this expansion was so hard it bordered on not being fun.

I really think this thing was meant to be combined with Wizard's Tower. I think WT is slightly too easy, and DT is slightly too hard, so I'm hoping the combination will be just about perfect.

Also there's a guy on Etsy who sells 3D printed castle walls and towers for cheap, so we're going to order those. One of the game group picked up Dead Panic just for fun, so we may be giving that a shot before too long as well.

I never thought Castle Panic of all things would be one of my favorite games to break out, but those expansions just turn it into a totally different beast.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:31 pm

So for any fans of the Warhammer Quest the Adventure Card Game I found out via BGG that there's a character expansion pack that's just been offered. Personally I was hoping for an actual expansion with more quests but I guess this is a start. The pistol wielding Witch Hunter looks pretty cool but the Troll Slayer looks rather silly and a bit disturbing since he seems to have forgone the use of armor so he can show off his tats and the blood splatter of his enemies on his bare chest and torso. Oh well here's the info from FFG:

Get your Witch Hunter and Troll Slayer on

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 10:38 pm

Played a game of Nippon. It's a euro game where you are businessmen trying to build factories, then create products and ship them to different regions of Japan depending on demand. You get more points by dominating regions.

The twist of the game is really in the mechanics. Each of the two available actions have 3 different meeples randomly put on them. You take one of the meeples to take that action. You then take the action. You each continue in this manner until you are out of money and products and can't take actions (since they all essentially cost something). Then you spend a turn consolidating. The trick is you have to pay your workers out of the new income based on the number of colors you take. So you are limited in actions by the colors you take.

I liked the game, I really did. I found it fun and took lots of planning. You had to build an engine to win, and the mechanic was certainly new and rather unique. But I will probably never play it again. The reason? It's way too long. For a three player game it too us over 2.5 hours. That is simply too long for a game that just didn't feel that epic. For as much as I enjoyed it there are too many games that give the same enjoyment in much less time.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:32 pm

Caraveles: a bit too much of a solitary competition with little interaction opportunities, especially past the initial exploration aspect. I managed a decent finish after getting hosed on the start. Not one I'll be dying to play again.

Fire and Axe: definitely a game more inclined to screwing with your opponents' plans to your own benefit with the saga goals and the rune cards. Wouldn't mind playing again.

Evolution: my second playthrough, also for some of the others. Things went more smoothly with only a few screwups regarding changing traits, the carnivore feed results. Maybe my third play will get all of them right.

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 11:54 pm

Well we got mare nostrum to the table. Wow. I actually really love it. Played a four player game, I was the Greeks. My strategy was to build up cities and win through gold. I was going to spend my gold to get enough heroes (five) to declare victory. And I was very close. But one turn before I could my wife who was playing as Carthage built the pyramids with twelve unique resources and won. It was down to the wire. I love the game. It gives the feelings of an epic game without having just in your face combat over and over again. Looking forward to trying it again.

Moat_Man · Post by **Moat_Man** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 3:10 am

Chrisoc13 wrote:Well we got mare nostrum to the table. Wow. I actually really love it. Played a four player game, I was the Greeks. My strategy was to build up cities and win through gold. I was going to spend my gold to get enough heroes (five) to declare victory. And I was very close. But one turn before I could my wife who was playing as Carthage built the pyramids with twelve unique resources and won. It was down to the wire. I love the game. It gives the feelings of an epic game without having just in your face combat over and over again. Looking forward to trying it again.

Thanks for the report. I'm looking forward to playing this when it arrives.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 9:40 am

Played at Origins and it only served to reinforce my initial impression that the games indeed rock. Can't wait to play it again.

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 10:43 am

We played the variable setup for four players because one player wanted to play as Atlantis. It worked out just fine.

You really have to keep your eyes on other players and beat down the leader. I started attacking my wife but it was too late and nobody else helped. The Atlantis player formed a truce with the winner and refuses to break it. The roman player was entangled in border wars with me (the Greeks). I loved it. Great table diplomacy going on. And well played by Carthage player to talk the Atlantis player into keeping a truce while on the verge of victory.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 12:49 pm

My copies of Falling Sky and Cuba Libre came in yesterday. The boards are both so small and adorable compared to the other two COIN games I own (FitL and LoD).