The Big Board-Gaming Catch-All

Chaz wrote:

I tried Mice & Mystics with the fiancee and mom in law again, second try at chapter 1. We only got to the second tile because they were both tired, but we seemed to be doing better.

Unfortunately, I think I've realized that both of them are more visual learners, and the lack of player aids means that they had a hard time keeping the different rules straight. Fortunately, there are printable player aids on BGG, so I think I'll print them out and see if that helps. I realized this might be the case when they did fine with Merchants & Marauders, much more complicated and has a giant player aid, but kept saying Mice & Mystics is really complicated, which it totally isn't.

Wow. Merchants & Marauders (M&M1) is so much more complex and fiddly than Mice & Mystics (M&M2). A really good player aid makes a big difference, but there's such disparity there between those two games.

Oh, I know, which is why I suspect that the critical difference is the lack of player aids. For visual learners, not having anything to look at can make things seem way harder than they are.

Dysplastic wrote:

In all seriousness, which do you prefer out of Twilight Struggle or Labyrinth? Might consider adding one of the two to the old shelf of shame.

I’m not sure which of the two I prefer, I’d have to give both games a few more plays at least to be sure. I can see some definite pros and cons to each. TS would be easier to grok, since the sides are identical in what they can do, and you can fight your opponent in a direct manner, like a tug-of-war. There’s a nice progression to TS, with the early, mid and late war decks, and the tension of the card management is brought into sharp focus with the way the scoring cards work, or how a poorly timed card could bring about nuclear war.
Labyrinth is a bit harder to learn the system and to understand the strategies, since the asymmetrical sides have rather unique ways to affect the board and each other. The US is very rigid and narrow-focused in what it can do, but also very powerful. Conversely, the terrorists are very flexible and can be diffuse, but they usually have to make themselves very vulnerable if they want to get anything big done.

I’m not sure which I could definitively suggest one over the other. It would come down to which theme is more appealing, how much subtle complexity you can handle or if you’re into asymmetry. Try them out, or read some reviews and action reports and see what appeals to you.

If you plan on coming downtown tonight, I could teach you one. I'm always looking for a chance to break them out.

Teneman wrote:
TigerBill wrote:
MonoCheli wrote:

For those who are liking Mice and Mystics should check out the audio collection from Plaidhat that is read by Richard Sommer. All sale go to charity too so that is cool.

That is awesome and I will get it just to listen to the story.
Mono are we going to break out Mice and Mystics on the 1st at all? /hint hint /nudge nudge

Indubitably Bill. If Mono doesn't want to play it, I sure will. I've had two copies sitting on my table mocking me for two weeks now, and haven't been able to try it out yet.

I'm also hoping to get a game of Red Dragon Inn going as well.

Yes I want to play it on the 1st. I already have the audio downloaded and ready to go.
If anyone else is interested in the S&T at the castle on Dec 1st. Please just let me know.

Got in a round of Descent, 2nd edition over the weekend. I joined into a pre-existing campaign, but the gameplay was pretty easy to pick up. Unfortunately, one of the members of my BG group has terminal Analysis Paralysis, and this was just about the worst I've seen it. It took around 7 hours to complete a single (2 encounter) quest in Act II. The game was *very* fun, though. I like the leveling mechanic, and managed to just nuke the hell out of the monsters with the Runemaster, immolation & the ability that lets me turn attacks into blasts.

Tanglebones wrote:

It took around 7 hours to complete a single (2 encounter) quest in Act II.

That is redonkulous.

Gravey wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

It took around 7 hours to complete a single (2 encounter) quest in Act II.

That is redonkulous.

Yup. I'd ballpark it as 'should have taken about 3 hours'

Tanglebones wrote:
Gravey wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

It took around 7 hours to complete a single (2 encounter) quest in Act II.

That is redonkulous.

Yup. I'd ballpark it as 'should have taken about 3 hours'

At the outside, even with new players. Over a whole campaign of ours, no quest took more than 1.5-2 hours. Maybe your AP friend just really missed Descent 1e?

Gravey wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:
Gravey wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

It took around 7 hours to complete a single (2 encounter) quest in Act II.

That is redonkulous.

Yup. I'd ballpark it as 'should have taken about 3 hours'

At the outside, even with new players. Over a whole campaign of ours, no quest took more than 1.5-2 hours. Maybe your AP friend just really missed Descent 1e? ;)

Not pictured: 20 minute arguments over every move, by every player.

1989 is another recent alternative to TS/Labyrinth.

DanyBoy wrote:

If you plan on coming downtown tonight, I could teach you one. I'm always looking for a chance to break them out. :)

Sweet! I was actually planning on showing up tonight. I'll catch you there.

Tanglebones wrote:
Gravey wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:
Gravey wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

It took around 7 hours to complete a single (2 encounter) quest in Act II.

That is redonkulous.

Yup. I'd ballpark it as 'should have taken about 3 hours'

At the outside, even with new players. Over a whole campaign of ours, no quest took more than 1.5-2 hours. Maybe your AP friend just really missed Descent 1e? ;)

Not pictured: 20 minute arguments over every move, by every player.

Oof. Glad you still had fun though!

Tanglebones wrote:
Gravey wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:
Gravey wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

It took around 7 hours to complete a single (2 encounter) quest in Act II.

That is redonkulous.

Yup. I'd ballpark it as 'should have taken about 3 hours'

At the outside, even with new players. Over a whole campaign of ours, no quest took more than 1.5-2 hours. Maybe your AP friend just really missed Descent 1e? ;)

Not pictured: 20 minute arguments over every move, by every player.

Time to institute the egg timer, if you don't finish the basics of your turn in that amount of time, you're just done.

Johnvanjim wrote:

Time to institute the egg timer, if you don't finish the basics of your turn in that amount of time, you're just done.

I think I need to invest in one of those.

Johnvanjim wrote:

Time to institute the egg timer, if you don't finish the basics of your turn in that amount of time, you're just done.

Do you guys actually do this? We just have one guy who is AP prone, but I'd like any advice in helping him break this without damaging friendships.

Somebody needs to make a small handheld timer that says "your turn". Whenever your time is up or your turn is done you hand it to the next person and they press the button to reset the time. Is there a product out there like this? I smell a kickstarter... I just don't want it to be me.

Crockpot wrote:

Somebody needs to make a small handheld timer that says "your turn". Whenever your time is up or your turn is done you hand it to the next person and they press the button to reset the time. Is there a product out there like this (maybe a stopwatch?). I smell a kickstarter... I just don't want it to be me.

Or you could just kick people who take too long.

Demyx wrote:

Or you could just kick people who take too long.

Technically it was his apartment, so it'd be rude. Usually his flatmate is part of the BG group, and balances things out by kicking his butt into gear

Get a chess clock.

MonoCheli wrote:

Get a chess clock.

That wouldn't work for games more than two player.

Perhaps this might help?

http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Revolu...

IMAGE(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Xx6yWRd6L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

EDIT: there's also a 6 player "cube" version:

http://www.amazon.com/DGT-Cube-Game-...

IMAGE(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31WXPeSvzDL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

That's pretty dang close what I wanted! Thanks!

With that the speed chess variant could be applied to lots of games with entertaining results.

Imagine speed Twilight Imperium or speed Dune. hmmm.

Demyx wrote:

Or you could just kick people who take too long.

The true meaning of "kickstarter."

MonoCheli wrote:

speed Dune

YES. Would have to really have the rules down before hand though.

Gunner wrote:
MonoCheli wrote:

speed Dune

YES. Would have to really have the rules down before hand though.

Yeah, I'm seeing a practice/cram session before the game.

I agree but that would be fun once a group had it down.

I picked up a copy of Red Dragon Inn at Madness Games in Plano a few weeks ago while I was in town. I managed to get a quick learning game in while I was still In town, but I'm going to introduce it to my group this week. We'll see how it goes.

So, after a couple of attempts with Castle Ravenloft, my daughter wanted to try our luck with Wrath of Ashardalon ( after quite a break in time ). We started off the first adventure for multiplayers ( Hunt the Monsters ) and we were down to our last monster, and our last hitpoints. Dad ( playing the rogue ) swung and missed, then died. We lost. But we had fun and got closer than we ever did in Ravenloft. We will try again with a different combo of heroes ( she was the Paladin ). These still are some of the most fun games we lose a lot