The Big Board-Gaming Catch-All

Natus wrote:
Boudreaux wrote:
edosan wrote:

Last night we went over to a friend's house to celebrate my birthday (which is today) and we played St Petersburg and Kingsburg. Both great games that we haven't played in a wile but so, so good.

Have you played Kingsburg with the To Forge A Realm expansion? It's fantastic. Makes a good game really great.

I played Kingsburg once and thought it was fine. Does the expansion improve it so much? And are they both on iOS?

The expansion makes it more asymmetric. There are new player mats with additional buildings, as well as a few "mini expansions" that can be added piecemeal to the game as desired. There are replacement buildings that can be overlaid on the player mats, which can make each player's mat different. There are advisors each player can use that give a certain special ability. There are "events" that are drawn from a deck that affect all players each year. There is also a mechanic that makes the combat at the end of each year less random and more strategic. Instead of rolling for the king's soldiers, each player has a group of tokens that add from 1-4 soldiers to that player's total - but you get VP for the value of the token you don't use at the end of the game.

No idea about iOS implementation, but it's a great expansion to the game.

Natus wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

I did not get to play GoT last night, but that afforded me time to find the following video. I really wish there were more videos like this. Any company that can do it should make a video like this if they can.

They have always made great videos and generally great presentation. I think their whole presentation of Elder Signs: Omen on iOS is absolutely phenomenal. But it's taken them quite a few years and almost as many iterations to get AGoT to a good place (and I haven't played 2nd Ed yet). I could have wished that FFG had spent more time on design and less on window dressing, at least initially.

Don't make me start on you again! I may be at a cottage in the middle of nowhere for Xmas but I still have 3G and I will defend FFG as necessary!

Dysplastic wrote:
Natus wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

I did not get to play GoT last night, but that afforded me time to find the following video. I really wish there were more videos like this. Any company that can do it should make a video like this if they can.

They have always made great videos and generally great presentation. I think their whole presentation of Elder Signs: Omen on iOS is absolutely phenomenal. But it's taken them quite a few years and almost as many iterations to get AGoT to a good place (and I haven't played 2nd Ed yet). I could have wished that FFG had spent more time on design and less on window dressing, at least initially.

Don't make me start on you again! I may be at a cottage in the middle of nowhere for Xmas but I still have 3G and I will defend FFG as necessary!

That's only my passive-aggressive way of saying Happy Holidays to you, Dysplastic. And I hope by the time this winter ends that I have been proven wrong about AGoT. Either way, you'll hear about it.

Merry Xmas to you too! But only if you ally with me against that other guy who might win next turn

Dysplastic wrote:

Merry Xmas to you too! But only if you ally with me against that other guy who might win next turn :)

If necessary, I will certainly come to your raid, I mean aid.

ccesarano wrote:

I did not get to play GoT last night, but that afforded me time to find the following video.

If you're a Boss like me, you can win in three turns. Oh, yeah.

Played the Lord of the Rings LCG with the wife tonight and we had a good time after slogging through the rules.

Christmas week is traditionally "new game week" over here as we spend out copious free time with learning new games (or me teaching her a new game) almost every day. Our tally so far:

Lord of the Rings LCG
Thunderstone Advance
Zombicide
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

Four hits, no misses. SHCD is probably the biggest hit though. A very cool solo or co-op game where you try to solve mysteries by chasing down leads, almost in a "choose your own adventure" style format (but not quite). The box comes with a map of Victorian London and newspapers that you're supposed to use to follow up on clues. We lost the first case horribly, but spent as much time talking about it afterward as we did playing the thing. The downside is that it only comes with ten cases and they're not really re-playable but I am hoping that they reprint the expansions that came with the original game when it was originally printed. Two big thumbs up for this one.

Anyway, we don't have to be anywhere for Christmas until later so I'm hoping we'll get another game in tomorrow. (I don't remember what else in on the "to be played" pile but there were some good ones in there.)

7 Wonders and Waterdeep for me. Sweet.

7 Wonders Cities
Zombie Munchkin
Zombie Fluxx
Thunderstone Advance
Catan 5-6 player expansion
Resistance
Wiz War

In other words, I just throw stuff on my Amazon list, and people buy off that. Makes it easy.

Woo got Libertalia for Christmas!

Edit: also got 7 wonders leaders later on

Got my Christmas haul. Was given Legendary, Rune Age, Smash Up, and Flash Point. Also got a $50 Amazon gift certificate, which I plan on getting something else ( though not sure yet what to get ).

I received Battle Cry today, and am really enjoying the "beer and pretzels" gameplay. Anyone else given it a go?

Got to play Munchkin with 2 of my nephews today. After we got the rules down, it was a blast . We didn't play all the way to lvl 10, had to stop short to go open presents - and we played for a good hour (lots of distractions and many, many laughs at the cards themselves), but we finally figured out what we were doing and settled into it. Fun game! Looking forward to playing more. I think one of my goals for next year is to play more *board games.

*board and card games

Hello, Small World!

Hmph...it may be a small world, but I still need some people to play it with.

UMOarsman wrote:

I received Battle Cry today, and am really enjoying the "beer and pretzels" gameplay. Anyone else given it a go?

I found a copy of the of the original release in a thrift store a few years ago . Enjoyed it at the time and it was what got my wife interested in war games. We moved on to Memoir 44 and we went back to Battle Cry it was in her words "clunky" so I sold it off.

I dunno what they may have changed in the new edition, but it's a fun game. As you said, beer and pretzels. I really dig the C&C series. We have Battles of Westeros as well, but haven't delved into it really.

Got Dominion from my brother for Christmas and The Walking Dead board game based more on the comic (as opposed to the Cryptozoic game based on the TV show).

I opened up Dominion expecting it to be a slight variant of the deck building games I've already played, when I realized each of those games just took Dominion and added a twist. Dominion is nothing but the resource purchasing aspect, which I imagine is why a lot of people say the base game gets boring without expansions.

With just two players, my brother and me, it became apparent pretty quick that the game would last forever if we didn't just start willy nilly purchasing territories. However, it was still fun. I look forward to this being my intro-to-Deck-Building game as it focuses on all the elements every other game I've played has (every other game being Resident Evil DBG and Penny Arcade, though Miskatonic School for Girls looks to be a major evolution of the formula). But for my friends already familiar with DBG's, we'll probably be sticking to stuff like Resident Evil.

I need to learn how to actually shuffle cards, though.

Played a couple of rounds of Flash Point with my sister and one of my nephews. We only played the basic rules but, we had fun.

One question; what do you do if you are placing a smoke token and there is an undiscovered POI token there?

Also am I reading the rules right for repopulating POI's in that, if you roll a square that has fire/smoke it goes away and the POI is placed there? I have the 2nd edition so maybe there were some rule tweaks or at PenCon we just didn't read so good.

My best friend gave me Netrunner and I gave him Lords of Waterdeep. Looks like a win-win for both of us. Funny enough, we never give each other games that either of us have.

TigerBill wrote:

Played a couple of rounds of Flash Point with my sister and one of my nephews. We only played the basic rules but, we had fun.

One question; what do you do if you are placing a smoke token and there is an undiscovered POI token there?

Also am I reading the rules right for repopulating POI's in that, if you roll a square that has fire/smoke it goes away and the POI is placed there? I have the 2nd edition so maybe there were some rule tweaks or at PenCon we just didn't read so good. :)

1. Nothing. POIs and smoke can coexist.

2. Smoke/fire don't go away, the POI is rerolled (in family game) or is placed in a different spot (follow the colored arrows on the board from the spot the POI was supposed to be and put it in the new location.

ccesarano wrote:

Got Dominion from my brother for Christmas and The Walking Dead board game based more on the comic (as opposed to the Cryptozoic game based on the TV show).

I opened up Dominion expecting it to be a slight variant of the deck building games I've already played, when I realized each of those games just took Dominion and added a twist. Dominion is nothing but the resource purchasing aspect, which I imagine is why a lot of people say the base game gets boring without expansions.

With just two players, my brother and me, it became apparent pretty quick that the game would last forever if we didn't just start willy nilly purchasing territories. However, it was still fun. I look forward to this being my intro-to-Deck-Building game as it focuses on all the elements every other game I've played has (every other game being Resident Evil DBG and Penny Arcade, though Miskatonic School for Girls looks to be a major evolution of the formula). But for my friends already familiar with DBG's, we'll probably be sticking to stuff like Resident Evil.

I need to learn how to actually shuffle cards, though.

I'm no Dominion expert, but I've played my fair share. Part of learning the game is to recognize when you have built a successful money-making "engine," and are therefore ready to start buying victory point cards. If a two player game is "taking forever," you're seriously doing it wrong

TigerBill wrote:

Also am I reading the rules right for repopulating POI's in that, if you roll a square that has fire/smoke it goes away and the POI is placed there? I have the 2nd edition so maybe there were some rule tweaks or at PenCon we just didn't read so good. :)

Somehow I thought that if you are placing a POI token and the rolled space contains fire or smoke, you follow the arrows on the board in each square until you reach a clear space. Then place the POI token there. I don't have the rules in front of me though.

Got Libertalia and Vinhos, which is all I asked for, so good Christmas there. Asked for Libertalia despite knowing nothing about it solely on all the good buzz I've heard about it. Vinhos I've played and really liked, although it's a bit of a beast.

SommerMatt wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

Got Dominion from my brother for Christmas and The Walking Dead board game based more on the comic (as opposed to the Cryptozoic game based on the TV show).

I opened up Dominion expecting it to be a slight variant of the deck building games I've already played, when I realized each of those games just took Dominion and added a twist. Dominion is nothing but the resource purchasing aspect, which I imagine is why a lot of people say the base game gets boring without expansions.

With just two players, my brother and me, it became apparent pretty quick that the game would last forever if we didn't just start willy nilly purchasing territories. However, it was still fun. I look forward to this being my intro-to-Deck-Building game as it focuses on all the elements every other game I've played has (every other game being Resident Evil DBG and Penny Arcade, though Miskatonic School for Girls looks to be a major evolution of the formula). But for my friends already familiar with DBG's, we'll probably be sticking to stuff like Resident Evil.

I need to learn how to actually shuffle cards, though.

I'm no Dominion expert, but I've played my fair share. Part of learning the game is to recognize when you have built a successful money-making "engine," and are therefore ready to start buying victory point cards. If a two player game is "taking forever," you're seriously doing it wrong

Haha, yeah. That's not willy-nilly, it's the point of the game.

MitchellW wrote:

1. Nothing. POIs and smoke can coexist.

2. Smoke/fire don't go away, the POI is rerolled (in family game) or is placed in a different spot (follow the colored arrows on the board from the spot the POI was supposed to be and put it in the new location.

Your number 2 is how we played it at PenCon but, I'm reading the rules different now.

FlashPoint Rules wrote:

3 Replenish POI:
Before your turn is over you need to replenish any POI markers that were Lost, Victims that were Rescued or Lost and/or False Alarms that were identified.

There should be 3 POI markers on the board (inside or outside of the building) at the end of every turn. Total the unidentified POI markers and Victims on the board. If fewer than three, replenish POI marker(s) on the board by rolling the dice and placing a randomly selected POI marker side up on the Target space (your dice roll). If the Target space has a Fire or Smoke marker, remove that Fire/Smoke marker before placing the POI marker. If the Target space has a Firefighter, immediately reveal (flip) the POI marker and remove it if it is a False Alarm. If the Target space has a POI marker, reroll.

Turn End

After all POI markers have been replenished your turn is over. The player to your left now begins their turn.
Keep taking turns until the game ends.

ccesarano wrote:

Got Dominion from my brother for Christmas and The Walking Dead board game based more on the comic (as opposed to the Cryptozoic game based on the TV show).

I opened up Dominion expecting it to be a slight variant of the deck building games I've already played, when I realized each of those games just took Dominion and added a twist. Dominion is nothing but the resource purchasing aspect, which I imagine is why a lot of people say the base game gets boring without expansions.

With just two players, my brother and me, it became apparent pretty quick that the game would last forever if we didn't just start willy nilly purchasing territories. However, it was still fun. I look forward to this being my intro-to-Deck-Building game as it focuses on all the elements every other game I've played has (every other game being Resident Evil DBG and Penny Arcade, though Miskatonic School for Girls looks to be a major evolution of the formula). But for my friends already familiar with DBG's, we'll probably be sticking to stuff like Resident Evil.

I need to learn how to actually shuffle cards, though.

Finally played my first game of Dominion:Intrigue over the holiday as well. I've had it sitting on the table for months, but couldn't convince the wife to play with me. I explained to her that it was somewhat similar to Ascension, which she loves, but that wasn't enough. I think she just found the number of cards in the box intimidating. Then she tried and liked Penny Arcade Gamers vs. Evil. When I told her that was basically the same game as Dominion, she was finally convinced to give it a shot.

She really enjoyed it, so I believe we'll be playing again soon.

SommerMatt wrote:

I'm no Dominion expert, but I've played my fair share. Part of learning the game is to recognize when you have built a successful money-making "engine," and are therefore ready to start buying victory point cards. If a two player game is "taking forever," you're seriously doing it wrong

Basically this. I like the other deckbuilders I've played (Ascension, Thunderstone, Penny Arcade... I like deckbuilders a lot, actually) but Dominion in my opinion is the best of them. (Ascension is close though).

A good general strategy to start is to not buy VPs (and, in fact, actively get rid of your Estates) until you get enough coin to buy Provinces. Then buy Provinces whenever you can, until over half the Provinces are gone. At this point, consider buying Duchies when you have five cards, because there probably aren't many more turns left in the game. It's also good to keep track of Provinces so you don't end the game yourself when your opponent is ahead.

Of course a whole lot of circumstances can change this general strategy -- that's what's cool about Dominion. Personally, I like going for alternate VPs (such as Gardens) when I can, for the sake of variety/challenge.

Well, it was our first game so we naturally didn't play it all that well. With the "first time" supply decks, I learned really quickly that Market and Mine are pretty valuable cards to have, with Cellar being pretty decent as long as you have a hand full of Green, so to speak. I have a feeling it has a similar style to the Resident Evil Deck Building Game where you spend time building an efficient deck at first so you can spend the rest of the game working towards the primary objective.

Thing is, my brother and I were playing it more slowly as we built our decks and I reached the realization that the game would take forever otherwise, so I went the exact opposite direction.

It'll definitely get play time, but maybe it's because I played Resident Evil first, but I just prefer that. I think there's also something to be said of a more randomized end-game condition. There's mystery every time you Explore the mansion and have to go up against a monster, a bit of a gamble so to speak. Dominion doesn't have that as much, and as a result a new player can easily get trashed without understanding why (as opposed to the first time I was teaching my friend Luke how to play Resident Evil and the first card in the Mansion deck I drew happened to be the strongest monster and it killed me).

Ah, I see. That is probably a difference between 1st and 2nd edition rulebooks. We learned to play with a 1st edition set, but my 2nd edition set says the same as yours (for the family game).

Good to know!

TigerBill wrote:
MitchellW wrote:

1. Nothing. POIs and smoke can coexist.

2. Smoke/fire don't go away, the POI is rerolled (in family game) or is placed in a different spot (follow the colored arrows on the board from the spot the POI was supposed to be and put it in the new location.

Your number 2 is how we played it at PenCon but, I'm reading the rules different now.

FlashPoint Rules wrote:

3 Replenish POI:
Before your turn is over you need to replenish any POI markers that were Lost, Victims that were Rescued or Lost and/or False Alarms that were identified.

There should be 3 POI markers on the board (inside or outside of the building) at the end of every turn. Total the unidentified POI markers and Victims on the board. If fewer than three, replenish POI marker(s) on the board by rolling the dice and placing a randomly selected POI marker side up on the Target space (your dice roll). If the Target space has a Fire or Smoke marker, remove that Fire/Smoke marker before placing the POI marker. If the Target space has a Firefighter, immediately reveal (flip) the POI marker and remove it if it is a False Alarm. If the Target space has a POI marker, reroll.

Turn End

After all POI markers have been replenished your turn is over. The player to your left now begins their turn.
Keep taking turns until the game ends.

Personally I'm not sold on Mine, it's a really slow way to gain money. Were you guys buying money very much? It's a really super common mistake when you're new to Dominion to buy too many actions and not enough money (I STILL do this frequently and really should know better...). In many setups, one of your primary goals should be to get Gold -- I've even heard the rule that whoever gets Gold first is most likely to win the game.

Demyx wrote:

Personally I'm not sold on Mine, it's a really slow way to gain money. Were you guys buying money very much? It's a really super common mistake when you're new to Dominion to buy too many actions and not enough money (I STILL do this frequently and really should know better...). In many setups, one of your primary goals should be to get Gold -- I've even heard the rule that whoever gets Gold first is most likely to win the game.

Depending on what I drew, I either got Gold or I got stuff like Market, which was very similar to the Merchant card in Resident Evil. I didn't start grabbing Mine until towards the end of the game, but it seems a great way to get rid of cards of lesser value while gaining better ones. So you essentially increase the odds of a more valuable card. The problem is then being able to trash Mine when you start filling with more than enough Gold and Silver.

Hrm. I think I may be underestimating some of the cards to this game, or rather overestimating benefits versus underestimating the worth of others.

MitchellW wrote:

Ah, I see. That is probably a difference between 1st and 2nd edition rulebooks. We learned to play with a 1st edition set, but my 2nd edition set says the same as yours (for the family game).

Good to know!

I don't like it and will be using the arrows from now on.

The other house rule am going to use is for firefighters knocked down during an explosion. I'm going to go with the fan favorite of: "They stay inside but, are knocked down into the adjacent square for a movement penalty (2 AP to get up)"; instead of the magic teleport to the ambulance. If they are next to a wall though they are killed and then respawn at the ambulance. The other fan submitted rule for knock down I saw was, roll to determine get up/death.