The Big Board-Gaming Catch-All

McIrishJihad wrote:

Here's my Eclipse setup]

I actually use the plastic baggies the game came with to pack everything each player needs, much like you do with the little boxes. Just put a small bag with the wooden bits inside of a bigger one that has ships, tokens, and the player aid card. Works pretty well if you don't want to spring for the upgrade.

For the upgrade tokens I'm a huge fan of using a GMT counter tray. The pieces are all nicely pre-sorted and we just pass the tray around when people upgrade. Pic from boardgamegeek here.

Minarchist wrote:

Just signed up for a 4-player game of Mage Knight my very first time at a local Thursday-night meetup. Heaven help me.

Hope some or most of you have played before! It's a fantastic game, but not quick to teach.

Chumpy_McChump wrote:

Played a couple of games of Nuns On The Run tonight, and it was fantastic. It's the best version of Scotland Yard I've ever played.

It's two nuns walking around a convent after hours, trying to catch novices that are out roaming when they shouldn't be. The catch is that the novices don't appear on the board, and the nuns walk predetermined routes. After each move, novices and nuns both roll sound checks to see if anything got heard, which can give the nuns clues about general direction of novices. Really, really fun game, with a great mix of strategy, ballsiness and luck. It's absolutely going on my wish list tonight.

I've always been interested in checking out that game. Just the fact that it sounds like a "stealth" game makes me want to buy it now—but maybe that's reading too much into it. Still, at $26 you've twisted my rubber arm enough that I'll add it to a future order.

Teneman wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:

Speaking of iOS and physical games, does anyone play physical Ascension? I love the iOS game (I've actually played so much that I'm on an extended break from it), but it seems like playing the physical game would be kind of a hassle after having the digital version where the computer handles everything for you.

It is a hassle. But it's also more fun. Don't ask me why, it just is. I love iOS Ascension and primarily play it there, but every so often my wife and I break out the board version - or I play a few games with MonoCheli when I'm at the castle. And inevitably it just feels more fun in the paper version. Perhaps it's just the face to face interaction, but it seems like the tangibility of the cards and pieces adds something to it as well.

Seeing as I do not own an ios device and there has not been a bunch of Android adaptations yet I buy the paper copies. I do like shuffling the cards and have an appreciation for the physical version. In my opinion digital copies are for when you don't have the space/time to setup the game or to play with people you cannot sit down and play with.

Gravey wrote:
Chumpy_McChump wrote:

Played a couple of games of Nuns On The Run tonight, and it was fantastic. It's the best version of Scotland Yard I've ever played.

It's two nuns walking around a convent after hours, trying to catch novices that are out roaming when they shouldn't be. The catch is that the novices don't appear on the board, and the nuns walk predetermined routes. After each move, novices and nuns both roll sound checks to see if anything got heard, which can give the nuns clues about general direction of novices. Really, really fun game, with a great mix of strategy, ballsiness and luck. It's absolutely going on my wish list tonight.

I've always been interested in checking out that game. Just the fact that it sounds like a "stealth" game makes me want to buy it now—but maybe that's reading too much into it. Still, at $26 you've twisted my rubber arm enough that I'll add it to a future order.

It very much is a stealth game. The player controlling the nuns chooses (publicly) pre-determined routes that they must follow unless they see or hear something, determined by line-of-sight and dice rolls, respectively. The player(s) controlling the novices need to gather randomized objectives around the board without being landed on by nuns, without showing where they are, and without knowledge of where the other novices are - which can lead to truly awesome moments like last night where I raced through the convent as the Prioress to guard a locked door and landed on two novices hiding in the same spot.

If you like Scotland Yard, you'll like this. I may like it better; the adrenaline rushes are pretty good in this one.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Damn, you're saying three-minute turns would be an improvement? Yikes!

3 minute chess clock per player per turn. At the start of the game, you have 2 workers, which sounds easy enough. But we would sit there for 3+ minutes on single placements many times.

"Green is going to win that spot, but I could sabotage him and then blue would win it, but I don't really have any reason to do that except that one opponent already placed favor with green and can go up on the resource track of green wins and be closer to unlocking his next worker. Or do I try and block the other player? Or say f it and try to build for next turn?"

After every placement.

Don't get me wrong - it's a super deep game with a solid design. It does have a catch-up mechanic, but that only develops when one player has maxed the worker track - he can't take that slot again when a king wins, so you can be #2 in favor and be able to move yourself on the track - except that player in front just took a VP. Once player two had maxed workers, we really couldn't stop him from grabbing 2-3 VPs per turn.

Even if we coordinated, and tried to block him, he'd still have 2 unopposed placements and just undo our block attempts, or at least work around them.

Sounds like the other players were suffering severe cases of analysis paralysis.

Fredrik_S wrote:
Minarchist wrote:

Just signed up for a 4-player game of Mage Knight my very first time at a local Thursday-night meetup. Heaven help me.

I am jealous! Its my favorite board game. Bring a drink and a snack, you'll be there for.some hours. :)

Agreed - post an AAR and let us know how it went

I picked up Thunderstone Advance last night and got 3/4 of a play in - so far, so good! I enjoy the mechanics more than Dominion, and the setting is much more to my tastes. I know that Youcata has the original up for play, but does anyone know if the updated "Advance" version is online anywhere?

padriec wrote:

Sounds like the other players were suffering severe cases of analysis paralysis.

Basically. Hence the chess clock

Gunner wrote:
Minarchist wrote:

Just signed up for a 4-player game of Mage Knight my very first time at a local Thursday-night meetup. Heaven help me.

Hope some or most of you have played before! It's a fantastic game, but not quick to teach.

Yeah, so I've heard. Two have played before, one hasn't but is apparently familiar with the game. I'm the only one going in blind, but I pick up quick. So hopefully it'll only be 3 hours instead of like 6.

For those of you interested in Sails of Glory on Kickstarter but didn't pull the trigger, they really are amping up the stretch goals as they get more and more subscribers. You might want to give it another look. You'll really be getting a lot at the Leiutenant and (particularly) Captain levels.

Minarchist wrote:
Gunner wrote:
Minarchist wrote:

Just signed up for a 4-player game of Mage Knight my very first time at a local Thursday-night meetup. Heaven help me.

Hope some or most of you have played before! It's a fantastic game, but not quick to teach.

Yeah, so I've heard. Two have played before, one hasn't but is apparently familiar with the game. I'm the only one going in blind, but I pick up quick. So hopefully it'll only be 3 hours instead of like 6. :)

Each element in the game is really easy to pick up and learn. The problem people have with Mage Knight is that there are a TON of little elements and they all tie into each other. It will take awhile for you to pick up, but it'll help a lot to have a couple of experienced players there with you. The moment you grasp how all the little elements work together, like a beautiful swiss watch, to make the mage knight world turn... if you don't gasp at the nerdly awesomeness of it, I don't know what will.

Fredrik_S wrote:

Each element in the game is really easy to pick up and learn. The problem people have with Mage Knight is that there are a TON of little elements and they all tie into each other. It will take awhile for you to pick up, but it'll help a lot to have a couple of experienced players there with you. The moment you grasp how all the little elements work together, like a beautiful swiss watch, to make the mage knight world turn... if you don't gasp at the nerdly awesomeness of it, I don't know what will.

Sounds like Battlestar Galactica: the Board Game.

Minarchist wrote:
Gunner wrote:
Minarchist wrote:

Just signed up for a 4-player game of Mage Knight my very first time at a local Thursday-night meetup. Heaven help me.

Hope some or most of you have played before! It's a fantastic game, but not quick to teach.

Yeah, so I've heard. Two have played before, one hasn't but is apparently familiar with the game. I'm the only one going in blind, but I pick up quick. So hopefully it'll only be 3 hours instead of like 6. :)

4 player game is potentially 6 hours even if you've played before...

I'd argue it's not a super hard/long game to teach, it's just a long game. It's also great.

So here's what we're looking at. Set of 13 laser cut 1/8" stainless steel, polished custom heart tokens to be used with Love Letter or whatever you want to use them with. Comes in a handsome burgundy drawstring pouch.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/W4MaDNul.jpg)

If you're interested, shoot me an email with your GWJ username. Please no PM's. Once I have the names/emails of everyone interested I'll send out a mass email with final price (including shipping) and links to where you can make a payment (I accept both Dwolla and PayPal). If you decide to purchase a set, please make sure your mailing address is correct with whatever form of payment you wish to make and also include your GWJ username with your payment.

fry_takemymoney.jpeg

FSeven wrote:

So here's what we're looking at. Set of 13 laser cut 1/8" stainless steel, polished custom heart tokens to be used with Love Letter or whatever you want to use them with. Comes in a handsome burgundy drawstring pouch.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/W4MaDNul.jpg)

If you're interested, shoot me an email with your GWJ username. Please no PM's.

I would very much love to, but you didn't leave your e-mail address.

Also, those look fantastic.

Minarchist wrote:
FSeven wrote:

So here's what we're looking at. Set of 13 laser cut 1/8" stainless steel, polished custom heart tokens to be used with Love Letter or whatever you want to use them with. Comes in a handsome burgundy drawstring pouch.

If you're interested, shoot me an email with your GWJ username. Please no PM's.

I would very much love to, but you didn't leave your e-mail address.

Also, those look fantastic.

Ditto! Plus the burgundy pouch is way better than the one that comes with the game.

Hrmm...there's no link to email me via my user profile? Oh well, you can send an email to fseven(at)gmail(dot)com

Minarchist wrote:
FSeven wrote:

So here's what we're looking at. Set of 13 laser cut 1/8" stainless steel, polished custom heart tokens to be used with Love Letter or whatever you want to use them with. Comes in a handsome burgundy drawstring pouch.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/W4MaDNul.jpg)

If you're interested, shoot me an email with your GWJ username. Please no PM's.

I would very much love to, but you didn't leave your e-mail address.

Also, those look fantastic.

Yes those are great, and I am in when I know where to send the e-mail.

New Sails of Glory gameplay video:

More serious than the two previous ones, but with a LOT of information about how Sails of Glory plays, when using advanced rules. Featuring a fierce 15 minutes duel between two Ships of the Line, the video packs in an excellent overview of advanced gameplay.

Spartacus hit the table last weekend. For those of you who suggested to play it from 4 points to 10 (instead of the 7 to 12 in the rulebook), thank you. The added layer of having to get support from other players, and the resulting negotiations, really changed the dynamics. We had a blast. To those I played this with at TN Game days, I must apologize because I discovered one rule I got wrong. Turns out you can't bid against your own gladiator, as this "angers the gods". While I don't like the thematic implications of that rule, it probably helps the game play.

Stilgar Black wrote:

Turns out you can't bid against your own gladiator, as this "angers the gods". While I don't like the thematic implications of that rule, it probably helps the game play.

It makes sense. Given that the player who assigns a gladiator to the arena and places wagers on the outcome also controls the gladiator in combat, it would create situations where they might "play to lose" and throw the match if they had bet against themselves. Probably not many gladiators that would essentially commit suicide that way. You're right in that there are occasionally times where a player is forced to submit a gladiator or slave that is almost guaranteed to lose, and it sucks that you can't bet against yourself. You can still bet that the match will end in injury or decapitation - those pay out regardless of who loses.

Plus, to maintain the thematic aspect of "betting against your own fighter", I think there are a few Schemes that can be played in this regard.

I stopped at the post office over lunch and asked what the cheapest way to send the tokens would be. I used zip code 94102 which I believe is San Francisco (I'm in NJ). In a small bubble mailer it would be $2.24. Not bad but is anyone aware of a cheaper shipping method?

There was talk about a math trade for US GWJers....did that fall apart? I never heard back.

Keithustus wrote:

There was talk about a math trade for US GWJers....did that fall apart? I never heard back.

I'm still in, but have no idea how to run one.

I can run it again if need be. It didn't seem like there was enough interest when it came up last time. Especially if international shipping is off the table.

All - just thought you might be interested in this. I am terribly interested in it now... if only the lady of the house could get past the space theme.

I talked to MonoCheli about it just yesterday, he said its one of his favorites. Unfortunately I didn't talk to him about it until I'd already missed the Kickstarter.

My wife and I played Eminent Domain at PAX last year. Deck builders are one of her favorite genres. We enjoyed it, but I haven't felt the urge to pick it up. I also felt that the space theme was pretty easy to ignore.

Eminent Domain is pretty good. I don't think I've played it and had someone say they hated it afterwards.