The Big Board-Gaming Catch-All

Vargen wrote:

The folks at Hasbro took all they learned from the decade+ they spent making licensed variants and used that experience to overhaul the base game. The bad news is that edition had some issues with sub-par components and sold like absolute crap, so now I think they're back to the old one-note rules

Ugh, looks like that was Risk Revised. Here’s a rules summary and review. https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/893...

I remember playing that digitally (Xbox Live maybe?) and yes, it was a much much better game than vanilla decades’ old Risk. Are you telling me that if you just buy plain Risk in the store now, it doesn’t have capitals and objectives anymore, just plain old decades’ old Risk again? Barf.

Keithustus wrote:

Are you telling me that if you just buy plain Risk in the store now, it doesn’t have capitals and objectives anymore, just plain old decades’ old Risk again? Barf.

That's the impression I've gotten from a couple of interviews with Rob Davieau where the subject came up. I haven't actually checked myself because I already own enough Risks.

At some point I really want to dust off my ~20 year old copy of Risk: Lord of the Rings, grab the rules from a bunch of the newer Risk variants, and see if I can kitbash myself a better LotR Risk experience...

My wife and I hit June in Pandemic Legacy Season 0. Difficulty ramps up hard. got our first Fail, but we did bad enough that we get to try again

Bubblefuzz wrote:

Played Lords of Vegas (with expansion) this week, 4p. Brilliant fun, I've not played many games where random trading of pretty much anything you like is a thing.

You should try and get Chinatown. It's sort of the uber trading game.

Valmorian wrote:
Bubblefuzz wrote:

Played Lords of Vegas (with expansion) this week, 4p. Brilliant fun, I've not played many games where random trading of pretty much anything you like is a thing.

You should try and get Chinatown. It's sort of the uber trading game.

Bolded for truth.

Nevin73 wrote:
bepnewt wrote:

Fedaykin... Nevin... anyone... what is your take on Tainted Grail? I have it, but it's still in shrink and trying to decide on whether to keep it or unload it.

If you've played it, what do you think about it? What do you like or not like?

We still haven't finished Jaws of the Lion so don't need to start a new campaign game right now, but I reaaaaaaaaly want to open it if we're going to keep it.

-BEP

So is mine, I'm sorry to say. I haven't been in the headspace lately to dive into a game that complicated.

Sorry, got behind on the thread. To overshare, when I can't play boardgames, I tend to consume way less boardgame content. Fortunately things seem to be normalizing.

I opened Tainted Grail and really enjoyed the Prologue, although the cardplay was confusing. I *think* I got it, but it's so unique, who knows? Anyway, I wasn't sure whether to play it solo - which might never happen because I'm lazy and video games are easier - or with my wife, but we're still working on our Arkham Horror LCG campaign. So I haven't gone any further, evem though I love everything about it (except maybe the weird cardplay).

During the pandemic my family played all the way through Clank Legacy (awesome!), and played a bunch of Magic sealed deck and draft. We started a Gloomhaven JotL campaign, but my daughter has dropped out of it. I gave her the hardest class thinking it was a healer and she'd like that. I REALLY like the game and the system, though.

I've just returned from my first BGGCon, which was great. We played a bunch of stuff including Inis, Dwellings of Eldervale, an attempt on Big Trouble in Little China, and a whole bunch of smaller games/ party games. Maybe we can get some other Goodjers there next year!

Natus wrote:
Valmorian wrote:
Bubblefuzz wrote:

Played Lords of Vegas (with expansion) this week, 4p. Brilliant fun, I've not played many games where random trading of pretty much anything you like is a thing.

You should try and get Chinatown. It's sort of the uber trading game.

Bolded for truth.

Aye, another of the players at the Lords of Vegas game mentioned it and has it on their wishlist. At the moment, they aren't having much luck getting a copy.

I find it a bit odd that the couple boardgames of 'Dune' of recent release and quite popular on boardgamegeek, haven't been brought up at all for discussion. Especially with movie and the two games favorable ratings. Guess no 'Dune' fans.

Donan wrote:

I find it a bit odd that the couple boardgames of 'Dune' of recent release and quite popular on boardgamegeek, haven't been brought up at all for discussion. Especially with movie and the two games favorable ratings. Guess no 'Dune' fans.

Hey now! I just haven't played any of the Dune boardgames.

Quoting myself from October:

Boudreaux wrote:
Natus wrote:

I thought I had posted about it here but I suppose not. I've only played one game of Dune Imperium and I am a huge Dune fanatic. It was good, but imho it can't measure up to the original 6-player boardgame, which is a work of art.

I recently got to play several games of the new GF9 version of Dune. Not the reprint - the new, shorter upcoming remake of the classic game. It's 2-4 player only, with the Fremen, House Harkonnen, House Atreides, and the "Imperium", which is sort of a combination of the Emperor, Spacing Guild, and Bene Gesserit.

It's pretty good. It sheds some of the fluff that makes the classic game so memorable (like the Bene Gesserit win prediction) and abstracts a lot of what it does keep, but it turns a "convention-only Event Game" into a nice, tight 90 minutes. The entire game is 5 turns long, the win condition is still holding 3 of 5 strongholds (I forget what they're called), combat is basically the same, and most of the unique powers of each faction are maintained. A lot of the asymmetry is moved into a Combat deck and a type of Event deck, which actually contain a lot of the same cool weapons and events from the original.

If you're a fan of the original it's definitely worth a look. It turns Dune into something that can be played fairly regularly vs. once every other year. It's probably still best at 4 players only, we did play a 2-player game that took probably 30 minutes but it wasn't quite as interesting.

Unless you regularly have access to a large group and entire days to play together, this new version of Dune (MM lists it as the "Film Version") pretty much supersedes the original. GF9 did a great job keeping all the really important bits but turning it into a game you can play regularly with just 4 people.

Donan wrote:

I find it a bit odd that the couple boardgames of 'Dune' of recent release and quite popular on boardgamegeek, haven't been brought up at all for discussion. Especially with movie and the two games favorable ratings. Guess no 'Dune' fans.

I have played a couple of them. I played the old one twice and wasn't a big fan. More that it was my group who didn't gel with it than it being a bad game. It was just not for us. I also tried the new worker placement / deck building Dune which I thought was fair to middling at best.

Friend of mine stopped by and we tried out his brand new copy of Canopy. It was... ok. Set collection game with some odd rules that slowed the game down (why are the cards face down in the piles? Makes no sense) and fairly by the numbers gameplay. Grab a stack of cards, play them to your forest. Score when the draw pile has run out. It's fine. Nothing amazing.

We also played two more games of The King is Dead which is absolutely phenomenal. A more "walking on a knife edge" game I have never played. Even after I ran out of actions I was || this close to winning the game. It's a triumph and I can't wait to try Brian Boru.

Dune: conquest and strategy by GF 9 is rated pretty high. But someone above alluded to, need a group and time (not as much as the original that I have, which was a marathon). Dune Imperium which is rated a bit less the above but has twice as many likes. I think the reason for that is it has a workable and enjoyable solitaire version.

EDIT: I left this sitting on my desktop for a few hours before posting. Serendipity!

In the gaming metaverse, it feels like a win just to have gotten this beloved fossil on the table. Although I am a devoted Dune acolyte, I do feel that the genius design is starting to show its age, even with the 2019 reprint (which I used with a homebrew board a good friend made for me). I just ordered the new 4-player version, mostly out of curiosity how the designer/adapter refashioned and streamlined the game. All in all, it was a very fun time with six, but it lasted for six hours and might have gone longer if not for a sudden Atreides-Bene Gesserit win, and six hours for me just felt too long for *this* particular design (Britannia, HIS/VQ, Advanced Civilization I have no problem playing for 6+ hours.)

IMAGE(https://photos.smugmug.com/FCASL/i-hCfJjv5/0/22052341/M/IMG_2106-M.jpg)

IMAGE(https://photos.smugmug.com/FCASL/i-JRc7VzN/0/1175cffd/M/IMG_2104-M.jpg)

Nice! Your sooo lucky to get that many folks together to play. My problem for years is to find even 1 or 2 to play, if I’m lucky.

Donan wrote:

Nice! Your sooo lucky to get that many folks together to play. My problem for years is to find even 1 or 2 to play, if I’m lucky.

Have you tried going to local boardgame meetups? There are tons in Houston, but it is a huge city.

Boudreaux wrote:

Quoting myself from October:

Boudreaux wrote:
Natus wrote:

I thought I had posted about it here but I suppose not. I've only played one game of Dune Imperium and I am a huge Dune fanatic. It was good, but imho it can't measure up to the original 6-player boardgame, which is a work of art.

I recently got to play several games of the new GF9 version of Dune. Not the reprint - the new, shorter upcoming remake of the classic game. It's 2-4 player only, with the Fremen, House Harkonnen, House Atreides, and the "Imperium", which is sort of a combination of the Emperor, Spacing Guild, and Bene Gesserit.

It's pretty good. It sheds some of the fluff that makes the classic game so memorable (like the Bene Gesserit win prediction) and abstracts a lot of what it does keep, but it turns a "convention-only Event Game" into a nice, tight 90 minutes. The entire game is 5 turns long, the win condition is still holding 3 of 5 strongholds (I forget what they're called), combat is basically the same, and most of the unique powers of each faction are maintained. A lot of the asymmetry is moved into a Combat deck and a type of Event deck, which actually contain a lot of the same cool weapons and events from the original.

If you're a fan of the original it's definitely worth a look. It turns Dune into something that can be played fairly regularly vs. once every other year. It's probably still best at 4 players only, we did play a 2-player game that took probably 30 minutes but it wasn't quite as interesting.

Unless you regularly have access to a large group and entire days to play together, this new version of Dune (MM lists it as the "Film Version") pretty much supersedes the original. GF9 did a great job keeping all the really important bits but turning it into a game you can play regularly with just 4 people.

I guess I missed your October post. Ironic. Then I might have privately sneered at the 4-player version as being dumbed down. Now, after six hours on Arrakis, I'm humbled, and mean to really give the new version several tries before I make any conclusions. Perhaps it's just what the old game needs.

My group is on game 10.. or 11 of King's Dilemma. Last night me and another counciler narrowly avoided creating a sacrificial blood empire by arguing, pleading and cajoling the other members of the group to not let that happen. I adore this game so much. Two of us were against this happening from the start and three were for it. It took us almost an hour of voting, bribing, and discussing the pro's and con's for this one decision. In the end we banned the practice of using human sacrifice to turn blood into gold, but now I am super curious to see what would have happened if we didn't ban it.

Absolutely fascinating game and I am so glad and thankful I have a steady game group that allows us to play these kind of long form games.

Fedaykin98 wrote:
Donan wrote:

Nice! Your sooo lucky to get that many folks together to play. My problem for years is to find even 1 or 2 to play, if I’m lucky.

Have you tried going to local boardgame meetups? There are tons in Houston, but it is a huge city.

When I was in Seattle, I played with the one club near the University (and when going to school they had one too). But I've moved away from such gaming groups. Plus, to be honest, my friends and family of my age just aren't that kind of gamer (if ever) any more. I really shouldn't be buying boardgames any more, but I'm always curious and love the feel of them. If a solitaire version, big plus (if I see positive reviews of it, like in, 'Dune Imperium')

I've gone to several meetups in Houston (and just got back from BGGCon) and there are a ton of 50+ boardgamers out there. I think it's a hobby that skews a bit older than, say, video games. And it's very inclusive.

I ordered a copy of Fantasy Flight Games' Unfathomable this week. I've been missing having a hidden role/resource management hybrid game in my rotation, like the old Battlestar Galactica board game, and from what I've seen, I'm pretty sure this will scratch that itch. I'll post my thoughts after having a chance to play it.

Eldon_of_Azure wrote:

I ordered a copy of Fantasy Flight Games' Unfathomable this week. I've been missing having a hidden role/resource management hybrid game in my rotation, like the old Battlestar Galactica board game, and from what I've seen, I'm pretty sure this will scratch that itch. I'll post my thoughts after having a chance to play it.

We played our first game of Unfathomable. I'm a huge fan of the BSG game, it was one of my top-rated games for quite some time. The biggest issues I eventually ran into with it was the long run time and expansion complication (hard to pick up after having been away a long time with all the expansions added in, and explaining rules to new players became that much more challenging).

First impressions on Unfathomable are very positive. It was either a carbon copy or an improvement in nearly every regard. Enemy movement felt more interesting and a little more gameable (in a fun way), players had more to do with more enemies invading the ship and combat happening in many places on the board. The new item system is cool and works with the Arkham Horror theme. Had a ton of fun and one of our players that didn't like BSG that much really enjoyed Unfathomable, mostly due to the fact that progression towards the goal always happened (travel ranges are larger so progress happens faster and feels more satisfying).

My only real complains were:
* We played with four and there was no guaranteed traitor in the first half of the game. In our game there was no traitor in the first half and that was very obvious, so some of the tension was gone. But there was plenty in the second half!
* BSG theme worked so well and I miss it a bit. Not quite as thematically strong but the strong visual style made up for it.
* Still took a long time to play. I was hoping for a little bit shorter playing time and if it is shorter it isn't by much.

Overall though felt like a great evolution of BSG.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:
Eldon_of_Azure wrote:

Fantasy Flight Games' Unfathomable this week. I've been missing having a hidden role/resource management hybrid game in my rotation, like the old Battlestar Galactica board game

We played our first game of Unfathomable. I'm a huge fan of the BSG game, it was one of my top-rated games for quite some time.

Have never heard of Unfathomable, so I’m definitely listening.

Dreaded Gazebo wrote:

…an improvement in nearly every regard…the Arkham Horror theme.

Oh, wait. Arkham Horror theme? Damn. Haven’t played those, don’t really want to. Does this mean I have to be ready for Cthulhu monsters and psychic checks and things? Was really just going to go buy this from your recommendation but looks like I need to sit on the fence for a bit and learn more.

Keithustus wrote:

Oh, wait. Arkham Horror theme? Damn. Haven’t played those, don’t really want to. Does this mean I have to be ready for Cthulhu monsters and psychic checks and things? Was really just going to go buy this from your recommendation but looks like I need to sit on the fence for a bit and learn more.

Cthulhu monsters, yes. Psychic checks? No. There are five "skill decks" and each character draws from one or more of those decks, but they are just played into common pools to try and overcome challenges. There's no health/sanity per character or anything, just a ship you are trying to get to port and monsters (and a hidden traitor) trying to stop you. Gameplay wise it doesn't have anything in common with Arkham Horror but thematically it does which might be a plus or minus depending on taste. I will say that I found the graphic design in this really appealing.

Ok, so BSG with a different skin, gameplay improved. Thank you, will check out.

I really wanted to try Unfathomable at BGG. I love the whole concept, never played BSG, but would enjoy trying a streamlined version.

Shameless shilling of the latest game I've worked on. Now on pre-order.

Chess like Aerial Dogfighting in a 80's Saturday morning cartoon universe.

IMAGE(https://i0.wp.com/tradersgalaxy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/brokenskies1.png?fit=1561%2C1010&ssl=1)

It’s not shilling once you make your interest in the venture known. /that guy

Anyone here interested in Lords of Ragnarok? I always heard great things about Lords of Hellas, but never played it. Now they're making a sequel and I'd like to check it out on TTS to know whether I'm interested.

The initial backing period is over, but people speculate that you'll be able to back it when the pledge manager opens.

I was interested, but it looked a lot like Lords of Hellas (which I already own) in a different setting. Lords of Hellas is great, but I rarely get to play it so didn't seem prudent to get another version to sit on my shelf. Like most dudes on a map game they are best with the full player count. Some really cool ideas and my group has enjoyed every game of Hellas we've played.

Hellas is fun. It's also sitting on my shelf with all the other dudes on a map games that I can't play during a worldwide pandemic.

I shouldn't acquire another.

Should. Not.