Played a bunch of games of Mysterium today with various folks who were visiting us for Thanksgiving. Man that game is a lot of fun. I know the English version in particular has a bit of a backlash for being a bit fiddly on the rules for a party game, but I didn't have that issue at all and played with a ton of non-gamers. Basically you just explain the first part, and then vaguely the last part and why it's good to get points and everyone just sort of gets it. Wish they had an expansion though that doubled the available cards as even in our four games we definitely got a fair amount of repeats.
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New Board Gaming |OT2| On Tables, Off Topic
- Thread starter Karkador
- Start date
Did you explain that card colors might be related with your groups? That took forever in my game.
BlewHedgehog
Member
Giving card color hints is the most boring way to play Mysterium and I wish it was forbidden the way you can't give spelling or rhyming clues in Codenames. I see the usefulness, but it's a monumental feelbad to grind your brain over a clue just to find out you were supposed to make this match because they were both just yellow cards.
With many of the cards I drew playing medium difficulty (so only 3 crows), I basically couldn't find ANY connection. I was just getting orange cloudy rat cards, that sort of thing. This is especially true when you have 6 psychics and you have to find connections for all of them, in some cases stacking up to 3-4 cards over several rounds, one or two of which might have been throwaway cards because you could not find anything with a reasonable clue.
Or do you try to find clues based on the names / rhymes of things?
I'd love to play the game with a good ghost / good group but I'm not sure I'll get the chance again.
We mix it up. Sometimes we give color clues, sometimes not. Usually if you have 2-3 hints it might be a color clue. But with higher player counts you can't really cheat your way through even if you wanted to because you won't have the right cards to do it or the board will have multiples of the same color. So it's a variety. I feel that on Medium difficulty it's sort of needed to do well.
I probably should have started with easy, with that many players. Constant discards would have been slow but maybe the clues could have been better.
Yeah I feel like it's quite tough with 6-7. Maybe play with the same amount of cards but give yourself one crow per hour? Good challenge though. I think as long as you're careful about not going to hard on the conventions it'll always be a good challenge.
Oh wow, people are like laser-guided hawks when it comes to Kingdom Death stuff. The Black Friday items have been up for just a few hours and in my 45 minute trip to work, several things sold out.
I nabbed the "against the wall" mini because I've always liked and wanted that one, grabbed the "promo collection" since those are apparently actually usable in the game and bought the boxed "remastered pinup" kit because the low availability, nice box and promo cards just injected themselves straight into my collector's vein and forced my hand.
I nabbed the "against the wall" mini because I've always liked and wanted that one, grabbed the "promo collection" since those are apparently actually usable in the game and bought the boxed "remastered pinup" kit because the low availability, nice box and promo cards just injected themselves straight into my collector's vein and forced my hand.
Played a couple rounds with the Secret Hitler print and play off the Kickstarter. It's a fun variation on the Resistance formula. It sets up more opportunities for 1 v 1 lying confrontations which are always my favorite part of Resistance. Does feel similarly difficult for the majority team to win. Interesting enough for me to pull it out again.
Femmeworth
Banned
Welp, MM has Pandemic Legacy Red for $35. http://www.miniaturemarket.com/zmg71171.html I didn't think they'd actually go that low. I regret buying it at Cardhaus, though MM is out of some of the other items I wanted.
Interesting that it's popping up in all these sales. They must have printed a ton because the game is fantastic. Well worth it at the price. I'm halfway through Season 1 and already looking forward to Season 2.
You could play with 4 character in normal pandemic too. If that's what you want then go for it. Like in normal Pandemic it will make the game harder to research cures so keep that in mind.
Yeah, ended up getting the pinpup box and the promo box as well...
Kinda wish I hadn't added all those seperately to my pledge the first time around... apparently they're difficult to sell without the extras.
BomberMouse
Member
After about 40 hours traveling I arrived home from tokyo game market. Awesome experience, totally recommended even if you don't speak japanese (like me).
Pic of my haul
Gotta love how cats are totally underrepresented in western games but they are over represented in japanese/taiwanese games. I also love the box size, so compact. No stupidly oversized box here.
Pic of my haul
Gotta love how cats are totally underrepresented in western games but they are over represented in japanese/taiwanese games. I also love the box size, so compact. No stupidly oversized box here.
After about 40 hours traveling I arrived home from tokyo game market. Awesome experience, totally recommended even if you don't speak japanese (like me).
Pic of my haul
Gotta love how cats are totally underrepresented in western games but they are over represented in japanese/taiwanese games. I also love the box size, so compact. No stupidly oversized box here.
Aren't they all Japanese versions or dual rulebooks?
Cool, thanks
I'd probably play with four if you're fine with that just because it lets you experience more of the characters and the ways that they interact with each other. Setting up powerful character combos with the upgrades and other stuff you can add to characters has been one of my favorite parts of the game. For us, that aspect already feels really restrained with 3 people, so only having two characters per game would hurt a lot of that.
Thanks for the advice. Will have to pick up the game soon.
Having the urge to play Arkham Horror too.
Interesting I feel like we've gotten some really powerful setups even with two. Don't mess with the dispatcher though.
BomberMouse
Member
Yeah, if anything all this feline theme gets extra points for me.
Some of them have official english rules. Some of them have translations + paste ups on bgg. A few of them are 100% on japanese, but they were too cute to not get them.
Oh yeah, you can definitely get a powerful pair going. I meant that with 4 characters you have way more opportunity to experiment with the various roles and still use a couple characters you really like or whatever.
(Mild mechanic spoiler/strategy)
Like in our 3 player game we have the obvious researcher/scientist co-worker combo. And it is super powerful. We could run that every game but then we only get to try out one other role. And when they're adding interesting stuff as the months go on it feels like the game wants you to experiment and try out various combinations.
Legacy early game spoiler:
We used both of those characters in Game 1, which meant we couldn't form relationships with them. Did everyone else just get lucky and not use them? We do have 4 players, I guess. I think we left out the dispatcher Game 1.
We actually dropped the Dispatcher, they're really good but there's no room for them at the moment. Currently between July and August with
Also yesterday I had some friends over to play games. Taught them how to play Star Realms, finally tried fighting one of the PvE encounters. The Nemesis Beast beat the crap out of us with barely a scratch. Then I taught them Coup, then I taught them Flash Point (which does run a lot more smoothly with more and better roles in play like I suspected). Wound down with a game of Tsuro of the Seas which ended when a daikaiju spawned under the person who suggested we play with them in the game which is a nice result.
Medic, Researcher, Colonel, Quarantine Specialist.
Also yesterday I had some friends over to play games. Taught them how to play Star Realms, finally tried fighting one of the PvE encounters. The Nemesis Beast beat the crap out of us with barely a scratch. Then I taught them Coup, then I taught them Flash Point (which does run a lot more smoothly with more and better roles in play like I suspected). Wound down with a game of Tsuro of the Seas which ended when a daikaiju spawned under the person who suggested we play with them in the game which is a nice result.
EYEL1NER
Member
Pretty nice haul. I've seen a couple favorable comments towards Minerva recently.After about 40 hours traveling I arrived home from tokyo game market. Awesome experience, totally recommended even if you don't speak japanese (like me).
Pic of my haul
Gotta love how cats are totally underrepresented in western games but they are over represented in japanese/taiwanese games. I also love the box size, so compact. No stupidly oversized box here.
There are just so many Japanese games out there, tons that aren't even in the BGG database. One I saw in a GeekAuction recently and wanted but didn't try to get was Sanzen Sekai: I'd kill all the crows in the world to be with you a little longer. I think the game looks great and love the theme. Apparently it will be brought to the U.S. but I probably should have bought the copy that I saw when I had the chance because I can't see the 'based on an old brothel song' theme being kept.
I need to start digging deeper into the Japanese game market though I guess.
super-famicom
Member
Dominion is on sale at Amazon for $19.95. I am tempted to get it but already spent money on Steam games. And I also have Arctic Scavengers, not sure if I want multiple deck builders at this time (just started collecting board games earlier this year).
PS- the product description in the link above is hilarious.
PS- the product description in the link above is hilarious.
Each Dominion expansion has the same sort of amusing official description text.
I think my girlfriend was afraid that we would get tired of Dominion if we kept playing it, so I haven't played it recently. We did however play Tzolk'in and I got DESTROYED by about 40 points when I attempted to use one of the technologies to farm VPs instead of focusing on temples and skulls.
*edit* I'm going to go ahead and order Hinterlands though. I like the base set and Seaside, and Prosperity may be coming this Christmas, but Hinterlands sounds nice. I'll probably skip Dark Ages because of all the attack focus, and I might have heard Intrigue is similar...plus I rarely play Dominion with high player counts.
How come?
woo and indeed hoo
Banned
me too. I've even been thinking about packing it in but had a really nice session with them yesterday. Hope things work out for you .joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Tell me about it. The group I was going to on Wednesdays decided they wanted to do a D&D campaign. I have no interest in D&D and thus no boardgame night. I do have my Netrunner league night and, supposedly, in the off season a bunch of them play boardgames. Hopefully that becomes more of a regular thing.
I should add that my group in LA was amazing. Met every Thursday night, and there was a good 20 regulars who would show up week to week. I miss that group.
BomberMouse
Member
Agreed on Minerva, hopefully I'll play it this week.
I love this new influx of japanese games, I just think they usually have a better form factor (ie smaller box, no unnecessary components), while having more varied and interesting themes. For example on that batch I got a game about:
- Throwing a cat party
- A co-op where you are trying to save a rural fishing town
- Princess maker: the boardgame
- A game about a lost cat that is trying to return home
- Running a bakery
- Being cursed while on a date and trying to remain a couple after the boat trip is done
- Breeding hedgehogs
- A 20 mins, hidden movement one vs all game
- Etc.
There were way too many games I wanted but my budget was limited. That games does look interesting and I'm looking forward to some other games that got picked recently like The Ravens of Thri Sahashri or Ars Alchemia. I just don't like some of the overproduction and new art for some of the recent releases like String Safari, Welcome to the Dungeon and One Night Werewolf.
The group I'm in here (NYC) is just ...a pain in the ass, most of the time. It's a much bigger group, which sounds like a good thing...but the reality is that there's a lot of fragmentation and politics, and more sneering at other gamers.
I enjoy a wide variety of games, and I really like to explore new games and enter different modes of thought - but many of the people in this group are either locked into playing one type of thing, or they're just awkward, overly aggressive, or grating in some way.
I left a group back home that was smaller, but generally more inviting and more flexible in the types of games being played. I also gamed with my hometown friends, who I just naturally have a better rapport with. Certain types of games just suck if you don't have this kind of relationship with people.
A lot of times in this group, I feel like my personality doesn't even come out. I'm just there to spin my wheels a bit and play games. It's so impersonal. As much as I love games, it's killing the hobby for me a bit to not have a regular group of people I actually like interacting with.
Haha yeah, big groups will definitely invite that type of personality. I don't run into them at Cons (BGG I guess being my only one) but other places you do. There was a group here that I was just really not into the vibe, so I made my own. Ran that one for three years and occasionally we would get the annoying person (since the group became pretty well known and was super welcoming) but it was thankfully a very small number. But I got busy with Netrunner and being a grown up so had to give it up about a year ago. I wish everyone could just be chill when playing games -- it's not that hard and the vast majority are but the one bad apple can throw off an entire group. We only play with other couples and a small work group now so I don't have to worry about that anymore. I can see why some groups go insular if they're chill because you just can't guarantee a new person won't ruin the whole thing.
woo and indeed hoo
Banned
After about 40 hours traveling I arrived home from tokyo game market. Awesome experience, totally recommended even if you don't speak japanese (like me).
Pic of my haul
Gotta love how cats are totally underrepresented in western games but they are over represented in japanese/taiwanese games. I also love the box size, so compact. No stupidly oversized box here.
Vampire Radar...I'd like that game
BomberMouse
Member
Vampire Radar...I'd like that game
I think they already signed a deal with a western publisher.
Polioliolio
Member
After about 40 hours traveling I arrived home from tokyo game market. Awesome experience, totally recommended even if you don't speak japanese (like me).
Pic of my haul
Gotta love how cats are totally underrepresented in western games but they are over represented in japanese/taiwanese games. I also love the box size, so compact. No stupidly oversized box here.
I'm so jealous. I wish I was into board games when I was living in Japan.. I don't remember seeing any of this kind of stuff.. but I wasn't looking either.
I haven't really played any heavy games yet, but I started getting into board games searching for something that might feel a bit like Dark Souls. I don't really care much for Western fantasy, but there just HAS to be some Japanese fantasy games that fit the bill...
Anyway, looking forward to your impressions~!
Darkest Night is the closest I've seen a board game "feel" like a game from the Souls series
Polioliolio
Member
Looks intriguing. One reviewer says it's lighter than Arkham, which I've been too scared to pick up yet and don't really have a proper group to play heavier games with anyway.
I see there are multiple expansions. Any essentials to get started?
I haven't kept up with the expansions at all, sorry. There are quite a few - the game has received a surprising amount of post-release content, for a relatively unknown game and publisher.
Actually, I traded the game away because I just wasn't finding people to play it with, but it's definitely something I'd rather play instead of Arkham. It's shorter, more of a compact and more sensible of a game, and the different character classes really come alive, since it's so steeped in RPG flavor.
So my first impressions of Warhammer Quest Card Game thingy.
I organized it and set it up and played it two times last night. Rules wise I did not have any issues with it. BGG seems like people are having some rules problems but it seemed pretty easy to me in that regard.
I lost both games. My biggest worry was that it would be too easy but so far no worries there. That said even when loosing I felt like I was doing something. In lots of Co-op/solo games you can really see the loss coming from a mile away and it starts to feel futile pretty fast. Again only 2 games in but it does seem more akin to a dungeon crawler where even if you lose hopefully you have a pile of bodies behind you.
For right now it is my Go to game at night. It screams for expansions but also comes with a good bit of content on its own. Honestly if it came with a TON more cards it may be a little overwhelming at first. It felt very smooth to play and was not fiddly at all.
It and the Pathfinder card game are really nothing alike. This one will see more play from me because it sets up faster and feels like I am making way more meaningful choices.
The dice in the game are great IMO. They skew in your favor a good bit so you aren't getting totally screwed but they add a variability that most of these games get from having a big deck of cards to draw from as the heroes. I think I prefer this action based system better.
Those are my ramblings so far for what they are worth. Any questions feel free to ask. I played 2 games including set up and tear down in about 1 1/2 hours. It goes on the "I play this all the time" shelf with Pandemic:The Cure, Elder Sign:Gates of Arkham, and Commands and Colors Ancients.
I organized it and set it up and played it two times last night. Rules wise I did not have any issues with it. BGG seems like people are having some rules problems but it seemed pretty easy to me in that regard.
I lost both games. My biggest worry was that it would be too easy but so far no worries there. That said even when loosing I felt like I was doing something. In lots of Co-op/solo games you can really see the loss coming from a mile away and it starts to feel futile pretty fast. Again only 2 games in but it does seem more akin to a dungeon crawler where even if you lose hopefully you have a pile of bodies behind you.
For right now it is my Go to game at night. It screams for expansions but also comes with a good bit of content on its own. Honestly if it came with a TON more cards it may be a little overwhelming at first. It felt very smooth to play and was not fiddly at all.
It and the Pathfinder card game are really nothing alike. This one will see more play from me because it sets up faster and feels like I am making way more meaningful choices.
The dice in the game are great IMO. They skew in your favor a good bit so you aren't getting totally screwed but they add a variability that most of these games get from having a big deck of cards to draw from as the heroes. I think I prefer this action based system better.
Those are my ramblings so far for what they are worth. Any questions feel free to ask. I played 2 games including set up and tear down in about 1 1/2 hours. It goes on the "I play this all the time" shelf with Pandemic:The Cure, Elder Sign:Gates of Arkham, and Commands and Colors Ancients.
With an inner light is pretty essential. The base game is easy to "game" if you want to. You can simply hang around near the monastery drawing cards to eventually find the items.
With an inner light adds quests ( and a few new characters ). Uncompleted quests will punish you. You roll a die to set the location of the quest. This adds so much more to the base game. In fairness that's all I've got expansion wise so I can't comment further.
I would definitely recommend it though.
Joel Eddy (drivethru review) just posted on his twitter today that it wipes the floor with runebound 3rd.
I have a question though. Is it really an adventure game or is it more about bashing monsters?
I want an adventure game to play with my wife, where you actually encounter different things, and not just things you need to do combat with.