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[emag]

Fury of Dracula is fantastic and one of my favorite games (I've only played/owned 2e, but 3e appears to be even better). That said, it's hard to get it onto the table -- my regular group doesn't care for team/1-vs-team games and playing with inexperienced players at gaming events means that I have to be Dracula and pull my punches. It'd be great to play with my spouse, but it's too lengthy and fiddly (even with the 3e revisions). I can't justify owning/buying it, even for future play with kids.

I feel there might be a market for a hidden movement game that doesn't involve serial killers and/or rapists. I've seen several complaints from people who avoid Jack the Ripper and Dracula games.

Though not free of [fictional, unnamed] serial killers, Tragedy Looper scratches a much the same itch in a mechanically simpler/shorter (and less expensive) game. It's scenario-based, however, and has no replay value (for the heroes) once all scenarios are known. Movement is not hidden, but the characters' "secret identities" (e.g., "serial killer", "conspiracy theorist", etc.) and Evil player's goals (e.g., "kill character X") are (and change from scenario to scenario). It's a neat game with an interesting time-travel conceit. It also has an anime theme, which may or may not work for you.

There's always Scotland Yard, but it's pretty dull (as is the similar Clue spinoff).

Oh, and Nuns on the Run, but it's a lighter game and playing the "guards" is totally unfun (I have a couple house rules to speed up play (shared dice roll) and automate the guards).

EDIT: That LotR game (Hunt for the Ring) looks pretty neat, too.

 

[-tetsuo-]

I feel there might be a market for a hidden movement game that doesn't involve serial killers and/or rapists. I've seen several complaints from people who avoid Jack the Ripper and Dracula games.

Specter Ops is fantastic.

 

[Mr E.]

I feel there might be a market for a hidden movement game that doesn't involve serial killers and/or rapists. I've seen several complaints from people who avoid Jack the Ripper and Dracula games.

Spectre ops is a fairly friendly game. Actually I'm not sure which side is the bad side lol.

But yes in general I think your right.

Edit ninja'd by an invisible infiltrator lol.

 

[Blizzard]

Neat to hear. I've played Scotland Yard, but not the others.

 

[Castef]

Don't know if I said this already or not but Congrats on Potion Explosion Castef, I enjoyed my first game a few weeks ago. Can't wait to see what you do next.

Wonder if I should get Fury of Dracula or Forbidden Stars.

Thanks a lot!

 

[SapphiCine]

Think I'll pass on Death Angel too. Don't want to invest in it without expansions. Also it sounds a little too luck based and can snowball, reading about it more.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

heh I found a complete Robo Rally (Avalon Hill) at a Thrift store for $2 practically brand new.

 

[Protome]

Eep, I love Letters from Whitechapel and have been meaning to pick up Fury of Dracula for a while now, I guess I better commit soon, while I can.

 

[Neverfade]

I want to pick up the rest of the Conquest stuff. Apparently the recently deluxe really shifted the meta and the game is in a pretty good place. There could be worse times to go out.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Think I'll pass on Death Angel too. Don't want to invest in it without expansions. Also it sounds a little too luck based and can snowball, reading about it more.

On the plus side, you can always ask around your local board gaming group to see if anyone has the game and wants to play it.

 

[Toma]

Anyone here who played Pax Porfiriana? Pondering that atm.

 

[zulux21]

I said F it and got fury, death angel, and warhammer quest.

i know I likely won't get the expansions but the games don't look bad and I would rather pay for them now and own them than find out I like them later and see a $250 price tag on them.

plus I also view them as an investment as even if I hate them I will likely be able to get the money back.

 

[AstroLad]

Think I'll pass on Death Angel too. Don't want to invest in it without expansions. Also it sounds a little too luck based and can snowball, reading about it more.

It's actually brutally difficult and top-flight puzzle solving is necessary but not sufficient for victory. Realize that might not be fun for people who like to be able to solve puzzles and win without horrifying die rolls ruining everything.

 

[jason10mm]

I feel there might be a market for a hidden movement game that doesn't involve serial killers and/or rapists. I've seen several complaints from people who avoid Jack the Ripper and Dracula games.

Wasn't there a hidden movement variant for Pandemic in the first expansion? Granted, that is basically a serial killer but not really.

 

[SapphiCine]

It's actually brutally difficult and top-flight puzzle solving is necessary but not sufficient for victory. Realize that might not be fun for people who like to be able to solve puzzles and win without horrifying die rolls ruining everything.

I'm not totally against that experience but I get it with the Elder Sign expansions. >_> Also I own Eldritch Horror if I want to roll dice and hate my life choices.

 

[SCHUEY F1]

Pretty excited for the Arkham Horror Card game. They just announced the first deluxe expansion (Dunwich) which starts the next campaign followed by the smaller Mythos packs. The game launches in the middle of October at Arkham Nights so we should see the game by the end of October. Need to get my pre order in.

 

[AstroLad]

I'm not totally against that experience but I get it with the Elder Sign expansions. >_> Also I own Eldritch Horror if I want to roll dice and hate my life choices.

Haha yeah totally. The mechanics are quite different (and SH is a notably great solo game apparently) but come to think of it I do get a roughly similar vibe when playing SH and EH.

 

[Toma]

Preordered Pax Renaissance, which is gonna be my first Pax game. That Sierra Madre rabbit hole goes deep... They basically make exactly the games for me, really curious how much I'll end up liking the actual game design.

https://boardgamegeek.com/image/3100234/pax-renaissance

 

[Affeinvasion]

I've never even heard of those...and I feel like I've heard of everything. (except for maybe those iffy anime card/minis games)

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

I panic bought Chaos in the Old World this morning after the news dropped. Got it for $45 so just under the price jump. I love that game and the fact that it could be soon OOP made me finally pull the trigger on my own copy.

I've never even heard of those...and I feel like I've heard of everything. (except for maybe those iffy anime card/minis games)

I have only tried Pax Porfiriana, but Pax Porfiriana is cool as hell. Its a really unique card drafting/tableau building card game. The really interesting part of the game is how you actually win. Regime cards dictate what scores you points at the end of the game that card is constantly shifting. Being able to manipulate the regime to fit what points you have built up is a big part of the game. It's a really neat system that takes getting used to but when you get the hang of it you'll find that it is a fascinating game.

 

[Karkador]

I've got Pax Porfiriana and Pax Pamir. I've also got Greenland. They make some REALLY interesting games, from a thematic perspective.

 

[mercviper]

Potion Explosion came in today for me too! Castef thank god you shipped extra marbles in each copy because I already used three of them lol. I was missing a red one in the main bag and another red and yellow one were defective. There's scratches in some of the other marbles but they weren't as bad as these two (blue marble pictured for reference).

I played a game with my wife and she says she'd like it more if I weren't the opponent. But yeah it's really fun and I can already see that using the professor's advice to manipulate the board is extremely strong even with the -2 points. I guess the only real question we had was whether or not you needed four of one potion to get tokens for both three of a kind and 5 unique potions if they shared a potion.

edit: I'm also sad that the insert does not properly hold all four bunsen burners, but I love that you can choose between a shiny new dispenser vs a ratty old one when putting it together.

Also came in with that order: Baseball Highlights 2045 Super Deluxe edition and a Descent 2e expansion. Will post impressions of Baseball Highlights 2045 when I get it to the table.

 

[Phthisis]

I've got Pax Porfiriana and Pax Pamir. I've also got Greenland. They make some REALLY interesting games, from a thematic perspective.

Neanderthal is great. Greenland is great. Pax Pamir is great. Had no idea Pax Renaissance is out. That will probably be great, too. About to buy it.

Really unique card games that have design principles you won't find anywhere else.

EDIT - of them all, Pax Pamir is my absolute fave (though have not yet played Porfiriana, despite owning it)

 

[RaySpencer]

I picked up the D&D starter set, and I wanna run it with a bunch of D&D noobs (including me). Any good tips for getting it to run smoothly? Like things to print off, or specific parts of the rules to really go over with everyone. I dunno just any tips on anything I guess? haha.

 

[EYEL1NER]

I guess the only real question we had was whether or not you needed four of one potion to get tokens for both three of a kind and 5 unique potions if they shared a potion.

You can share potions between the "three of a kind" and "5 unique" skill token bonuses: BGG Thread Addressing this Question
I played my first game tonight with my wife and daughter. My daughter enjoyed it and I think my wife did as well (she started off complaining about it but decided she liked it by the end). I won with 68 points, my daughter had 56, and my wife 52. I had to hit up BGG to find out about another skill token question (if you get a "5 unique" bonus and then get the sixth one that you didn't have, do you then get another token for having a new set of 5? The answer is no). I had a lot of fun and cannot wait to play again, hopefully Sunday at a game store or maybe next Tuesday if I show up.

 

[Protome]

I feel there might be a market for a hidden movement game that doesn't involve serial killers and/or rapists. I've seen several complaints from people who avoid Jack the Ripper and Dracula games.

Tim Fowers most recent Kickstarter, Fugitive is kinda hidden movement although its all card based. And that's about a thief trying to escape I think, not a killer.

 

[emag]

I was torn between Pax Pamir and Renaissance myself, but the theme of Ren makes it more likely to see play and I would hope that it also improves upon Pamir's design, even if the components are uglier. Pamir's expansion appears to be more integral than Ren's, so that pretty much decided it for me.

Guess I'll find out if I wasted 40 bucks next month.

On an unrelated note, we will be giving Forbidden Stars a go on Monday. There's no chance we'll actually finish a game with four new players in 3 hours, is there?

 

[Faiz]

Cardhaus still has a few copies of Blood Bowl Team Manager base game and WHQACG in stock. (Edit: thought CSI had sold out of WHQ but they are showing 20+ still).

 

[Toma]

I was torn between Pax Pamir and Renaissance myself, but the theme of Ren makes it more likely to see play and I would hope that it also improves upon Pamir's design, even if the components are uglier. Pamir's expansion appears to be more integral than Ren's, so that pretty much decided it for me.

Guess I'll find out if I wasted 40 bucks next month.

On an unrelated note, we will be giving Forbidden Stars a go on Monday. There's no chance we'll actually finish a game with four new players in 3 hours, is there?

I was following the exact same logic. I was also deciding if I should grab the collectors edition of Porfiriana instead, but that theme is quite... special and Ren (as you said) will likely fit more occasions based on the theme alone. I didnt like the card design of Porfiriana that much and Ren looks much cleaner, that decided it for me.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

Thanks for all the help.

The takeaways are learning how to explain a game. This is going to be an issue as I've struggled mightily in the past.
As for game recommendations I'll look into them. Out of the ones recommended I had already heard bout Cyclades, Kemet, Mysterium, Cosmic Encounter and Kings of Tokyo. Oh, Captain Sonar looks brilliant.

The thing is, I want to buy games that will always be fun for us, even when we eventually get into the more complex game.

Out of Cyclades and Kemet, I've heard Kemet is the one to go to, but I might be wrong. Also, isn't Inis supposed to be even better?

Cosmic Encounter does look quite good. Is it not as complex as Terra Mystica?

 

[Karkador]

The takeaways are learning how to explain a game. This is going to be an issue as I've struggled mightily in the past.

Obviously, read the rulebook before, and get familiar with the rules. But don't read a rulebook like a script. Often times, the thing you want to start an explanation with (How You Win or Lose) is at the end of the book.

Start any game rule explanation with a very brief statement about what players do in the game, and what the goal is (how do players win).

So for Pandemic, I might open up with "We're going to work together by playing cards and moving around the map to try to hold back and eventually cure the 4 diseases on the board."

You start out like that, because everything else you explain after that makes more sense in context. You also give yourself a more natural outline of stuff to explain (how cards are played, how you move around, how the diseases work, etc), and people will keep mentally bringing it back to the main goal of the game.

A lot of times, people just sort of vomit out the rules in no particular order, or get wrapped up in explaining the theme instead of the game. You don't want to kill people's fun with a game before they even start playing!

The thing is, I want to buy games that will always be fun for us, even when we eventually get into the more complex game.

This is why I've said to go for the "classics". I guess what that really means is, games that are maybe decades old at this point, but still keep getting reprinted again and again. These games stick around for a reason.

Cosmic Encounter does look quite good. Is it not as complex as Terra Mystica?

Oh, those are very different games. Terra Mystica is going to be much more of an exacting, brain-burning puzzle, lots of quiet staring at the board to figure out what you'll do.

Cosmic Encounter is more random, less complex, and involves a lot more table talk and negotiating with other players.

 

[AstroLad]

Teaching games is so tricky and an interesting challenge because there are so many variables, but the one you consider the most should definitely be your audience. Table stakes for being a good teacher is usually reading the rulebook once or twice, and usually checking the top threads on the BGG Rules forums (you'll be surprised in many cases at things you misunderstood, even on mediumweight games). Since you're on BGG anyway, I'd then recommend pulling up the top files too and seeing what they are. Sometimes they're useful player aids or game materials, and sometimes they're compiled FAQs which can also be helpful to read through. My one caveat on player aids is feel out your group. I'm a fan of player aids, but I'm more careful handing them out now because I've found they can intimidate casual players because it gives them a look into the entire game before you've had the chance to walk them through it.

 

[sasimirobot]

Preparation is everything with teaching games. Make sure you can set up and get the game rolling as fast as you can out the box, even set it up before people sit down if you can.

Also I learned the hard way, by teaching Netrunner to 6-7 people last month, that you need to have basic/learner decks prepared for both sides, before you even sit down.

(watching somebody fumble around with hundreds of cards trying to set up a game is gonna turn off almost everyone)

This applies to other card games also, like Dominion or 7 Wonders. You don't want to introduce expansions and every single obscure mechanic the first 2 or 3 games with new players. The more cards on the table the more people glaze over.

Also, and its sad that I even have to mention it, is that you should go easy on new players. I was teaching a grizzled Magic the Gathering player Netrunner and he was gloating over how he beat me his first game! I let him have his glory because why would I take pleasure in crushing a new player?

Also I recommend watching a few episodes of Rodney Smith's "Watch it Played". This guy is super clear and concise in how he explains games, everyone should strive to teach like this if they can.

Teach as many games to as many different people as you possibly can. In the last year I have taught games to ages from 5-65, people with no English skills, people that obviously disliked the idea of board gaming (they came around to it), and even to groups as large as 50 (primary school classes). The more experience you have the easier it gets, I know that is such a basic and silly thing to say but its very true. Teaching games is very similar to public speaking, you need to take charge and lead with confidence, and your confidence will come with experience.

 

[Toma]

Went to the garden to learn some rules of new games I picked up. Starting with Fleet.

 

[Palmer_v1]

I picked up the D&D starter set, and I wanna run it with a bunch of D&D noobs (including me). Any good tips for getting it to run smoothly? Like things to print off, or specific parts of the rules to really go over with everyone. I dunno just any tips on anything I guess? haha.

pen and paper rpgs actually have an OT as well, I think. I'm sure there's some crossover with board gamers, but you'd likely get better/more advice there.

 

[ultron87]

I picked up the D&D starter set, and I wanna run it with a bunch of D&D noobs (including me). Any good tips for getting it to run smoothly? Like things to print off, or specific parts of the rules to really go over with everyone. I dunno just any tips on anything I guess? haha.

If you're DMing you should be familiar with the rules but it isn't super important for your players to be at the start of the game, if you're starting with pre made characters. You can just describe the initial scenario, let them know they can do basically whatever they want, and the ask "what do you do?" Get the adventure started fast and when it comes time for a rule to intervene just let them know and explain it. Also, let them take stuff back after you explain the rule till they can know how tell what their character is good at.

 

[-tetsuo-]

My friend finally got his Human Interface: Nakamura Tower KS gear in today. He is gonna bring it over and we will try to put some figs together to play a couple games. It is all metal stuff, so I don't really know how to work with them lol. Will post pics later.

 

[mercviper]

The takeaways are learning how to explain a game. This is going to be an issue as I've struggled mightily in the past.

As mentioned by others, you want to have two things done before you teach the game:

1) Read the rulebook. I mean really learn the rules. When I first started this hobby I didn't do this to attempt to keep us all at a level playing field but in the end it wasn't worth it to spend 30+ minutes of dead time learning the rules.

Spoiler

I stopped doing this after we tried to learn Agricola...

2) Set up the board for them. If new players can just jump in and start after a short explanation they'll fell much better about the game.

The first one is pretty mandatory, but if you haven't done the second, then give them their pieces first so they can fiddle around and keep themselves occupied.

My preferred method of teaching is kinda barebones. I try to teach what's needed to play a turn, and then run a practice or sample round for everybody. Make sure to tell everybody it's a practice round so they feel okay making mistakes lol. If everyone's okay with the board state as is, we keep going, otherwise we reset. Other questions that pop up just get answered as we play.

Taking Pandemic as an example, I set up the board and hand out cards/roles. Then I explain win/loss conditions: win by curing the diseases, draw out all the cards, reach 8 outbreaks, and run out of cubes on the board (but I don't explain how to get cures until next step, how outbreaks work or how cubes get placed), Following that, I tell people they have 4 actions on their turn, and go over each of the 4 basic and special actions they can take and then we start while I moderate the board's turns the first round or two. So basically I skip explaining Eradication, Board Turns, and Special Event cards which cut down on explanation by a lot.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

Today I'll have to teach my games to many people, including games I've only played once (Pandemic) or never (Dead of Winter). Hope it goes well.

 

[antiquegamer]

I've got Pax Porfiriana and Pax Pamir. I've also got Greenland. They make some REALLY interesting games, from a thematic perspective.

I played Porfiriana once, need to get it to the table again.

Pretty excited for the Arkham Horror Card game. They just announced the first deluxe expansion (Dunwich) which starts the next campaign followed by the smaller Mythos packs. The game launches in the middle of October at Arkham Nights so we should see the game by the end of October. Need to get my pre order in.

This make perfect sense as they are loosing a LCG and a card game that ripe for expansion (Warhammer Quest). I have a feeling that they know this ending of license deal with GW was coming because they ceased work on Forbidden Stars at beginning of this year and pretty much stop all development on Conquest and WHQ.

I have all the games that I want, but might just get Blood Bowl since the miniatures game is coming back later this year. I am going to hit all local stores and see what left.

 

[-tetsuo-]

Thanks for all the help.

The takeaways are learning how to explain a game. This is going to be an issue as I've struggled mightily in the past.
As for game recommendations I'll look into them. Out of the ones recommended I had already heard bout Cyclades, Kemet, Mysterium, Cosmic Encounter and Kings of Tokyo. Oh, Captain Sonar looks brilliant.

The thing is, I want to buy games that will always be fun for us, even when we eventually get into the more complex game.

Out of Cyclades and Kemet, I've heard Kemet is the one to go to, but I might be wrong. Also, isn't Inis supposed to be even better?

Cosmic Encounter does look quite good. Is it not as complex as Terra Mystica?

Nowadays I usually play a solo game, even in a competitive game, to learn the rules. Just set up 2 players and play both sides. That way you can go do the rulebook delving naturally and kind of teach yourself. The very most important thing to know about teaching a game is that you should actually know how to play. Playing a couple of games alone will get you used to the setup, which is important because even a long setup will impact people attention span, and the round flow.

Also, Kemet and Cyclades will stay good, but if I were to pick one out of them it would probably be Cyclades for the sole fact that it can be expanded to 6 players and features a 2v2v2 mode which is pretty rare. I can not comment on Inis as I have not played it but it looks great. Cosmic Encounter is actually pretty simple and no where near as intimidating as Terra Mystica.

 

[antiquegamer]

Went to the garden to learn some rules of new games I picked up. Starting with Fleet.

A guy in my meetup group loves this game but we never once got it to the table. We played Potion Explosion today and Dice City. I really enjoyed Dice City.

 

[Mr E.]

A guy in my meetup group loves this game but we never once got it to the table. We played Potion Explosion today and Dice City. I really enjoyed Dice City.

I have Dice city and I wasn't all that impressed by it myself. Maybe it needs more plays I only played a couple of times. I didn't like the end game condition of completing two rows of cards, seemed to end too quick. Maybe Dice placement isn't my bag although I am looking to acquire Troyes when reprint hits.

Edit to mention Fleet.

The Artic Bounty expansion adds some great modules to fleet so if you like the base game the expansion is a no brainer.

 

[BattleMonkey]

So is Captain Sonar almost the same game as Space Cadet's Dice Duel?

 

[ultron87]

So is Captain Sonar almost the same game as Space Cadet's Dice Duel?

They're the same genre but pretty different in terms of mechanics.

 

[Toma]

I have Dice city and I wasn't all that impressed by it myself. Maybe it needs more plays I only played a couple of times. I didn't like the end game condition of completing two rows of cards, seemed to end too quick. Maybe Dice placement isn't my bag although I am looking to acquire Troyes when reprint hits.

Edit to mention Fleet.

The Artic Bounty expansion adds some great modules to fleet so if you like the base game the expansion is a no brainer.

I played some solo 2 player games of Fleet with and without expansion today, and the expansion does add a lot of variety. However, the base set of fleet is probably enough for a first play, especially compared to something like Lords of Waterdeep where the expansion is almost a requirement to get the most out of it. (I like to judge if expansions are required to be added to the base game to get full enjoyment for the first play)

A guy in my meetup group loves this game but we never once got it to the table. We played Potion Explosion today and Dice City. I really enjoyed Dice City.

Really lovely engine building game. The auctioning mechanism adds just the right amount of depth and player interaction to it to keep it interesting until the last round. Some of the rules are a bit weird, but I am very glad I bought it. Curious to see how it works with 3 or more people.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

So the group I played with today absolutely loved Escape: The curse of the temple. It felt good, because board games were not even on their radar and they ended up having a blast.

 

[SapphiCine]

I can sometimes be a weak willed person. Saw a tip on BGG and ordered Space Hulk Death Angel along with all the expansions from some smaller store based in NY. Hoping they actually have the items. D:

 

[AstroLad]

I can sometimes be a weak willed person. Saw a tip on BGG and ordered Space Hulk Death Angel along with all the expansions from some smaller store based in NY. Hoping they actually have the items. D:

I think if you like harder co-op gaming, SHDA is a really good buy. There's really nothing else quite like it out there. The big one I had to resist was Fury of Dracula, but watching (positive) reviews talk about how the game is three hours long and super AP inducing finally got me off that kick. Seems like a good convention game but not one I need in my personal collection.

So the group I played with today absolutely loved Escape: The curse of the temple. It felt good, because board games were not even on their radar and they ended up having a blast.

You know I haven't played this in years, but did a little light runthrough with my 5-y.o. a couple weeks ago and forgot how fun it could be! I think some people mentioned how it's pretty easy just base, but personally I never really got that good at it for it to be an issue. Might try it the next time we have a couple people over and are looking for a good quick experience.

 

[Toma]

I think if you like harder co-op gaming, SHDA is a really good buy. There's really nothing else quite like it out there. The big one I had to resist was Fury of Dracula, but watching (positive) reviews talk about how the game is three hours long and super AP inducing finally got me off that kick. Seems like a good convention game but not one I need in my personal collection.

Not trying to change your mind about it, just for the sake of discussion: I wouldnt call it "super AP inducing". I mean people can get analysis paralysis about pretty much every game and I am super glad I bought it, as it is a rather moody game that fits perfectly for moody game night hunts, filling a niche that no other game fits in exactly the same way. Our player group (quite experienced by now) didnt have any AP at all for the hunters part. I was playing Dracula and there certainly are elements where you cant decide on A or B as you dont know what the players are going to do, but it wasnt that hard to deal with it, especially because the game doesnt outright kill you for a bad decision. You can still escape or use more expensive methods to get away, so its not like a wrong decision after 2 hours will kill your game. In the end, its more a matter of the person playing it, rather than the game itself. There is potential for some AP (as with most other more complex games), but if an experienced player does the part of Dracula, there really shouldnt be many issues.

The game is long though, our first round took a bit more than 5 hours, including rules explanation (me explaining the rule to the others). The game is super intriguing though, and I havent seen any other hidden movement game as involved as this one yet, which makes it very unique.