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[emag]

What's on everyone's upcoming radar?

Not too much in the near-term, to be honest.

I've already pre-ordered Pax Renaissance.

I'd like to know more about Rising Sun (alternative take on Blood Rage by the same designer (Lang) and publisher (CMON)) and see some more reviews of Arcane Academy (which might be too light, but it's Lang + Wilson!). I also have some interest in Camel Up Cards and Vast (which is already out).

In the farther future, I'm looking forward to Lifeform (one-vs-many Alien-inspired game), Sails to Steam (heavy-but-not-too-long naval empire game), and Steam Ship Company (Gerdts' latest). I doubt we'll see any of them released before Essen 2017, and the names are subject to change as well.

 

[LunarKnite]

Just got Tiny Epic Western in the mail myself, along with a couple of BGGstore promos. I also BIN'd a few things in an auction so those arrived too. Earth Reborn and Sid Meier's Civilization.

 

[Taborcarn]

Just got Tiny Epic Western in the mail myself, along with a couple of BGGstore promos. I also BIN'd a few things in an auction so those arrived too. Earth Reborn and Sid Meier's Civilization.

I know you took part in that huge MegCiv game, let me know how Sid Meier's compares.

 

[-tetsuo-]

What's on everyone's upcoming radar? For me, it's:
- Cry Havoc (pre-ordered) (I'll give almost any area control a shot)
- Warriors of Middle Earth (pre-ordered) (already have everything else for WotR)
- Inis (pre-ordered) (see #1)

Then, after the pre-orders, I'm definitely looking into:
- Lorenzo il Magnifico (Marco Polo is probably my most played game this year)
- Great Western Trail (Mombasa is probably my second most played game this year)

I won't make it to Essen, so I'll just be getting the last two when I can.

I guess the Scythe expansion is also on my radar too. It wasn't a hit with my group. Not that we hated it but we have just enjoyed other games like those above and Mare Nostrum Empires more. Nobody seems to be asking to play Scythe again.

We have cry havoc and through the ages 2nd ed coming in a week or so. Conan and the others next month. Arcadia Quest Inferno, Gloomhaven and Masmorra in November. Oh and i will probably get Mechs vs Minions.

 

[VindictiveGnome]

I'm visiting Texas for the weekend and my friend took me to a Half Price Books. I was stunned to find Mage Knight on a shelf, used for $35. It looked like everything was inside and in good condition. I have no idea how I would get it back to Georgia since I'm bringing XCOM back in my carry on (traded my friend Catan for it). Think I'm going to have to pass on it. Sucks.

 

[SapphiCine]

Turns out there is at least one other person out there that finds their SH: DA die to be dubious. Found this handy app. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sandwichobservatory.angelsdice&hl=en I don't buy "it contains one of the best Randomize algorithms" but I hope it rolls true enough.

 

[Toma]

Going to travel to a lake house, where I'll spend a week with my board game group tomorrow. Picture of the pile of games we'll take with us follows in a bit.

 

[Affeinvasion]

I'm visiting Texas for the weekend and my friend took me to a Half Price Books. I was stunned to find Mage Knight on a shelf, used for $35. It looked like everything was inside and in good condition. I have no idea how I would get it back to Georgia since I'm bringing XCOM back in my carry on (traded my friend Catan for it). Think I'm going to have to pass on it. Sucks.

It'll drive the price up obviously, but i believe there is a flat rate box from the post office that fits standard sized board games. Someone more savvy than me could probably tell you if that would work here or not.

 

[Iced]

Anyone have any impressions of Cry Havoc yet? I'm curious about it because Tom Vasel (Dice Tower) says it's his favourite game of 2016 so far, and Drive Thru Review gave it a pretty good review, but any other review I've seen hasn't been nearly as glowing. I've seen two reviewers say it seems to suffer from "too many cooks in the kitchen". Sam, Zee and some other guy at Dice Tower did a live play of it, and they seemed pretty underwhelmed by the end of the video. Sam rated it a 7 in said video after being asked by Tom what he would give it.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Anyone have any impressions of Cry Havoc yet? I'm curious about it because Tom Vasel (Dice Tower) says it's his favourite game of 2016 so far, and Drive Thru Review gave it a pretty good review, but any other review I've seen hasn't been nearly as glowing. I've seen two reviewers say it seems to suffer from "too many cooks in the kitchen". Sam, Zee and some other guy at Dice Tower did a live play of it, and they seemed pretty underwhelmed by the end of the video. Sam rated it a 7 in said video after being asked by Tom what he would give it.

There is a very specific kind of game that Tom tends to overrate based on his own personal tastes (and he's well in his right to do so) and it appears to me that Cry Havok is that kind of game. Take a look at his love of Duel of Ages II to see what I mean. It's a game that I love along with him, but mechanically it isn't amazing and it's definitely not for everyone. Part of the reason why we love it, though, is because it's so messy.

 

[Toma]

So... our... erm... luggage for our trip next week:

 

[Bii]

So... our... erm... luggage for our trip next week:

You guys playing ALL of those games in a week?

 

[One Foul Note]

So... our... erm... luggage for our trip next week:

Which is the game which is like 2 boxes up from Arctic Scavengers? It looks like Dead of Winter from here, and if that is true then high fives all round.

 

[SapphiCine]

So... our... erm... luggage for our trip next week:

May all your board game children have a safe journey.

 

[AbsolutBro]

Randomly headed to Barnes and Noble and found Fury of Dracula for retail. Grabbed it since prices on Amazon are already getting ridiculous. Maybe I will give it a dry run this weekend! (I have no idea how it plays.)

 

[Toma]

You guys playing ALL of those games in a week?

The last time we stayed for 3 days and burned through 20-30 games, so yeah, most of those games will likely get played at least once. We are in a group of 8 people switching around in groups of 2-6 to play the games, so a single evening will likely be around 5-8 games.

Which is the game which is like 2 boxes up from Arctic Scavengers? It looks like Dead of Winter from here, and if that is true then high fives all round.

Yup, Dead of Winter, which is still my favourite game in my collection. I am really breaking my head about which game would be ranked 2-5, but #1 is without a doubt DoW.

May all your board game children have a safe journey.

I am giving them into custody of a friend, who will excort them via car to where we are staying, while I'll drive by train. Dont he dare to risk a car accident that day.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

Funny enough, Pandemic and DC Comics Deck Building Game were the first two board games I bought that weren't the classics. I've played over 200 games of DC (or one of the other core sets). Played a lot of Pandemic too back in the day, though I prefer Defenders of the Realm now

I have 2 questions.

How different is Defenders of the Realm to Pandemic and how is it better?
How does the Legacy experience compare to base Pandemic?

 

[-tetsuo-]

I have 2 questions.

How different is Defenders of the Realm to Pandemic and how is it better?
How does the Legacy experience compare to base Pandemic?

It is best to know as little as possible about Pandemic Legacy before you start playing it.

 

[Iced]

There is a very specific kind of game that Tom tends to overrate based on his own personal tastes (and he's well in his right to do so) and it appears to me that Cry Havok is that kind of game. Take a look at his love of Duel of Ages II to see what I mean. It's a game that I love along with him, but mechanically it isn't amazing and it's definitely not for everyone. Part of the reason why we love it, though, is because it's so messy.

Interesting. I'm still very curious about it. The only area control game I own (if you want to call it that) is Blood Rage, but the Viking theme has never really clicked with me.

Picked up Onitama this afternoon. Excited to give it a go later today!

 

[Mr E.]

I have 2 questions.

How different is Defenders of the Realm to Pandemic and how is it better?

There's talk of a new edition Defenders if your thinking of jumping on, maybe awhile though.

 

[Keasar]

I am giving them into custody of a friend, who will excort them via car to where we are staying, while I'll drive by train. Dont he dare to risk a car accident that day.

Or a roadbump.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

It is best to know as little as possible about Pandemic Legacy before you start playing it.

Is it safeto say I will love it if I remotely like Pandemic?
The one thing I dislike about it, is that its over in the blink of an eye. That's also why I'm looking into Defenders of the Realm, since I've heard a game takes quite longer.

 

[toddhunter]

Anyone have any impressions of Cry Havoc yet? I'm curious about it because Tom Vasel (Dice Tower) says it's his favourite game of 2016 so far, and Drive Thru Review gave it a pretty good review, but any other review I've seen hasn't been nearly as glowing. I've seen two reviewers say it seems to suffer from "too many cooks in the kitchen". Sam, Zee and some other guy at Dice Tower did a live play of it, and they seemed pretty underwhelmed by the end of the video. Sam rated it a 7 in said video after being asked by Tom what he would give it.

To be honest, I have a hard time trusting the Dice Tower on certain games (Cry Havoc, Quadropolis, Star Wars Rebellion). I enjoy the channel a lot, but I would be surprised if there was not a lot of deals going on behind the scenes.

Maybe I'm just too cynical.

 

[EmpressInYellow]

Anyone have any impressions of Cry Havoc yet? I'm curious about it because Tom Vasel (Dice Tower) says it's his favourite game of 2016 so far, and Drive Thru Review gave it a pretty good review, but any other review I've seen hasn't been nearly as glowing. I've seen two reviewers say it seems to suffer from "too many cooks in the kitchen". Sam, Zee and some other guy at Dice Tower did a live play of it, and they seemed pretty underwhelmed by the end of the video. Sam rated it a 7 in said video after being asked by Tom what he would give it.

Marco Arnaudo seemed to like it a fair bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KsgTKTYhUo

How does the Legacy experience compare to base Pandemic?

When you start off, you're basically playing base Pandemic.

The game quickly throws a lot of clever twists at you, though obviously getting into specifics would be super spoilery. It never becomes a totally different game, but it does frequently require you to change up your strategy and re-evaluate some of your assumptions.

Pandemic Legacy was maybe my favorite game that I played last year. So long as you have a consistent group that can stick with it for the whole campaign, it's great.

EDIT: Actually, I can say this, since it's true from the very start of the game - one major change the legacy system makes is that you'll be a lot less willing to write cities off as acceptable losses. You know how normally you might say, "It's no big deal if London has an outbreak, because we're gonna win in two turns anyway"? Well, now that outbreak PERMANENTLY reduces the level of order in London for all future games, which can have unpleasant consequences going forward.

 

[Affeinvasion]

To be honest, I have a hard time trusting the Dice Tower on certain games (Cry Havoc, Quadropolis, Star Wars Rebellion). I enjoy the channel a lot, but I would be surprised if there was not a lot of deals going on behind the scenes.

Maybe I'm just too cynical.

I think you are. It's more obvious as someone who's followed the Dice Tower for years that there are just certain kinds of games that they like and gravitate towards (especially before Zee was added to the roster of regulars). Fantasy Flight pretty much had a lock down on those kinds of games and now Cool Mini or Not does. It's also important to remember that these guys play games for a living and certain things that are amazing for like a game or two are going to get way more hype than a less interesting game that has more staying power or flexibility.

 

[Karkador]

Is it safeto say I will love it if I remotely like Pandemic?
The one thing I dislike about it, is that its over in the blink of an eye. That's also why I'm looking into Defenders of the Realm, since I've heard a game takes quite longer.

Pandemic Legacy games are gonna be the same length/scope as regular Pandemic games, and the campaign feels like you're playing a marathon of back-to-back Pandemic games.

How long are your games running?

 

[-tetsuo-]

Is it safeto say I will love it if I remotely like Pandemic?
The one thing I dislike about it, is that its over in the blink of an eye. That's also why I'm looking into Defenders of the Realm, since I've heard a game takes quite longer.

Well I will say i am not too huge a fan of pandemic but i love legacy.

 

[Iced]

Played three games of Onitama tonight, and it simply wasn't enough. Fantastic game! I love that I was able to teach it to my fiancée in about two minutes, and the game's strategies came naturally. My only gripe is I wish the box was a little smaller; I don't even mind the unusual shape, but it could be more portable if they didn't go the playmat route. It's a small gripe though when the presentation is so stellar. Beautiful game.

(Actually, my other gripe would be that my blue master is really wobbly due to the base being uneven. I suppose I could sand it down to even it out, but I don't want to damage the components in any way.

 

[SapphiCine]

Finished my third game of SH: Death Angel. Made it all way to the final location with four marines and was then subsequently slaughtered. Think I'll finally try three teams for my next game.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

Pandemic Legacy games are gonna be the same length/scope as regular Pandemic games, and the campaign feels like you're playing a marathon of back-to-back Pandemic games.

How long are your games running?

About 30 minutes. I usually feel the urge to completely erradicate all cubes from the board after winning.
I heard Defenders of the Realm is better than Pandemic in some ways and takes longer to beat.

 

[Karkador]

About 30 minutes. I usually feel the urge to completely erradicate all cubes from the board after winning.
I heard Defenders of the Realm is better than Pandemic in some ways and takes longer to beat.

You've won every game?

 

[Chris R]

Risk Legacy has been a blast so far.

What should I be looking at for a next board game to get the group into that's kinda similar (nothing too extreme, with maybe a tie in to a game we played as kids) We have at least 2 more months of Risk just thinking ahead.

 

[RaySpencer]

I have not played it but I've heard good things about the trading in Chinatown.

I got to play this tonight. It was amazing and EXACTLY what I wanted and a lot of fun. So thank you for this recommendation! And thanks to everyone else for the recommendations too!


So if people want a rad game based all around trading, pick up Chinatown!

 

[mercviper]

Is it safeto say I will love it if I remotely like Pandemic?
The one thing I dislike about it, is that its over in the blink of an eye. That's also why I'm looking into Defenders of the Realm, since I've heard a game takes quite longer.

I think it's pretty safe to say that if you like normal Pandemic you will love the Legacy version.

You've won every game?

I'd say that if everyone is a vet then 30 minute games seem about right. If he winning all of them too then I'd wager he's playing with some combination of 5- epidemics or only 2-3 characters.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

You've won every game?

I usually only play with my wife and with 6 epidemic cards. Only lost once. Maybe we have been lucky, but it does feel easier with fewer players.

With 4 players, I've played once on easy, normal and difficult setting. We quickly lost the difficult game, we had a bad shuffle and got 4 epidemic cards in the first 5 turns.

 

[fenners]

With 4 players, I've played once on easy, normal and difficult setting. We quickly lost the difficult game, we had a bad shuffle and got 4 epidemic cards in the first 5 turns.

What? You're playing it wrong.

For regular Pandemic (I haven't played Legendary), you're supposed to split the pile of cards into four piles & shuffle one epidemic card into each pile, then put the piles together. The idea is to space out the epidemics throughout the deck, to space out the trouble. You might get unlucky & have a couple close to each other (one at the bottom of a stack, a second near the top of its stack) but it's impossible to get 4 in 5 turns.

 

[Mr E.]

Keyflower is amazing. There's a new "Key to the city London" title coming out that's a similar although stream lined version. Not sure wether to get in on it?

 

[SumGamer]

Vinhos is actually quite easy to understand thematically. Except the part where judges only like specific kinda wine. LOL.

 

[Karkador]

Keyflower is amazing. There's a new "Key to the city London" title coming out that's a similar although stream lined version. Not sure wether to get in on it?

I just checked out the rules (I own the original + Farmers expansion). The game seems mostly the same as base game Keyflower, though it looks to me like the streamlining they did removes some of the more interesting things about the game.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

What? You're playing it wrong.

For regular Pandemic (I haven't played Legendary), you're supposed to split the pile of cards into four piles & shuffle one epidemic card into each pile, then put the piles together. The idea is to space out the epidemics throughout the deck, to space out the trouble. You might get unlucky & have a couple close to each other (one at the bottom of a stack, a second near the top of its stack) but it's impossible to get 4 in 5 turns.

Huh, must have skipped my mind while reading the rules.

 

[AstroLad]

Huh, must have skipped my mind while reading the rules.

Yeah lots of easy mistakes to make your first few plays and it messes with the balance wildly (for example even just neglecting you can trade only the card of the city you're in): https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/300287/common-mistakes

 

[Mr E.]

I just checked out the rules (I own the original + Farmers expansion). The game seems mostly the same as base game Keyflower, though it looks to me like the streamlining they did removes some of the more interesting things about the game.

Yeah I'm with you on that. Not having to pick skills from the bag is a bounus tho. Upgrading already upgraded tiles is in the Merchants expansion. The new version adds 3D landmarks to tiles. Probably be a big ask to trump Keyflower and shelf space is premium. I'm having second thoughts.

I have the Merchants and I like it a lot. I was worried adding in Farmers may make the game too crazy. Especially at lower player counts where only half the tiles are drawn.

 

[Protome]

Ugh, I haven't had a chance to play any board games since I started my new job.
It's better in almost every way but nobody plays board games at lunch. I haven't been able to get my Beyond Baker Street fix.

 

[LunarKnite]

I have 2 questions.

How different is Defenders of the Realm to Pandemic and how is it better?
How does the Legacy experience compare to base Pandemic?

Seems like most people have already answered the Legacy question, so I'll answer the Defenders one. Defenders of the Realm uses the same basic set-up as Pandemic just in a fantasy setting, as in there are 4 different groups of evil spreading across the world that you have to try and control. They work similarly to Pandemic cubes. Major differences are that you roll dice to see if you can remove those groups of evil, and there are bosses that move closer and closer to the capital city and if one of them gets there before being defeated, you lose the game.

Essentially, it's a bigger Pandemic that's more random, (but I also find it more exciting), with a lot of stuff added to it. Each character that you play has their own amount of actions they can use, and they usually have at least 2-3 special abilities. Then you have quest cards that, when fulfilled, gives you bonuses. If you don't like dice-rolling, I'd probably stay away, but if you don't mind it, definitely check it out.

 

[Iced]

Looking for some advice on my table setup. First, some pics:

I live in a small apartment and I needed something that I can store easily. So I have a 72" x 30" folding table which is certainly long enough, but always feels a bit restrictive width-wise with bigger games. Today I went out and had some medium-density fibreboard (MDF) cut. I was going to go for one big board and place it on top of my table, but the larger pieces were too thick. So I had two thinner pieces cut to 37" x 37", which are slighter larger than my 36" x 36" playmats but I wanted to make sure there was absolutely no overhang. So I now essentially have a 74" x 37" playing area, which I'm really happy with.

The only downside is I'm worried the MDF will move around while playing. It might not, because the pieces are quite heavy, but I've already nudged them out of place by bumping into them while walking by the table. I'm wondering if anyone has a similar setup to this and could recommend ways to keep it in place. Keep in mind that I don't want to permanently modify anything; I always want to be able to tear this down so that I can use the mdf boards only when I absolutely need them.

Thanks for any input!

 

[SillyEskimo]

I would just stick a couple of pieces of doubled over masking tape on the underside of the mdf. You could even do the same with duct tape. It will peel right off when you are through.

 

[NuffDREW4two]

If this is the underside, you could add some narrow rails that would hug you table top.

Edit: Yeah, that's a shitty drawing.
Edit 2: It'd be permanently modifying the MDF board, so I'm not sure if that fits into your not wanting to modify things.

 

[octopiggy]

Are there any board games on steam that are worth trying?

I would love to be able to play Carcassonne with all the expansions on my pc.

 

[SapphiCine]

Finished my fourth game of SH: Death Angel. Managed to win by the skin of my teeth, with only one marine left. I think I've had my fill and it will be collecting dust on my board game shelf alongside Eldritch Horror. Corey Konieczka games are seemingly not for me. I want to like them but the way he integrates luck leaves me cold.

 

[AstroLad]

Finished my fourth game of SH: Death Angel. Managed to win by the skin of my teeth, with only one marine left. I think I've had my fill and it will be collecting dust on my board game shelf alongside Eldritch Horror. Corey Konieczka games are seemingly not for me.

Oooh haha...probably listed two of my current top 10 games right there (not of all time, just of stuff I've been into the past year). Definitely steer clear of Elder Sign, Arkham LCG, other stuff that scratches the same itch. ;D