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[Experien]

If you are lazy/not crafty and got lots of money...you can buy custom made foamcores. It is quite tempting for a few like Eldritch Horror or King of New York but they are pricey.

Check them out here.

 

[StoOgE]

I don't have it yet, but my understanding is that Reformation includes a replacement for the Ambassador (the "Inquisitor"), a bunch of extra cards so you can play up to 10 players (which is a big bonus for me), and the team marker stuff.

The Kickstarter version I feel adds a ton of confusion.

I love the unique artwork, but I think it makes the game slightly more confusing for new players.

 

[Xater]

The Kickstarter version I feel adds a ton of confusion.

I love the unique artwork, but I think it makes the game slightly more confusing for new players.

I didn't have that experience in Essen and I had to teach the game. Character role is printed on the card and they are also all color coded. Could not be easier.

 

[BomberMouse]

Have you played Chimera? It only plays three, but man is it good. It's a ladder climbing game like Haggis but there is a two against one thing going on in Chimera. If you like Haggis, Chimera is worth a look.

Not yet but it's on my list. Have you tried bottle imp? That game is awesome.

 

[Karkador]

Is Chimera a variant of Tichu? Is it possible to play with a Tichu deck?

 

[Deadstar]

For the sleevers out there. How do you sleeve your horizontal cards? Do you keep the open side on the right or the left side? What are the pros and cons.

 

[Mista Koo]

So about Reformation, do you play with it even with 6 or less players? I feel like it was only added for higher player count.
I did buy the expansion but so far only used it for the Inquisitor variant.

Edit: Cockroach Poker seems really fun., although I really don't need another bluffing game anytime soon. It's so cheap and is really tempting!

 

[Karkador]

So about Reformation, do you play with it even with 6 or less players? I feel like it was only added for higher player count.
I did buy the expansion but so far only used it for the Inquisitor variant.

Edit: Cockroach Poker seems really fun., although I really don't need another bluffing game anytime soon. It's so cheap and is really tempting!

I have Cockroach Poker Royal (Kakerlaken Poker Royal, basically a 'deluxe' version with a few extra variant rules, and it also happens to be suitable to play Skull and Roses), and it's quite a bit of fun - REALLY easy to learn from a rules perspective. I've played a fair variety of bluffing games, and I think it stands out enough to hold its own.

 

[Xater]

So about Reformation, do you play with it even with 6 or less players? I feel like it was only added for higher player count.
I did buy the expansion but so far only used it for the Inquisitor variant.

Edit: Cockroach Poker seems really fun., although I really don't need another bluffing game anytime soon. It's so cheap and is really tempting!

From my experience the team variant makes sense for 5+ players.

 

[Mista Koo]

I have Cockroach Poker Royal (Kakerlaken Poker Royal, basically a 'deluxe' version with a few extra variant rules, and it also happens to be suitable to play Skull and Roses), and it's quite a bit of fun - REALLY easy to learn from a rules perspective. I've played a fair variety of bluffing games, and I think it stands out enough to hold its own.

I did want Skull and Roses. But I don't know, the extra rules and the lack of 8th suit seems confusing.
Can't you play Skull and Roses with the original anyway? Two or three suits are the roses and one is the skulls, call it Bugs and Bat

 

[Karkador]

I did want Skull and Roses. But I don't know, the extra rules and the lack of 8th suit seems confusing.
Can't you play Skull and Roses with the original anyway? Two or three suits are the roses and one is the skulls, call it Bugs and Bat

The rules for Royal aren't much more confusing, it just adds a little bit more fuzziness to the game. It gives each suit one unique new card, a "Royal" (the animal has a crown). Now you can claim a card is a specific animal, or a royal, which could be any of the animals. If anyone ever takes a Royal card, they have to also take the top card of the stack that was randomly set aside at the beginning of the game. This stack also means that you can't be entirely sure what's in everyone's hand.

There are also two extra optional wild cards to play with (one that is always "right", and one that is always "wrong"), and it's also possible to just play the regular game's rules with Royal. When I was looking into the games, it seemed like the preferred version to get.

 

[Experien]

So about Reformation, do you play with it even with 6 or less players? I feel like it was only added for higher player count.
I did buy the expansion but so far only used it for the Inquisitor variant.

Edit: Cockroach Poker seems really fun., although I really don't need another bluffing game anytime soon. It's so cheap and is really tempting!

I have yet to play with Inquisitor yet, I've just been doing the teams and only have played it with 6.

 

[Xater]

Apparently Mysterium made a big splash at BGGcon. Paul from Su&SD seems to have also enjoyed it there. Read up on it on BGG and it seems pretty cool. I think I will get this game once an English or german release is out there.

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113997/mysterium

 

[Palmer_v1]

I still got to try Reformation. The expansion is just a couple of cards, right?

Have you played Chimera? It only plays three, but man is it good. It's a ladder climbing game like Haggis but there is a two against one thing going on in Chimera. If you like Haggis, Chimera is worth a look.

It adds an Inquisitor which can be used in place of Ambassadors. Inquisitor lets you swap 1 card with middle pile, OR look at 1 card from another player and force them to exchange with middle if you want, but does not block stealing. I think I prefer it over the ambassador overall.

The bigger change is the addition of "teams". You can pay a coin to swap your faction from red to blue and vice versa, or two coins to swap someone else. Doesn't sound like much but since you can't target your own team with most ablities, it makes the game a lot more dynamic. Theese coins also go into a bank, instead of the box, and there is a new action that lets anyone but a duke take all coins on it currently.

Gets amusing when someone has enough coins to Coup someone, so there's a rush of people swapping teams so they can't be targetted.

 

[blurrygil]

For the sleevers out there. How do you sleeve your horizontal cards? Do you keep the open side on the right or the left side? What are the pros and cons.

#TabletopProblems

Uhhhhh...on the side that aligns with the hand you write with?

 

[bastionwords]

Apparently Mysterium made a big splash at BGGcon. Paul from Su&SD seems to have also enjoyed it there. Read up on it on BGG and it seems pretty cool. I think I will get this game once an English or german release is out there.

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113997/mysterium

Mysterium was a fun play at BGG. It made it an instant buy. As said everywhere, it is a Dixit Clue/Cluedo mashup. The components have zero writing, and the English rules are out there. I wouldn't wait for it. I was so impressed that I drunkly bought the original Portal release last Saturday. The English version from Libellud will have different art, so that was my main reason for jumping on it. Also, the Ukranian release has English rules with the same art.

So I was one of the lucky few to get a non pre-order copy of Roll for the Galaxy. I was excited until my brother found a BGG thread about issues with not having the right punch boards. We dashed to the BGG booth to check our copies. My brother had all 8. I had just 4 of 8. Wait, all 4 are the same one, crap. I was able to get 3 of the remaining 7 from returned copies. Rio Grande said they would send me the remaining 4. Still don't have them.

We played my brother's copy. It is such a fun game. Much easier to grasp for new players than Race for the Galaxy.

 

[Xater]

Mysterium was a fun play at BGG. It made it an instant buy. As said everywhere, it is a Dixit Clue/Cluedo mashup. The components have zero writing, and the English rules are out there. I wouldn't wait for it. I was so impressed that I drunkly bought the original Portal release last Saturday. The English version from Libellud will have different art, so that was my main reason for jumping on it. Also, the Ukranian release has English rules with the same art.

So I was one of the lucky few to get a non pre-order copy of Roll for the Galaxy. I was excited until my brother found a BGG thread about issues with not having the right punch boards. We dashed to the BGG booth to check our copies. My brother had all 8. I had just 4 of 8. Wait, all 4 are the same one, crap. I was able to get 3 of the remaining 7 from returned copies. Rio Grande said they would send me the remaining 4. Still don't have them.

We played my brother's copy. It is such a fun game. Much easier to grasp for new players than Race for the Galaxy.

The Libellud version will have different character art. The rest stays. Also the author said it will have rule improvements and some "novelties". I think I'm good waiting.

 

[bastionwords]

The Libellud version will have different character art. The rest stays. Also the author said it will have rule improvements and some "novelties". I think I'm good waiting.

Yeah, you are right. Found this: https://twitter.com/Libellud/status/536928279610265600

I wonder what the rule improvements and novelties will be.

edit: All art is redone except the dream cards. https://twitter.com/Libellud/status/536935665145884672

 

[LProtag]

Roommate just made some orders and we have some games coming in soon.

I'm finally getting a copy of Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective... despite having the old versions too, haha.

I can't remember everything he ordered, but Tragedy Looper is coming and I'm excited to play that. We've also got a preorder with both Roll for the Galaxy and Star Wars Imperial Assault on it... very excited for those two games.

 

[Xater]

Yeah, you are right. Found this: https://twitter.com/Libellud/status/536928279610265600

I wonder what the rule improvements and novelties will be.

edit: All art is redone except the dream cards. https://twitter.com/Libellud/status/536935665145884672

Still not a big deal to me.

 

[EYEL1NER]

So War of the Ring is finally back in-print and in-stock?! It seems like forever ago earlier this year when someone said Ares would be reprinting it this year. Now I don't have to feel so bummed out about passing up a 2E WotR and expansions for 1E and 2E at MSRP (I should still feel bad though, since one of those expansions sells for like $150+).
Hopefully stock lasts for a while because I don't have any orders I could add it to anywhere, nothing else I really want at the moment.

 

[Blizzard]

It adds an Inquisitor which can be used in place of Ambassadors. Inquisitor lets you swap 1 card with middle pile, OR look at 1 card from another player and force them to exchange with middle if you want, but does not block stealing. I think I prefer it over the ambassador overall.

I just got the Reformation expansion today, and the Inquisitor DOES block stealing, just like the Ambassador.

 

[Experien]

I just saw the new Hobbit movie and itching for more...what is the best Hobbit (or LotR) game out there? Preferably more than 2 players but I don't discriminate too much.

 

[Neverfade]

I just saw the new Hobbit movie and itching for more...what is the best Hobbit (or LotR) game out there? Preferably more than 2 players but I don't discriminate too much.

WOTR is the best.

Runner up for me is Middle-Earth Quest

 

[Neverfade]

So I played The Witcher....

...and it was a bunch of fretting for nothing. Is it my new favorite of all time? No. But it was pretty much exactly what I expected: A non-coop Eldritch Horror. It's fine, and certainly still better than Talisman.

 

[Phthisis]

I just saw the new Hobbit movie and itching for more...what is the best Hobbit (or LotR) game out there? Preferably more than 2 players but I don't discriminate too much.

If you like LOTR, War of the Ring is spectacular. In my opinion it is the most thematic game I have ever played.

If you like The Hobbit better, then The Battle of Five Armies is for you.

They use the same basic core system, share the same designers and artist, and are published by the same company. Can't go wrong with either (for the record I think BoFA is the best game I've played this year).

 

[d1rtn4p]

If you like LOTR, War of the Ring is spectacular. In my opinion it is the most thematic game I have ever played.

If you like The Hobbit better, then The Battle of Five Armies is for you.

They use the same basic core system, share the same designers and artist, and are published by the same company. Can't go wrong with either (for the record I think BoFA is the best game I've played this year).

I want to love it, but that set-up time and play time just kills it completely for my group. Ended up trading it away because it never got to my table

 

[blurrygil]

I want to love it, but that set-up time and play time just kills it completely for my group. Ended up trading it away because it never got to my table

Which one? I've found the setup to be easily tolerable for both.

I'm also a campaign board gamer. Sooooooo, I'm used to longer setup times.

 

[Experien]

If you like LOTR, War of the Ring is spectacular. In my opinion it is the most thematic game I have ever played.

If you like The Hobbit better, then The Battle of Five Armies is for you.

They use the same basic core system, share the same designers and artist, and are published by the same company. Can't go wrong with either (for the record I think BoFA is the best game I've played this year).

I do like Hobbit better but I am worried about how many times I'd get to play TBotFA with it being only 2 player. My gf isn't THAT deep into board games and my 1v1 friend is more into space so we'd probably play X-Wing or Imperial Assault instead.

 

[hort]

I just saw the new Hobbit movie and itching for more...what is the best Hobbit (or LotR) game out there? Preferably more than 2 players but I don't discriminate too much.

The LOTR LCG is pretty good. It's Co-op and can be played with more than 2 people.

 

[AstroLad]

So I played The Witcher....

...and it was a bunch of fretting for nothing. Is it my new favorite of all time? No. But it was pretty much exactly what I expected: A non-coop Eldritch Horror. It's fine, and certainly still better than Talisman.

BEG TO DIFFER! I was just so stoked about the game maybe I came in with high expectations.

 

[disillusion386]

This is a week old at this point, but the new TableTop is up. Forbidden Desert this time around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMLP0gn4I6k

That's three games by Matt Leacock featured on TableTop already.

 

[Jables Swan]

Is there any point playing Forbidden Desert or Island if you've played Pandemic and enjoy it?

 

[Xater]

Is there any point playing Forbidden Desert or Island if you've played Pandemic and enjoy it?

Not really. It's kinda a simpler version of that just as Forbidden Island was.

 

[disillusion386]

Is there any point playing Forbidden Desert or Island if you've played Pandemic and enjoy it?

I bought Pandemic first. Then Forbidden Island went on sale so I bought that and somewhat regretted it. Seems I should have gone for Desert instead because of the slightly different mechanics used.

 

[Experien]

Is there any point playing Forbidden Desert or Island if you've played Pandemic and enjoy it?

Forbidden Desert is more accessible. Easier to set up, looks nicer, not as "confusing" with less moving pieces. It can also be a shorter version that is just as hard it not harder than Pandemic.

 

[AstroLad]

Forbidden Desert is more accessible. Easier to set up, looks nicer, not as "confusing" with less moving pieces. It can also be a shorter version that is just as hard it not harder than Pandemic.

It's been a while since I played Island, but iirc Island is easier (to win and to learn) b/c Desert you have to worry about moving the tiles around and such. Island you just sink them.

 

[Neverfade]

BEG TO DIFFER! I was just so stoked about the game maybe I came in with high expectations.

Have you played Eldritch Horror?

 

[hort]

The girlfriend likes coop games the most, so we tend to play a LOT of pandemic and forbidden island/desert

They are all very similar but end up playing out differently in the end imo.

Pandemic and island share the "get 4/5 of this color card to get this item/cure from this specific place" idea.

Pandemic and desert share the "sand/disease cubes pile up on parts of the board, get them off before it gets to much" idea. This, I feel, is different from island, which is a simple underwater/sunk mechanism.

Desert has its own thing going for it with the hidden objects mechanism, making you explore a location, and then find the other matching location of that color to pinpoint where the object will appear. This and the water mechanic, I think, sets it apart from Pandemic enough to make it still interesting if you already own and love pandemic.

We have played a lot more desert and pandemic, but I think I prefer island. I like the urgency created when something goes underwater, since you know that it can now simply sink into the ocean if you dont get there. Pandemic has outbreaks, and desert has stacking tiles that prevent you from moving, and both of them will end if cubes or sand tiles run out, but it always seemed a bit easier to me. You can not get stranded on a tile away from everybody else in pandemic/desert.

tl;dr: Forbidden island is the best.

 

[LProtag]

Big order of games should be coming today... I'm excited.

Haven't had a chance to play with my group recently, but I hope we will soon. My friends still have an unplayed copy of Dead of Winter that I'm itching at trying.

 

[AstroLad]

Have you played Eldritch Horror?

Haven't had the time unfortunately though it's at the top of my backlog.

 

[blurrygil]

The girlfriend likes coop games the most, so we tend to play a LOT of pandemic and forbidden island/desert

They are all very similar but end up playing out differently in the end imo.

Pandemic and island share the "get 4/5 of this color card to get this item/cure from this specific place" idea.

Pandemic and desert share the "sand/disease cubes pile up on parts of the board, get them off before it gets to much" idea. This, I feel, is different from island, which is a simple underwater/sunk mechanism.

Desert has its own thing going for it with the hidden objects mechanism, making you explore a location, and then find the other matching location of that color to pinpoint where the object will appear. This and the water mechanic, I think, sets it apart from Pandemic enough to make it still interesting if you already own and love pandemic.

We have played a lot more desert and pandemic, but I think I prefer island. I like the urgency created when something goes underwater, since you know that it can now simply sink into the ocean if you dont get there. Pandemic has outbreaks, and desert has stacking tiles that prevent you from moving, and both of them will end if cubes or sand tiles run out, but it always seemed a bit easier to me. You can not get stranded on a tile away from everybody else in pandemic/desert.

tl;dr: Forbidden island is the best.

Perhaps check out Defenders of the Realm or The Captain is Dead:

 

[hort]

Perhaps check out Defenders of the Realm or The Captain is Dead:

Thanks, I'll be sure to check those out! I'm always trying to find stuff that she enjoys playing.

 

[BattleMonkey]

The girlfriend likes coop games the most, so we tend to play a LOT of pandemic and forbidden island/desert

They are all very similar but end up playing out differently in the end imo.

Pandemic and island share the "get 4/5 of this color card to get this item/cure from this specific place" idea.

Pandemic and desert share the "sand/disease cubes pile up on parts of the board, get them off before it gets to much" idea. This, I feel, is different from island, which is a simple underwater/sunk mechanism.

Desert has its own thing going for it with the hidden objects mechanism, making you explore a location, and then find the other matching location of that color to pinpoint where the object will appear. This and the water mechanic, I think, sets it apart from Pandemic enough to make it still interesting if you already own and love pandemic.

We have played a lot more desert and pandemic, but I think I prefer island. I like the urgency created when something goes underwater, since you know that it can now simply sink into the ocean if you dont get there. Pandemic has outbreaks, and desert has stacking tiles that prevent you from moving, and both of them will end if cubes or sand tiles run out, but it always seemed a bit easier to me. You can not get stranded on a tile away from everybody else in pandemic/desert.

tl;dr: Forbidden island is the best.

Try Flashpoint

 

[Jables Swan]

Flashpoint is great.

Sounds like I should probably just stick with Pandemic rather than the Forbidden games.

 

[AstroLad]

I'm am putting serious thought into dragging my kid to the family BGG in May.

Bumping this because I wanted to respond to it a while back. What are your thoughts on going to this with little ones? I almost feel like it's more for people with kids 6+ at minimum. We have a 3yo and a 9mo, so add six months but still I just don't see how we'd possibly keep them occupied at the Con. Now one thing that is appealing is that I imagine/hope that table-space issues will be non-existent at this Con.

 

[fenners]

Bumping this because I wanted to respond to it a while back. What are your thoughts on going to this with little ones? I almost feel like it's more for people with kids 6+ at minimum. We have a 3yo and a 9mo, so add six months but still I just don't see how we'd possibly keep them occupied at the Con. Now one thing that is appealing is that I imagine/hope that table-space issues will be non-existent at this Con.

Your kids are too young still, Astrolad. Mine are 6 & 8 and I still don't know if I'll go with them. The 8 year old would love it, but if I bring one, the other will want to go...

Personally, I need a ton more detail on schedule, planned activities, expected size of attendance etc. We've got a ton of family in the area so it might make a nice family trip for the lot of us, but that'll take away from gaming. Who knows.

I /really/ wish they hadn't just announced it & said 'more details later, but start booking the hotel now lol!'. Yeah, that's useful.

 

[Neverfade]

Haven't had the time unfortunately though it's at the top of my backlog.

Well if you didn't like Witcher, maybe you should bump it down a bit.

 

[AstroLad]

Well if you didn't like Witcher, maybe you should bump it down a bit.

I like Arkham though, and even Elder Sign. To me Witcher just falls in an anti-sweet spot in terms of complexity and interesting mechanics. Also I think the co-op part is helpful for games like this.

 

[Neverfade]

Dunno. You do the same thing in EH though. Move and do skill checks.