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[AstroLad]

Too bad we didn't get to meet up!

Just tried out Jab (one of the giveaway games on Day 1) with my wife. Pretty solid stuff -- yes a 2P realtime card game actually can work apparently.

Hope CSI has some good deals this year for Black Friday. Have a nice little wishlist post-BGG.

 

[Agyar]

Blood Bowl Team Manager: Kind of a surprise hit for me. The learning game didn't go so great because none of us knew it and we were taught it in 5m by some person who was passing by. Feel like this is one of those where you need to play 3-5 times and learn all the basic abilities and then it flows much better. But regardless I really like the matchup mechanics (why do they call them highlights -- they should be called matchups!) as well as all the goofy stuff like the tackle rolls and especially the cheat tokens. Though I do which there was a way to more easily randomize cheat tokens. Might throw in some counters to mark cheats and then throw the tokens in a bag and draw at matchup time. Going to bust this out with the game group. My only general complaint is that it feels about 30-45m too long so I may try out the short season variant where you start out with upgrades.

This mirrors my experience, especially given that our teacher was the guy who bought the game and pre-read the manual on a plane.

Definitely felt a bit too long but it may tighten up a bit if people understand the abilities and what's out there. Luck definitely played into it more than I expect, however, with the tackle dice rolls really deciding the fate of the game.

 

[AstroLad]

This mirrors my experience, especially given that our teacher was the guy who bought the game and pre-read the manual on a plane.

Definitely felt a bit too long but it may tighten up a bit if people understand the abilities and what's out there. Luck definitely played into it more than I expect, however, with the tackle dice rolls really deciding the fate of the game.

If you play as Chaos, the cheat tokens completely determine your fate, even more so than dice rolls for any team. I like it though. God knows you can have a five-hour game of Arkham determined by a single roll.

 

[Slacker]

For anyone in the Dallas area, our FLGS Madness Games & Comics in Plano is starting their holiday sale again tomorrow. Buy two, get one free on pretty much anything in the store. I stocked up Carcassonne expansions last year. May have to hunt for bigger game this time.

 

[Suairyu]

Chrononauts is my favourite flavour of the moment.

Everyone can get behind the concept (you are time travelers trying to either steal artifacts or disrupt the timeline) without feeling too nerdy, you can explain the base rules in sixty seconds and handle everything else as it comes up, and after just one game you're pretty much as knowledgeable as you need to be to get strategic about the thing.

Seriously, I have never known a non 'throw-dice-to-move' game that is so pick-up-play friendly and gets everyone into the spirit of things (ie. screwing everyone else over) as quickly as possible.

As a bonus, I usually play with the house rule that if you're going to make a change in the timeline, you have to describe how you made that change. It makes amazing exchanges such as these:
"I place a timed-bomb in Hitler's chair at the games, thus meaning he never takes power."
"Well I open up the world's tastiest sandwich shop, distracting Hitler, meaning he never makes it to that chair."
"I place a timed-bomb inside Hitler's sandwich."
"I invent Subway and open a branch next to the sandwich shop, meaning Hitler chooses the Subway establishment instead and avoids the booby-trapped sandwich."
"I blow up your fucking Subway shop with Hitler inside."
and so on.

My one complaint would be that the events are skewed towards American history. I understand this, given that America has hardly any history allowing for a non-ridiculous sized game, but a Ancient Europe or Asia themed version would very much be snapped up by me. Despite this, the historical events are vaguely universal enough that everyone understands the timeline. Really, it's a niggle at best.

Best part - it's cheap. £14.29 for UK folk and $14.77 for US people.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Isn't Back to the Future a variant of that game?

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Isn't Back to the Future a variant of that game?

Yes it is. BTTF also makes some changes to that Chrononauts system that streamlines the game somewhat.

 

[Neverfade]

Just read the rules for the Civ and Runewars expansions. Gotta place an order for those later. They look to really round out both games, which I love but have issues with.

 

[AstroLad]

CSI's pre-thanksgiving sale is only six board games! Hoping it's just a precursor to the real sale.

Still though, LOTR Card Game and Pandemic for $20 each is solid.

 

[XShagrath]

Still though, LOTR Card Game and Pandemic for $20 each is solid.

Yeah, I went in and picked up a second copy of LOTR today. I was just thinking about picking up a second copy recently, so saving $6 was great. Hoping they do something for Black Friday though.

 

[StoOgE]

The Lotr booster decks are also 2 dollars off their normal price. Certainly worth it to nab the 7 released so far. Not sure if that + base deck would be free shipping.

Thinking of grabbing 2 more base sets. For threat counters plus 3 o each card for deck building.

Also, played lotr card game for the first time sat. Went solo. Fucking love this game. Played 3 rounds while the girlfriend was out.

 

[Evlar]

The Lotr booster decks are also 2 dollars off their normal price. Certainly worth it to nab the 7 released so far. Not sure if that + base deck would be free shipping.

Thinking of grabbing 2 more base sets. For threat counters plus 3 o each card for deck building.

Also, played lotr card game for the first time sat. Went solo. Fucking love this game. Played 3 rounds while the girlfriend was out.

Oooooooh. I need, uhh, three.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Miniature Market is having a big black friday sale. You can download a spread sheet with all the prices of sale items now. Lot of great deals on board games in there

 

[XShagrath]

The Lotr booster decks are also 2 dollars off their normal price.

Actually, that's not quite true. The adventure packs for the "Mirkwood" cycle have always been $9.99 at CSI. So, with the new ones starting in January, they will be raising the price.

I've picked up the first four at once about three months ago at $9.99 a piece and have grabbed the other ones at the same price as they came out, picking up Return to Mirkwood this afternoon before work. Kinda miffed that they're bumping the price up to $12 for the new ones in 2012.

 

[AstroLad]

Miniature Market is having a big black friday sale. You can download a spread sheet with all the prices of sale items now. Lot of great deals on board games in there

Link? Can't seem to find the BF promotion on their site.

edit nm found it http://www.miniaturemarket.com/blackfriday_nov11

 

[BomberMouse]

Link? Can't seem to find the BF promotion on their site.

edit nm found it http://www.miniaturemarket.com/blackfriday_nov11

Ahhhrg, I'm gonna miss all the deals.

I decided to take a week off from work and travel to easter island where I'll be completely offline. I took the plunge on the annual days of wonders deal, let's hope Cargo Noir is good.

 

[Neverfade]

Ahhhrg, I'm gonna miss all the deals.

I decided to take a week off from work and travel to easter island where I'll be completely offline. I took the plunge on the annual days of wonders deal, let's hope Cargo Noir is good.

Those rocks aren't going anywhere. These deals only last a day!

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Ahhhrg, I'm gonna miss all the deals.

I decided to take a week off from work and travel to easter island where I'll be completely offline. I took the plunge on the annual days of wonders deal, let's hope Cargo Noir is good.

Sorry to break it to you but Cargo Noir sucks. At least it was free.

 

[Emerson]

Finally got my hands on A Game of Thrones (2nd Ed). This game looks awesome.

 

[AstroLad]

bah@Black Friday board-game deals. Was hoping to pick up some games for presents on the cheap but nothing good today.

First year I'll be giving board games as gifts. Some version of TtR for the parents in-law and probably Carson City for my brother-in-law so I can teach and play over the holidays.

Also, Aton, which has been a giveaway game at BGG.Con at least the past few years, is a surprisingly excellent 2P game.

 

[Neverfade]

Civ expansion arrived today. Amazon had it on the pretty cheap, so I Primed that up.

 

[Jenga]

So me and my friends played our first board game in a long, long time.

It was Resident Evil. Despite how fucking rigged Wesker is, the game was fun as hell. Would any of you enthusiasts know a good progression point from that game?

Me and the buddies are thinking either Arkham Horror or Game of Thrones

 

[AstroLad]

So me and my friends played our first board game in a long, long time.

It was Resident Evil. Despite how fucking rigged Wesker is, the game was fun as hell. Would any of you enthusiasts know a good progression point from that game?

Me and the buddies are thinking either Arkham Horror or Game of Thrones

Depends on what you liked most about the game:
Theme? Or is there a specific theme you're looking for?
Deckbuilding element? Interested in any general types of mechanics?
Luck element (mansion deck)?

Just offhand though I'll throw Blood Bowl Team Manager out there. I finally got to play it a few times last week and it's really fun. It has some light deckbuilding elements as well as straight-up confrontation and heaps of goofy luck (dice-rolling, cheat tokens, etc.). It runs a bit long (~90-120m) but I found that to be true of RE from time to time as well.

Edit: If you're looking to expand your horizons, lots of recommendations in the OP. I should update that too with new classics like 7 Wonders.

 

[ZackieChan]

I really like the idea of this LOTR card game, but it is absolutely raping me. Playing solo is just too tough. I'm going to have to try playing with the gf next week. Maybe it will be easier.

Any of the expansions give any worthwhile cards to beat the Anduin scenario?

 

[Jenga]

Depends on what you liked most about the game:
Theme? Or is there a specific theme you're looking for?
Deckbuilding element? Interested in any general types of mechanics?
Luck element (mansion deck)?

Just offhand though I'll throw Blood Bowl Team Manager out there. I finally got to play it a few times last week and it's really fun. It has some light deckbuilding elements as well as straight-up confrontation and heaps of goofy luck (dice-rolling, cheat tokens, etc.). It runs a bit long (~90-120m) but I found that to be true of RE from time to time as well.

Edit: If you're looking to expand your horizons, lots of recommendations in the OP. I should update that too with new classics like 7 Wonders.

We loved pretty much everything about it. Only thing was that it was a tad too simple after a while.

Arkham looks pretty intimidating but goddamn it looks cool as hell. We're thinking Game of Thrones is a good mid-way point in difficulty (we're also all fans). We'll definitely look into blood bowl, most of us are really attracted to the thematic games atm

How is Mansions of Madness?

 

[Rezbit]

Yo guys! Me and a few friends have been playing a few board games lately and I'm looking into one to buy. We prefer ones that are quicker (ie under 2 hours), and that have a board as well. We've been playing heaps of Last Night on Earth and Battlestar Galactica, and Mansions of Madness is on the way. Anything else floating around that isn't overly complex but is still fun enough?

 

[XShagrath]

I really like the idea of this LOTR card game, but it is absolutely raping me. Playing solo is just too tough. I'm going to have to try playing with the gf next week. Maybe it will be easier.

Any of the expansions give any worthwhile cards to beat the Anduin scenario?

The expansions all give some useful cards. You can look on lotrlcg.com and check out what player cards come with each Adventure Pack to figure out which ones would be most useful for you. The songs are pretty much essential in building good multi-sphere decks.

As for playing solo, the game is really tough. I haven't been able to solo reliably through anything but the easiest quests playing a single deck. A lot of people on BGG play two handed solo. However, that just seems so cumbersome keeping track of two separate threat counters and hands.

I've tried a variant (sorry, can't find the link) that seems to work out okay. Basically you play with five heroes and one deck. Everything dealing with threat is treated as a solo player, so you raise your threat by one each turn, and treacheries and such that deal with number of players would only consider you as one. But everything else is considered two players, so you're drawing two encounter cards per turn, etc. You also draw two cards at the beginning of your turn to simulate two players.

I played through Anduin and made it pretty far before I had to wrap up "work" and go home a week or so ago, so I think it's a pretty nice solution in playing a two-player solo game and getting rid of some of the fiddliness of keeping track of two "people" at the same time.

 

[ZackieChan]

The expansions all give some useful cards. You can look on lotrlcg.com and check out what player cards come with each Adventure Pack to figure out which ones would be most useful for you. The songs are pretty much essential in building good multi-sphere decks.

As for playing solo, the game is really tough. I haven't been able to solo reliably through anything but the easiest quests playing a single deck. A lot of people on BGG play two handed solo. However, that just seems so cumbersome keeping track of two separate threat counters and hands.

I've tried a variant (sorry, can't find the link) that seems to work out okay. Basically you play with five heroes and one deck. Everything dealing with threat is treated as a solo player, so you raise your threat by one each turn, and treacheries and such that deal with number of players would only consider you as one. But everything else is considered two players, so you're drawing two encounter cards per turn, etc. You also draw two cards at the beginning of your turn to simulate two players.

I played through Anduin and made it pretty far before I had to wrap up "work" and go home a week or so ago, so I think it's a pretty nice solution in playing a two-player solo game and getting rid of some of the fiddliness of keeping track of two "people" at the same time.

Thanks for the advice! I will try to find this variant and give it a try. The Anduin one is a pain due to drawing 2 encounters per turn in the second part. Also, twice I have drawn a second Hill Troll in the first part. Terrible.

 

[Hero]

Speaking of the Game of Thrones 2nd edition has anyone played it and would they recommend it? Interested in getting it as long as it's fun and not too complex. My group tends to like the lighter side of board gaming.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Yay got my Metal Gear Solid LE RISK in. Looks nice, haven't looked at the rules, but yea I know it's RISK, but it looked cool

 

[AstroLad]

Yo guys! Me and a few friends have been playing a few board games lately and I'm looking into one to buy. We prefer ones that are quicker (ie under 2 hours), and that have a board as well. We've been playing heaps of Last Night on Earth and Battlestar Galactica, and Mansions of Madness is on the way. Anything else floating around that isn't overly complex but is still fun enough?

Sounds like you are into co-op type games. Pandemic is a classic, but a bit more abstract and serious than any of those. It plays in under 60 too. You also might enjoy Ghost Stories, which is super-challenging.

 

[The Last Wizard]

Been trying to put life up for awhile now, I got the adventure edition by accident and doubt I can exchange it for another. I'm trying to figure out where the rubber feet go.

 

[narcosis219]

Speaking of the Game of Thrones 2nd edition has anyone played it and would they recommend it? Interested in getting it as long as it's fun and not too complex. My group tends to like the lighter side of board gaming.

It's a slow negotiation kind of game. I feel that the rules kind of bog it down too much. Not to mention the rule book isn't written very well either (i've only seen 1st ed. rules tho)

 

[XShagrath]

Thanks for the advice! I will try to find this variant and give it a try. The Anduin one is a pain due to drawing 2 encounters per turn in the second part. Also, twice I have drawn a second Hill Troll in the first part. Terrible.

I tracked down that variant for you.

http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/69038/expanded-solo-variant-v0-8

 

[BattleMonkey]

It's a slow negotiation kind of game. I feel that the rules kind of bog it down too much. Not to mention the rule book isn't written very well either (i've only seen 1st ed. rules tho)

There isn't much negotiating done as part of the game. The bid/gamble system is really just players acting on their own and the rest is pretty standard conquest gaming. It's pretty smooth and quick playing game with simply combat resolution as well.

 

[Slacker]

Getting Battlestar Galactica from my wife, Risk Legacy from my brother, and I'm getting him Caylus. It's good to be excited for Christmas morning.

 

[AstroLad]

BGG.Con has me on a game-learning bender. Learned yesterday:
-Ghost Stories (always heard great things about this game, yet it's been sitting on my shelf for two years)
-Thebes (supposed to be a great light 3P which is just what I need for this weekend)
-Yomi (might sell this; I think Puzzle Strike is about my limit on Sirlin "anime" stuff)

 

[LProtag]

Just ordered Blood Bowl Team Manager after looking into it a little more.

And I'm really getting excited for Eclipse to come out, want to pick that up soon after it's out.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Played the Zman Walking Dead game finally. Really the group enjoyed it, it's not bad really, expected something horrible from the BGG ratings. It's a simple game, not ton of depth to it at all, so yea there is that. The coop mode is also pretty much just slapped on and pointless as it really doesn't change the game at all it seems, so that is a strike against it I guess as it does seem they slapped that comment about the game allowing coop play afterwards.

 

[Flynn]

BGG.Con has me on a game-learning bender. Learned yesterday:
-Ghost Stories (always heard great things about this game, yet it's been sitting on my shelf for two years)

There's an app for that!

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Just ordered Blood Bowl Team Manager after looking into it a little more.

And I'm really getting excited for Eclipse to come out, want to pick that up soon after it's out.

Blood Bowl is really good and I continue to like it more every time I play. I'm not sure if four players is really worth it, though. It's a bit too long with four but two and three is great.

 

[AstroLad]

Blood Bowl is really good and I continue to like it more every time I play. I'm not sure if four players is really worth it, though. It's a bit too long with four but two and three is great.

I like it with four but yes especially if some are new to the game expect 120m+ which I think some don't expect. Was just thinking three is probably the perfect number for the normal game.

 

[fenners]

I got my preorder email for Posideon's Kingdom... $85 shipped to my door, effectively. That's a lotta wonga for a game that's not necessarily /that/ great; certainly no Antics. Mmmm.

 

[LProtag]

I like it with four but yes especially if some are new to the game expect 120m+ which I think some don't expect. Was just thinking three is probably the perfect number for the normal game.

Huh, seems a bit longer than I would have expected.

My first game is probably only going to be a two player or so depending on when I can get it out.

 

[AstroLad]

Since I've seen a few people mention Fortune & Glory, apparently it's on sale for $40 (lowest price by far) at this random place I saw on BGG: http://wholesalegaming.com/boardgame/fortunegloryboardgame/

 

[AstroLad]

Also the CSI Cyber Monday Sale isn't super great, but it has two awesome games on sale:

Innovation Card Game
Was $17.99 Now $12.99


Blood Bowl: Team Manager - The Card Game
Was $22.99 Now $18.99

http://www.coolstuffinc.com/main_saleItems.php

 

[BattleMonkey]

Hmmm Rune Age is tempting on that sale too, its a cool game with a twist on Deck building, but it's a game that desperately needs an expansion or two to be actually good. After a few games of it, it basically plays the same over and over since your options are limited as it doesn't have enough cards for each faction.

 

[StoOgE]

Also the CSI Cyber Monday Sale isn't super great, but it has two awesome games on sale:

Innovation Card Game
Was $17.99 Now $12.99


Blood Bowl: Team Manager - The Card Game
Was $22.99 Now $18.99

http://www.coolstuffinc.com/main_saleItems.php

ugg, I was hoping for at least 1-2 big box games being 10 dollars cheaper to push me into a 100 dollar oder. Oh well.

5 days at my girlfriends house this weekend, brought several of her brothers favorite games, didn't play a single one. He and the younger brother just played Minecraft all weekend.

 

[AstroLad]

Hmmm Rune Age is tempting on that sale too, its a cool game with a twist on Deck building, but it's a game that desperately needs an expansion or two to be actually good. After a few games of it, it basically plays the same over and over since your options are limited as it doesn't have enough cards for each faction.

Yeah I picked it up actually since it was the only worthwhile thing I didn't have. Also went for Two Acres of Snow (not on sale sadly) since I've heard so many good things.

 

[Slacker]

Yeah I picked it up actually since it was the only worthwhile thing I didn't have. Also went for Two Acres of Snow (not on sale sadly) since I've heard so many good things.

I'll be interested to hear your reaction to Two Acres of Snow, assuming that's the same as A Few Acres of Snow. It looks awesome (love deck building, love wargames), but after reading some reviews I'm a little worried that the path to victory is a little too clearly defined and repeated games may play out the same every time.