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[Neverfade]

Games for days!

Got Cosmic Encounter + first 2 Xpacs, Rattus, and the Africanus xpac coming tomorrow and then Thursday w/ Rex, London, and Cyclades Xpac. All followed by a weekend of boardgaming at my designer buddy's house. Time to play catch up on some titles that have been unattended to.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Cyclades Xpac.

You have to tell me if you like it or not. I love Cyclades but I'm not sure if I want to spend the money on this expansion.

 

[Flynn]

Maybe I'm not super picky, but Urban Sprawl looks good. The board is plenty thick, as are the cardboard chits. The only thing I don't like is the paper money (which was also fairly thick, so it was good for paper). I replaced them with poker chips though.

I'll admit that I'm a little stuck up about the art. Urban Sprawl looks pretty clean. Like I said, I think Dominant Species reads really well with components on the board. But here's me being a dork -- the font they use is practically Papyrus.

 

[UpperCaseN]

Math Trade results are up. I'm 2/3, not bad.

 

[MichaelBD]

I want Dominant Species so bad but it is sooo expensive. It is $85 at a local store which I wouldnt have a problem with if the components were actually good. Even CSI has it for $70.

Dominant Species is pretty awesome. It doesn't get played a lot with my group because it's a long game and it feels like a long game while you play. We get games in in under 3 hours, which isn't bad, but the last turn ends up taking a good 45 minutes, which is brutal. Even the least AP prone are leaking smoke out their ears as they try and maximize those last few moves.

 

[Cathcart]

So I got to play my first game of War of the Ring last night. I had been psyched about playing it for a year now and it did not disappoint. We didn't even finish the game but I already love War of the Ring so much that I want to take it out behind the middle school and get it pregnant.

My friend Len had played the first edition once before but it had been a while and he was a little fuzzy on the rules. I spent a lot of time with the rulebook, which is not an easy start to finish read, but it is very thorough. I probably had to read it five or six times to get my head around the game but when it came time to play I didn't have any problems figuring out what was going on, which I thought was pretty great for a game as heavy as WotR is.

Aside from the rulebook and some posts from the rules forum on BGG I didn't read anything else. No strategies from the web and I only looked at a couple of the cards so that we could just wing it for the first game. It seemed like--in a game where both players are completely new--it was easier to play as Sauron because you have those extra action dice and you can mostly concentrate on just trying to crush the stupid "free people" into their stupid ground. Uh, guess which side I played?

I was able to bring out Saruman on our first round. I love the way the characters can affect the game and so often in ways that mirror the books. In fact, the game is so thematic that it feels like you could put page references to the trilogy next to most of the sentences in the rulebook yet it still manages to be an excellent game (so far). In that way it reminds me a lot of Battlestar. But back to Saruman! So he let me crank out a ton of orcs and worg riders real quick like which I used to grind Rohan to a giant pile of horse dust. Stupid horses.

Meanwhile, my friend separated Gandalf, Aragorn and Gimli from the fellowship to rally the remaining free people to war while Sam and Frodo traveled (mostly) unscathed through Moria to Lorien. This part is boring!

So then! Before Saruman could grab all of the glory the remaining Shadow Powers got off of their asses and into the war. Sauron summoned the Witch King into the game and he immediately got to work putting some pressure on the elves with a combined force of Nazgul, orcs and mumakil. Yeah, Oliphants! Unfortunately for our heroes the stupid free people played a card that prevented me from attacking Lorien. Also in the meantime Gandalf had leveled up to White and gained some annoying ability to negate the powers of Nazul and Witch Kings. Fortunately, Nazguls and Witch Kings can fly across the map in a single bound, so they all bailed on the Lorien party and flew down to Minas Tirith to give Aragorn what for!

It turns out Aragorn can be annoying to kill, especially when he's at Minas Tirith, but after a few siege rounds the Shadow Powers took advantage of Denethor's (that's the guy from Fringe) Folly and pulled the rug out from under the "king". Smell ya later, Gondor!

Rohan and Gondor are left in ruin. And on that happy note we called the game for the night. Everyone had happy dreams of the elves and their dumb little friends burning to the ground. Yay!

 

[Phthisis]

So I got to play my first game of War of the Ring last night. I had been psyched about playing it for a year now and it did not disappoint. We didn't even finish the game but I already love War of the Ring so much that I want to take it out behind the middle school and get it pregnant.

My friend Len had played the first edition once before but it had been a while and he was a little fuzzy on the rules. I spent a lot of time with the rulebook, which is not an easy start to finish read, but it is very thorough. I probably had to read it five or six times to get my head around the game but when it came time to play I didn't have any problems figuring out what was going on, which I thought was pretty great for a game as heavy as WotR is.

Aside from the rulebook and some posts from the rules forum on BGG I didn't read anything else. No strategies from the web and I only looked at a couple of the cards so that we could just wing it for the first game. It seemed like--in a game where both players are completely new--it was easier to play as Sauron because you have those extra action dice and you can mostly concentrate on just trying to crush the stupid "free people" into their stupid ground. Uh, guess which side I played?

I was able to bring out Saruman on our first round. I love the way the characters can affect the game and so often in ways that mirror the books. In fact, the game is so thematic that it feels like you could put page references to the trilogy next to most of the sentences in the rulebook yet it still manages to be an excellent game (so far). In that way it reminds me a lot of Battlestar. But back to Saruman! So he let me crank out a ton of orcs and worg riders real quick like which I used to grind Rohan to a giant pile of horse dust. Stupid horses.

Meanwhile, my friend separated Gandalf, Aragorn and Gimli from the fellowship to rally the remaining free people to war while Sam and Frodo traveled (mostly) unscathed through Moria to Lorien. This part is boring!

So then! Before Saruman could grab all of the glory the remaining Shadow Powers got off of their asses and into the war. Sauron summoned the Witch King into the game and he immediately got to work putting some pressure on the elves with a combined force of Nazgul, orcs and mumakil. Yeah, Oliphants! Unfortunately for our heroes the stupid free people played a card that prevented me from attacking Lorien. Also in the meantime Gandalf had leveled up to White and gained some annoying ability to negate the powers of Nazul and Witch Kings. Fortunately, Nazguls and Witch Kings can fly across the map in a single bound, so they all bailed on the Lorien party and flew down to Minas Tirith to give Aragorn what for!

It turns out Aragorn can be annoying to kill, especially when he's at Minas Tirith, but after a few siege rounds the Shadow Powers took advantage of Denethor's (that's the guy from Fringe) Folly and pulled the rug out from under the "king". Smell ya later, Gondor!

Rohan and Gondor are left in ruin. And on that happy note we called the game for the night. Everyone had happy dreams of the elves and their dumb little friends burning to the ground. Yay!

Epic. My copy should arrive today. Can't wait to play it.

 

[StoOgE]

So,

I've started a 2nd game playtesting... and want some opinions on the basic gameplay element.

What do y'all think about queuing up moves, say 3 moves in advance for a worker placement game.. but having a hand of cards that let you swap out moves, rewind moves, etc. Basically, building a "mulligan" system into gameplay mechanics?

I'm thinking of something a little more advanced than hitting the reset button.. but I think there might be something there in manipulating moves.

 

[Neverfade]

Dominant Species has a Queue on one action tht works great. I can't see more options being a negative.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

So,

I've started a 2nd game playtesting... and want some opinions on the basic gameplay element.

What do y'all think about queuing up moves, say 3 moves in advance for a worker placement game.. but having a hand of cards that let you swap out moves, rewind moves, etc. Basically, building a "mulligan" system into gameplay mechanics?

I'm thinking of something a little more advanced than hitting the reset button.. but I think there might be something there in manipulating moves.

Depends on the reward for waiting. With worker placement games not having a worker for a turn can hurt a lot.

Neverfade, you're talking about the glaciation action, right? That's a good example of getting something that, when done at the right time, can be huge. Stooge, if you haven't played Dominant Species yet take a look at it. The glaciation action allows the player a chance to place a glacier tile which can kill off a food source and can score lots of bonus points.

 

[besada]

Played Betrayal at House on the Hill this evening on the regular Wednesday game night. Great fun as always. I was the traitor and wound up killing all but one of the other players. He happened to draw the ring, and was able to slay my ghost. My player, a 13 year old boy, was stabbed to death with a mystical spear.

I also played a truly awful card game called ZingPow! I can't believe it's actually for sale. It's a Fluxx-type game with a pasted on super hero theme, and it's dreadfully broken. We played three games, because a friend asked us to play test it for a friend of a friend, and two of the games last one turn around the board, while the third only lasted two turns around. With four players. The look of the cards was atrocious, to boot.

Don't accidentally buy it.

 

[Neverfade]

Wait, its a product already on the market and someone (designer?) still wants people playtesting it?

 

[Xater]

I don't know who else here listens to the Testd podcast, I got interested in the Game of Thrones game. Anyone here has any experience with the second edition and wants to give some thoughts on it? (Length, Rules, Fun-Factor stuff like that)

 

[besada]

Wait, its a product already on the market and someone (designer?) still wants people playtesting it?

Yep. And it clearly needs considerably more play testing.

 

[Neverfade]

I don't know who else here listens to the Testd podcast, I got interested in the Game of Thrones game. Anyone here has any experience with the second edition and wants to give some thoughts on it? (Length, Rules, Fun-Factor stuff like that)

Its great. We finish games a little quicker than BSG games. I'd say 2.5 on your first go. GoT is deceptively simple. The rules aren't that bad. The core concepts are pretty easy, and everything makes sense. Fun factor is great. If you play a 6 player game then you're probably not going to win without backstabbing some folks, which my group always loves. If you like DOAM games, then this is a no brainer.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

I don't know who else here listens to the Testd podcast, I got interested in the Game of Thrones game. Anyone here has any experience with the second edition and wants to give some thoughts on it? (Length, Rules, Fun-Factor stuff like that)

I've only played the first edition. While there are some changes between the two the core game is the same. First off, the 6 hour play time they had is outrages. The game is long but not 6 hours long. When I last played we played with 5 all new players and with rules explanation it took us 3 and a half hours to get through the game. Unless they played with AP prone players I find it hard to see how the game lasted as long as it did.

Anyway, the meat of the game is the placing and enacting the hidden orders. The orders are your typical, march/attack, support, defend and so on. The object of the game is to have the most castles by the end of 10 rounds or the first person to reach 7 castles wins. Since the placing the orders is simultaneous there is very little down time unless you are waiting for other people to finish. It's a good game but not a great one. I think there are better area control games out there but it is worth a look if you are interested in the theme.

 

[Xater]

Its great. We finish games a little quicker than BSG games. I'd say 2.5 on your first go. GoT is deceptively simple. The rules aren't that bad. The core concepts are pretty easy, and everything makes sense. Fun factor is great. If you play a 6 player game then you're probably not going to win without backstabbing some folks, which my group always loves. If you like DOAM games, then this is a no brainer.

I've only played the first edition. While there are some changes between the two the core game is the same. First off, the 6 hour play time they had is outrages. The game is long but not 6 hours long. When I last played we played with 5 all new players and with rules explanation it took us 3 and a half hours to get through the game. Unless they played with AP prone players I find it hard to see how the game lasted as long as it did.

Anyway, the meat of the game is the placing and enacting the hidden orders. The orders are your typical, march/attack, support, defend and so on. The object of the game is to have the most castles by the end of 10 rounds or the first person to reach 7 castles wins. Since the placing the orders is simultaneous there is very little down time unless you are waiting for other people to finish. It's a good game but not a great one. I think there are better area control games out there but it is worth a look if you are interested in the theme.

Hmm so the rules are not that complicated? I looked at the rulebook ad usually I stay away from anything that has more than 20 pages of rules. I do have to say though that I did not actually read the rules, I just skimmed it. So maybe it is just a lot of explanation for really simple things to make everything perfectly clear.

And yeah I am very much into the theme. I love the boks and the show and so do my friends, who I usually play with.

I was just thinking about getting another "deeper" game and I was thinking about this and Shogun.

 

[StoOgE]

Depends on the reward for waiting. With worker placement games not having a worker for a turn can hurt a lot.

Neverfade, you're talking about the glaciation action, right? That's a good example of getting something that, when done at the right time, can be huge. Stooge, if you haven't played Dominant Species yet take a look at it. The glaciation action allows the player a chance to place a glacier tile which can kill off a food source and can score lots of bonus points.

I've not actually played the game yet, though have almost played it about 10 times :lol

My idea is a little weird, and as of right now, is falling flat on it's face.

I want to create a pretty simple game around a really basic economic engine. Say, something like Puerto Rico, but a bit more on the straightfoward side.

The ""wrinkle" for the game is you have to queue up your moves.. say 2-3 moves deep. Not unlike Killer Bunnies (oh good lord, I shouldn't use that as an example, ever).

In your hand you would have "decision" cards that would work something like the variable role cards in PR. I.E. they would let you take some specific action. You would have a queue of moves, with one taking place per turn. On your turn, the "current" action happens, the "future" action slides up into the "current action" slot, and you would place a card from your hand into the "future action" slot. So the move you chose this turn wouldn't happen until your next turn.

Where the games mechanic would come is in manipulation of that queue to "undo" moves that you have already placed down, but have not happened yet.

 

[Neverfade]

Xater, i think you nailed w/ simple rules with lots of clarification. The game really boils down to 1) flip cards and do what they say 2) play orders to areas you control. 3) one at a time in player order resolve those orders. Battles are incredibly simple. Strength of units on board + card w/ strength added secretly from hand. Rinse, repeat. There's plenty of twists and turns but I think you've been playing boardgames long enough to grab stuff like simple auctions, etc.

Also, Shogun is great and works similarly in that you give orders to your controlled areas. The cube tower is a great addition that can make the outcome of battle pretty tense.

 

[AstroLad]

In my experience GoT takes 3-5 hours with new players and a proper rules explanation. It's relatively complex by most standards, but quite a bit simpler than it seems because it's really not a wargame, but a diplomacy game. Wish I could play it more, but it's tough to get 6 together for ~3-4 hours.

 

[Xater]

Xater, i think you nailed w/ simple rules with lots of clarification. The game really boils down to 1) flip cards and do what they say 2) play orders to areas you control. 3) one at a time in player order resolve those orders. Battles are incredibly simple. Strength of units on board + card w/ strength added secretly from hand. Rinse, repeat. There's plenty of twists and turns but I think you've been playing boardgames long enough to grab stuff like simple auctions, etc.

Also, Shogun is great and works similarly in that you give orders to your controlled areas. The cube tower is a great addition that can make the outcome of battle pretty tense.

Yeah Shogun has me intrigued because of the cube tower and it seems a bit more elegant than GoT, if you know what I mean. The theme is also my kind of thing because I am fascinated with feudal Japan.

 

[StoOgE]

A shogun the exact same game a wallenstein, or are there slight differences?

I love me some wallenstein.

 

[Neverfade]

A shogun the exact same game a wallenstein, or are there slight differences?

I love me some wallenstein.

Different map. Other changes negligible.

 

[bloodydrake]

second edition Wallenstein map

Shoguns map..both sides

Think new Wallenstein is basically Shogun and Shogun addon for features and rules.. map layout differences is about it. So I'd go with whichever Flavor theme appeals to you personally.

 

[protonion]

Anyone here played Flash Duel? Heard about it through Penny Arcade. Sounds like a blast for 2p, even if the designer seems like a bit of a dick.

Check the WatchItPlayed channel at youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/WatchItPlayed/videos?view=pl

It looks really good.

 

[Cathcart]

Hmm so the rules are not that complicated? I looked at the rulebook ad usually I stay away from anything that has more than 20 pages of rules. I do have to say though that I did not actually read the rules, I just skimmed it. So maybe it is just a lot of explanation for really simple things to make everything perfectly clear.

I love AGoT and all but I kind of hate this game. With less than six people it isn't very well balanced and I feel that in most cases there's almost too much available information on the table. There's just enough that you can spend a bunch of time mathing out another person's maximum attack value in a given region. The problem is that it totally works and will help you make better choices, but it's boring and takes forever. As soon as one player in your game decides to start doing that everyone pretty much has to. Our last game with six people who knew it well took over six hours. These weren't stupid people and they don't normally take very long to play a game, but because this game gives you just enough info that you can reasonably increase your odds by thinking out a bunch of alternatives and because at least 2 people at the table were really playing to win the rest of us either had to do the same or get crushed. Bleh.

Not the same type of game but the AGoT LCG does a much better job of capturing the theme. Only plays up to four with the base set but it's a 45 minute game and a lot of fun. You can buy two copies of the base game and have four solid decks to hand to your friends and play. There are tons of expansion cards to buy but really you could go a long time before needing to buy any of them. All of the characters from the books are there (even Shaggydog!) and there's a lot of cool intrigue and interaction between the various title holders. It's also really cool because it gives you incentive to be after one of your opponents in one turn but then switching allegiances and helping them out the next turn. Really cool stuff.

If you're looking for something in the "dudes on a map" genre that isn't in the "takes a lifetime to play" genre and isn't so complicated, take a look at Cyclades. It's really good with 2, 4 and 5 players and it's not terrible with 3.

 

[timetokill]

Yeah so... 3 Cylons is a bit too much. I think if we ever end up doing that again, we'll increase the number of skill cards players can draw on their turn. I was a Cylon, and once all 3 of us had revealed, the humans were super fucked.

Only other way I can see is if we stick with 2 humans and then lower the wheels by 1 to start or something. Very hard to balance 3 Cylons in an 8 player game.

 

[Neverfade]

I love AGoT and all but I kind of hate this game. With less than six people it isn't very well balanced and I feel that in most cases there's almost too much available information on the table. There's just enough that you can spend a bunch of time mathing out another person's maximum attack value in a given region. The problem is that it totally works and will help you make better choices, but it's boring and takes forever. As soon as one player in your game decides to start doing that everyone pretty much has to. Our last game with six people who knew it well took over six hours. These weren't stupid people and they don't normally take very long to play a game, but because this game gives you just enough info that you can reasonably increase your odds by thinking out a bunch of alternatives and because at least 2 people at the table were really playing to win the rest of us either had to do the same or get crushed. Bleh.

Not the same type of game but the AGoT LCG does a much better job of capturing the theme. Only plays up to four with the base set but it's a 45 minute game and a lot of fun. You can buy two copies of the base game and have four solid decks to hand to your friends and play. There are tons of expansion cards to buy but really you could go a long time before needing to buy any of them. All of the characters from the books are there (even Shaggydog!) and there's a lot of cool intrigue and interaction between the various title holders. It's also really cool because it gives you incentive to be after one of your opponents in one turn but then switching allegiances and helping them out the next turn. Really cool stuff.

If you're looking for something in the "dudes on a map" genre that isn't in the "takes a lifetime to play" genre and isn't so complicated, take a look at Cyclades. It's really good with 2, 4 and 5 players and it's not terrible with 3.

This is crazy talk. With the exception of Cyclades. It is good.

Spoiler

GoT is better.

 

[Cathcart]

Yeah, I guess I get why people like the AGoT board game and it does do some interesting things but I just think it overstays its welcome. I would almost always rather play something like Cyclades on the lighter side or--if I want to go whole ass--StarCraft on the heavy side. It seems like AGoT tries to be somewhere in the middle of those two but it doesn't get the balance quite right, it's too long for as simple as it is. StarCraft is a great heavy, epic length game that deserves to be a long game and Cyclades is more streamlined but still gives you a lot of interesting choices to make and is over before it starts to feel like a slog.

This reminds me I really need to check out the Hades expansion, that looks like good stuff.

Also, I want to say again that the Game of Thrones LCG is really really good. I mean if you're into GoT I think it's such a better implementation of that theme than the board game is.

 

[StoOgE]

I'm a huge backer of AGoT... I think it's biggest downside (other than playing time) is I've seen some people get mighty pissed off at betrayals and/or messing some basic calculation up and realising they just left a stronghold undefended, etc.

That said, it's hard to find a better merging of Ameritrash and Eurogame mechanics. Were it not for the daisy chaining of moves (march -> march - > attack) I think the game would be pretty simple too. It's just new players have a hard time doing the math and figuring out that the stronghold with a knight isn't that safe just because there is only one infantryman next to it.. because on the next turn every f'ing soldier anywhere in the vicinity is going to descend on your stronghold, even if they are 2-3 spaces away.

In any case, I'm signed up for crazy game-a-thon soon.

Ora et Labora
Eclipse
Troyes
Rex (I think this is the Dune retheme right?)

I'm pretty pumped though from what I've heard both Rex and Eclipse can be giant time sucks.. and I'm going to guess the Uwe's new one is going to take a few horus as well. Troyes should be reasonably fast at least.

 

[GTI Guy]

I'm a huge backer of AGoT... I think it's biggest downside (other than playing time) is I've seen some people get mighty pissed off at betrayals and/or messing some basic calculation up and realising they just left a stronghold undefended, etc.

That said, it's hard to find a better merging of Ameritrash and Eurogame mechanics. Were it not for the daisy chaining of moves (march -> march - > attack) I think the game would be pretty simple too. It's just new players have a hard time doing the math and figuring out that the stronghold with a knight isn't that safe just because there is only one infantryman next to it.. because on the next turn every f'ing soldier anywhere in the vicinity is going to descend on your stronghold, even if they are 2-3 spaces away.

In any case, I'm signed up for crazy game-a-thon soon.

Ora et Labora
Eclipse
Troyes
Rex (I think this is the Dune retheme right?)

I'm pretty pumped though from what I've heard both Rex and Eclipse can be giant time sucks.. and I'm going to guess the Uwe's new one is going to take a few horus as well. Troyes should be reasonably fast at least.

Troyes is on sale via tanga right now for $29.99 for anyone who wants it.

 

[Cathcart]

Our first six player game of Eclipse was over five hours well spent. I could see getting it under four with a few more plays. Not sure how much Rex differs from Dune but yeah that could be a while. Sounds fun.

I've got a group of seven lined up for boardgame day at my place tomorrow. I was thinking a round or two of some bigger games like The Resistance and Seven Wonders and then splitting into a three and four player group, possibly playing Steam and Cyclades. Then whoever is still left standing can play Battlestar until two AM

 

[StoOgE]

One of my game groups *starts* bsg around 2am. I've yet to play it with them.

 

[fenners]

Our first six player game of Eclipse was over five hours well spent. I could see getting it under four with a few more plays.

I don't think Eclipse shines with that many players. I think 4 is the best still. We budget about 45m per player, especially if players know the rules, it goes a lot faster until that couple of rounds.

Love it still.

A friend is hosting a game day tomorrow & unlike most days, I can actually go. Around 12 people, from 1pm onwards. Looking forward to a mix of light/heavy games, with at least one play of Eclipse.

And Ore et Labora is a solid three hours for three or four players in our experience. I can see it going down a little with experience, but it's a decision heavy game.

 

[StoOgE]

Speaking of game days, are you going to make it to give to game this year?

 

[fenners]

Speaking of game days, are you going to make it to give to game this year?

Hoping to, need to figure out what my wife's yoga schedule is that month; she's booked herself for some training courses that month & I don't know exactly which weekends.

 

[Amibguous Cad]

Anyone here played Flash Duel? Heard about it through Penny Arcade. Sounds like a blast for 2p, even if the designer seems like a bit of a dick.

I adore Flash Duel.

What's wrong with Sirlin?

 

[StoOgE]

I adore Flash Duel.

What's wrong with Sirlin?

There was a big fight with ffg and kinizia and sirlin. I don't know much about it though.

 

[AstroLad]

I wasn't even privy to that one but I would tend to side with Sirlin on that point.

I've seen him be completely dickish in other contexts though, like basically calling people who buy from online BG stores for less than MSRP thieves and saying that stores like CSI are ruining the hobby.

 

[StoOgE]

I read a bit of it.. and I thought FFG came off much worse.

First, everyone uses elements from everyone else. It really is how it is. I wouldn't call Ascenscion or Thunderstone Dominion knock-offs. They each do their own thing with the mechanic.

I think adding enough flavor to make a game unique is perfectly legit.


I don't see anyone jumping down Donald X's throat because of Kingdom Builder and it's pretty similar to Through the Desert.

That whole exchange smacked of an industry giant throwing his weight around against a really small start up because he could.

I wish we could all go back to railing on Mayday for being shady as all get out. I just got wind of that whole kickstarter for Kingdom Builder thing even though they didn't own the rights to distribute Kingdom Builder in the US... wow.

 

[StoOgE]

I wasn't even privy to that one but I would tend to side with Sirlin on that point.

I've seen him be completely dickish in other contexts though, like basically calling people who buy from online BG stores for less than MSRP thieves and saying that stores like CSI are ruining the hobby.

I'm actually in contact with Game Salute right now, and I'm really not sure what I think about them. On the one hand, they can get my game in B&M stores and give me a really cheap online front end. Their costs are pretty reasonable and they even do some push marketing work for you to get your games in stores.

On the other hand, they won't let your game in the hands of online realtors. The guys behind game salute are old B&M guys and they seem to be as interested in getting exclusive product to B&M stores as they are in making money. They are the distribution house for Alien Frontiers 2nd printing, which is what caused that whole "we wont be on CSI" thing a few weeks back.

That said, it's going to be pretty hard to say no to them if they wind up offering to distribute the game for me. Amazon is the 2nd best offer out there, and it's not anywhere near as turnkey, and I'll wind up trying to sell the game myself.

 

[fenners]

I wish we could all go back to railing on Mayday for being shady as all get out. I just got wind of that whole kickstarter for Kingdom Builder thing even though they didn't own the rights to distribute Kingdom Builder in the US... wow.

Yeah, Mayday are fun

 

[Keasar]

I am a little worried looking at Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) and comparing it to the First Edition. I wonder how it will deliver in a matter of content. I know that it will have improved rules, but it seems to have less of everything else.

Anything known about its eventual release?

 

[AstroLad]

MayDay is so scuzzy can't believe that guy is even able to promote/post on BGG anymore

 

[AstroLad]

I read a bit of it.. and I thought FFG came off much worse..

I never even read the thread, but I'm sure FFG sided with Knizia because they're also trying to assert the idea of IP-protected game mechanics against other developers. Knizia is the absolute king of this mostly bogus line of argumentation.

 

[XShagrath]

I love to bag on that Mayday guy, but so many people on BGG side with him. It's ridiculous.

 

[StoOgE]

MayDay is so scuzzy can't believe that guy is even able to promote/post on BGG anymore

Yeah, that guy should be banned from Bgg. Or at least to embarrassed to show his face. He's the worst kind of snake oil salesman.

 

[bloodydrake]

Anyone Made their own Gaming table?

I'm working on a folding Game table and I'm trying to track down some T-Molding in southern Ontario to use as table edge.
I'm trying to avoid the Poker table Padding due to how much tabletop real estate it takes up.

Any other Ideas for table edging that will protect the Plywood from splitting while folded up and packed way in storage?

 

[BattleMonkey]

I am a little worried looking at Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) and comparing it to the First Edition. I wonder how it will deliver in a matter of content. I know that it will have improved rules, but it seems to have less of everything else.

Anything known about its eventual release?

Its pretty much impossible to tell as there is very little known about 2nd edition. It's been all vague with very little actual info on the mechanics at all, just rough summaries like "it plays faster".

I found the original game perfectly fine, don't see what really needs fixing. The game was not slow at all either, really what slowed down the game? The friggin set up. Each game took quite a while to prep, and if you played a campaign it was a nightmare to set up each dungeon segment which you have to draw randomly once you finish one part of the dungeon, so you had to basically set up all over again mid game.

I've seen him be completely dickish in other contexts though, like basically calling people who buy from online BG stores for less than MSRP thieves and saying that stores like CSI are ruining the hobby.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is is not how most game developers feel, but they aren't saying anything, last thing you want is to get a bad rep in a niche hobby market. Know some wargame/miniature company devs who pretty much felt that way (though don't consider the players thieves), and would refuse to supply to retailers who would mark down their products. Kinda surprised it doesnt happen in the board game industry as you see it alot with miniature developers, who put rules on how much a discount is allowed, or they will not sell to the retailer. Board game distribution is much larger that I assume they can't get away with it as many other game company's self distribute. Miniature Market dropped the popular Flames of War line of gaming products because they clamped down on their pricing of the products and wouldn't supply to them if they continued to mark down. Lot of other online retailers also lost the game line too.

 

[Flynn]

Anyone Made their own Gaming table?

I'm working on a folding Game table and I'm trying to track down some T-Molding in southern Ontario to use as table edge.
I'm trying to avoid the Poker table Padding due to how much tabletop real estate it takes up.

Any other Ideas for table edging that will protect the Plywood from splitting while folded up and packed way in storage?

A guy in my group just made a table. And you're right. The poker trim with cupholders and dice trays really does take up space. I'll try to take a pic next time.