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The New Board Game Thread (Newcomer Friendly)

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Interesting. Anyway, I don't think it's wise for my group -- if maps are 4 to 5 times the size, and the OL has more cards AND it's more complicated, that means much longer play times. We were already pushing 5-6 hours for a single quest in 2nd ed., and it was leaving everyone feeling pretty drained.

Yea that's odd then, a Descent 2nd edition quest generally takes no more than an hour to play though.
 
Yea that's odd then, a Descent 2nd edition quest generally takes no more than an hour to play though.

Note that I mean quest = 2 encounters. But still. The heroes usually take at least 10 minutes per turn just figuring out what their turn is going to entail, debating every permutation.
 
Fuuuuuuuu....


I got to play a 4 player game of Race For the Galaxy today, I had only played it once when I bought it like 4 years ago, so learning all the rules was a complete bitch. haha. We still enjoyed it, and I wil lget them to play it again, but man is it confusing to learn at first.

Ive watched a few youtube vids and I still think we did a whole bunch of stuff wrong, anyone have any recommendations for learning this game correctly?


edit: I also was forced to play Munchkin Apocalypse tonight. I still think its a mean and stupid game. I did totally crush everyone in it though, so that was pretty funny.
 

Neverfade

Member
Why can I bumble my way through Amazon.de and get a package sent from the other side of the pond, but Amazon.ca won't ship to me? I just want some Le Havre Inland Port goddammit.
 

Keasar

Member
Yea that's odd then, a Descent 2nd edition quest generally takes no more than an hour to play though.

There was a quest somewhere in the end where the heroes had to get in, get a sword and get out where I could spawn monsters where the exit would be and the game crawled to a slow halt as whenever they killed one mob I would spawn a new one.
 
Fuuuuuuuu....


I got to play a 4 player game of Race For the Galaxy today, I had only played it once when I bought it like 4 years ago, so learning all the rules was a complete bitch. haha. We still enjoyed it, and I wil lget them to play it again, but man is it confusing to learn at first.

Ive watched a few youtube vids and I still think we did a whole bunch of stuff wrong, anyone have any recommendations for learning this game correctly?


edit: I also was forced to play Munchkin Apocalypse tonight. I still think its a mean and stupid game. I did totally crush everyone in it though, so that was pretty funny.

Try playing a few games with just one other person. While learning we had the hardest time with the Consume powers.

Consume: Basically if you pick trade you get the card value for that commodity (2, 3, 4, or 5) then any remaining commodities must be cashed in for their commodity value (i.e. 1 VP and card). You choose which commodities use which powers, only one power per commodity and you can never use the commodity power of a production world on the commodity currently on that production world. Every one else only gets the consume power (no trade). The same for Consume x2 (only you get the 2x VPs).

Production: You produce on any production worlds and one windfall world - if you have any cards that indicate that you can produce on a windfall world (this is listed in the production space of that card) then you can produce an additional windfall (if available). If you are not the one who picked production then you can only produce on production worlds (and a windfall world if you have that card power in play).

Explore, Develop and Settle are pretty straight forward. Only the person (people) who pick that power get the bonus, everyone else only gets the basic action plus any additional action powers their tableau may permit.

There is a lot of variability in the game but it is always best to try to specialize in something that doesn't directly benefit the people you are playing against. If you are just playing the base game then I think production and consumption are good focuses, but in later expansions there is a lot of benefit to taking the military track and settling a lot.

Always try to develop at least one 6-cost development card that plays to the strengths of your tableau as these will usually provide the VPs necessary for a win.
 

fenners

Member
Try playing a few games with just one other person. While learning we had the hardest time with the Consume powers.

Consume: Basically if you pick trade you get the card value for that commodity (2, 3, 4, or 5) then any remaining commodities must be cashed in for their commodity value (i.e. 1 VP and card). You choose which commodities use which powers, only one power per commodity and you can never use the commodity power of a production world on the commodity currently on that production world.

???

You can most certainly use the consume power of a card to consume the good /on/ that card if it matches the rules of that power. That's a core feature of some cards like

galaxy_full.jpg


Look at "Galactic Studios". It allows you to consume a good of any colour, giving you a VP + a card draw. It can most definitely /be/ a good on Galactic Studios that you consume.


Produce & Trade/Consume are definitely the sticky points for new players.


I'd strongly suggest new players download Keldon's RTFG game for the PC & play through it 2 player 'simple' game a few times to see cards & learn the steps. It's a really straightforward iconography once you've played a few times & the turn order is quick to get into the flow of. That first game is *tough* though.
 

Gala

Member
Finally! After 3 long weeks of waiting, I got a mail from the german customs control today and it says I can collect my Super Dungeon Explore (plus Candy and Cola and Caverns of Roxxor) from them.

Looking so forward to glue the miniatures together tomorrow right after getting Spartacus, Zombiedice and Descent 2 from my favorite shop!
 
Anyone here try the King of Tokyo expansion: Power Up! yet? thoughts? They say the 2nd shipment is hitting the US anytime now

Doesn't really add a whole lot, but it's nice expansion since its small and doesn't take much to add it in to the game. The whole evolution stuff is kinda meh for us so far as it's extremely random in what you get and how useful it will be. We've had many games where the evolution stuff didn't even apply or get used.
 

Ohnonono

Member
I don't post in here much because most of my gaming is Warmahordes and I don't really consider that board gaming. That said I have really been getting into more boardgames lately and have a few short opinions to share!

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear 2nd Edition- Don't see too many wargamers in here but for my money this is the best rulebook/components of any of the Hex based wargames. My wife plays next to nothing with me and I was very easily able to teach her this game. Amazing rulebook and great scenarios.

Mice and Mysitcs - Simple dungeon crawls that becomes amazing because of the story elements and theme. Anyone can play this game and its also great solo and with the full 4 players. I cannot wait for expansions.

Mage Knight- Sweet mother of god this game is amazing. I have played this about 6 times solitaire at this point and it still feels so fresh. Best adventure type game I have ever played and currently waiting till my birthday so my wife can get me the expansion! If you have ever been on the fence about this one DO IT.
 

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Anyone here try the King of Tokyo expansion: Power Up! yet? thoughts? They say the 2nd shipment is hitting the US anytime now
I like it a lot; rounds out the base game and makes hearts less of a dead draw early. Also gives the monsters unique flavor even if you don't evolve too much depending on your rolls.
 
I like it a lot; rounds out the base game and makes hearts less of a dead draw early. Also gives the monsters unique flavor even if you don't evolve too much depending on your rolls.
That's how I feel about it. It's a small expansion that just sorts of blends into the main game. It's not 100% necessary but it's still good to have.

This is horrible advice. That's cool that's you enjoy it but MK is a very divisive game.
Agreed. Mage Knight is just too hard to recommend full stop. I personally like it but I wouldn't recommend just anybody go out and buy it without trying it first.
 
What's outside of here? BGG? Few are brave enough to post negative reviews there. Every game is a smash hit and infallible.


I stand by my comment.

Local stores, board game review sites, BGG. BGG is packed with negative nancies

So it's not possible to recommend any game since they all have their critics?
 

Neverfade

Member
Local stores, board game review sites, BGG. BGG is packed with negative nancies

So it's not possible to recommend any game since they all have their critics?

That's not what I said. Don't put fucking words in my mouth.

And BGG's negative review threads routinely are pages long of reasons why the OP is wrong.
 

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
Platy likes MK I think. For me I feel like it's a blend of euro and thematic but I'd really rather play a better game in each genre than this one.
 

Neverfade

Member
Platy likes MK I think.

I'm certainly not saying its without its fans. It has a huge following for sure and that's great. But it's objectively obtuse and not a game you can give a blanket recommendation for. It's not for everyone. That's all i was trying to convey.
 
Try playing a few games with just one other person. While learning we had the hardest time with the Consume powers.

Consume: Basically if you pick trade you get the card value for that commodity (2, 3, 4, or 5) then any remaining commodities must be cashed in for their commodity value (i.e. 1 VP and card). You choose which commodities use which powers, only one power per commodity and you can never use the commodity power of a production world on the commodity currently on that production world. Every one else only gets the consume power (no trade). The same for Consume x2 (only you get the 2x VPs).

Production: You produce on any production worlds and one windfall world - if you have any cards that indicate that you can produce on a windfall world (this is listed in the production space of that card) then you can produce an additional windfall (if available). If you are not the one who picked production then you can only produce on production worlds (and a windfall world if you have that card power in play).

Explore, Develop and Settle are pretty straight forward. Only the person (people) who pick that power get the bonus, everyone else only gets the basic action plus any additional action powers their tableau may permit.

There is a lot of variability in the game but it is always best to try to specialize in something that doesn't directly benefit the people you are playing against. If you are just playing the base game then I think production and consumption are good focuses, but in later expansions there is a lot of benefit to taking the military track and settling a lot.

Always try to develop at least one 6-cost development card that plays to the strengths of your tableau as these will usually provide the VPs necessary for a win.

???

You can most certainly use the consume power of a card to consume the good /on/ that card if it matches the rules of that power. That's a core feature of some cards like

galaxy_full.jpg


Look at "Galactic Studios". It allows you to consume a good of any colour, giving you a VP + a card draw. It can most definitely /be/ a good on Galactic Studios that you consume.


Produce & Trade/Consume are definitely the sticky points for new players.


I'd strongly suggest new players download Keldon's RTFG game for the PC & play through it 2 player 'simple' game a few times to see cards & learn the steps. It's a really straightforward iconography once you've played a few times & the turn order is quick to get into the flow of. That first game is *tough* though.


Thanks for the tips guys, it's definitely the consume phase that was causing porblems. I didn't have any planets that had phase 4 abilities so it was weird jot being able to do anything on that phase.

I will check out the online version and try to learn that way too.
 
That's not what I said. Don't put fucking words in my mouth.

And BGG's negative review threads routinely are pages long of reasons why the OP is wrong.

Guy gives a recommendation, you call it horrible advice? Sorry it's not a game you obviously love but it's not like it's munchkin or something with a huge love and hate gang out there. You call it divisive which is completely new to me.
 

Neverfade

Member
Guy gives a recommendation, you call it horrible advice? Sorry it's not a game you obviously love but it's not like it's munchkin or something with a huge love and hate gang out there. You call it divisive which is completely new to me.

Well then I guess you haven't been paying attention. Done with this conversation.

Edit: I did check the reviews page for MK, and who'd have thunk: multiple negative reviews all with pages and pages of argumentative folks who must justify their purchase? I don't know what fuels their ire.

Edit 2: the largest of which has the most thumbs of all MK reviews on that page by far.
 
Outside of here, i've only seen love towards that game.

What's outside of here? BGG? Few are brave enough to post negative reviews there. Every game is a smash hit and infallible.


I stand by my comment.

Platy likes MK I think. For me I feel like it's a blend of euro and thematic but I'd really rather play a better game in each genre than this one.

I'm certainly not saying its without its fans. It has a huge following for sure and that's great. But it's objectively obtuse and not a game you can give a blanket recommendation for. It's not for everyone. That's all i was trying to convey.

I do love it. Love love it. I would marry it, if that were legal in the state of Washington and I weren't already married.

That said, I also don't blanket recommend it, because it is super dense, long, overwhelming. My wife and I accept that we may never play it with anyone else, but that's fine with us because it rocks with two and fits our tastes.
 

Neverfade

Member
I do love it. Love love it. I would marry it, if that were legal in the state of Washington and I weren't already married.

That said, I also don't blanket recommend it, because it is super dense, long, overwhelming. My wife and I accept that we may never play it with anyone else, but that's fine with us because it rocks with two and fits our tastes.

You're a good man, Charlie Brown.

Even though TTA sucks. :p
 

Phthisis

Member
I do love it. Love love it. I would marry it, if that were legal in the state of Washington and I weren't already married.

That said, I also don't blanket recommend it, because it is super dense, long, overwhelming. My wife and I accept that we may never play it with anyone else, but that's fine with us because it rocks with two and fits our tastes.

When I move to Seattle, I'll play it with you guys.

I also love me some Mage Knight.
 
So with my tax return I think I'm gonna shoot for this:

Cyber Exodus Data Pack (Netrunner)
Le Havre
Seasons
Robinson Crusoe
Sentinels of the Multiverse

Tammany Hall, Trajan and The Manhattan Project look awesome too, though my group I'm discovering; likes more "Ameri-trash" games. We still haven't played Tzolk'in & Dominant Species. They got a kick out of Suburbia, Infiltration, Netrunner, Elder Sign and Libertalia.
 
I'm at my board game store right now, I'm trying to talk myself out of buying Twilight imperium and the 2 expansions.


I think I'm gonna be poor very soon :(
 

mercviper

Member
What? Lol.

Pretty sure Cyan has a giant post about tax tips on this forum somewhere and I think in general you should be aiming for a $0 return. Getting more than that is loaning out money to uncle sam at zero interest so you lose out due to inflation or some silly thing like that.

In BG-related news, I got a regular monthly game group going again and pleasantly surprised I found people willing to play Blokus with me. xD

The last one we held we played Zombicide, Blokus, and RoboRally. Group really wants to play games to death though so I'm glad we have it monthly. They're always clamoring for Cards Against Humanity and so obsessed with Zombicide we've tweaked rules to allow 9 people playing at the same time so it drags a bit due to downtime. I still have fun as long as everyone else is though, so it's all good. :D
 

Omikron

Member
Played a couple games of Ticket to Ride: India in the last few days, must say it is a pretty enjoyable map and the 'mandala' rule for completing tickets multiple ways is really interesting and in the 2nd game helped me win.

Played both games only 2 player and the map is quite tight (not quite as tight as Nordic perhaps), but if you were playing it with the maximum 4 players, I can't even imagine how bad it could get, so much competition over all the little 1 train routes.

If you include the fact the reverse is the Swiss map, the expansion is a must buy really if you are into TTR.
 

daevv

Member
I bought Star Trek Catan today. Came close to $70 which was the cheapest including shipping I've seen. Anyone here play it?
 
Pretty sure Cyan has a giant post about tax tips on this forum somewhere and I think in general you should be aiming for a $0 return. Getting more than that is loaning out money to uncle sam at zero interest so you lose out due to inflation or some silly thing like that.

In BG-related news, I got a regular monthly game group going again and pleasantly surprised I found people willing to play Blokus with me. xD

The last one we held we played Zombicide, Blokus, and RoboRally. Group really wants to play games to death though so I'm glad we have it monthly. They're always clamoring for Cards Against Humanity and so obsessed with Zombicide we've tweaked rules to allow 9 people playing at the same time so it drags a bit due to downtime. I still have fun as long as everyone else is though, so it's all good. :D
I say goddamn! That sounds like insanity to me. If I had that many people I would either break up into two groups or just play something else.

I bought Star Trek Catan today. Came close to $70 which was the cheapest including shipping I've seen. Anyone here play it?
I've seen it played at my game group. Looks like Catan, which is good or bad depending on which side of the Catan fence you fall. The new role cards look like they could had a bit more flavor to the game. I like Catan and have considered picking it up but haven't yet.
 

fenners

Member
Started another game of Through The Ages. Won't hold back this time on you noobs after that last disaster :p

And looks like I'm teaching a buddy Twilight Struggle tonight after *every* other person in our game group cancelled because of Valentine's Night. Even the singles. Both of us are married but appear to have reached the conclusion with our wives that going out on the actual Valentine's Night is dumb. So cold war it is.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
I don't even know who's who LOL. But winning my first game playing EVER felt quite good, I have to admit. Esp because it wasn't even close after like Age 1.5 :D I feel like this game everyone's gonna gang up on me :(
 
-facepalm-

:lol

In my defence, those are actually what I went to go buy :p.

First RFTG expansion adds a solitaire play, which will be nice to try out, since I don't have any single player board games.

And the warrior knight one I hear makes the game so much better that I had to get it.
 
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