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The New Board Game Thread (Newcomer Friendly)
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BomberMouse
Member
Oh man, after playing with the Agricola iPad app I realized I've been playing wrong. I've always payed an increasing number of food (free then 1, 2, 3, etc) for occupations instead of capping it at 1. Duh.
We played Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island again yesterday. After staring at the 2nd scenario card for 45 minutes we decided to just play the first scenario again to familiarize ourselves with the rules again. The rulebook is so bad that it was only because of this bgg thread that we remembered how the game worked. This game has so many little mechanics that it makes Arkham Horror seem like a family boardgame. But eventually we remembered how to play it. I really need to play this game more often.
SillyEskimo
Member
Ha! This one of the main reasons I like board game ios apps!
Well, there's this which I hope to get my hands on. Somehow.
Icefire1424
Member
Speaking of Descent and other dungeon crawlers...
Starting to hear about a 25th Anniversary Edition of HeroQuest being crowdfunded in Spain, but with some talk about a Intellectual Property Dispute along with it. Would absolutely love to see the game remade, but have a feeling it wouldn't see the light of day unless the IP issue is sorted out first.
http://boardgamegeek.com/video/38292/heroquest/heroquest-25th-anniversary-edition-new-trailer
Starting to hear about a 25th Anniversary Edition of HeroQuest being crowdfunded in Spain, but with some talk about a Intellectual Property Dispute along with it. Would absolutely love to see the game remade, but have a feeling it wouldn't see the light of day unless the IP issue is sorted out first.
http://boardgamegeek.com/video/38292/heroquest/heroquest-25th-anniversary-edition-new-trailer
platypotamus
Member
Yeah, that's Race for the Galaxy alright
This is kind of how I feel with 7 wonders. I need to look at that tech tree sometime to see what the hell is going on.
The Horror the horror
Banned
Last night, I picked up Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective after it's been unavailable to me for months due to it being out of print (it's available now, but for all we know this might be the last run).
Guys, grab this game while you still can (few left on AMAZON). It can be played alone, or up to an unlimited amount of players. You may solve the cases (10 in all) as a group or you can solve the cases individually.
The premise of the game is you have to outdo Sherlock Holmes and solve each case using as few leads as possible. For every extra lead you use that Sherlock does not, you have to subtract 5 points from your total score (Sherlock always scores 100). When you feel you've solved a case, you answer the questions on the back of the case book, and compare your answers with those of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock provides a final run-down of the case and how he came about the conclusion to each question.
My girlfriend and I played the first case, and it kept us busy for hours. Future cases won't take that long, but we were so intent on making sure we had all the clues and every suspect vetted before we came to our conclusion. It was very fun.
Guys, grab this game while you still can (few left on AMAZON). It can be played alone, or up to an unlimited amount of players. You may solve the cases (10 in all) as a group or you can solve the cases individually.
The premise of the game is you have to outdo Sherlock Holmes and solve each case using as few leads as possible. For every extra lead you use that Sherlock does not, you have to subtract 5 points from your total score (Sherlock always scores 100). When you feel you've solved a case, you answer the questions on the back of the case book, and compare your answers with those of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock provides a final run-down of the case and how he came about the conclusion to each question.
My girlfriend and I played the first case, and it kept us busy for hours. Future cases won't take that long, but we were so intent on making sure we had all the clues and every suspect vetted before we came to our conclusion. It was very fun.
I've been trying to track it down at a good shipping rate to Canada but not much luck. My two go to stores snakesandlattes.com and thecultofthenew.com had it in stock but it sold out before I could get it.
Edit: amazon.ca has it for $39 and free shipping so I may have to get it now. I believe $39 is the base price anyways.
I did get the X-Wing Miniatures base game today so I'll look at that tonight. A friend has the base game and the Millennium Falcon and I now have the base game, an extra X-Wing, and Slave 1. Gonna be a big battle soon.
Been watching vids and reading the rulebook on Mage Knight the last while. Should be ready to play the solo game soon.
Yeah, they're often recommended around here. Both great games.
timetokill
Banned
You bastard.
I had to look up the game after this and order it
Looks fun as hell, right up my alley.
The Horror the horror
Banned
You bastard.
I had to look up the game after this and order it
Good luck solving some of the cases.
My girlfriend and I have completed 4 cases (out of the 10 that comes with the game), and we've been unable to solve all the primary questions related to any one of those cases, much less beat Sherlock Holmes.
At the end of each case, you have to answer 4 primary questions related to the main case and 4 "bonus" questions related to a separate or loosely-related case. By default, Sherlock already knows the answer to the primary questions and explains how he came to his conclusion, so you have to know the answers as well (giving you a tied score with Sherlock, but correctly answering the bonus questions - which Sherlock doesn't answer - can put you over the top).
The most challenging part is that the game gets harder with each case you tackle. Why? Because, included with the game, you have 10 sets of newspapers (one for each case), but the clues of each case might have been referenced in an older paper, so if you're on Case #2, for example, you'll not only have to read the newspaper for Case #2 but also the previous newspaper from the previous case for clues. By the time you reach Case #10, you'll have to potentially sift through 10 days of newspapers!
We love it. This game is very intelligent and it forces players to pay attention to detail, be creative, and exercise a lot of logic and deduction. I suspect you'll be smacking yourself on the forehead a few times for missing a clue or failing to logically apply it to the case at hand. A single case can last 2-3 hours. On the first 2 cases, my girlfriend and I spent about 3-4 hours and a lot of paper (you'll be taking pages of notes for each case, trust me).
We're going to tackle case #5 tonight, but already a hint of sadness has set in because we're almost at the halfway point of completing a great game and adventure. No English expansions have been released yet but the recent reprint of the original game has ignited some hope that more cases will be forthcoming. If it never happens, we'll accept it and cherish this adventure and experience.
Can you explain the main mechanics? Is it more abstract like P.I. or something more story driven and visceral?
Wondering the same thing. How do the case booklets work?
The Horror the horror
Banned
The game is very story-driven and, yes, very visceral.
The game includes the following:
1.) 10 cases (a booklet for each case)
2.) 10 sets of newspapers, one for each case
3.) Directory booklet (like a yellow/white pages, with a list of names, locations, and businesses)
4.) Map of London
5.) Rule book
For each case, you take the corresponding booklet, read the case, and afterwards you begin to pursue leads based on the information of the case. Each lead might potentially direct you to another lead, and so on until you feel you've questioned enough leads to potentially solve the case. The related newspaper for the case can also generate leads as the newspaper might contain particulars related to the case that you may pursue.
I'll give you an example of one playthrough using a case I'll make up.
Case #100: A neogafer, named TheHorror, was riding his bike on Liverpool Street, near the intersection of George's Road, when suddenly a tomato hit his head, causing TheHorror to fall off his bike and onto the pavement, wounding his head in the process. A witness, EvilLore, says the tomato-thrower wore a long overcoat and top hat but he raced away from the scene before EvilLore could take a solid look at him.
After all the players have had a chance to read the case, they decide who goes first. The following is based on competitive setup (not group play). The difference is that, in a competitive setup, each player may pursue leads and handle clues separately from the other player; in a group game, all players work together and share information/notes/clues, thus eliminating the concept of "turns."
Player 1: Well, the first thing Player 1 would probably do is try to question EvilLore, the sole witness, some more, so Player 1 grabs the directory booklet and searches for EvilLore's name, and gets his location (3E). Player 1 then grabs the Case Book and searches for 3E, and after finding it in the case book, proceeds to read the corresponding information quietly to him/herself. This information provided by EvilLore in the case book may yield even more clues, more information that Player 1 will jot down for future reference.
Since each player is allowed to only follow ONE lead a turn, Player 1's turn is over since EvilLore is considered a lead.
Player 2: Player 2 may decide either to pursue the same lead as EvilLore (if this were a cooperative game, Player 2 wouldn't need to since Player 1 has already done so on the previous turn and has already shared his/her information with Player 2), but instead Player 2 elects to refer to the map of London and investigate the scene of the crime (intersection of Liverpool and George). Having located the intersection (4WC), Player 2 goes into the case book and searches for 4WC, then reads the corresponding information to him/herself, taking all the necessary notes.
That concludes Player 2's turn. Now, on to Player 3...
Player 3: Player 3 has the option of pursuing either of the aforementioned leads already exhausted by Players 1 and 2 (Player 3 would get the same information), but instead Player 3 remembers seeing something about a disgruntled tomato vendor in the newspaper and elects to pursue that lead instead. So Player 3 finds the name of the disgruntled tomato vendor from the newspaper, tracks the vendor's name in the directory booklet, gets the vendor's location (7NW), takes the case book and searches for 7W, then reads the information, takes down notes.
That's Player 3's lead, so his turn ends.
This VERY BASIC example reflect a competitive setup, so none of the players know exactly what information (clues and so forth) the other players' have, unless they use their turn to access the same leads (which happens more so than not), but even then each player might not pick up the same, minute clues each lead yields. Since, in this example, none of the players have opted to pursue the same leads, everyone has a unique set of information. However, this will change during the course of the investigation because everyone will eventually exhaust every possible lead in a case, and it'll be up to each player to come up with their own solution - through deduction - for the case.
I hope I didn't make it sound more complicated that it really is. There are no game pieces, coins, or any of that stuff associated with this game. The game revolves around reading, taking down notes, and formulating a hypothesis once all evidence and leads have been pursued.
It's very simple, but very challenging and rewarding.
The Witcher board game got a publisher with FFG and a teaser. I made a thread in gaming because I am sure some people over there might be interested: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=96353714#post96353714
BattleMonkey
Member
Bet the combat system will be better and more complex than the actual video games lol
Affeinvasion
Member
Whoa being published by FFG is pretty huge actually. I was expecting it to be some weird euro company that would eventually get published here by Asmodee or somebody.
BattleMonkey
Member
Look at all those counters and shit, of course FFG would want to produce it. They get off on excess counters.
Affeinvasion
Member
You know you love it. Board gamers and drug dealers are the only ones who get excited by the prospect of having to buy dime bags.
Played a couple games of Coup. Seems to have been made by the same people as Resistance and Avalon. Plays 2-6, as always with social deduction/traitor games, it's probably best with higher numbers, 4-6.
There are 5 possible roles, with each role having 3 cards in the deck. You deal two to each player, hidden, and the rest stay in the center, hidden. You can lie about your roles at any time, no agreements are binding. Each role has a special action attached to it, along with 3 generic actions anyone can do. Some roles also have counter actions that specificly block the other cards. The object of the game is to be the last man standing. You eliminate players by forcing them to reveal each of their roles. This can be done in 3 ways. The Assassin role can spend 3 coins to assassinate you(blockable by Contessa), which forces you to reveal one role if unblocked. Anyone can also spend 7 coins on a coup action which is completely unblockable and has the same effect as assassin. The final way is to lose a challenge. Any time someone chooses to use an action or counteraction associated with a role, other players can challenge them on it. If they were bluffing and don't actually have that role, they lose the challenge and have to reveal a role. If they did have the role, the challenger loses and has to reveal a role. The other player then shuffles their role back into the deck and takes a new card at random. You start the game with 2 coins. Generic actions include taking 1 coin from the bank(unblockable), taking 2 coins as a tithe(blockable by a Duke), or spending 7 on a coup. You can never trade or give coins to other players.
The roles:
Contessa - blocks assassin as counteraction
Duke - can tax the bank as action for 3 coins, can block tithe as counteraction
Assassin - spend 3 coins to assassinate a player
Ambassador - Return a role to the deck and randomly choose a new one as an action, block Stealing as a counteraction.
Captain - Steal 2 coins from another player as an acton, block stealing as a counteraction
So a typical turn is declaring an action, giving everyone a second to challenge if they want, then other players declaring counteractions if they want, then people challenging that, then completing the actual action. Goes a lot faster than it sounds.
First game took about 30minutes as we learned and referenced rules. After that it was really quick. Each game took maybe 10-15 minutes. Game cost... 15 bucks? I'd suggest it as a very easy to transport, easy to learn social game.
There are 5 possible roles, with each role having 3 cards in the deck. You deal two to each player, hidden, and the rest stay in the center, hidden. You can lie about your roles at any time, no agreements are binding. Each role has a special action attached to it, along with 3 generic actions anyone can do. Some roles also have counter actions that specificly block the other cards. The object of the game is to be the last man standing. You eliminate players by forcing them to reveal each of their roles. This can be done in 3 ways. The Assassin role can spend 3 coins to assassinate you(blockable by Contessa), which forces you to reveal one role if unblocked. Anyone can also spend 7 coins on a coup action which is completely unblockable and has the same effect as assassin. The final way is to lose a challenge. Any time someone chooses to use an action or counteraction associated with a role, other players can challenge them on it. If they were bluffing and don't actually have that role, they lose the challenge and have to reveal a role. If they did have the role, the challenger loses and has to reveal a role. The other player then shuffles their role back into the deck and takes a new card at random. You start the game with 2 coins. Generic actions include taking 1 coin from the bank(unblockable), taking 2 coins as a tithe(blockable by a Duke), or spending 7 on a coup. You can never trade or give coins to other players.
The roles:
Contessa - blocks assassin as counteraction
Duke - can tax the bank as action for 3 coins, can block tithe as counteraction
Assassin - spend 3 coins to assassinate a player
Ambassador - Return a role to the deck and randomly choose a new one as an action, block Stealing as a counteraction.
Captain - Steal 2 coins from another player as an acton, block stealing as a counteraction
So a typical turn is declaring an action, giving everyone a second to challenge if they want, then other players declaring counteractions if they want, then people challenging that, then completing the actual action. Goes a lot faster than it sounds.
First game took about 30minutes as we learned and referenced rules. After that it was really quick. Each game took maybe 10-15 minutes. Game cost... 15 bucks? I'd suggest it as a very easy to transport, easy to learn social game.
So torn. I love Witcher, I love FFG.
But every game I've played from Trzewiczek is a huge piece of shit.
Hopefully someone at FFG tunes it up nice before release.
1083. I got USPS tracking, but it has taken way longer than two days. Weird.
BOX CAME TODAY. WOO.
I somehow entirely missed that Two Rooms and a Boom had a Kickstarter last year. Oh well. I'll just need to be extra vigilant when it ships to get a copy, since that games sounds great.
I suppose I could just print the Print and Play version for the next time I have a bunch of people over.
I suppose I could just print the Print and Play version for the next time I have a bunch of people over.
billmcdougal
Member
Yay, WARAGE has now hit another stretch goal, so it'll include a notebook and Dwarf race card + 6 related cards.
This is the first kickstarter I've backed. To those of you with more experience, I read that the last 2 days often see a surge in backers, due to the 48 hour reminder system. Would you guys say that it is accurate, and significant?
This is the first kickstarter I've backed. To those of you with more experience, I read that the last 2 days often see a surge in backers, due to the 48 hour reminder system. Would you guys say that it is accurate, and significant?
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Depends on the project. I've seen projects blow through stretch goals during the last 48 hours and I've also seen projects just barely make it.
BattleMonkey
Member
The megaman board game KS really just stalled. They had to readjust all the stretch goals but it really doesn't look like it's going to hit as much as they hoped originally. Did seem overpriced for what you get, and it kinda just seems odd for a board game for me. Not enough of a MM fan either way.
Conversely those Dice Tower guys are already making BANK from their KS. I backed it. Probably a bit pricey for the promos you get (in my case, I'm interested in the King of Tokyo, Legendary, and poker-chip ones) but I like those guys. One of a small handful of podcasts I regularly listen to. Do wish they'd cut down on the contributors a little, except Englestein and maybe a few others.
Affeinvasion
Member
I like zee and Sam with Tom because they all have different views on games. When they all like something I pay attention.
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Tell me about it. Besides a couple no one really stands out, they all kind of meld together for me. Some of the contributors also have terrible "radio" presence, either they are obviously reading from a script or they have too much saliva in their mouth so it sounds wet (which is gross).
Yeah there are a several that either read entirely from a script or are just "shootin' the shit" with zero prep and making inside jokes. I don't know which one is worse. Englestein is prepared and mostly on script but very interesting and he has a good presence. But I say this in contrast to the rest of the show which I really like. (I just skip the useless contest and convention stuff.)
EYEL1NER
Member
My coworker who I thought would enjoy board games finally did switch to nights, so we played Carcassonne a couple days ago and had a lot of fun. I think he may have bought Arkham Horror after the session, so I might be trying that sometime soon. Quite the leap though from Carc to Arkham.
Pandemic came in on Wednesday and we played our first game of it last night at work. My second game now that I have tried after Carcassonne and it was an absolute blast. The two of us played the introductory difficulty with only 4 Epidemic cards in the deck and somehow won. He and I both read through the instructions Wednesday night and then I read through the entire "Common Mistakes" thread on BGG and it seemed like we did everything right, so I was pretty surprised we got all four cures (and one eradication).
The On the Brink expansion finally saw its reprint and seems to be in-stock on Amazon for a not-so-outrageous price so I bought it as soon as we packed the game up. It was tough to justify spending more on the expansion than I did on the game before playing it, but now that I have it was an easy decision. It will take maybe three weeks to get here, so we have plenty of time to play the base game before then.
I don't know about In the Lab though; the new way to cure diseases doesn't sound appealing to me and I would only want it for those cool-looking virus jars (and the expansion's price isn't worth it to me for those alone). Maybe after playing a lot more of the game I will want to mix it up and get it though. I think we have a laminator at work, so I want to print off the two scenario sheets that Z-Man put out and pretty them up to go in the box. The Government Shutdown scenario sounds fun.
I am also debating on a Carc expansion. I initially thought I didn't want any of them, because I liked the simplicity of the base game. But now I think I might need to get a couple. I know that when people ask which to get first on BGG, everyone recommends Inns/Cathedrals and Traders/Builders. I don't know that I like the additions that Traders and Builders adds yet, so I will probably pick up Inns and Cathedrals soon. I am trying to keep myself from buying the New World version and the Winter version. The New World version sounds like it has some cool changes, such as only building from east to west and using the prospectors. And the tiles look gorgeous. I love the way the Winter one looks though too, the snow makes for beautiful scenery. Maybe after I get back to the US and move to wherever my new job will be and find some people to befriend and play with, then I will think about adding that one to my collection. I did like the sound of the Game of Thrones gametype someone on BBG suggested: He said to play the vanilla and winter Carc at the same time with an imaginary line dividing the two different tile maps, winter in the north and vanilla in the south.
I bought Smash Up and am looking forward to trying it. I wanted Netrunner but it was cheaper during the holidays a few places and is sitting at a little under $30 right now, so I want to wait for a sale or discount. Same with Small World. My coworker asked if he should get that or Arkham after I showed him SW; I told him I planned on buying SW soon. But it went up to around $40 and I can't bring myself to get it without some small discount or something.
I almost nabbed Forbidden Island, but like when I was complaining about TTR a couple days ago or whenever, Amazon won't ship it to an APO. I did end up getting a Used-Like New TTR from Warehouse Deals that said it had possible damaging to the packaging, so if it arrives in decent shape I will hold onto it.
Anyway, I am really looking forward to getting more Pandemic in. And browsing more of this thread. I sat at work for a couple hours last night going to random page numbers in here, reading what people were playing at the time, and then looking those games up on BBG and checking prices on Amazon.
Pandemic came in on Wednesday and we played our first game of it last night at work. My second game now that I have tried after Carcassonne and it was an absolute blast. The two of us played the introductory difficulty with only 4 Epidemic cards in the deck and somehow won. He and I both read through the instructions Wednesday night and then I read through the entire "Common Mistakes" thread on BGG and it seemed like we did everything right, so I was pretty surprised we got all four cures (and one eradication).
The On the Brink expansion finally saw its reprint and seems to be in-stock on Amazon for a not-so-outrageous price so I bought it as soon as we packed the game up. It was tough to justify spending more on the expansion than I did on the game before playing it, but now that I have it was an easy decision. It will take maybe three weeks to get here, so we have plenty of time to play the base game before then.
I don't know about In the Lab though; the new way to cure diseases doesn't sound appealing to me and I would only want it for those cool-looking virus jars (and the expansion's price isn't worth it to me for those alone). Maybe after playing a lot more of the game I will want to mix it up and get it though. I think we have a laminator at work, so I want to print off the two scenario sheets that Z-Man put out and pretty them up to go in the box. The Government Shutdown scenario sounds fun.
I am also debating on a Carc expansion. I initially thought I didn't want any of them, because I liked the simplicity of the base game. But now I think I might need to get a couple. I know that when people ask which to get first on BGG, everyone recommends Inns/Cathedrals and Traders/Builders. I don't know that I like the additions that Traders and Builders adds yet, so I will probably pick up Inns and Cathedrals soon. I am trying to keep myself from buying the New World version and the Winter version. The New World version sounds like it has some cool changes, such as only building from east to west and using the prospectors. And the tiles look gorgeous. I love the way the Winter one looks though too, the snow makes for beautiful scenery. Maybe after I get back to the US and move to wherever my new job will be and find some people to befriend and play with, then I will think about adding that one to my collection. I did like the sound of the Game of Thrones gametype someone on BBG suggested: He said to play the vanilla and winter Carc at the same time with an imaginary line dividing the two different tile maps, winter in the north and vanilla in the south.
I bought Smash Up and am looking forward to trying it. I wanted Netrunner but it was cheaper during the holidays a few places and is sitting at a little under $30 right now, so I want to wait for a sale or discount. Same with Small World. My coworker asked if he should get that or Arkham after I showed him SW; I told him I planned on buying SW soon. But it went up to around $40 and I can't bring myself to get it without some small discount or something.
I almost nabbed Forbidden Island, but like when I was complaining about TTR a couple days ago or whenever, Amazon won't ship it to an APO. I did end up getting a Used-Like New TTR from Warehouse Deals that said it had possible damaging to the packaging, so if it arrives in decent shape I will hold onto it.
Anyway, I am really looking forward to getting more Pandemic in. And browsing more of this thread. I sat at work for a couple hours last night going to random page numbers in here, reading what people were playing at the time, and then looking those games up on BBG and checking prices on Amazon.
Battlelore 2nd edition is very good. My favorite C&C type game so far. I was worried about limited unit selection but the units are all so different from each other that changing what units you use really alters the game. I can't wait for expansions though. More units and scenarios alone would be fantastic but something where you can make hero type units would also be pretty neat.
The game manages to keep the "good" rules from BoW without becoming fiddly which is fantastic.
The game manages to keep the "good" rules from BoW without becoming fiddly which is fantastic.
I managed to get a copy of Tash-Kalal: Arena of Legends before Christmas, but have only managed to play it recently.
I like it, but there are a couple of issues.
The basic gameplay is simple, but requires a fair bit of time spent thinking.
On your turn you have two actions. You can place a basic piece on any empty space, or play a summon card from your hand. To play a summon, your pieces must be in a pattern that matches the one displayed on the card. Summons can get you stronger pieces, move your pieces aroun, and destroy enemy pieces, but only as they come into play.
You can also play a special flare card if you're behind on the board, which does not cost an action, and normally lets you place an extra piece or make an extra move.
There are two basic games, a "High Form" which involves completing tasks such as "Control all the green squares" or "Connect two opposite sides of the board", and a deathmatch mode, which involves killing as much as possible.
High Form must be played as either 1v1 or 2v2, but deathmatch supports 3 and 4 player free for alls as well.
It's a fun game, and manages to feel like something wizards would play in a fantasy world. The piece placement is slightly reminiscent of Go, although summoning a centaur to charge a line of pieces into the enemy is obviously quite different.
The first issue involves the amount of time needed to think on your own turn. The board can change so dramatically over the course of one turn that future planning is almost worthless, and turns can take a few minutes as you need to constantly rethink your actions.
Lastly, a mention on price. I managed to get my copy for about £25, which is half the current RRP. The designer himself has made it known that he is unhappy with the pricing, and I agree. There's been a lot of furore over the price increase since the Essen release, and I really can't say that this game is worth £50. Even £30 is pushing it a little bit. The cards are serviceable, and the art is nice enough, but the pieces feel very cheap.
I like it, but there are a couple of issues.
The basic gameplay is simple, but requires a fair bit of time spent thinking.
On your turn you have two actions. You can place a basic piece on any empty space, or play a summon card from your hand. To play a summon, your pieces must be in a pattern that matches the one displayed on the card. Summons can get you stronger pieces, move your pieces aroun, and destroy enemy pieces, but only as they come into play.
You can also play a special flare card if you're behind on the board, which does not cost an action, and normally lets you place an extra piece or make an extra move.
There are two basic games, a "High Form" which involves completing tasks such as "Control all the green squares" or "Connect two opposite sides of the board", and a deathmatch mode, which involves killing as much as possible.
High Form must be played as either 1v1 or 2v2, but deathmatch supports 3 and 4 player free for alls as well.
It's a fun game, and manages to feel like something wizards would play in a fantasy world. The piece placement is slightly reminiscent of Go, although summoning a centaur to charge a line of pieces into the enemy is obviously quite different.
The first issue involves the amount of time needed to think on your own turn. The board can change so dramatically over the course of one turn that future planning is almost worthless, and turns can take a few minutes as you need to constantly rethink your actions.
Lastly, a mention on price. I managed to get my copy for about £25, which is half the current RRP. The designer himself has made it known that he is unhappy with the pricing, and I agree. There's been a lot of furore over the price increase since the Essen release, and I really can't say that this game is worth £50. Even £30 is pushing it a little bit. The cards are serviceable, and the art is nice enough, but the pieces feel very cheap.
What KS is theirs?
The Horror the horror
Banned
On the Brink is an essential expansion. I wouldn't even call it that, it's more like an essential update. It vastly improves the game, in my opinion, and fixes some issues while not breaking the game's fundamental concepts.
My gaming group wouldn't even consider returning to Pandemic on its basic setup.
I really like Traders & Builders because it adds another means to score points. Without it, you always want to complete your features while. if possible, preventing your opponents from completing theirs (or piggybacking/stealing their features for yourself of course). With T&B, because whoever completes the city features receives the goods involved, it will sometimes be to your advantage to complete someone else's city to get the goods, even though you'll be scoring points for them at the same time. You can't win on goods alone, but I've played many many times where points scored from goods put the winner over the top at the end of the game.
That said, Inns & Cathedrals is great too.
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