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[disillusion386]

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 too just got the game earlier this week, and have played a few times. Once with three people, once with two, and another with four. The first two playthroughs we played with 4 epidemic cards, and played with 5 when we had four people. We won each time. I think we misunderstood the Researcher role during our first game, but after reviewing the BGG thread, we played the rules correctly during subsequent plays.

Does the difficulty go up significantly with 6 epidemic cards? I'm kind of worried that the game is a bit easy since we haven't lost yet. The game is fun, don't get me wrong. Anyway, should I wait until we try 6 epidemic cards before purchasing On the Brink?

 

[ultron87]

The little Petri dishes you get with On The Brink for your cubes are an essential part of the Pandemic experience.

 

[Tragicomedy]

Re: Pandemic - I'm waiting for the new dice-based version coming out this year. It sounds amazingly fun and like it solves a few of the issues I have with the main game.

 

[The Horror the horror]

I too just got the game earlier this week, and have played a few times. Once with three people, once with two, and another with four. The first two playthroughs we played with 4 epidemic cards, and played with 5 when we had four people. We won each time. I think we misunderstood the Researcher role during our first game, but after reviewing the BGG thread, we played the rules correctly during subsequent plays.

Does the difficulty go up significantly with 6 epidemic cards? I'm kind of worried that the game is a bit easy since we haven't lost yet. The game is fun, don't get me wrong. Anyway, should I wait until we try 6 epidemic cards before purchasing On the Brink?

How many event cards are you allocating to the deck?

 

[disillusion386]

How many event cards are you allocating to the deck?

However many came with the game. 5?

 

[Jables Swan]

The little Petri dishes you get with On The Brink for your cubes are an essential part of the Pandemic experience.

Amen to that. Plus there are some fun new roles in it.

Re: Pandemic - I'm waiting for the new dice-based version coming out this year. It sounds amazingly fun and like it solves a few of the issues I have with the main game.

What is this? Do you have a link?

 

[Tragicomedy]

What is this? Do you have a link?

Pandemic: The Cure.

Pandemic: The Cure, a dice-based version of the popular Pandemic board game, sets up in less than a minute and plays in 30 minutes. As in the board game, four diseases threaten the world and it's up to your team to save humanity. You and your team must keep the world's hotspots in check before they break out of control, while researching cures to the four plagues.

Players roll dice each turn to determine the actions available to them. They can fly and sail between the six major population centers of the world, treat disease in their current region, collect samples for further study, and exchange knowledge to help them in their goal of discovering cures. Each player takes on a different role that has its own unique set of dice and abilities — and players must take advantage of their specializations if they are to have any hope of winning the game. The Dispatcher, for example, can spend dice to fly others around the board, while the Medic is particularly adept at treating disease. Players can roll their dice as often as they like, but the more times they re-roll for the perfect turn, the more likely the next epidemic will occur.

At the end of each turn, new "infection dice" are rolled to determine the type and location of newly infected populations. If any region on the board is infected with more than three dice of a given color, an outbreak occurs, spreading disease into an adjacent region. If too many outbreaks take place, too many people get infected, or the rate of infection gets too high, all the players lose. If, however, the players can discover the cures to the four diseases, they all win and humanity is saved!

 

[AstroLad]

I too just got the game earlier this week, and have played a few times. Once with three people, once with two, and another with four. The first two playthroughs we played with 4 epidemic cards, and played with 5 when we had four people. We won each time. I think we misunderstood the Researcher role during our first game, but after reviewing the BGG thread, we played the rules correctly during subsequent plays.

Does the difficulty go up significantly with 6 epidemic cards? I'm kind of worried that the game is a bit easy since we haven't lost yet. The game is fun, don't get me wrong. Anyway, should I wait until we try 6 epidemic cards before purchasing On the Brink?

You should read this: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/300287/common-mistakes

Especially things like the sharing rules, which many get wrong: You may pass a card to or receive a card from another player who is on the same location as you if the card matches your location.

 

[disillusion386]

You should read this: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/300287/common-mistakes

Especially things like the sharing rules, which many get wrong: You may pass a card to or receive a card from another player who is on the same location as you if the card matches your location.

Yep, I read through that thread. As for the sharing rule, we only messed up during our first game in which the researcher could also take any card from another player. For our second and third games, the two players definitely traveled to the city of the card we needed to trade.

 

[AstroLad]

Should be OK then. You should have a really tough time with 6 if that's what you're looking for. But I like to keep it at 5 -- which has I dunno, a 50-65% win rate maybe among casual but experienced players? And then I splash in something like Virulent Strain from On the Bring. 4 is pretty easy. OtB is an awesome expansion -- one of the best in all of gaming imo. And I don't even play with the silly Bioterrorist mode they have in there.

If you like co-ops and want something even tougher check out Ghost Stories (recommend this only if you regularly have four players though).

 

[disillusion386]

Should be OK then. You should have a really tough time with 6 if that's what you're looking for. But I like to keep it at 5 -- which has I dunno, a 50-65% win rate maybe among casual but experienced players? And then I splash in something like Virulent Strain from On the Bring. 4 is pretty easy. OtB is an awesome expansion -- one of the best in all of gaming imo. And I don't even play with the silly Bioterrorist mode they have in there.

If you like co-ops and want something even tougher check out Ghost Stories (recommend this only if you regularly have four players though).

Yeah, it wasn't really a complaint. We're definitely going to try 6 epidemic cards next time to see how we fare, and maybe buy On the Brink in a month or so.

 

[Jables Swan]

Pandemic: The Cure.

Sounds good. Will keep an eye out for it.

 

[AstroLad]

Yeah, it wasn't really a complaint. We're definitely going to try 6 epidemic cards next time to see how we fare, and maybe buy On the Brink in a month or so.

Yeah it really depends on how the epidemics fall but I find it pretty balanced with 5. Perfectly balanced with 5 + Virulent Strain.

 

[The Horror the horror]

Should be OK then. You should have a really tough time with 6 if that's what you're looking for. But I like to keep it at 5 -- which has I dunno, a 50-65% win rate maybe among casual but experienced players? And then I splash in something like Virulent Strain from On the Bring. 4 is pretty easy. OtB is an awesome expansion -- one of the best in all of gaming imo. And I don't even play with the silly Bioterrorist mode they have in there.

If you like co-ops and want something even tougher check out Ghost Stories (recommend this only if you regularly have four players though).

It's only the best co-op board game ever.

It'll kick your ass, too, Mr. disillusion386. My brother and I have enjoyed playing it 2player (each player controlling 2 monks), and I've played the game solo (controlling all 4 monks) on quite a few occasions. 4 players is ideal, though. 3 is probably the worst.

 

[biggyfries]

Thanks for that Sherlock Holmes write-up, Horror.

This sounds like something my wife would love. She kicks everyone's ass at Clue, so I consider this to be her next step.

 

[cooltrainer]

Yeah I went ahead and ordered that Sherlock game. Dammit. Seems like a really cool/unique experience and it may be a game that won't be regularly in print and difficult to find later. I bet they could make a new game that plays like this with the new Sherlock license and make some $$.

 

[TumblingHippo]

Got a chance to play Rampage at MAGfest this year and was quite blown away by how much dumb fun it was.

You really just have to resolve to look dumb and have a fun time, and probably taking it too seriously is a big no, but at the same time, it feels like you can have a strategy, or at least, as much of a strategy as a dexterity game can allow.

 

[EYEL1NER]

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 hope my copy gets here quickly because it does look like it adds a lot.
Almost bought In The Lab earlier, even though I don't need or particularly want it right now. It showed up in my gold box on Amazon with a couple dollars discounted off and I had to keep myself from buying it.

The little Petri dishes you get with On The Brink for your cubes are an essential part of the Pandemic experience.

lol
That is one of the main reasons I wanted it. Those look like they will be very valuable. And if this is the new printing, I shouldn't have to worry about the mislabled red sticker I hope.

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.

I guess the goods aren't a super-complicated addition. Just seeing them every time I look at expansions though makes me think it will add too much. As I said before, I enjoy the simplicity of the base game. But after reading the rules a couple times, I guess they aren't drastic enough changes to ruin anything for me. After Inns and Cathedrals, I will get T&B. And then maybe be done with Carc expansions, because none of the others look appealing to me at all.


I've checked out what is going on with that Pandemic: The Cure a couple times. I would definintly give it a try to see how it plays but I feel like what drew me to Pandemic in the first place was the virus cubes and how cool I thought the second edition board looked. Looking at pictures of the dice game, I feel like it loses a lot in the aesthetic department.

 

[disillusion386]

It's only the best co-op board game ever.

It'll kick your ass, too, Mr. disillusion386. My brother and I have enjoyed playing it 2player (each player controlling 2 monks), and I've played the game solo (controlling all 4 monks) on quite a few occasions. 4 players is ideal, though. 3 is probably the worst.

I just looked it up, and it's by Antoine Bauza. Nice! I'll put it on my list.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I've been into board gaming for quite a while, but my personal collection is really small and not all that varied (Chaos in the Old World, Fairy Tale, Smash Up, Munchkin, Mice and Mystics, Genji, Shazaam!, Zombie Dice, Doom, Super Dungeon Explore, Settlers of Catan, Hex Hex (A group favorite), Blue Moon, Summoner Wars) and I am looking to add some more games and fill in gaps, here's the list of games I plan on buying in the near future:

Caverna
Archipelago
Eldritch Horror
Terra Mystica
Ingenious
King of Tokyo
Dominion
Love Letter
Nexus Ops
Hive
Ghost Stories

Which would you recommened getting first GAF? (Or perhaps which would you recommend skipping out on, or perhaps other games I should look into?)

 

[Smiley90]

I've been into board gaming for quite a while, but my personal collection is really small and not all that varied (Chaos in the Old World, Fairy Tale, Smash Up, Munchkin, Mice and Mystics, Genji, Shazaam!, Zombie Dice, Doom, Super Dungeon Explore, Settlers of Catan, Hex Hex (A group favorite), Blue Moon, Summoner Wars) and I am looking to add some more games and fill in gaps, here's the list of games I plan on buying in the near future:

Caverna
Archipelago
Eldritch Horror
Terra Mystica
Ingenious
King of Tokyo
Dominion
Love Letter
Nexus Ops
Hive
Ghost Stories

Which would you recommened getting first GAF? (Or perhaps which would you recommend skipping out on, or perhaps other games I should look into?)

Get Love Letters. It's like 10 bucks and it's amazing. And even on the off chance you don't like it, you didn't waste much money. But you'll like it.

 

[Xater]

Bought Bang: The Dice Game. Can#t wait to try this one out. Very curious about the implementation.

 

[SCHUEY F1]

Get Love Letters. It's like 10 bucks and it's amazing. And even on the off chance you don't like it, you didn't waste much money. But you'll like it.

played it last night for the first time. Great little card game.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Bought Bang: The Dice Game. Can#t wait to try this one out. Very curious about the implementation.

It looks like a fun twist on Bang with the same kind of dice chucking simplicity as King of Tokyo. For me that's a win-win. I would love impressions. One local store had one but it got snatched up before I had Christmas money.

 

[Xater]

It looks like a fun twist on Bang with the same kind of dice chucking simplicity as King of Tokyo. For me that's a win-win. I would love impressions. One local store had one but it got snatched up before I had Christmas money.

That's exactly what I heard about the game. My group really liked King of Tokyo but we often were too many players. This might be ideal for us. I'll give impressions once I played it a couple of times.

 

[Slacker]

I guess the goods aren't a super-complicated addition. Just seeing them every time I look at expansions though makes me think it will add too much. As I said before, I enjoy the simplicity of the base game. But after reading the rules a couple times, I guess they aren't drastic enough changes to ruin anything for me. After Inns and Cathedrals, I will get T&B. And then maybe be done with Carc expansions, because none of the others look appealing to me at all.

As someone who owns almost all of the expansions, I can say that your instincts are solid here. There are a couple expansions that are good with the right group, but as a whole I'd say your money is better spent on other games. Just I&C and T&B are the must-haves in my opinion.

 

[Blizzard]

We finally had another game night, and I played two new games.

Space Maze: This has a grid of cards, and everyone picks from a pool of rolled dice to move aliens through the maze. Aliens can only move through certain color-coded doors, until they get a magic hat at the center of the maze. An alien with the hat can move through any door. As a result, once one player got the hat, no one else could ever catch them. You can no longer block the other player due to the hat power, and you can only use move and power cards if the dice match your own aliens. For instance, a high roll might be rare enough to use an ability card, but it not only has to be high, and not picked by the player with the advantage, it also has to be the exact color you need.

Overall, we felt it was severely biased towards the player who got the hat first.


VivaJava: We played the beginner version of this without flavor cards or the advanced endgame bonuses. Everyone collects coffee beans and tries to join together to draw poker-like combinations from their bags of beans.

This was a decent game, but the rules were unclear in at least one case. Investment seemed like an important part of the game: Two times in the game, each player can unlock an ability that gives them an investment token, and they can place that on another team's coffee blend before they blend.

BUT, in our case two players had been trying to keep a third player off their country for 2-3 turns (the third player did not have good beans, so it was bringing their blend down). The final time, the player wanted to invest, but one of them slapped a bean down super quick on the blend card, saying that should prevent everyone from investing.

My argument was that it would basically turn the game into slapjack and either get someone hurt or make investment nearly impossible to do, but at least one other player seemed to want it to be a hand race like that. We could not seem to find any good answers in the forums, and there was barely more than a paragraph about it in the rules.

 

[Dreavus]

Man, being Merlin when playing Avalon is absolutely remarkable.

You instantly see the lies being spun, from the second the game starts. It is incredible to have that perspective in this kind of game.

I've gotten to be him twice in the 4 times I've played, and the first time it went quite well, but the second time I slipped up somewhere because a few of the minions were apparently on to me (luckily, the one who was the assassin chose someone else.)

We won that game, but I don't know what to do when the spies are playing the "I'm not talking much and just happened to be thrown on a team to fail it, but there isn't much reason to suspect me" strategy because you CAN'T be the first one to make a call against them (as Merlin). I had very good reasons based on their actions for calling 2 of the 3 spies out in a roundabout way, but that put them on my trail anyways, despite me specifically waiting for a slip up on their part. I'm not sure what to do in that situation where teams are being formed and missions are being silently failed. I guess I need to hope my team picks up on these things first so I can support them in that claim? I was last to be captain as well, which certainly made it a bit harder.

And man is it frustrating when your teammates don't trust each other. Even going into round 4 with the score being 2-1, we very nearly botched it on failed team approvals because some of my teammates were aggressively rejecting, even when we had a margin for error in that round.

 

[Gaming Truth]

VivaJava: We played the beginner version of this without flavor cards or the advanced endgame bonuses. Everyone collects coffee beans and tries to join together to draw poker-like combinations from their bags of beans.

This was a decent game, but the rules were unclear in at least one case. Investment seemed like an important part of the game: Two times in the game, each player can unlock an ability that gives them an investment token, and they can place that on another team's coffee blend before they blend.

BUT, in our case two players had been trying to keep a third player off their country for 2-3 turns (the third player did not have good beans, so it was bringing their blend down). The final time, the player wanted to invest, but one of them slapped a bean down super quick on the blend card, saying that should prevent everyone from investing.

My argument was that it would basically turn the game into slapjack and either get someone hurt or make investment nearly impossible to do, but at least one other player seemed to want it to be a hand race like that. We could not seem to find any good answers in the forums, and there was barely more than a paragraph about it in the rules.

There's no such thing as the slapjack effect. A team announces they're brewing, then there's a window of time when investors can hop on. I really like VivaJava, but can't find a copy in the U.S.

p.s. - I tend to avoid players who pull out BS rules like that. Irregardless of if they know the rules, they'll say/do whatever it takes to win to the detriment of others. I personally have two people on that list.

p.p.s. - Always go with the spirit of the game when rules are ambiguous. If the game isn't a speed/dexterity game, I'd ask them why the hell would there be such a rule in one specific instance/ability? p.p.s'd because I'm put off by gamers who play to win, not to have fun

 

[Angst]

I prefer playing with people who play to win but who doesn't do anything to win. People should have fun regardless if they win or not, but at the same time it's boring playing with people who do not care if they win or lose. I guess I'm lucky because people in my group are pretty focused on winning but don't get pissed if they don't.

IMO it's really important that the game is such that if you lose you wonder what YOU did wrong and not think that everyone else (or the game) somehow cheated you.

 

[Blizzard]

There's no such thing as the slapjack effect. A team announces they're brewing, then there's a window of time when investors can hop on. I really like VivaJava, but can't find a copy in the U.S.

The rules don't seem to make this at all clear though. Literally the only place in the entire rules that implies this is the timeline on the very back page.

And, the player(s) who were disagreeing with us said that the timeline just indicates a way you CAN or MAY play, not the way you're actually supposed to play. =(

 

[billmcdougal]

I've been into board gaming for quite a while, but my personal collection is really small and not all that varied (Chaos in the Old World, Fairy Tale, Smash Up, Munchkin, Mice and Mystics, Genji, Shazaam!, Zombie Dice, Doom, Super Dungeon Explore, Settlers of Catan, Hex Hex (A group favorite), Blue Moon, Summoner Wars) and I am looking to add some more games and fill in gaps, here's the list of games I plan on buying in the near future:

Caverna
Archipelago
Eldritch Horror
Terra Mystica
Ingenious
King of Tokyo
Dominion
Love Letter
Nexus Ops
Hive
Ghost Stories

Which would you recommened getting first GAF? (Or perhaps which would you recommend skipping out on, or perhaps other games I should look into?)

Nexus Ops is one of my favorites. Good mechanics, cool art, and tons of replayability (the newer version has all kinds of variants).

I was told yesterday that Hive is great for 2 players, really quick.

If you need something for more than just a few players, Love Letter is great. I look forward to playing it again soon.

 

[Ohnonono]

Bought Warhammeriscwars. Initial impressions seem very positive as long as you realize that it is basically being treated like an LCG miniature game. Can't wait for some damn Skaven and Dwarves though. Get to it FFG!

 

[Xater]

Bought Warhammeriscwars. Initial impressions seem very positive as long as you realize that it is basically being treated like an LCG miniature game. Can't wait for some damn Skaven and Dwarves though. Get to it FFG!

Very interested in this myself. Battlelore Second Edition seems cool but again it's a lot of setup and stuff like that. Warhammers Diskwars looks like a very quick and easy war game that can be enjoyed with 2 players. I also guess then if it gets expansions they shouldn't be too expensive because it's just cardboard discs. I wonder when the German publisher will bring it out...

Just ordered Eight Minute Empire because it was finally available again over here.

 

[TumblingHippo]

I'm looking to get Theseus this week. Any impressions on that? Gameplay I've seen of it and the enthusiastic runthrough by Rahdo have really sold me on it, and I'm a big fan of Neuroshima and loved the Mancala in Trajan. I also know it's a pretty cool 2 player game.

Also, I'm going to sell my copy of Commands and Colors Ancients in order to put that towards BattleLore 2nd Ed. If I'm going to spend time setting up a bunch of units, I want setup to be part of gameplay and have some fun miniatures to look at.

 

[Gaming Truth]

The rules don't seem to make this at all clear though. Literally the only place in the entire rules that implies this is the timeline on the very back page.

And, the player(s) who were disagreeing with us said that the timeline just indicates a way you CAN or MAY play, not the way you're actually supposed to play. =(

There is, just not where you were looking:

VivaJava Rules

• Page 18: Before any team Blends, player may place Token and Blend Marker on another team's Blend Slate.
• Page 19: Research Track Abilities and Flavor Card Actions Timeline: You invest after teams have Voted (In the Field), but prior to teams Blending -or- Spending RPs (Blend/Research).

and add a house rule for me: The next time either player who said they think there should be slapjack rules in an otherwise non-dexterity board game, open VivaJava and throw a white bean at their face. =)

 

[ultron87]

Got to play Once Upon a Time the other night. While only barely a game, it is a great way to get your whole group around the table laughing as you all develop a ridiculous fairy tale that strings together a ton of disparate elements.

While it was great with my group I can definitely see it not working. If you play super competitively it would probably ruin it. You just need to have a group that will get into the spirit of the thing and not just try and dump one card per sentence to try and race towards winning.

 

[fallout]

Yeah, Once Upon a Time only works with certain types of people/players ... but man, when it works, it's amazing.

 

[daevv]

Totally blind bought Talisman over the holidays. Just got it in the mail today. Other than the description on the box I know nothing about it. I usually check out BBG or watch a few vids before buying a game. I have a problem.

 

[Xater]

Totally blind bought Talisman over the holidays. Just got it in the mail today. Other than the description on the box I know nothing about it. I usually check out BBG or watch a few vids before buying a game. I have a problem.

You have made a huge mistake.

 

[SillyEskimo]

Totally blind bought Talisman over the holidays. Just got it in the mail today. Other than the description on the box I know nothing about it. I usually check out BBG or watch a few vids before buying a game. I have a problem.

Talisman is a pretty simple game overall. Some of the characters and items can be game breaking too, so you gotta be careful haha. I used to play the first edition when I was a child with my family. Later, I played the 3rd edition a couple of times in my teens with some guys from school. When FFG released he revised 4th edition, I went all in. I have every expansion to date. I think it's a fantastic introductory game for kids and people flirting with something other than Monopoly. Many people eventually move on to harder/deeper/complex games, but Talisman will always hold a special place for me and it's fun to dig out a couple times a year for a huge epic game with all the expansions.

The ipad version of Talisman is just like the board game. A couple of solo runs with a few of the characters in the app would clear up lots of little rule questions you may run into the first few times you play.

 

[Blizzard]

There is, just not where you were looking:

VivaJava Rules

• Page 18: Before any team Blends, player may place Token and Blend Marker on another team's Blend Slate.
• Page 19: Research Track Abilities and Flavor Card Actions Timeline: You invest after teams have Voted (In the Field), but prior to teams Blending -or- Spending RPs (Blend/Research).

and add a house rule for me: The next time either player who said they think there should be slapjack rules in an otherwise non-dexterity board game, open VivaJava and throw a white bean at their face. =)

Yep, they just didn't agree with the timeline. Unfortunately one of the disagreers was the host and his wife was one of the ones arguing with him, which made it an even trickier situation.

I posted on boardgamegeek and PM'd the designer asking about it, and apparently both the designer AND the publisher replied to my thread practically within a day. Their ruling was that yes, there are essentially three "pauses" that should be coordinated by a brewmaster:

1. Everyone ready to reveal your vote token?
2. Does anyone want to invest?
3. Does anyone want to trade points for research?

 

[daevv]

Thanks for the info, I'll add it to my pile of unopened games.
I'm still learning, watching, and reading up on Mage Knight and X-Wing Miniatures before trying them in the group. Also have to learn Agricola and Betrayal at House on the Hill for our next non-Pathfinder Card game night. Pathfinder has pretty much put a hold on every other game in the group as everyone likes playing it.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Talisman is real easy game, it's an old game so some of the mechanics feel archaic but it's a classic that many people still love. There is a lot of randomness in it which is a turn off for many and it can take a long time to play.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Thanks for the info, I'll add it to my pile of unopened games.
I'm still learning, watching, and reading up on Mage Knight and X-Wing Miniatures before trying them in the group. Also have to learn Agricola and Betrayal at House on the Hill for our next non-Pathfinder Card game night. Pathfinder has pretty much put a hold on every other game in the group as everyone likes playing it.

Betrayal despite some fiddliness based in the premise of the game (having 50 different possible scenarios) is actually pretty brilliantly designed in that it teaches you the core mechanics of movement, items, and dice tests in the first half of the game when you can't really screw up.

 

[Gaming Truth]

Yep, they just didn't agree with the timeline. Unfortunately one of the disagreers was the host and his wife was one of the ones arguing with him, which made it an even trickier situation.

I posted on boardgamegeek and PM'd the designer asking about it, and apparently both the designer AND the publisher replied to my thread practically within a day. Their ruling was that yes, there are essentially three "pauses" that should be coordinated by a brewmaster:

1. Everyone ready to reveal your vote token?
2. Does anyone want to invest?
3. Does anyone want to trade points for research?

Ooh, I need to look for your post. I so want a copy of this game, but it's sold out in the US and they only had one or two Kickstarter batches

 

[octobot]

Looks like Fantasy Flight is coming out with some version of co-op for Descent Second Edition http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4587 it seems like its retailer only for organized play at this point but I hope it gets a proper release.

 

[BattleMonkey]

They would be stupid to not release it for sale.

 

[Ledsen]

Any tips for good 2p games for me and the gf? Nothing too nerdy (ie serious fantasy/sci-fi). Preferably not super confrontational since she gets angry with me for being "mean" and I can't stop myself from playing to win and... well, being mean when given the opportunity.

 

[joelseph]

Any tips for good 2p games for me and the gf? Nothing too nerdy (ie serious fantasy/sci-fi). Preferably not super confrontational since she gets angry with me and I can't stop myself from playing to win.

Morels - 2 player mushroom picking

Kahuna - 2 player lite area control