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The New Board Game Thread (Newcomer Friendly)
- Thread starter AstroLad
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BattleMonkey said:
Well, that is what Eurogames are about. Minimizing luck, and allowing players to plan for what luck there is or removing it completely in games like Caylus.
I get what you are saying, and there is a difference between a game that is intentionally one-sided and a game that can be decided with a lucky draw.
I enjoy LNOE a good bit, but it definitely has a huge luck factor that can effectively hand one side the win early in a scenario.
Yeah there are certain scenarios that can end literally within a few turns if the cards break right. For some reason I kind of like that though; almost like a flash KO in an MMA game. Unlikely to happen, but the prospect is pretty exciting. This trait is also found in some eurogames like Kingsburg (with expansion, where the King can die and the game can end at the beginning of Year 2) and Mr. Jack (where the game can end on the second turn if you get a certain character combo) -- of course I've experienced both of those first-hand :lol.StoOgE said:
AstroLad said:
I agree.. I don't really mind it with LNOE. I consider it more of a light RPG than a game anyway. You get scenario's, you play your role and you have fun acting out B movie camp horror. Most of the people even take on a tounge in cheak version of their character, and the Zombie character works as a loose DM of sorts.
It's a good time. As a "game" it's horribly luck based and a good zombie player only needs one stupid human opponent to win the day.
The games theme and production values carry it through because this is normally something I would hate in games.
It has actually gotten me to the point where I want to get some other dice roll-athons. There is something satisfying about rolling a ton of dice all at once :lol The trick is going to be finding something with a theme that I like as much as zombies.
Chorazin said:
Exactly!
The last game I played one human player sat in the high school hording special power cards while the rest of us tried to hold off the zombie invasion of the house. Then they came charging into battle with all of their super powerful cards and died in their first attack on a pack of zombies.
It ruined our chances at winning the game, but it was just like the "idiots in zombie movies :lol
Flynn said:
Dice movement really bugs me. I much prefer games (typically) that use Die rolls for attacks and defense. Set movement is much better.. at least you can plan out your movements in advance and form a strategy. With die roll movements you can be completely hosed and can't really formualte a plan of attack.
StoOgE said:
That's the thing I really like about the game, it rewards smart thinking and using "lucky" draws well, and severly punished people who squander their resources.
Can't wait to play this again this week.
StoOgE said:
I have no problems with die movement, maybe because I really don't play any Eurogames.
At least in LNoE you can roll, and THEN choose to move or search.
When you are using an ability that requires you to sacrifice a move action, can you choose to use that ability after your roll -- or once you've rolled are you forced to either move or search (since technically those are each considered "Move" actions).Chorazin said:
platypotamus
Member
Just a heads up to board game GAF: I'll be disappearing for 2 weeks here, on a vacation with no internet access (and possibly no board games!). So if you guys could just take a 2 week break from board gaming, internet board gaming, or meaningful board game discussion, I'd appreciate it 
BattleMonkey
Member
You can choose after rolling.
platypotamus
Member
AstroLad said:
Bright side: 3rd row seats for a Premiere League game in London! (Fulham v Aston Villa on Saturday)
Monsterpocalypse Battle Box
How does this look to you guys? Looks like I would get two full (random) armies and enough stuff for a 2 player game without the army building mechanics. From what I read on BGG I would still need to buy some additional buildings to keep things from getting too stale.. but does that look like it would make for a pretty decent two player "board" game?
How does this look to you guys? Looks like I would get two full (random) armies and enough stuff for a 2 player game without the army building mechanics. From what I read on BGG I would still need to buy some additional buildings to keep things from getting too stale.. but does that look like it would make for a pretty decent two player "board" game?
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
platypotamus said:
is that some sort of board game competition
I've heard only good things. Check out this review if you haven't: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/577492/monsterpocalypse-2-player-battle-box-reviewStoOgE said:
Having read through both sets of rules, I do think that Voltron is a slightly easier (and cheaper) point of entry but the buildings are cool too so hey.
I've never been into Voltron (though I did watch it as a kid), but I owned about 50 Godzilla type movies as a kid and really liked the giant monster throwdown specials.
So the theme of the main set seems to fit me a bit better. Plus, I could get the Cthulu themed set which would be amazing.
Also, I want their fake empire state, Chrysler, Metlife and Statue of Liberty. So I'll be buying some I chomp NY boosters as well.
I really hate blind buy collectable stuff though I guess I could just buy those individual pieces from a specialty shop and call it a day.
So the theme of the main set seems to fit me a bit better. Plus, I could get the Cthulu themed set which would be amazing.
Also, I want their fake empire state, Chrysler, Metlife and Statue of Liberty. So I'll be buying some I chomp NY boosters as well.
I really hate blind buy collectable stuff though
I guess I could just buy those individual pieces from a specialty shop and call it a day.joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Maybe.Stumpokapow said:
BattleMonkey
Member
StoOgE said:I've never been into Voltron (though I did watch it as a kid), but I owned about 50 Godzilla type movies as a kid and really liked the giant monster throwdown specials.
So the theme of the main set seems to fit me a bit better. Plus, I could get the Cthulu themed set which would be amazing.
Also, I want their fake empire state, Chrysler, Metlife and Statue of Liberty. So I'll be buying some I chomp NY boosters as well.
I really hate blind buy collectable stuff though
Cheaper to just go with the single fig buying, you're going to get stuck with lot of figs you don't want buying boosters.
So, I picked up the Monsterpocalypse 2 player battle box on my way home from work..
Got a set of Alien Invaders and Terrasaurs. No Cthulu or Giant robot guys which is what I was hoping to get
The Alien Invaders are okish looking. The monster is a tripod that looks like it is out of War of the worlds. The paint on them is pretty hit or miss though since a lot of the model is translucent.
The Terrasuars and buildings look amazing.
I'm going to get some more buildings at some point and noticed you can buy boosters that come with maps + 1 building for 10 dollars at my FLGS. So I may go that route and then buy some of the New York knock offs online to round this thing out.
Storage is going to require a plano box. This box was clearly not designed to contain these things long-term.
One complaint: The dice are *tiny*. Granted I got like 50 of them, but they are small. I would be willing to buy a set of fuller sized dice if they sell them.
Got a set of Alien Invaders and Terrasaurs. No Cthulu or Giant robot guys which is what I was hoping to get
The Alien Invaders are okish looking. The monster is a tripod that looks like it is out of War of the worlds. The paint on them is pretty hit or miss though since a lot of the model is translucent.
The Terrasuars and buildings look amazing.
I'm going to get some more buildings at some point and noticed you can buy boosters that come with maps + 1 building for 10 dollars at my FLGS. So I may go that route and then buy some of the New York knock offs online to round this thing out.
Storage is going to require a plano box. This box was clearly not designed to contain these things long-term.
One complaint: The dice are *tiny*. Granted I got like 50 of them, but they are small. I would be willing to buy a set of fuller sized dice if they sell them.
BattleMonkey
Member
That's as big as the dice come, same dice are used for their Grind board game.
BattleMonkey
Member
Technically could roll almost all of them potentially in some situation... rare though.
Chorazin said:
I've always known in the back of my head that dice movement is bullshit (Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly, etc.) but it was my first and last session of Talisman (where I spent the good part of an hour waiting just to roll the dice and find I'd overshot or missed the doorway to the next level of the game) that taught me how brutal the mechanic can be.
I suppose LNOE balances the randomness a little by letting you chose to do something other than move. Me, I prefer my tactics games with fixed unit movement -- Advance Wars FTW?
Oh wow. Has anyone played Funny Friends? If you have friends who aren't easily offended, this is an awesome game that pairs with drinks.
Everyone's win conditions are varying life-goals. Some are good. Some are bad. Almost all are hilarious.
Example, mine was to get super depressed and check myself into a mental hospital, have premarital sex and have a shotgun wedding, get smart and fat and become a mac user, etc etc.
Pretty hilarious game. A lot of auction mechanics.
Everyone's win conditions are varying life-goals. Some are good. Some are bad. Almost all are hilarious.
Example, mine was to get super depressed and check myself into a mental hospital, have premarital sex and have a shotgun wedding, get smart and fat and become a mac user, etc etc.
Pretty hilarious game. A lot of auction mechanics.
StoOgE said:
yes, I bought pitchcar mini as I was concerned about the size of pitchcar.
Mini is diddy! I don't know how much bigger pitchcar is, but mini is tiny. We can use all the pieces in the standard box to make a track that'll fit on our coffee table. Its probably 3ft x 6ft.
The corners turn pretty quickly so 4x4 should be fine, but perhaps not for some of the long&thin tracks.
I have done some printable score sheets for 7 Wonders should anyone run out of them. I don#t think I am alowed to upload this to BGG because it is based on a scan of the original.
http://www.abload.de/img/7wonderspil5.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/7wonderspil5.jpg
joeyjoejoeshabadoo
Member
Yeah I own it, it's not bad. I find that the game can get a little fiddly at times but played with the right group it can be fun. My girlfriend likes the game more than I do. She equates it to an adult version of Life.Neverfade said:
The player boards are actually pretty ingenious. They track your various "vices" that you get by winning cards. Each vice track only has three spots if you gain more than three of a particular vice you lose your progress on another track. For example, if you go over the limit with drugs you will lose all your progress on the money track. It's a neat mechanic.
AstroLad said:
For sure. I've got it set out and went through a few basic moves last night. I'm going to try and teach it to a friend or the girlfriend next week. What kind of storage solution have you come up with? I'm thinking a couple of tackle/plano boxes and try and squeeze it all back into the original box. I'm still thinking about buying a couple of other armies (giant robots for sure).
I'm resolved to treat it like a board game and not get into the army-building side of it at all. My local nerd-emporium has monsterpocaplypse nights every Wed. 3 of them are "casual" play and the last week of the month is a tournament. As soon as I bought the box they started pushing pretty heavily for me to come check it out.
I'm pretty sure mini's and CCG's are where that store makes the most money because they have never tried to push me to come to their board game night or any of the comic book signings.
Nothing yet. Of course I only have the Voltron box currently (and even that is pretty insufficient). Once I get a "final" set, I'll probably do that and grab a Plano box or something. There's a thread on BGG about storage solutions but it's pretty lame and I didn't see a single novel idea in there. Most people seem to use the starter set boxes it seems. People say the figures are really sturdy but since two of my Voltron figures were snapped off (at the base thankfully) straight out of the box I'm not sure I trust that.StoOgE said:
AstroLad said:
A couple of my bits are actually pretty flimsy. The alien invaders have lots of bits that stick off from the main one that look like they could easily break off. (the units came with a soft plastic shell to keep them together in the box). So yeah, I'm going to find a storage solution for sure.
The terrasaur monsters on the otherhand look like they are built like tanks, but I would still like to avoid paint chipping since they look so awesome.
BattleMonkey
Member
I have tons of the figs, and I just dump them into plastic tool containers, no care for their safety.... never had any of them break. The plastic they use is pretty low grade, rubbery, and light so they don't tend to break easily. Only breakage I've had was figs out of the box/package when first getting them.
Well they want more people to play in stores, it encourages people to buy figs or see the crowds and want to join in. It's common with miniature games. Also stores that run events usually need people to also register and sign up for games as it brings in prize support from Privateer Press. Not enough sign ups and the store gets no support from Privateer, and also more sign ups bring in more freebies usually.
Board games don't really bring in that much repeat business, same with RPGs which usually involves one person buying the main product, and everyone else just keeps playing that persons copy of the game.
StoOgE said:
Well they want more people to play in stores, it encourages people to buy figs or see the crowds and want to join in. It's common with miniature games. Also stores that run events usually need people to also register and sign up for games as it brings in prize support from Privateer Press. Not enough sign ups and the store gets no support from Privateer, and also more sign ups bring in more freebies usually.
Board games don't really bring in that much repeat business, same with RPGs which usually involves one person buying the main product, and everyone else just keeps playing that persons copy of the game.
BattleMonkey
Member
AstroLad said:
Theres always the big board game buyers, but it's like my example with RPG stuff in that you get alot of groups who depend on one person to buy a game. Some stores do board game nights though and such, but the CCG stuff is usually what brings in the most consistent and repeat business for stores. Local game shop which I'm not a big fan of carries a bit of everything, but it's almost 24/7 packed with card gamers so the store rarely cares about trying to get other games running at it.
Oh yeah I know that collectible games are by far the biggest cash cow. One of the reasons why places like Snakes & Lattes or whatever it's called, the board-game cafe in Toronto, are so popular is that frankly most game shops aren't really welcoming to board gamers (because it doesn't seem to make much business sense given their existing setups, I totally understand).BattleMonkey said:
BattleMonkey said:
Makes perfect sense.. and if you get the mini or CCG gamer to get used to playing their games at your store, it also means they are very likely to be buying booster packs at your store. I've seen some of the tables of Warhammer/some other stuff I don't recognize and they are huge. Most people don't really have room in their house for them, so they have to come to the store to play them. Which means after their games are over they are more likely to go nab a couple of booster packs at the register.
Oddly enough, my store doesn't sell any second hand stuff. I am assuming that is to appease the publisher of the game who obviously wants people buying 20 booster packs to get that one missing unit and not just buying it second hand.
AstroLad said:
I think the issue with board games is most board gamers just aren't willing to pay B&M prices. If you know what Le Havre/Race for the Galaxy/insert some other nerdy game is, it means you probably know what funagaingames/CSI/insert online store is.
I just don't see why anyone would walk into a FLGS and buy Agricola for 70 dollars or Descent for nearly 100 when you can get them online for nearly half that price. I understand the B&M doesn't get the volume an online store will.. but they just can't compete. For most people that is also a dollar amount that is well above impulse purchase amounts.
On the other hand, a 15 dollar booster pack is going to be cheaper in person after you figure in shipping from an online store. So, they have found a market where they can compete with the online realtors and are pushing it.
BattleMonkey
Member
Selling 2nd hand stuff like singles is often not done because of how tough it is. One needs to depend on the cutomers to bring in the product to resell and in many game shops it's a very limited player base you are catering too. So generally it's only those shops that have online components that carry such items as they need a much broader audience to be buying and selling these items. Having a stock of figs for a game is usually not going to move much for just the local playerbase.
And yea board gaming is often seen as something used more for home gaming with close associates, mini/card games tend to involve people just showing up and matching up with random folks which works better or game stores.
Lot of stores just can't afford to give major discouts on products, again with the small player base problem that many deal with locally. Unlike online shops selling world wide, the local B&M store is mostly just selling to a niche group of people and reducing prices greatly is not gonna bring in tons of more business. Gaming in general makes shit money for stores as regular retail markup over wholesale pricing is about 40-45% only, and seling at 20% discount like online really makes it hard to pay the rent for a B&M location. It's always been an issue with stores and supporting them, you want to support your local shop if you play at it, but the hobbies can be too expensive to give it all your support.
Cool Stuff for example, is really a card gamer store if you go to it in person. You don't really see people playing anything other than CCG's almost all day every day at either of their two branches. But they are most well known for their board game sales, which is essentially their online precense for which they have a segment of the shop turned into a board game warehouse for.
And yea board gaming is often seen as something used more for home gaming with close associates, mini/card games tend to involve people just showing up and matching up with random folks which works better or game stores.
Lot of stores just can't afford to give major discouts on products, again with the small player base problem that many deal with locally. Unlike online shops selling world wide, the local B&M store is mostly just selling to a niche group of people and reducing prices greatly is not gonna bring in tons of more business. Gaming in general makes shit money for stores as regular retail markup over wholesale pricing is about 40-45% only, and seling at 20% discount like online really makes it hard to pay the rent for a B&M location. It's always been an issue with stores and supporting them, you want to support your local shop if you play at it, but the hobbies can be too expensive to give it all your support.
Cool Stuff for example, is really a card gamer store if you go to it in person. You don't really see people playing anything other than CCG's almost all day every day at either of their two branches. But they are most well known for their board game sales, which is essentially their online precense for which they have a segment of the shop turned into a board game warehouse for.
Looks like Be Not Afraid... is shipping from Days of Wonder along with Necromancer island.
So, I officially own every single Small World expansion again, and now I can get them all into one box after throwing away the main insert (but keep the boxes for races). So far, they have all been winners.. Be Not Afraid is just more races/powers so it should be a real winner. Necromancer island either has the ability to add a cooperative/common enemy dynamic to the game that could take it to the next level (and add a 6th player!).. or could be horribly broken mechanic that collects dust.
So, I officially own every single Small World expansion again, and now I can get them all into one box after throwing away the main insert (but keep the boxes for races). So far, they have all been winners.. Be Not Afraid is just more races/powers so it should be a real winner. Necromancer island either has the ability to add a cooperative/common enemy dynamic to the game that could take it to the next level (and add a 6th player!).. or could be horribly broken mechanic that collects dust.
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