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[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

whoo i didn't know you had the old roborally!

Yeah, I found it on craigslist when Roborally was out of print and there wasn't a rumor of it coming back into print. I got it for $30 too. Pewter robos, FTW.

How do you like Mystery Express?

I've been looking for a good Clue replacement game. I've had my eye on either that or Mr. Jack as a nice deduction game for a while. I've played Scotland Yard and wasn't totally crazy about that as a deduction game, and Mr. Jack being a 2 player game isn't really ideal.

I quite like it. Its basically advanced Clue without having to roll and move to search for clues. The way it works is that each leg of the trip you get x amount of hours to gather clues. Each train car has a different action to take and each action costs a number of hours to complete.

For example, in the sleeping car there is a bag token that someone conceals in one of their hands. You have to guess which hand the bag is in, if you are right the action costs two hours and you get to see a card of your choice. If you fail the action costs an hour and you get to see nothing.

The "rub" with the cards and why I think of it as advanced Clue is that you need to come up with who, what, where, when, how, and what time. Every category (except the time cards) has two of each card and you will need to see both in the same round before you can truly cross them off your list. The time cards are a little different as there are three of each and are only shown at three different intervals throughout the game.

The good thing about this is you really don't need to know the exact cards but as many of them as possible. Whoever has the most right at the end of the game is the winner. We played a game last week and I got them all right, which is a first for us.

If you are looking for a replacement for Clue I'd say go for it. It has similar mechanics as Clue so but it takes everything that kind of sucked about Clue out. It's also easy to get people to play since everybody is familiar with Clue.

Edit: We weren't too keen on Mr. Jack. It's an interesting game but it just fell flat with my girlfriend and I.

 

[BomberMouse]

Ok so my friends gifted me Stone Age for my birthday. We played a game but encountered one thing that stumped us and there did not seem to be anything in the rules against this playstyle. So I basically started getting for points right away, while my two friends just gathered resources without getting any points. In the rules there was nothing about negative points so they did not bother to get any food in the beginning. Did I miss something?

Some common rules clarifications:

• You do get negative points for not feeding you clan. (http://www.hans-im-glueck.de/105.0.html, under questions, translate it with google translate)
• You actually add 1 point at the end of the game for every resource you have. (for a long time I never realized this...)
• The endgame civ cards scoring mechanic has a few modifications on the official english ruleset. On the current english rules if you have 6 different civ cards you score (6x6), if you have 3 different cards twice you score (3x3 + 3x1). On the current HiN if you have 6 different civ cards you score (6x6), if you have 3 different cards twice you score (3x3 + 3x3).

 

[AstroLad]

We weren't too keen on Mr. Jack. It's an interesting game but it just fell flat with my girlfriend and I.

Yup Mr. Jack has the tendency to do that. It's b/c it's a hardcore seriously brainburning abstract disguised as something much lighter. As I've said before, we actually bought a chess timer for Mr. Jack to do something about the analysis paralysis that game provokes.

 

[CharlieDigital]

I'm looking for some recommendations for board games as I'm planning on picking up a few games for the holidays when we have company over. My go to game is Scrabble, but that shit gets too competitive between me and my sister :lol

Ideal board games:

* Fast paced; finish a game in 10-15 minutes; no more than 20 minutes
* 2 or 4 players
* Competitive, but easy enough even for newbies to get in and win
* Rules should be simple and easy to explain and easy to pick up
* Good for all ages, but appealing to adults (20+)
* Not overly complicated in terms of setup
* No trivia games

What I'm considering:
* Blokus
* Uno
* Qwirkle or...
* Qwirkle Cubes
* Catan?

Any others?

 

[StoOgE]

Catan isn't going to meet your time requirement. It is closer to 1-2 hours. A fun game though for sure.

Blokus and Qwirkle are supposed to be fun, but I don't really like abstract games.

I would suggest

Dominion - really fast playing easy to pick up game. Once you know what you are doing 15 minutes or so.
Ticket to Ride - 30 minutes or so gameplay up to 5 players - really simple game with some nice strategy
Forbidden Island - cooperative game that plays in about 30-45 minutes.

All 3 of these games are easy to pick up and play but still have solid strategy to them. You'll have more fun with these than Uno in my opinion.

 

[TheExodu5]

Dominion

 

[CharlieDigital]

Thanks for the recs. Still taking more

Gonna go see what this Dominion thing is all about.

Edit: Ticket to Ride looks like a winner.

 

[StoOgE]

Thanks for the recs. Still taking more

Gonna go see what this Dominion thing is all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ENsEhRbVIM

 

[AstroLad]

damn that is a stringent time requirement. for sale meets those requirements best off the top of my head, but you need at least 4 for it. carcassonne can play pretty fast as long as you don't incorporate any expansions, and you can play it 2-4. hey that's my fish meets all your requirements too. carc and fish are also very simple to learn. battle line and lost cities are both fast and easy but 2p only.

 

[CharlieDigital]

That's My Fish looks good, too.

Thanks for the recs.

 

[Schmattakopf]

Random question about Puerto Rico: do you keep your victory points hidden?

The rules say to hide them... but no matter why they want you to hide them, it seems pointless because you can still keep track of who's getting what during the shipping phase, and who's trading 1s for a 5 when we need them... which turns it into an annoying memory test, unless you're just not supposed to keep track either.

We will probably keep playing with them exposed because it seemed to work pretty well.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

That's My Fish looks good, too.

Thanks for the recs.

If you are looking for a card game Guillotine is also a quick and easy to play.
http://geekdo.com/boardgame/116/guillotine

 

[StoOgE]

Random question about Puerto Rico: do you keep your victory points hidden?

The rules say to hide them... but no matter why they want you to hide them, it seems pointless because you can still keep track of who's getting what during the shipping phase, and who's trading 1s for a 5 when we need them... which turns it into an annoying memory test, unless you're just not supposed to keep track either.

We will probably keep playing with them exposed because it seemed to work pretty well.

yeah, games that require "hidden" VPs usually just means you have to keep track of them in your head. I know I do :lol

Power Grid has the same problem. You are supposed to "hide" your money. But it's easier to have a banker and everyone can see how many plants you are firing.

 

[AstroLad]

yeah tigris & euphrates is the same. stupid mechanic imo; i always just play with public scoring. if someone wants to impress with their memory we can play busen memo

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

I usually just keep all my VPs in a pile next to me. It's pointless to hide them, especially in Puerto Rico.

 

[StoOgE]

Storage Porn from me.

My favorite/prettiest games make the bottom shelf of my living room.

The closet storage is new. Up until 2 months ago everything fit in my living room I think this is the same thing Astro is using from Target. It was by far the cheapest modular storage I could find, but I had to reinforce the shelf with 3 extra brackets to feel safe keeping them there. Over half of these are going away at BGG-Con and being replaced. I'll have to do a before/after.

 

[StoOgE]

Also,

I have to mention Micromutants is awesome.

I thrifted that one and was planning on dumping it completely until I played it. Awesome fun.

 

[Pepboy]

Stooge,

Do you mind giving impressions on Mall of Horror? Specifically, how do you feel it compares to Last Night on Earth? For LNoE, my group found itself a bit paralyzed by the number of decisions to make, which made it run slowly.

I see you posted about hoping to get Mall of Horror mid-september but I don't see any impressions. Apologies if I missed them. Thanks.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Storage Porn from me.

My favorite/prettiest games make the bottom shelf of my living room.

The closet storage is new. Up until 2 months ago everything fit in my living room I think this is the same thing Astro is using from Target. It was by far the cheapest modular storage I could find, but I had to reinforce the shelf with 3 extra brackets to feel safe keeping them there. Over half of these are going away at BGG-Con and being replaced. I'll have to do a before/after.

Nice work. I saw those shelves at Target as well but i ended up going for the cheap plastic storage shelves. Sturdy, cheap, and fit perfectly in the closet.

Did you ever play Twilight Struggle, btw? I was wondering what you thought of it compared to 1960.

 

[StoOgE]

Do you mind giving impressions on Mall of Horror? Specifically, how do you feel it compares to Last Night on Earth? For LNoE, my group found itself a bit paralyzed by the number of decisions to make, which made it run slowly..

It is a completely different game.

Mall of Horror is best described as Survivor: the boardgame with Zombies.

I really enjoy it.

Each player has 3 people. A woman (worth 7 points) a strongman (worth 5 points) and a gunman (worth 3 points).

There are 6 "rooms" on the board numbered 1-6. Each "room" can hold 3 people. At the beginning of each round a set of 6 dice is rolled. Each die rolled represents a zombie that will be added to the corresponding room.

Once there are more zombies in a room than there are survivors they break in and eat someone. The "strongman" counts as two people as far as whether or not the zombies break in. The 3 survivors in the room then vote secretly for which one of them will be eaten. If you have two people in the room you get two votes. The gunmen also counts as two votes.

One of the rooms (security room) is where the security chief is elected every turn. The survivors in that room vote for the security chief each round, and he rolls the dice to determine where the zombies are going to go. He is the only one who knows where the zombies are going to go. He can tell you where they are going but can not show you. Meaning he can lie to you and send you to your death.

After he has rolled the dice, but before placing zombies everyone get the chance to move one of their people to a different room. Everyone selects where they are going to move in secret and then reveals simultaneously. If a room you are moving to has 3 people in it already you have to go to the parking lot. The parking lot sucks. For every zombie in the parking lot, someone dies in the parking lot. So a lot of people can die quickly. The parking lot is also where you get power cards from if you survive.

There are other rules to the game, but it ends when there are only a few survivors left and whoever has the most points left (points your survivors are worth) wins.

So really the game turns into a game of alliances and trusting other players.. alliances break, are reformed. It's a good deal of fun as long as your group is down with people screwing each other over. Not a good game for people who get their feelings hurt easily or hold a grudge.

One of my favorite games for more social settings or for non-gamers. It is more of a social experiment than a traditional board game. There is still a lot of strategy and you can actually win the game even if everyone is always voting against you by having your people in the right place at the right time. I always manage to control the security badge and the parking lot. So I get a ton of cards, buy others votes with said cards and run the show.

 

[StoOgE]

Did you ever play Twilight Struggle, btw? I was wondering what you thought of it compared to 1960.

It hasn't got to the table. I've been having more success getting more people to come over and play games so my two player games are seeing less playtime. So I guess it's a good problem to have.

I'm planning/hoping to get a game or two in at BGG-Con. I'm really looking forward to it as I really like 1960.

 

[Unison]

I'm looking for some recommendations for board games as I'm planning on picking up a few games for the holidays when we have company over. My go to game is Scrabble, but that shit gets too competitive between me and my sister :lol

Ideal board games:

* Fast paced; finish a game in 10-15 minutes; no more than 20 minutes
* 2 or 4 players
* Competitive, but easy enough even for newbies to get in and win
* Rules should be simple and easy to explain and easy to pick up
* Good for all ages, but appealing to adults (20+)
* Not overly complicated in terms of setup
* No trivia games

What I'm considering:
* Blokus
* Uno
* Qwirkle or...
* Qwirkle Cubes
* Catan?

Any others?

Here are a slew of my favorite filler games... most are cheap (i.e. under $20).

Pickomino - Fun and competitive press-your-luck dice game, which lets you steal others' dice... technically accommodates up to 7 people, but I'd say 2-5 is the best range.

Jungle Speed (at least 3p) - a competitive & real time pattern recognition game, where you have to grab a totem from the center of the table when a match comes up

Slide 5 - a fairly chaotic card game where you're trying to avoid picking up cards with point symbols. There aren't normal turns... instead everyone reveals cards at once, and if a row of cards runs over, one is forced to take that row's cards.

Coloretto - a set collection card game... you want to collect as many cards as you can in three colors... any other colors that you collect will count negatively against your score. It has an interesting mechanic where cards are chosen from a shared pool.

Jaipur (2p only) - an elegant, trading game that uses cards & tokens. It captures the feeling of a board game with relatively simple components.

Pit (you really want at least 4p) - this classic card game tends to be rowdy. It has no structured turns, and encourages people to yell to each other, in hopes of finding a trade.

Fits - tetris as a board game, more or less... really easy to understand & goes over great with just about anyone, but it's harder than it seems.

Dixit (you really want at least 4 p) - a storytelling game that stresses creativity... it makes you and everyone else choose the card that best matches your description. the cards are revealed to the group, who then must determine which was being described.

No Thanks! (you really want at least 4 p) - A simple card game in which you must either take a card (giving you points you don't want) or play a chip. Surprisingly fun for what it is.

Battle Line (2p only) - extremely strategic 2 player game that has simple rules but endless agonizing decisions, almost from the first turn. To play well, you must watch every turn your opponent makes, hoping they'll be forced into bad moves before you are.

For Sale (at least 3p) - Simple auction game that involves accumulating money, then using said money to purchase the most valuable properties possible.

Zombie Dice - Stupidly simple press-your-luck dice game that anyone can learn immediately. Surprisingly fun though.

 

[Pepboy]

It is a completely different game.

Mall of Horror is best described as Survivor: the boardgame with Zombies.

I really enjoy it.

Each player has 3 people. A woman (worth 7 points) a strongman (worth 5 points) and a gunman (worth 3 points).

There are 6 "rooms" on the board numbered 1-6. Each "room" can hold 3 people. At the beginning of each round a set of 6 dice is rolled. Each die rolled represents a zombie that will be added to the corresponding room.

Once there are more zombies in a room than there are survivors they break in and eat someone. The "strongman" counts as two people as far as whether or not the zombies break in. The 3 survivors in the room then vote secretly for which one of them will be eaten. If you have two people in the room you get two votes. The gunmen also counts as two votes.

One of the rooms (security room) is where the security chief is elected every turn. The survivors in that room vote for the security chief each round, and he rolls the dice to determine where the zombies are going to go. He is the only one who knows where the zombies are going to go. He can tell you where they are going but can not show you. Meaning he can lie to you and send you to your death.

After he has rolled the dice, but before placing zombies everyone get the chance to move one of their people to a different room. Everyone selects where they are going to move in secret and then reveals simultaneously. If a room you are moving to has 3 people in it already you have to go to the parking lot. The parking lot sucks. For every zombie in the parking lot, someone dies in the parking lot. So a lot of people can die quickly. The parking lot is also where you get power cards from if you survive.

There are other rules to the game, but it ends when there are only a few survivors left and whoever has the most points left (points your survivors are worth) wins.

So really the game turns into a game of alliances and trusting other players.. alliances break, are reformed. It's a good deal of fun as long as your group is down with people screwing each other over. Not a good game for people who get their feelings hurt easily or hold a grudge.

One of my favorite games for more social settings or for non-gamers. It is more of a social experiment than a traditional board game. There is still a lot of strategy and you can actually win the game even if everyone is always voting against you by having your people in the right place at the right time. I always manage to control the security badge and the parking lot. So I get a ton of cards, buy others votes with said cards and run the show.

Thank you for the very in-depth impressions! It sounds like something I'd like to try, my main concern was that it was too tactical, but the voting aspect sounds really interesting. I play with a lot of non-gamers so this sounds like a good choice. Thanks again.

 

[StoOgE]

Thank you for the very in-depth impressions! It sounds like something I'd like to try, my main concern was that it was too tactical, but the voting aspect sounds really interesting. I play with a lot of non-gamers so this sounds like a good choice. Thanks again.

It is very non-gamer friendly as it is extremely rule lite.

It can be a little hard to track down since it is OOP, but I was able to get it for under MSRP.

 

[Schmattakopf]

yeah, games that require "hidden" VPs usually just means you have to keep track of them in your head. I know I do :lol

Power Grid has the same problem. You are supposed to "hide" your money. But it's easier to have a banker and everyone can see how many plants you are firing.

yeah tigris & euphrates is the same. stupid mechanic imo; i always just play with public scoring. if someone wants to impress with their memory we can play busen memo

I usually just keep all my VPs in a pile next to me. It's pointless to hide them, especially in Puerto Rico.

I definitely agree, but at the same time, I feel like ganging up on the person who's winning (which ends up happening every game for us) doesn't really help the gameplay. It's almost like kingmaking because the person in second place ends up being in first place with the help of the other three players.

I don't know if that's the reason they want them hidden, but it certainly happens.

 

[StoOgE]

I definitely agree, but at the same time, I feel like ganging up on the person who's winning (which ends up happening every game for us) doesn't really help the gameplay. It's almost like kingmaking because the person in second place ends up being in first place with the help of the other three players.

I don't know if that's the reason they want them hidden, but it certainly happens.

yeah, it can happen if the group is playing that way. at the same time, you need to know who is in first place, because it behooves the third place player to work with the 2nd place player to try and extend the game. Temporary alliances to try and give the others a chance to catch up is a great part of gaming.

Where it becomes a problem is when people are ganging up on the first place player without an eye towards trying to actually win the game.

My main problem is several of my friends know they aren't ever going to beat me so they all gang up on me to try and make sure someone else wins a given game. They rarely do :lol

 

[Flynn]

Just watched a copy of Antiquity for for $220 on Ebay. I definitely waiting for a reprint at this rate.

 

[Chorazin]

Played some AMAZING games of Last Night on Earth on Saturday. This was with a group I usually play D&D with, but we decided to take a break and play some board games. It was very refreshing to play with a group that worked TOGETHER, unlike my other board game group that would almost inevitably split up, get surrounded by zombies, and then cry about how the game was unfair. :lol

The highlight of the night was in game two, where we did the Get to the Truck! scenario. I was the zombies, and around 7 or 6 on the Sun Track, Jake Cartwright the drifter, pulled Just What I Needed and grabbed the gas can. Billy had the keys from turn one, so they all made a beeline for the truck. Jake, Billy, Amanda and Sam all end their turn on the truck, so they had to survive one more Zombie turn, as Jake needs to start his turn on the truck to discard the gas can and win the scenario. Here's how it played out on their turn:

Amanda: Jake! Fill up the truck, the zombies are closing in!

Jake: I would....but baby, This Could Be Our Last Night.. and my unwashed hobo junk need some sweet, sweet Prom Queen poonany! And I'm not giving up this gas until I get me some!

Sam and Billy look on in horror as a filthy hobo plows the Prom Queen in the back of the truck as the zombies creep ever closer

This Could Be Our Last Night.. is a Zombie Event that is played at the start of the Heroes turn to force a male and a female character on the same space to give up their entire turn, they cannot take any actions, because they are getting freaky! :lol :lol :lol

 

[BattleMonkey]

I thought the "last night" card required the male and female to be in the same building together

 

[Chorazin]

I thought the "last night" card required the male and female to be in the same building together

Nah, it's the same space. From the Flying Frog wiki: Play this card at the start of the Hero Turn, Choose any Male and Female pair of characters in the same space. Both characters lose their Hero Turn (may not do anything at all - they do not need to fight Zombies there).

 

[Rei_Toei]

I had a blast with Citadels (it's known as Machiavelli in Europe) the other day. I read on Wiki there's an add-on. Right now we're content with just the basic roles, but is the extension solid or destabilizing (as add-ons sometime can be)?

 

[dogbert]

I had a blast with Citadels (it's known as Machiavelli in Europe) the other day. I read on Wiki there's an add-on. Right now we're content with just the basic roles, but is the extension solid or destabilizing (as add-ons sometime can be)?

The expansion is another set of roles, some of which need to be used in conjunction (there's a Queen that needs the King to work for example). Most people pick & choose them - they complicate the game a little/allow for more rule tweaks.

There's plenty of discussions on the Geek about which to use/when to use etc. Honestly, I've owned Citadels for about five years and I've barely played with the expansion roles - it's just easier to teach with the base set.

 

[Neo Child]

There isnt a rulebook online for the Waddingtons board game Ulcers is there?

Bought it at a car boot sale for 50p and no manual.

 

[AstroLad]

Nah, it's the same space. From the Flying Frog wiki: Play this card at the start of the Hero Turn, Choose any Male and Female pair of characters in the same space. Both characters lose their Hero Turn (may not do anything at all - they do not need to fight Zombies there).

That's awesome. It's funny how LNOE really lends itself to creating scenarios like that.

 

[StoOgE]

There isnt a rulebook online for the Waddingtons board game Ulcers is there?

Bought it at a car boot sale for 50p and no manual.

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2517/ulcers

Your best bet is to post in these forums.

 

[StoOgE]

This Could Be Our Last Night.. is a Zombie Event that is played at the start of the Heroes turn to force a male and a female character on the same space to give up their entire turn, they cannot take any actions, because they are getting freaky! :lol :lol :lol

I had this card played on me, and the very next turn they played the card where to characters on the same space get into an argument and can't do anything.

So clearly we had some kind of lovers quarrell :lol

 

[Schmattakopf]

yeah, it can happen if the group is playing that way. at the same time, you need to know who is in first place, because it behooves the third place player to work with the 2nd place player to try and extend the game. Temporary alliances to try and give the others a chance to catch up is a great part of gaming.

Where it becomes a problem is when people are ganging up on the first place player without an eye towards trying to actually win the game.

My main problem is several of my friends know they aren't ever going to beat me so they all gang up on me to try and make sure someone else wins a given game. They rarely do :lol

I guess the best thing to do is to convince those playing that ganging up doesn't always behoove everyone.

 

[ant_]

What are some good games for 6-8 people? My floor (dorming) has been playing Bang! and Citadel. Does anyone know any other good games?

 

[AstroLad]

What are some good games for 6-8 people? My floor (dorming) has been playing Bang! and Citadel. Does anyone know any other good games?

Party:
Time's Up!
Say Anything
For Sale
Wits & Wagers

Strategic:
RoboRally
Last Night on Earth
Battlestar Galactica
Formula D

Dexterity:
PitchCar

 

[StoOgE]

Party:
Time's Up!
Say Anything
For Sale
Wits & Wagers

Strategic:
RoboRally
Last Night on Earth
Battlestar Galactica
Formula D

Dexterity:
PitchCar

I'll second all of those. I'm not crazy about Formula D however.

 

[AstroLad]

I think Formula D is a game mostly for racingheads. If your friends are into autoracing, you'll likely love it. Otherwise much less so.

PitchCar is more fun anyway.

 

[ant_]

I think I'm gonna go for Last Night on Earth. Sounds fun

 

[StoOgE]

I think Formula D is a game mostly for racingheads. If your friends are into autoracing, you'll likely love it. Otherwise much less so.

PitchCar is more fun anyway.

That's what I was thinking too. I am a huge F1 fan but it just didn't work for me. The gear mechanics even sound like they would be a ton of fun with different dice and whatnot.. but when I played it it just didn't click.

Could have been that I was playing a mamoth game with 10 or so players and there was too much downtime that did it for me.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Our group has a blast with Formula D, even bringing in random casuals like the wives into it. None of use care at all about racing.

 

[jason10mm]

My copy of Labyrinth just showed up! Hooray! Probably be a few weeks before I play it, but nice to have it.

Gotta love GMT. They scotch taped a ziplock baggie to the game, all for a little slip of paper with some rulebook corrections What poor bastard had to do that for 1000+ games?

 

[usea]

We played 1 game each of Infinite City and Power Grid. Nobody liked IC at all, but PG was a big success. I can't wait to play it again.

 

[Neverfade]

Christmas came early, Civilization is in stock at CSI and will be here friday!

Also, death to infidels (aka infinite city haters)

 

[StoOgE]

So, I've been reading about a game Perikles that I'm buying at the Con.

I knew nothing about it other than Martin Walace + top 300 BGG game + 15 dollars. Seemed like a good deal to me.

Turns out this game is the Ameritrash/Euro hybrid I was joking about. There is a typical Euro style Martin Wallace chittastic component involving resource management and influence creation that determines the number of troups you get for the crazy dice rolling ameritrash phase that follows.

Looks like it could be a winner.

 

[fenners]

So, I've been reading about a game Perikles that I'm buying at the Con.

I knew nothing about it other than Martin Walace + top 300 BGG game + 15 dollars. Seemed like a good deal to me.

Turns out this game is the Ameritrash/Euro hybrid I was joking about. There is a typical Euro style Martin Wallace chittastic component involving resource management and influence creation that determines the number of troups you get for the crazy dice rolling ameritrash phase that follows.

Looks like it could be a winner.

I've got a sealed copy on my shelf waiting to be played. Quite a few Wallace games are weird hybrids like that.

 

[StoOgE]

I've got a sealed copy on my shelf waiting to be played. Quite a few Wallace games are weird hybrids like that.

Well Wallace makes strange decisions based on historical reality that aren't necessarily streamlined as well as say Knizia would.

He abstracts the theme to the point that it isn't a "thematic" game, but he doesn't abstract it completely and leaves strange rules in place just to serve the theme justice. The Canal vs. Rail period in Brass fits this bill for sure. It is as fiddly a mechanic as you can think of, but makes sense historically.

The one strange thing about Perikles is you are allowed to control both Sparta and Athens at once which makes no historical sense at all. From what I can tell on BGG most people created a house rule forbidding it and it doesn't affect gameplay much.