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[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

hows the game of thrones game? or Mage knight?

Game of Thrones is Risk for people who hate Risk. Meaning, dudes on a map, no turtling, simple diceless combat rules, and a definite end. It's a great game that has a couple flaws that the second edition tries to correct but there are still issues with it. I won't go into it too much but I think there is a problem with how supply (dictates the size of and quantity of armies) and muster (allows players to add more troops on the map) is resolved. The second edition is light years better at handling this problem than the first edition but it's still my biggest gripe with the game.

Mage Knight is really cool but hard as balls. Like Phthisis said, every turn is like a puzzle. It will take players a little bit to wrap their heads around the most efficient way to complete their task, be it taking over a city, fighting a monster, or even just navigating a map. It's a hard game that hurts my head just thinking about it.

 

[AstroLad]

I enjoy almost all the mechanics in Game of Thrones (wish there was a little more luck, but that's purely personal preference -- ironically the one major bit of luck that does exist in the game muster/supply is seriously annoying) but to me that game is two hours too long. And no I don't care about the hypo where you have six people all of who know the game inside-out and don't have AP who can play it in 120m. That's just never going to be reality for me, so I sold the game and even after I sold it got suckered into playing a game and regretted it deeply five hours in (who everyone agreed on quitting, even the guy who said GoT was literally his favorite game ever).

 

[platypotamus]

I enjoy almost all the mechanics in Game of Thrones (wish there was a little more luck, but that's purely personal preference -- ironically the one major bit of luck that does exist in the game muster/supply is seriously annoying) but to me that game is two hours too long. And no I don't care about the hypo where you have six people all of who know the game inside-out and don't have AP who can play it in 120m. That's just never going to be reality for me, so I sold the game and even after I sold it got suckered into playing a game and regretted it deeply five hours in (who everyone agreed on quitting, even the guy who said GoT was literally his favorite game ever).

 

[timetokill]

I enjoy almost all the mechanics in Game of Thrones (wish there was a little more luck, but that's purely personal preference -- ironically the one major bit of luck that does exist in the game muster/supply is seriously annoying) but to me that game is two hours too long. And no I don't care about the hypo where you have six people all of who know the game inside-out and don't have AP who can play it in 120m. That's just never going to be reality for me, so I sold the game and even after I sold it got suckered into playing a game and regretted it deeply five hours in (who everyone agreed on quitting, even the guy who said GoT was literally his favorite game ever).

Playing with Tides of War adds in quite a bit of luck, not sure if you were doing that. My group does that when we play it.

It shouldn't take 5 hours though, it's never taken me that long except for the first time I played it with my family, who had never played a board game more complicated than Monopoly.

With my normal group it's a 3.5 hour game max.

And yeah, if mustering/supply doesn't come up, it can seriously fuck your game. Some houses really rely on it. It's my only serious issue with the game. Well that and it's only fun with 6 players.

 

[TheFightingFish]

I just impulse picked up the 1-2 player Lord of the Rings cooperative card game since it was a damaged box special at my local Uncles Games. Did I do a good thing? I seem to recall that this was one of the good ones, but there are like a ton of LoTR games, so I'm not sure.

 

[Phthisis]

I just impulse picked up the 1-2 player Lord of the Rings cooperative card game since it was a damaged box special at my local Uncles Games. Did I do a good thing? I seem to recall that this was one of the good ones, but there are like a ton of LoTR games, so I'm not sure.

Really great game, really well designed, artwork is gorgeous, but it's hard as nails. Also, you will get more mileage out of it if you have a co-op partner to play with, though playing solo does present some pretty satisfying challenges of a different variety.

 

[TheFightingFish]

Really great game, really well designed, artwork is gorgeous, but it's hard as nails. Also, you will get more mileage out of it if you have a co-op partner to play with, though playing solo does present some pretty satisfying challenges of a different variety.

Awesome, yeah the co-op partner is easy. I actually picked it up without really knowing what it was just because of the 2 player co-op focus. My wife and I do some boardgames with friends, but we also play a bunch together and I was looking for something that we could play when we didn't feel like going head to head. It looks like it might be a bit more complex than she usually enjoys, but she likes LoTR, so I'm pretty sure if will be a good fit for us. I'll report back after we've gotten a session or two in.

 

[Neverfade]

I don't even know how a 5 hour game of GoT is even possible. Even our first game full of new people was only 3.

 

[Jables Swan]

I don't even know how a 5 hour game of GoT is even possible. Even our first game full of new people was only 3.

Yeah I agree. You've got to be doing something wrong to get to 5 hours in that game I reckon.

 

[RayStorm]

Just a quick Essen question: Are the prices for games lower there than later in retail in Germany?

 

[AstroLad]

I don't even know how a 5 hour game of GoT is even possible. Even our first game full of new people was only 3.

BGG average is 3 hours so I dunno; doesn't seem to be that much of an outlier. Maybe when you get more people you get more AP possibilities.

 

[narcosis219]

I don't even know how a 5 hour game of GoT is even possible. Even our first game full of new people was only 3.

Yeah I agree. You've got to be doing something wrong to get to 5 hours in that game I reckon.

To be fair, newbies at chess play way faster than grand masters.

 

[timetokill]

BGG average is 3 hours so I dunno; doesn't seem to be that much of an outlier. Maybe when you get more people you get more AP possibilities.

OH!

That reminds me. We have one guy that takes forever to make his moves in any game.

What we did for Game of Thrones, and what made it move at a great clip, was give a time limit for order placement. We base it on what round it is, since the earlier rounds should move more quickly based on the fact that there's less to work with.

Round 1 - 1 minute
Round 2 - 2 minutes
Round 3 - 3 minutes
Round 4+ - 4 minutes

Works like a charm and keeps things moving at a good clip.

 

[Flynn]

Grats on Lost Valley! You're making me broke, dude.

 

[Xater]

Fuuuuuck. Just watch Christian Marcussen unbox Clash of Cultures. I wish I'd gotten Xater to nab me one now! Looks amazing.

Oh yeah that game was also really popular in Essen. Would not surprise me if it was sold out on the first day. The German version of Descent 2.0 they flew in just for the con was almost sold out within the first 2 hours as well. I only saw 2 copies left when I came by their booth.

 

[Neverfade]

To be fair, newbies at chess play way faster than grand masters.

I'm certainly no newjack when it comes to GoT.

 

[AlphaTwo00]

Yeah I agree. You've got to be doing something wrong to get to 5 hours in that game I reckon.

I've had games run to 5 also. Mind you, we didn't quite know what we were doing.

But then we also reckon that if everyone is all in and fully using their turn to attack, defend, make deals and such, it can definitely stretch into that range. Even when we knew what we were doing, we'd had rounds where people were doing battle on multiple fronts, which created plenty of cascading battlegrounds among other people who didn't even think they were going to be the fight at first.

Can anyone tell me anything about any of these games? A friend is asking and was wondering if anyone's tried any of them.

Colonia
Condotierre
Cutthroat caverns
Dos rios
Egizia

 

[Xater]

The more X-Wing I play the more i like it. It is pretty much perfect for people like me who like miniature games like Warhammer 40k but don't want to bother with all the bullshit. The rules are very straight forward and expanding the game through new ships is easy and not that expensive. When I think about what some of my non painted miniatures in Warhammer 40k cost it's a steal. I also think that the theme really comes through, not just from the looks but also from the gameplay.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

I've had games run to 5 also. Mind you, we didn't quite know what we were doing.

But then we also reckon that if everyone is all in and fully using their turn to attack, defend, make deals and such, it can definitely stretch into that range. Even when we knew what we were doing, we'd had rounds where people were doing battle on multiple fronts, which created plenty of cascading battlegrounds among other people who didn't even think they were going to be the fight at first.

Can anyone tell me anything about any of these games? A friend is asking and was wondering if anyone's tried any of them.

Colonia
Condotierre
Cutthroat caverns
Dos rios
Egizia

Egizia is a solid euro but bland as shit. There are a couple people in my game group that absolutely love it but I found it boring. Mechanically it is a solid game but there are a million other worker placement games that have solid mechanics that don't bore me to tears.

 

[Xater]

Just a quick Essen question: Are the prices for games lower there than later in retail in Germany?

For the most part yes.

 

[fallout]

Awesome, yeah the co-op partner is easy. I actually picked it up without really knowing what it was just because of the 2 player co-op focus. My wife and I do some boardgames with friends, but we also play a bunch together and I was looking for something that we could play when we didn't feel like going head to head. It looks like it might be a bit more complex than she usually enjoys, but she likes LoTR, so I'm pretty sure if will be a good fit for us. I'll report back after we've gotten a session or two in.

My girlfriend and I binge on the game every now and then, making new decks and trying out some scenarios that we haven't beaten. It's a lot of fun, but it can definitely be cruel.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

The more X-Wing I play the more i like it. It is pretty much perfect for people like me who like miniature games like Warhammer 40k but don't want to bother with all the bullshit. The rules are very straight forward and expanding the game through new ships is easy and not that expensive. When I think about what some of my non painted miniatures in Warhammer 40k cost it's a steal. I also think that the theme really comes through, not just from the looks but also from the gameplay.

Damn you Xater! I really want it, I've had it in my hands 3 times and I always seem to put it back.

 

[Xater]

Damn you Xater! I really want it, I've had it in my hands 3 times and I always seem to put it back.

Come to the dark side my friend!

Seriously I might be addicted to the game. I have been playing it every day since I bought it. Today will probably be no different. Grandma is coming over for my birthday but I am still planing to squeeze in a game with my girlfriend.

 

[Neverfade]

Happy Birthday, X.

 

[GDJustin]

Latest CSI order is here:

I now own every single LotR: LCG product. It's kind of stupidly expensive to "catch up" on an LCG like this (even at CSI's low prices, there's ~$210 worth of LotR LCG packs now), but at least now I'm only in for around $10 a month.

And as I've said before, the co-op structure of LotR makes these adventure packs very easy for me to swallow. With Netrunner or another LCG, if you aren't competitive, it seems kind of hard to justify the monthly packs. It's not advancing a story or giving you something specifically new to play. It's just giving you a small number of "power" card worth owning, and then a bunch of situational filler you don't even really need.

I'm a big believer in the LCG format. I genuinely think that when (if?) Magic's popularity wains, it can make the transition, too. It's just smarter and friendlier. BUT... you trade one set of problems for another. Instead of $15 rares, you have to buy a monthly $15 pack just to get at a couple money cards. So eh.

 

[timetokill]

Whyyyyyy does CSI use FedEx Ground... they suck

Once again my FedEx delivery doesn't appear on the scheduled date, and the "estimated delivery" field disappears off the tracker.

*sigh*

 

[Keasar]

It looks like Plaid Hat is making a Bioshock Infinite game. The announcement was snuck in the press release for the collectors edition of Bioshock Infinite.

http://www.bioshockinfinite.com/collector/

I know Ken Levine is a board game fan and Plaid Hat is a solid company, so there's a good chance the game will turn out good.

Did some reading up on the game from a interview article on The Verge and it does sound pretty interesting. A board game that isn't a straight translation of the video game but seem to do its own take on the Bioshock Infinite world.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Whyyyyyy does CSI use FedEx Ground... they suck

Once again my FedEx delivery doesn't appear on the scheduled date, and the "estimated delivery" field disappears off the tracker.

*sigh*

Well it's them or UPS, and both suck balls.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

Latest CSI order is here:

just seeing that Netrunner box gives me the itch to play!

<3 Netrunner

 

[AstroLad]

Hosted a game day on Saturday and we got through a fantastic amount of games -- all quite successfully.

Ascension Storm of Souls: Got back into this now that I've finally bothered to learn the best way to shuffle sleeved cards. Unfortunately the Ascension sleeves aren't quite as nice as my Dragon Shields on my Netrunner decks but they work. It's funny how just the prospect of shuffling a 100+-card deck will make you stay away from a game (hellooooo Race for the Galaxy). But it's a fun quick game.

Last Night on Earth: Hadn't played this in a while, so it was fun to get it out. And we were going to have 5-6 which is where LNOE really shines. I got stomped because we played Escape in the Truck and the Heroes got insanely good pulls but it was still fun, and due to the power of certain Zombie cards you always have a chance. Definitely going to learn more scenarios for the next time though.

Alien Frontiers: Literally had not even punched my original copy but I'd played this a few times at game nights and liked it quite a bit save for the analysis paralysis in the later rounds. Felt the same about it this time as well. Really fun mechanics and quite good if you have a group that can move at a fairly brisk pace and is comfortable making turns without reviewing every single permutation first (which we did). The Holographic Decoy (prevent attacks) completely saved me. AF is a lot more of a social game than I think people give it credit for, since the game really often comes down to whose materials & cards get raided. It's also a swarm-the-leader kind of game, but my Decoy and rolls protected me by the time that happened.

No Thanks!: Another recent acquisition. Fun super-light card & poker-chips game. Tokens give you the ability to pass on a card that's out or you have to eat the card but you get the tokens paid to it by others. Pretty basic and also quite social.

Flash Point: Fire Rescue: Ended the night on this. Had a good time though the real rules (non-family) are a lot finickier than I thought they would be. Definitely going to give it another go as it feels like Pandemic but more urgent because you have firefighters and kitties instead of this weird abstract global puzzle. (I like Pandemic.) Ghost Stories is still my favorite co-op by far though.

 

[XShagrath]

I played a couple new games over the weekend as well.

Last Will - A fun little worker placement game about going bankrupt, essentially Brewster's Millions: The Game. It was odd trying to lose all my money in the game, rather than trying to gain heaps and heaps of money as you would in most games.

Trajan - A very euro euro. Stefan Feld is probably my favorite designer, so I enjoyed it quite a bit. I fucked up four of the rules, but we played it mostly right. Three of the ones that were screwed up didn't amount to much, but the last one definitely would have made the game run a lot smoother. Still a fun time though.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

I played a couple new games over the weekend as well.

Last Will - A fun little worker placement game about going bankrupt, essentially Brewster's Millions: The Game. It was odd trying to lose all my money in the game, rather than trying to gain heaps and heaps of money as you would in most games.

Last Will is awesome and needs more love here. Get on it people!

Trajan - A very euro euro. Stefan Feld is probably my favorite designer, so I enjoyed it quite a bit. I fucked up four of the rules, but we played it mostly right. Three of the ones that were screwed up didn't amount to much, but the last one definitely would have made the game run a lot smoother. Still a fun time though.

This one looks really interesting. The game was played in my group a couple of weeks ago and the biggest complaint was, it took awhile to wrap your head around the mancala mechanic and to get it to work in your favor.

 

[Xater]

Have you guys checked out the GeekBuzz from Essen on BGG?

http://boardgamegeek.com/geekbuzz/overview/essen2012

Guess I am not the only one who loved Escape. Suburbia also seems to be a great pick-up and I guess joejoe and Neverfade will be vey happy with Tzolkin once they get them

Now I am kinda sad that I did not try out Tokaido. My GF wanted to because she liked the artwork so much but I was tired already.

 

[AstroLad]

Man, the Big Game was an utter disaster. Should've just gone to your game day. :/

Yes you should have!

We also played RoboRally, almost forgot to mention. A really close finish with multiple robot deaths, so basically a great game of RR.

 

[XShagrath]

Last Will is awesome and needs more love here. Get on it people!
This one looks really interesting. The game was played in my group a couple of weeks ago and the biggest complaint was, it took awhile to wrap your head around the mancala mechanic and to get it to work in your favor.

It took a couple turns, but I was able to pull a few combos near the end. It was definitely a brainburner though. I was like "Oh, so I move these this turn, and then I can line up the others the next turn" not realizing that the seonc tray I needed to move from was going to have an additional marker after I moved the first one. Several moments of "Noooooooo!", but I enjoyed it immensely.

At this point, I'd still say Castles of Burgundy is my favorite Feld, just because it's easy to get people into. But this one might overtake that if I can get in some more plays. Has anyone played any of his other ones? The only other one I have is Macao and I enjoy that one a lot as well.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

It took a couple turns, but I was able to pull a few combos near the end. It was definitely a brainburner though. I was like "Oh, so I move these this turn, and then I can line up the others the next turn" not realizing that the seonc tray I needed to move from was going to have an additional marker after I moved the first one. Several moments of "Noooooooo!", but I enjoyed it immensely.

At this point, I'd still say Castles of Burgundy is my favorite Feld, just because it's easy to get people into. But this one might overtake that if I can get in some more plays. Has anyone played any of his other ones? The only other one I have is Macao and I enjoy that one a lot as well.

I own both Pillars of the Earth: Builders Duel and Notre Dame. I haven't played Notre Dame yet, but Builders Duel is one of my favorite two player games. If you are looking for a two player only game that's a really good one.

 

[Neverfade]

Luna is an incredibly underrated Feld. It's probably not my favorite one, but it's definitely worth checking out. Fairly unique theme and mechanics, and the components are very solid. I believe it's back in print as of Essen (or soon to be).

 

[cooltrainer]

How is 2-player Agricola? What number does it play best with? I'm kind of on the fence with it and I'm looking for some games that play well with 2(maybe 3) players.

 

[BomberMouse]

How is 2-player Agricola? What number does it play best with? I'm kind of on the fence with it and I'm looking for some games that play well with 2(maybe 3) players.

I played it mostly with 2 players. IMHO it was great, played in about an hour, and had lot of opportunities to actually plan ahead.

I'm curious about all creatures big and small and how it plays, I missed the first print of the game.

 

[Xater]

I played it mostly with 2 players. IMHO it was great, played in about an hour, and had lot of opportunities to actually plan ahead.

I'm curious about all creatures big and small and how it plays, I missed the first print of the game.

If you have real Agricola I don't think it's necessary to own. A two player Agricola game is still pretty quick.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Anyone else looking forward to City of Horror? It's essentially a remake of Mall of Horror which went OOP long ago and fetched quite a high price to aquire.

 

[Neverfade]

Anyone else looking forward to City of Horror? It's essentially a remake of Mall of Horror which went OOP long ago and fetched quite a high price to aquire.

Indeed. Today was apparently release day. Seen it in stock anywhere?

 

[BattleMonkey]

Indeed. Today was apparently release day. Seen it in stock anywhere?

None of the US main retailers or FRP who tend to get everything first have it yet. Saw review just get posted for it so it should be soon. Probably later this week it should start hitting most places.

 

[Smiley90]

Indeed. Today was apparently release day. Seen it in stock anywhere?

My local retailer in Vancouver, BC, apparently has 2 in stock (at 44.-) if that's the game you're talking about:

http://www.starlitcitadel.com/games/city-of-horror.html

 

[platypotamus]

My local retailer in Vancouver, BC, apparently has 2 in stock (at 44.-) if that's the game you're talking about:

http://www.starlitcitadel.com/games/city-of-horror.html

True story: When I was in Vancouver last month, I noticed this place on google maps, and tried to find it to do some board game shopping, but it doesn't really have a store, just the online one.

 

[Smiley90]

True story: When I was in Vancouver last month, I noticed this place on google maps, and tried to find it to do some board game shopping, but it doesn't really have a store, just the online one.

True story: I know, that's why it's so cheap. They have a pickup location in Downtown (in Gastown, to be more precise), so if you don't like delivery, you can always order online and go pick it up in person. They save money on having no store, only some kind of "warehouse" where you pick stuff up, and they're cheap. They're also a tiny team. When I ordered my games and went to pick it up, I saw like 2 people working, and one of them was the girl who does the video reviews. Their team can't be much bigger than 5 people or so.

 

[narcosis219]

True story: When I was in Vancouver last month, I noticed this place on google maps, and tried to find it to do some board game shopping, but it doesn't really have a store, just the online one.

It's more of a warehouse. You can do pickups via online ordering. I don't think they really let people drop in randomly cause they aren't there all the time.

Also, it's a sketchy back alley LOL. One time I went for a pick up a hooker was at the door peeing. I was like the FUCK is this and walked around gas town for a good 15 mins before going back. Point is, don't wear your nice shoes to pick up games from there...

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

It's more of a warehouse. You can do pickups via online ordering. I don't think they really let people drop in randomly cause they aren't there all the time.

Also, it's a sketchy back alley LOL. One time I went for a pick up a hooker was at the door peeing. I was like the FUCK is this and walked around gas town for a good 15 mins before going back. Point is, don't wear your nice shoes to pick up games from there...

CANADA!

 

[Phthisis]

True story: I know, that's why it's so cheap. They have a pickup location in Downtown (in Gastown, to be more precise), so if you don't like delivery, you can always order online and go pick it up in person. They save money on having no store, only some kind of "warehouse" where you pick stuff up, and they're cheap. They're also a tiny team. When I ordered my games and went to pick it up, I saw like 2 people working, and one of them was the girl who does the video reviews. Their team can't be much bigger than 5 people or so.

They have a YouTube channel (StarlitCitadel). I actually met one of the girls at PAX; they're super enthusiastic about games. Shame it's not an actual store.

In other news, Mage Wars showed up today. YESSSSSSSSSSS

 

[BomberMouse]

If you have real Agricola I don't think it's necessary to own. A two player Agricola game is still pretty quick.

The thing is, I don't really have agricola anymore so I'm looking for a nice replacement. I think I'll look into it.