Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

KK
Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
35152 2
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
20833 0
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
7420 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
3978 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
3504 0
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
2078 0
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
2584 0

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
2255 0
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
2498 0
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
3018 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
1973 0
S
Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
3695 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
2625 0
O
oliverkinne
October 10, 2023
2462 0
O
oliverkinne
October 09, 2023
2291 0
O
oliverkinne
October 06, 2023
2507 0

Outback Crossing Review

Board Game Reviews
×
Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.

× Talk about the latest and greatest AT, and the Classics.

Let's talk DUEL OF AGES II

More
08 Feb 2014 22:16 #171580 by Josh Look
So I've played the game a few times, each of the training scenarios and the first "real" mission once. The training missions, despite the definite feeling of missing out on something, were still a blast. But when I sat down to play the Rush mission, the game didn't quite click the way I was hoping it would. For one, the game was WAY too long for how goofy and random it is. Eight characters was a bit much, too, since it was only a two player game.

I'm fully aware of the game's ability to be tweaked to your liking, so I want to know some of the stuff you guys have tried that really worked, what didn't? What kind of objectives do you set, etc, etc.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
09 Feb 2014 10:23 #171588 by Josh Look
Alright, totally forgot about the Master Rulebook they have online. I've got tons of ideas now.
The following user(s) said Thank You: wkover

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
09 Feb 2014 12:34 - 09 Feb 2014 12:37 #171591 by wkover
This game is at the top of my "want to play" list, but no one in my extended gaming group owns it. I don't know why, since it's exactly the type of game that we should be playing. I think.

I already own a billion games, so I want to try before buying - if at all possible.

Does this usually go longer than 2-2.5 hours? If so, I can probably safely cross it off my list.

Edit: I have tons of 2-player games, including war games of different lengths and sizes. So if DoA2 is best with two, forget it. I already own Earth Reborn, and - while very good - that never gets played either. ER is too much of a time commitment to learn the rules thoroughly and go through all the scenarios. Maybe when I retire...
Last edit: 09 Feb 2014 12:37 by wkover.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
09 Feb 2014 13:22 #171593 by Josh Look
That game I was talking about was going on 2 hours. But it's the kind of game you need to be not afraid to mess around with. If you don't want to play for 2 hours then reduce the character count and shave a couple rounds off. They also suggest that you can play for a set amount of time, making sure you end the game with the side that didn't go first going last.

I haven't done so yet, but I can see it being a better 4 player game than it is a 2 player.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
09 Feb 2014 13:23 #171594 by Malygris
You get to set a time limit, either in hours or in rounds, so each game lasts as long as you want. It's probably better with more than two players. A lot of the scenarios have eight or more characters per team, which is a lot to handle by yourself.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Feb 2014 00:34 - 10 Feb 2014 00:35 #171622 by wkover
Cool, thanks for the info.

If I can't scare up a copy, I'll put out an all points bulletin for the next WBC in Lancaster.
Last edit: 10 Feb 2014 00:35 by wkover.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Feb 2014 12:56 #171664 by SuperflyPete
It is a good 4-player game, and even 3 player (triangular platters FTW), but we like 2 player OK too. You just need to reduce the character count and make it an hour and a half from soup to nuts.

I generally just use the cookie-cutter scenario (Mission 1) objectives and then tack on a time limit. That seems to work pretty well.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Feb 2014 14:10 - 10 Feb 2014 14:12 #171671 by SuperflyPete
Ah - here's one that you need to hear, I forgot about it, but it was a blast. Only played once so I can't comment.

Set up 3 platters per person, randomly, face down, and put the starting platters face up on the exterior of the setup so that the starting platters are on the outside and the face down ones are on the inside. Try to be symmetrical. Pick a tough enemy, that's the "boss" and then one more for each platter. Make 2 pools of them, with the big boss in the second pile. Randomly place the first pool (the non boss pile) on the platters closest to the start bases and the big boss pile on the innermost. This ensures that the game won't be decided completely by luck if the boss shows up on the first platter.

That boss is worth 7 points, but use "Mission 1" Achievements as the baseline, plus the 7 point boss. If the boss is killed, the game ends immediately. 20 points or highest score in 2 hours (or when the boss is killed) is the win condition. Start with 4 characters each.

Hope that makes sense. This is off of memory, and it was just an idea we threw out there to mix shit up. It was fun, though.
Last edit: 10 Feb 2014 14:12 by SuperflyPete.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Josh Look

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Feb 2014 16:09 #171688 by ChristopherMD
Everytime people describe DoA2 it sounds more like an activity than a game. Like when kids play with toys or something.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Feb 2014 16:42 #171690 by Gary Sax
^A sandbox

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Feb 2014 17:00 #171694 by wadenels

Mad Dog wrote: Everytime people describe DoA2 it sounds more like an activity than a game. Like when kids play with toys or something.


It is. There's a bunch of rules, cards, tokens, and characters, but there's really no story arc to the game other than what you make up as you go along. It seems to me to be a weird wargame/RPG hybrid thing. There are better tactical games and there are better character-driven games, but DoA2 kind of mangles them together into this other... thing. "Kids playing with toys" is an appropriate description, but this toy has lots of icons and rules.

It's a great game for a small subset of gamers.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Feb 2014 19:31 #171704 by Michael Barnes
That's the #1 thing to remember about the game, and the #1 thing that turns off people not in that subset of games...that it's about playing first and foremost, not rules.

Sure, it tells you HOW to play, but you come up with the WHY and sometimes you modify the HOW if it doesn't suit your WHY.

Every time we've played it, I have no idea what we're going to do. I open it up and say "screw it, let's do all Ancients". I've run two player games with six characters each (which is kind of a mess and not really a great idea), I've run an eight player team deathmatch games with everybody having one character and a respawn, meaning we wound up seeing like 22 characters. "Everybody starts with a sword!"..."first player to get a vehicle back to their base wins"...

You can seriously do whatever you want with it...if time's a problem, just use the timer on your phone for 90 minutes and work up a points system or a simple goal. Of course, if you're playing with somebody that isn't cool with an ending that goes something like "I'm done, let's play something else now" then that might be an issue.

It's so open-ended, it's just a big invitation to goof off and explore, really.

I like that boss idea, haven't done anything like that yet.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
10 Feb 2014 21:12 #171707 by Gary Sax
How much utility are the folks who like it getting out of the master set?

As I understand the product line, to get almost everything you would just need the base set and the master set (I know there are collectors stuff and promos, is that substantial?). Is that right?

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
11 Feb 2014 08:45 #171735 by lj1983
if you like the game, the master set is awesome.

the collectors stuff is really just a couple map platters, so nice to have but not really worth alot of effort to track down.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
11 Feb 2014 09:25 #171739 by san il defanso
I've never actually played without the Master Set. You should be fine with just the core set, although there are some components in it that only become useful with the Master Set. It's a very easy expansion to integrate, because it adds nothing in terms of rules.

Look pointed it out already, but the Master Rules from the Worldspanner website are necessary.

When I really started getting into Duel of Ages, I assumed the appeal would be broader than it was in my group. I really like the game, but it does have that sense of just being an enormous playtime more than a standard game. As a result, the first game seems to disorient new players, and some people just don't like that. It doesn't really concern itself with victory conditions, but it would be very simple to create a situation that is strictly combat, or strictly questing to find individual treasures or whatever.

The most common question I get when starting a game is "so what do I do now?" It sounds evasive, but you can really do whatever you like. The game doesn't give really any particular clues to what you need to do, though if you're playing with standard achievements you can do pretty much anything and work towards one of those. I do think I might try my next game with like one weapon per character to start out, just to move everything along.

A friend of mine who is more experienced than I said that it really begins to open up when you play for a long scenario. I think I'd like to do this next time I play, just to give everything a chance to breathe. If you want a somewhat more directed scenario, you might try one of the ones that has escape points. There's also flags and everything like that.
The following user(s) said Thank You: scissors

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: Gary Sax
Time to create page: 0.194 seconds