X-COM Enemy Unknown FFG boardgame.

But you say lugging around maps is too much of a hassle. So why should I lug around dice, pieces, cards...When all that can be digitized as well?

black inferno wrote: Essentially, this is the early '80s and its wave of gimmicky electronic board games all over again; games willfully abbreviating their lifespan by requiring something as transient and ephemeral as technology in order to be playable.

You human scum!

Michael Barnes wrote: How is this really any different than Dark Tower/Omega Virus, when you get down to it?

I can still play Omega Virus (and Electronic Mall Madness) if I grab some fresh batteries, which leads to...

Sagrilarus wrote: The difference between this and Dark Tower/Omega Virus is no dedicated hardware and its associated production costs.

Dedicated hardware means I can still play Omega Virus without tracking down an external piece of hardware and possibly an emulator or other means of getting ancient software running to play a board game.

Eventually my Omega Virus electronics will crap out and the game will be functionally dead. That's bad. But it isn't relying on an external platform, which is the important detail. I've run my fair share of emulators on my fair share of platforms over the years, but I've gone that route for one simple reason: I can play a lot of classic video games on those emulators. I don't want to go through the hassle and the quirks to play a board game.

The Android SDK has emulation modes for past Android versions, so you could presumably play this game with an Android version of the required app for the foreseeable future. But continued support for older Android versions in the SDK is not guaranteed, and you need a PC or laptop to run it. If the game is exceptionally good will it be worth the effort? Probably. Would I rather not deal with any of that? Absolutely.

Gosh, playing board games is such a hassle what with all the shaking tables and the backbreaking weight of maps. I hope one day there's an app for all of that.

VonTush wrote: But you say lugging around maps is too much of a hassle. So why should I lug around dice, pieces, cards...When all that can be digitized as well?

Because you use those to play the game. Set up is not playing, it's the barrier to opening the box and the start of play. Look, some people don't see the appeal of rolling dice, or shuffling cards, or picking up minis and moving them around. Those people will never be boardgamers; they may enjoy digital boardgames on their PC or tablet, but they won't sit at a table with friends and play a game. I, as a boardgamer, enjoy the physical nature of some things. I like rolling dice, I like marveling over the detail of plastic minis, I even get some satisfaction sleeving cards. But taking twenty minutes to lay out map tiles and overlay hexes… that's not fun, it's a hassle.

I'm at a Meetup event with my new game. I unfold the main board and get to putting it all in order. "Hold on guys, we'll be able to play as soon as I'm done here." Meanwhile, they move on to more immediate games. I finish, but they're busy playing something else. I'm waiting around for some other game to finish up. You see the problem.

I like bits as much as the next guy (probably more), but setup and tear down of a game can be time consuming, and in some cases, the reason a game doesn't get played as often, or even purchased at all.

Come on now VonTush, you're not a dummy (avatar aside), digital components doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing thing. You must be able to see the appeal/benefit of digitizing some parts of a boardgame.

Michael Barnes wrote: Gosh, playing board games is such a hassle what with all the shaking tables and the backbreaking weight of maps. I hope one day there's an app for all of that.

Barnes, you're just a doom-and-gloom naysayer. Go back to playing your minimalist euros.

My grandparents had a neat boardgame called High Stakes. It was essentially Monopoly, except that instead of paying, you could opt to instead gamble at the casino at a given hotel property. The game included chips, cards, dice, and a roulette wheel. If you landed on that game's equivalent of the Free Parking space, you could take a free pull on a slot machine, and the game actually included a tiny but functional slot machine made of plastic. Not fancy like an app, but still a distinctive feature of the game.

My cousins and I became obsessed with that little slot machine. People kept taking it out of the game and giving it a spin, just to see if we could get a winning combo. Eventually, the little plastic lever broke while I was taking a covert spin during a big family dinner. My cousin Lisa saw it happen and told everybody, to make sure that I was the bad guy. Without the slot machine, High Stakes lost some appeal, and began to gather dust. I don't think it ever got played again. And all because of a fragile yet crucial element that was a little too complex and fancy for a board game.

I think FFG has the mix right. We'll see if they have the game right. App development is pretty easy and it doesn't need to be arted up because the physical components carry that. It's about delivering card-sized pieces of text. I'm telling you, this i fertile ground for designers, perfect for double blind games.

By the way, good fucking luck getting your Dark Tower to run. Dedicated hardware ALWAYS sucks, always breaks. iOS and its emulators for it are going to be around for fifty years minimum. DOS still runs and it's 35 years old.

S.

DOS still runs because it's used in commercial/production environments (embedded systems, banking systems, etc). An old version of iOS or Android is the closest thing you'll find to a throwaway OS.

Applejack wrote: I'm at a Meetup event with my new game. I unfold the main board and get to putting it all in order. "Hold on guys, we'll be able to play as soon as I'm done here." Meanwhile, they move on to more immediate games. I finish, but they're busy playing something else. I'm waiting around for some other game to finish up. You see the problem.

I see the problem...you're playing at Meetups.

To be serious, you're playing the wrong game at a Meetup. I'm not dragging Mordheim to a Meetup, and unless the game and players are specified beforehand games with a lot of setup are a poor choice for Meetup culture.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Meetups because, as you allude to, that part of boardgaming culture seems to be more focused on games played rather than people played with. I prefer the latter. Games aren't something for me to simply consume, but a device to bring some friends together to immerse ourselves into and have a joint experience. Then again, I generally don't game with strangers, but with friends (who'll wait or help).

For me, game setup is part of the evening's experience. It serves as a great opening to get into the evening with. One guy is ordering the pie and getting drinks, another selecting a playlist, maybe another helping me out or reviewing a rules issue that came up last session. All the while we're catching up on what's been going on in our personal lives. I enjoy this process of a game night, it lets us reconnect and creates a little more buy-in from everyone as we hang and build the evening up together. I'd hate to miss it.

I'm firmly in the 'no apps/no glowing screens' when I boardgame.

I do feel those calling for a digital board, but still want plastic doors, minis etc are trying to have it both ways. Makes no sense to have a digital board, but need physical doors...wha?

Also, one other thing, I've been known to customize games or use bits from one game in another. Do it all the time. Going digital puts a damper on those creative enterprises.

Shellhead wrote: Without the slot machine, High Stakes lost some appeal, and began to gather dust. I don't think it ever got played again. And all because of a fragile yet crucial element that was a little too complex and fancy for a board game.

But, to turn your anecdote around, wasn't it the slot machine that made it such a favourite in the first place?

Jeff White wrote: I do feel those calling for a digital board, but still want plastic doors, minis etc are trying to have it both ways. Makes no sense to have a digital board, but need physical doors...wha?

The board's not three dimensional. It's like calling someone out for using 3D doors and miniatures in Descent but not using Hirst Molds.