Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

KK
Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
35156 2
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
20835 0
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
7425 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
3980 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
3505 0
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
2078 0
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
2586 0

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
2256 0
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
2498 0
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
3019 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
1973 0
S
Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
3696 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
2508 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 Eurogames here.

American Megafauna impressions

More
29 Aug 2010 21:49 - 29 Aug 2010 21:50 #72583 by Gary Sax
I got the two pack of origins and this and took a shot at the rules tonight, which are brutal because of the decision to embed important rules in a terminology index. Nevertheless...

I soloed the game (2 player) with one player. It was a particularly difficult and mindbending solo game since American Megafauna is all about action/reaction between the different players. Next time I'll try the real solo version, but I just wanted to get the rules down a little bit so I can play with somebody else

I must say I'm incredibly impressed. It captures evolution *perfectly.* There are big swings, no question, but they're only really bad if you've made a really specialized and extreme animal that you thought was the bomb shit. I had a dolphin with extra marine skills that was size 5 (a really fast whale basically) and the earth cooled leaving what was a winning combination up shits creek. The sized 3-4 very unspecialized land animals survived this ice age far better.

In additions, immigrants are fucking brutal. They have tons of skills/adaptions to outcompete the fuck out of your species *and* the predators have 1 tooth and the herbivores have like 5-6, meaning they break ties in their favor even if you do match up with them.

Anyway, it was just a really interesting session and an incredibly thematic game for someone whose dad is an evolutionary biologist. It captures the adaption tension perfectly. The predator-prey interaction is really interesting as well.

I'm really looking forward to playing it with my girlfriend. I can see the game would work even better with more players but I'm just not sure that would happen. Anyway, curious to hear all your thoughts on this game. Really unique, glad I bought it. Designer is one of kind and I haven't even tried Origins yet.
Last edit: 29 Aug 2010 21:50 by Gary Sax.

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

More
29 Aug 2010 21:57 #72586 by metalface13
My wife is getting her phd in biology science education. I wonder if she'd get into this. She loves Primordial Soup. It looks like there is a big gap in game complexity, but just maybe …

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

More
29 Aug 2010 21:58 #72588 by Space Ghost
Mine showed up on Friday....just started to read through the rules. I hope to play through the solo version this week.

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

More
29 Aug 2010 22:00 - 29 Aug 2010 22:01 #72589 by Gary Sax
It's not too complicated a game, but it's very mindbending and difficult to grasp. It's spot on evolution thematically, though. It basically forces you to act as the agent in evolution.

It's actually a fascinating commentary---making a game where you recreate an agentless system (natural selection) by giving an agent (the ``god'' player) the right incentives. Very cool.
Last edit: 29 Aug 2010 22:01 by Gary Sax.

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

More
29 Aug 2010 23:01 #72592 by KingPut
Gary, you should actually give American Megafauna a spin with the girl friend. One player you needs to know all the stuff about the game but for the other players it's a fairly easy game. Also, the game isn't really that cut throat because it simulation. Last my turtle creature got completely wiped out by the red tide which was awesome just to see what effect it had on everything else in the game.

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

More
30 Aug 2010 00:04 - 30 Aug 2010 17:08 #72598 by Dogmatix
KingPut wrote:

Gary, you should actually give American Megafauna a spin with the girl friend. One player you needs to know all the stuff about the game but for the other players it's a fairly easy game. Also, the game isn't really that cut throat because it simulation. Last my turtle creature got completely wiped out by the red tide which was awesome just to see what effect it had on everything else in the game.


I agree with Pete here, though I suspect we were both taught the game by a guy who is universally known as "Megafauna Dan," which may skew one's perspective for how easy it is to pick up around the table. :)
Last edit: 30 Aug 2010 17:08 by Dogmatix.

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

More
30 Aug 2010 01:46 #72603 by billyz
I need to try this game in the worst way.

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

More
30 Aug 2010 06:11 #72607 by southernman
Please give us some thoughts on Origins soon, especially what players may enjoy it or not, as I'm thinking about the bundle and all I have so far is 'hot & cold blowing' Mikey Barnes' review ... you know Mr 'I hate rondells - oh, actually I love spinners without the spinner' :-)

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

More
30 Aug 2010 09:30 #72613 by Sagrilarus
Gary Sax wrote:

It basically forces you to act as the agent in evolution.


Oh my.

S.

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

More
30 Aug 2010 11:15 - 30 Aug 2010 11:18 #72621 by Gary Sax
The designer is fairly nutty and spends the design notes railing on anyone who simultaneously believes in god and science and emphasizing that man has been nothing but pure good for the environment, including the myth of the dangers of global warming... anyone who cites Ayn Rand and claims to be an objectivist gets big roll eyes from me anyway... typical engineer/enlightened technocrat bullshit. Very slashdot computer geek attitude.

But that doesn't mean that the concept itself is not a playful and interesting take on evolution, of course.
Last edit: 30 Aug 2010 11:18 by Gary Sax.

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

More
30 Aug 2010 16:37 #72656 by Bullwinkle
The designer does not hold a view of evolution different from the prevailing scientific theory. However, you can't really have a game without something for the player to do, so...

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

More
30 Aug 2010 17:41 - 30 Aug 2010 17:44 #72678 by Gary Sax
No, no, no, I think I'm not communicating my point very well. His view of evolution is totally scientific and mainstream, don't get me wrong. I just think it's a very interesting and ironic perspective and clever game design to force a player (who plays god in every other game) into an incentive structure where he mimics a system without a "godlike" architect.

I'm a god hating, pro-science atheist so I'm not arguing against his view of evolution.
Last edit: 30 Aug 2010 17:44 by Gary Sax.

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

More
30 Aug 2010 18:44 #72683 by Bullwinkle
Actually, I was unclear. I was responding to Sag's comment. I agree about the irony of the situation, which I'd never really thought about before.

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

More
30 Aug 2010 21:32 - 30 Aug 2010 21:33 #72695 by Sagrilarus
Evolution is one of my pet subjects and at the moment I'm reading Prehistory by Renfrew. I am well aware of Eklund's position on the subject, and frankly you're right. I can't think of a way to make random wandering into a game short of cheating the concept a bit. Scratch that, I can think of one, which was brought to me by the short story Microcosmic God by Sturgeon. I won't spoil the plot but I think it's how I would approach the subject. I have not played Megafauna so I'm talking out of my hat, but I just couldn't resist that sentence Randy threw out on the table.

Given the choice read Sturgeon instead of Renfrew.

S.
Last edit: 30 Aug 2010 21:33 by Sagrilarus.

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

More
30 Aug 2010 21:50 #72696 by Michael Barnes
I just got mine last week as well, but I haven't even punched it yet.

It looks absolutely fascinating. Mr. Eklund is truly a singular designer in our hobby, and I really appreciate that his games not only have a foundation in science and history but also that they present his particular viewpoints and interpretations of facts. It really shows that games can have very complex themes as well as _ideas_ and communicate them.

Rules and graphic design are a mess, as expected. If he could just get this stuff organized a little better visually...

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

Moderators: Gary Sax
Time to create page: 0.238 seconds