What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing?

Possible Mad Dog. They give you stickers to apply to the bottom of the building bases but the discs themselves don't have stickers. I've been playing on crappy tables, including a folding plastic one. Game looks best on a nice wood table though.

Josh Look wrote: Just looked up Flick 'Em Up. It's skipping my want list going right to the top of my need list. Looks like it's a rare breed of a Western game that's actually good and feels like a Western. Looks like it will replace Rampage for me.

Flick em Up could be the hot game for WBC. Josh are you working the Zman booth? Can you hold me a copy?

Hit up a 4 day local con for most of it. Played a lot of stuff and figured a lot of stuff out. Highlights included:

Tragedy Looper - just a learning game, the mastermind had played before but me, my wife and our friend Jason had not. As Jason said, "We've got this, we've all watched Law & Order before." I think we did cheat a bit on the communication rules but did figure everything out in the first learning mission. I'm really excited to play this one again now that I understand mostly how it all works. The whole game really felt like we were trying to solve this elaborate mystery. Tense and exciting the whole time! Compare this to...

Alchemists. Ugh. Take a classic game, Sleuth(which, coincidentally, played twice over the con), add a convoluted worked placement game to it, add in a smartphone app and dash of VP salad and you have this. I'm probably a little unfair as I pretty much don't like any worker placement game but I can't see any situation where I would find this game better than Sleuth or Tragedy Looper.

On the figuring stuff out in, also had quite a few rounds of Zendo as filler.

Played a few race games.. Magical Athlete, Snow Tails and another game of Thunder Alley, this time with 6. I first played Thunder Alley with 4, and found it to be much more chaotic with 6. Still quite fun, even if I hit the random con personality conflict. I bumped the red team out on my first turn, he responded with some comment about "Bump me in lap 1, I'll spin you out in lap 25" so I thought we were in for a great time, so I started in with trying to negotiate some, ahem, "correct" drafting. Red team didn't like the table talk and stated that this was a racing game not a deal making game, started making suboptimal moves to try to isolate my cars and at some point said he just didn't like me. Woah! So I won anyway.. muhaha

Got to try Turfmaster aaaand it did not blow me away like I was halfway expecting based on comments I've read about the game. It's a horseracing game with no betting. It's pretty good. I think I made such bad decisions all game that it may be coloring my opinion on it. I still think I prefer Win, Place & Show because it kind of captures the entire feel of going to the track but I can see that Turfmaster is much more interesting from the racing perspective.

Cave Evil, first time as a 2 player game, with fellow FATtie ScottF. Great 2 player game, I don't know why I never considered this before. We had a pretty epic game where I had that Maw creature that eats all smalls and mediums. Scott only had smalls and mediums and was pretty low on resources. It was just a matter of a couple more turns to mop everything up aaaaaand an event rotates all resource piles on thronerooms. He now has a crapton of stuff, throws up an Armored Slug that starts crushing all my squads. I mismanage some ranged dudes but it was too late because then the Eternal Evil Emperor chases me down. We call it at that point. I played some 4-player game at this same con last year with some AP folks and the thing took close to 4 hours. 2 player game flies by. Great!

Successors, I get the great Antipater and Perdiccas draw, so I built up and turn 3 start moving the two stacks towards each other to go for the Legitimacy win with the funeral cart. Ptolemy faction plays the event that steals the Funeral cart and buries that thing in Cyprus. Damn. So I go in and stomp Ptolemy and take the heir for the Legitimacy win. Last ditch effort to stop me almost succeeded. I've played this enough times to know that you should never give up, either when you see someone that looks like they're about to win or after you've been beat on and it seems hopeless. I keep thinking I need to try the other 4p CDGs but I don't know how they can be better than Successors.

1714 The Case of the Catalans - New game to me and quite interesting. It's kind of a waro(war-euro where 5 allied players are all fighting the Bourbons. But we also all control the Bourbons. So we mostly have them go fight other players. This was new to everyone playing except for the guy explaining it, and one dude played totally random, so I don't really know what to think. It seems like it might be a really interesting and fluid game, but I need another play or two with people that know what they're doing to decide. I feel like fans of the COIN series should like this, even though this is nothing like a COIN game. It just has that feeling of how you must sort of work together but not too much...

I managed to avoid playing all the new euros everyone will forget in 2 years and instead got in a game each of Tigris & Euphrates and Puerto Rico. Both games totally bizarre. T&E was me, one other experienced guy and one newbie. We ended up with all 6 monuments out and a winning score of 15-16 beating my 15-15. I lost a couple fights early when I saw the monument nonsense starting up and had to claw back to get that close to the leader. In Puerto Rico I had 43 shipping points. How does that happen?! Booyah. But wow, what a breath of fresh air. I was playing a game against other people, rather than playing a game against an algorithm.

Also won the Crokinole tournament, lost $3 playing "high stakes" Can't Stop and drank a bunch of beer. Great con.

I was at the same con as ratpfink this past weekend, one evening and about two full days. Only the second con I've ever been to since I'm pretty new to boardgaming; I went last year to the same con, Nexus in Milwaukee.

I ended up running a bunch of games since little to nothing on the actual event listing sounded good, too much Catan and Small World and random Euro games I generally don't like much. I knew a few people that would be there but really not many so running something I knew and liked seemed like a good idea.

First night I ran Kemet with the Cyclades monsters added in. 4 player game and I think everyone enjoyed it. I didn't go with anything too dominant at the start and used blue and white pyramids for the first few rounds, but still ended up destroying everyone with a score of 8-5-3-3 by the end. Not enough attacking and taking advantage of battle conditions for the other players but its not a kind game for first time players either. We finished early and I volunteered to teach Glory to Rome, another game where the experienced player will win easily.

Next up was a game of Cave Evil as mentioned above. It was ridiculous and I've already placed an order for it. The creativity and straight up death of your armies in the game really works for me combined with some resource gathering. And I'm a big fan of the art and the cards generally.

I ran Maria too and happened to have one of the same guys from Kemet/Glory to Rome sign up. He was France and proceeded to annihilate me at the cost of leaving France undefended for the Prags to move in with no resistance. It didn't work out for him in the end but he did destroy a double stacked army of mine and left me with 5-6 cards in hand by the end of the 5-6 turn and feeling awful - payback for the previous two games no doubt.

Next up was Dogs of War, a favorite of mine. The game was a big hit and got alot of looks for the minis. Good thing the game is more than the minis though, a decent 2 hour game that isn't too heavy or light and feels kinda stabby. We had some negotiation involved, probably on the level of Thunder Alley where you can be nice to the other person in hopes of them not fucking you over on their turn.

Finally had my first game of Successors and I liked it alot; definitely feels like multi player Hannibal in a good way. More swingy with the cards and dice rolls at times but I don't mind that. I enjoyed the random starting locations/generals and the variety in the deck in that not every card will be played and some may show up turn after turn. I'm not sure I need to track it down to own it but I'd like to play again. For a four player game I still have Sword of Rome to bust out, learn, and teach and thats 4-5 players too not to mention Wellington.

The final game was Carson City, vanilla version. After all of the previous games playing a euro, even one I like alot with some conflict, was kinda a letdown with the entire table staring silently at the board trying to crunch out an optimal move. Most people seemed to like it though so thats something. I like games that reward planning in advance but not normally to the extent of "this move nets me 3 points next turn vs. this move nets me 4 points at the end of the game", Carson City seems to be the exception to that rule for me.

Overall it was pretty good, almost all of the people I taught the games too were cool and I got to try out two new games that have been on my list for a while.

Last night was supposed tone the start of our new Edge of the Empire campaign, but my brother got stuck in traffic for literally hours, so we got a couple games on the table instead.

First up was Legenday Alien Game. that is it's appropriate title, not the horseshit name they put on the box. Anyway, we played the first movie and what do you know, WE WON. I've been playing this tough son of a bitch somewhat consistently since launch and this the first time I've won with any group, any scenario. It's a random game, you can lose to poor luck, but you most certainly lose due to poor planning, poor teamwork, or playing stupid. I wish all co-ops adhered to that and were this hard.

Next up was Homeland. How the fuck are most people I play with not into this game? We had an absolute blast! BSG can fuck right off, there is no need for all the extra layers of bullshit it adds, it only adds to overhead and playtime. Those two things DO NOT equate a better game. I need new friends as I now want to play Homeland all the goddamn time (when I'm not playing Forbidden Stars, of course).

Inherited a well-loved and well-played copy of Pit from my wife's recently passed-away grandmother. The cards are worn and creased and the box is dented and faded with a pictures of a 1970s family playing on it. Grandma had 7 kids, so it was easy to imagine this game being played in the farmhouse over and over again. Played last night with my wife, my 12 year old and my 6 year old. Played until bedtime rather than to a set score. and at bedtime my 12 year old had about 300 points, 6 year old with 240 and my wife had 200, I had a big old zero.

We also inherited sequence and rumikube (spelling?) two others I've never played.

Took first in an xwing league running Kenkirk with Isaard, flight instructor, Moff Jerroijod, hull upgrade and elusiveness (called him the dodge-imater), accompanied by Turr with wing man and an obsidian squadron pilot flanker. Won a Starviper as a prize.

Josh Look wrote: Last night was supposed tone the start of our new Edge of the Empire campaign, but my brother got stuck in traffic for literally hours, so we got a couple games on the table instead.

Next up was Homeland. How the fuck are most people I play with not into this game? We had an absolute blast! BSG can fuck right off, there is no need for all the extra layers of bullshit it adds, it only adds to overhead and playtime. Those two things DO NOT equate a better game. I need new friends as I now want to play Homeland all the goddamn time (when I'm not playing Forbidden Stars, of course).

Me the spawn and 4 others played Homeland last week. She loved it. I thought it was pretty good. The thing it lacks is the whole screaming at each other "your a Fraking Cylon". The spawn called me out as a political opportunist but it really doesn't matter if I am or not.

Josh Look wrote: Next up was Homeland. How the fuck are most people I play with not into this game? We had an absolute blast! BSG can fuck right off, there is no need for all the extra layers of bullshit it adds, it only adds to overhead and playtime. Those two things DO NOT equate a better game. I need new friends as I now want to play Homeland all the goddamn time (when I'm not playing Forbidden Stars, of course).

Forbidden Stars is awesome. Homeland..just does nothing for me. Sorry. Might be the theme. If it was say X-files or something.

In the world of real games as opposed to toys for children. I've been attempting to learn the Operational Combat System (OCS). Used in a bunch of war games with such legendary titles as Case Blue (Eastern Front) and DAK (North Africa). I, however have been fiddling with Reluctant Enemies and Burma.

This system is tough tough tough. It places a super heavy emphasis on supply but not in the usual way of most wargames (trace a line of spaces back to a board edge free of enemies). It has a bit of that abstract "tracing" of supply but it also has on board supply dumps which must be accessed for any type of combat and if the unit is motorized for any type of movement (gotta gas 'em up)

This means you must PLAN. Seat of the pants flying will not do and as that is my usual method of operation, this system is very very challenging to me. I'm really digging it though.

PS. I just got Beyond the Rhine, the latest in the series.

when you want some vassal ocs let me know

I like Homeland, but having played it *right after* a game of BSG, BSG was just so much more involving and memorable of an experience. In the case of that comparison, to me, BSG is an example of "more is more."

FUCKING THESEUS. So good! I've had it for so long and never played it. It's super easy and plays in just the right amount of time...

GotY 2014 finalist...why don't you people listen to me?

Couple games from the other day. Had a first play of Archipelago with four players. The owner had played the game 3 times in the previous couple of years so he was basically a noob like the rest of us. The game took insanely long for a medium game, about 3.5 hours. One person was the sympathizer or whatever the traitor is called. I ended up winning based on owning a couple of resources more than the others. Some interesting things like building towns lets you control a space, and owning a church lets your workers avoid a revolt. But still it was pretty hard guessing what the other hidden scoring conditions were that the other players had given there are like 15-20 total and depending on the map some may be a lot tougher to do so the whole table is kinda moving around blindly. I'd probably play it again if we didn't have to teach anyone and could get the play time down to 2 hours but I wouldn't request it. Any game over 3+ hours better not be a euro for me or I'm upset.

Then did a quick 4 player game of Thunder Alley. I had to cut the laps down to 2 due to time constraints, which really robbed the game of some tough decisions. I also dumped two plain yellow flags to reduce the chance of yellows coming out. Good game but without the tough pitting decision it wasn't as fun. Still more fun than Archipelago for me at least.

Michael Barnes wrote: GotY 2014 finalist...why don't you people listen to me?

Been sitting on my shelf for a year or so, so you got through to me. It didn't put it on the table, though.

The good Doctor and I played Earth Reborn last night. Both of us getting ready for night shift, staying up till 4 in the morning... what else to do right.

Well I hadn't played ER pretty much since the year it came out when in a rush of enthusiasm I played through all the scenario's... some multiple times, tried SAGS once or twice and closed up shop. So I pretty much haven't played it in however many years that was.

But I can't fathom selling it because there is nothing like it, no miniature game does anywhere near what it does so I've held onto it all this time just watching it sit there. Doc was in the same boat so in an effort to justify our purchase we broke it back out and investigated.

We probably spent an hour just re-learning the damned thing because it is pretty dense in a lot of ways. Once we were up to snuff we started playing it again. Rather than jump right back into SAGS we played the very last scenario which still includes all the rules and techniques available. I also love the 3 floor set up of that scenario. The stair cases add some interesting tactical choices to the game.

First turn Doc runs into the comms room and jams my radios.. FUCK! I'm instantly worried because all first round I don't even make a big push to get in there and shut it down... I'm struggling to think of what to do as I'm out numbered, outside the building and can't afford to lose my precious command points.

So I blow a couple of walls up, some floor elements and storm my giant mech into the building with three Norad dudes ready to rock it. But at the end of the first round I'm still not much better off than I was, the radio jam is still in the works and he's positioned pretty well. I look over at Cherokee Bill... he's the key. If Doc forgets to use him first turn (likely, and I'm prick enough to take advantage of it too) than I can pay two command points to turn him to my side and I see some really good ways to use him.

It works, he forgets about Bills quizling-ness and I grab him up. He runs down and blasts Jeff Dealer with the flame thrower and destroys the radios in the same turn.. NO MORE JAM.. I jump for joy. Then he brings Illsa (whatever her name is) and tries to lay some bullets down... shit rolls, shit idea... I turn with Nick Bolter and blow the fuck out of her... Now she's scared and running upstairs to the infirmary to try and heal but I've already got Vasquez positioned up there hoping to charm Frank Eisntsein over to our team. She's not in a good place.

Meanwhile downstairs Jack Saw got decimated and Jeff Dealer is now totally burned to smithereens and I've got his key card... no more locked doors. I've destroyed the comms room and am about to get more equpiment... but in the basement, where I haven't been yet, the evil professor has cooked up a couple of zombies.

I move my dudes up stairs to destroy the satellite rooms, fuck the basement for now, Illsa is still trying to heal up in the infirmary but a quick run over from Nick Bolter, some sweet rolls from my superior rolling techniques and I've made short work of her. Frank Einstein is afraid to leave the satellite room and he's got hardly any forces left and I've destroyed more machinery which means more command points which means more ass whooping coming his way.

We called it there as Doc was pretty much fucked, but I have to say the game is as kick ass as it ever was, it's screaming out for an expansion but there is plenty in the box as is right now and I am certainly interested in breaking out the SAGS again to get a little deeper into it this time. It feels like you can do pretty much anything, obviously that's an illusion but it does feel that way and it really gets you into it. Individual characters can really be superhero's and coordinating movements is more fun than in any other game because of the options for move, shoot move some else, move original dude, shoot again.... kind of thing. Plus the ability to interrupt at any time pretty much. The versatility means that you almost never feel trapped by the mechanics.

The search mechanic is awesome too, shuffling through a bunch of cards trying to find something available in you location. I'm definitely excited to rip into this more now. I'm happy I brought it back out.