Fortress Ameritrash - Forum

Subject: Re: What game are you FANTASIZING over? - by: mikecl

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:20:07 +0000

[quote="Mad Dog" post=152660]Probably the only game I'll buy this year is Robinson Crusoe. Haven't gotten to play it but I like the theme a lot and reviews have been encouraging that the game will do well in my group.[/quote] I have the Portal Games version from Poland and it's a great little game. It IS a Euro with some random Ameritrash mechanics (tile pulls and random card generation for events). It's a great, but punishing coop with a an excellent theme that's well realized. It IS a little on the Euro dry side because in that it requires careful group planning (much like Ghost Stories and almost as tight) to succeed. Each adventure gets progressively more difficult as the scenarios narrow the margin of error much like Ghost Stories does as the difficulty increases. However, the scenarios are very replayable because there's enough randomness to make each one a different adventure every time.

Subject: Re: What game are you FANTASIZING over? - by: Ska_baron

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:04:46 +0000

Risk Legacy. I'm have 4 guys over to really tear into it. May not make it up to 15 games this go 'round, but damn if we won't try.

Subject: Re: What game are you FANTASIZING over? - by: SuperflyTNT

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:45:04 +0000

Wilderness. Still haven't gotten it but I surely will.

Subject: Re: What game are you FANTASIZING over? - by: Mad Dog

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:11:23 +0000

Probably the only game I'll buy this year is Robinson Crusoe. Haven't gotten to play it but I like the theme a lot and reviews have been encouraging that the game will do well in my group.

Subject: Re: What game are you FANTASIZING over? - by: Shellhead

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:10:39 +0000

This is dangerous for my wallet, but I have been obsessing over War of Honor recently. I love big multi-player games, and I love the Rokugan setting for the Legend of the Five Rings CCG, but multi-player L5R never worked properly, due to unlimited alliance potential and hardcore leader-bashing. Strategic L5R was awesome, but normally there aren't enough players except at a major convention. War of Honor looks like a very workable multi-player format for L5R, stealing the hex-build setup of Twilight Imperium 3 with the alliance structure and vp format of Cosmic Encounter with a couple of new ideas. As far as I can tell, just about any L5R deck would work for War of Honor, though the game comes with four pre-built decks. I've been away from the local L5R tournament scene for more than a decade, but I noticed that a recent local tournament drew 47 players, and I know at least one of those players really well. So I rationalized that it would be okay for me to buy War of Honor and then a set of Emperor Edition starter decks, in hopes of a big 9-player game at some point.

Subject: Re: What game are you FANTASIZING over? - by: The Prodigal Player

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:54:28 +0000

Space Hulk.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: TheDukester

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:20:43 +0000

Dark Dungeons: The Movie. If they pull it off like they think they can, it's going to be great. http://kck.st/17KsUFv

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: Almalik

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:04:03 +0000

Backed Galaxy Defenders at the last minute (damn early bird slot opening up, too much temptation).

Subject: Re: What game are you FANTASIZING over? - by: Almalik

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:48:43 +0000

[quote]I started blogging our latest DCC RPG session, in case anyone's interested. [/quote] Just got caught up on the last episodes of your Halls of the Minotaur adventure and ... [b]When is the Kickstarter for the comic version of this starting up!? [/b](of course Thrilling Tales of Adventure has to take priority, I know) ?

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: mikecl

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:50:39 +0000

I've been playing the campaign scenarios in [b]Down in Flames: Aces High.[/b] Dan has done a marvelous job of distilling the essence of these WWII planes into cards and he provides a ton of them. It's not too deep but fast, fun and playable. I prefer the campaigns though. It gives the game some structure and excitement.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: Columbob

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:29:07 +0000

Also read a couple of Le Carré novels recently. [b]A Most Wanted Man[/b], and [b]Absolute Friends[/b]. While I preferred AMWM overall, I thought AF's conclusion was fantastic!

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Columbob

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:20:10 +0000

A long-overdue game of [b]War of the Ring[/b] to introduce a friend. Many newbie mistakes on his part led to my first-ever FP military victory (Orthanc and Minas Morgul).

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: jeb

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:17:51 +0000

I hope you like reading about every single nerve and muscle fiber associated with loading, cocking, and firing an array of guns!

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: stormseeker75

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:26:47 +0000

If you take out Feld, then thanks for taking one for the team.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: JoelCFC25

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:52:25 +0000

Finally finished the Le Carré's Smiley trilogy a couple weeks ago. [i]The Honourable Schoolboy[/i] was a bit of a slog, but [i]Smiley's People[/i], the last book of the cycle, was an easier read and a satisfying conclusion to the cycle. Now I dove into [i]REAMDE[/i]. Yes yes, Stephenson overrated/polarizing/blah blah blah...sue me, reading it anyway.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Legomancer

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:00:57 +0000

Going through a long dry spell of no board gaming and then coming back to [b]Rialto[/b] is like finding a thirsty man in the desert and offering him a warm glass of urine. Somewhere out there a screenwriter is typing up the scene where Stefan Feld and I grapple atop a waterfall, eventually going over the edge and seemingly plunging to our deaths.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: Gary Sax

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:37:29 +0000

Finished 1493. Not as good as 1491, but there were a few things in there that made me think differently about the slave trade.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: Not Sure

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:30:15 +0000

[quote="ubarose" post=152611]I just finished reading Infernal Devices, by K.W. Jeter. It was perfectly awful. Now I have to find something else to read to clear the garbage out of my mind, but nothing on the shelf appeals to me. Oh wait, I found D.R. & Quinch. I feel much better now.[/quote] I've been half-planning to read [i]Infernal Devices[/i] for years. Not because I think it would be good, but as a sort of test to see if it's worse than Blaylock's [i]Homonculous[/i]. Powers obviously wrote the best of the proto-steampunk novels by far, but I've never read Jeter's. [i]Homonculous[/i] was horrible, which is weird because I really like a lot of Blaylock's other novels. I'm working too much, but when I'm not I've been reading Roberto Bolaño's [i]2666[/i]. A long way to go on that still.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: ubarose

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:06:45 +0000

I just finished reading Infernal Devices, by K.W. Jeter. It was perfectly awful. Now I have to find something else to read to clear the garbage out of my mind, but nothing on the shelf appeals to me. Oh wait, I found D.R. & Quinch. I feel much better now.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: metalface13

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:52:42 +0000

I'm reading the 40K Inquisition Eisenhorn omnibus. I've read other games/licensed books before from Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Vampire: The Dark Ages, Shadowrun, even Dragon Dice. But the Eisenhorn books are surprisingly really good. I mean I always enjoyed reading the short stories and fluff in the GW rulebooks, and I thought Guardians of the Galaxy was adequate, but Eisenhorn really has me gripped.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: Black Barney

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:02:35 +0000

reading THE STEPHEN KING COMPANION. Enjoying it so far.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: Sagrilarus

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:51:48 +0000

[quote="Dogmatix" post=152417][quote="SuperflyTNT" post=152372] It's simply too much dice/cards and too little brain.[/quote] Strikes me as a game that really needed a separate set of "advanced rules" to go with it.[/quote] Sounds like a Games Workshop game. Who published it? S.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: Bull Nakano

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:06:37 +0000

I was able to get in on the Galaxy Defenders KS at the $75 level so I went for it, it seems like a really cool game, but I couldn't talk myself into paying $90 for a game that will probably be sold for $50-60 online. With shipping and bonuses, $75 did me in when I spotted one was available. This is the first unpublished game I've ever kickstarted, I feel confidant in it, but I really hope it doesn't suck.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: San Il Defanso

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:34:17 +0000

[quote="ThirstyMan" post=152570][quote="San Il Defanso" post=152569]Dair, interesting that you mention Under the Dome. I'm actually reading King's [b]11/22/63[/b]. It's a pretty cool conception of time travel and changing history. I like it a lot so far.[/quote] It is good fun but, like a lot of King's stories, the thrill is in the chase and not in the kill.[/quote] I usually expect that with him anyway. I have much less of an issue with that than other people do though, so it's not a big deal to me.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: ThirstyMan

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:52:00 +0000

[quote="San Il Defanso" post=152569]Dair, interesting that you mention Under the Dome. I'm actually reading King's [b]11/22/63[/b]. It's a pretty cool conception of time travel and changing history. I like it a lot so far.[/quote] It is good fun but, like a lot of King's stories, the thrill is in the chase and not in the kill.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: San Il Defanso

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:42:12 +0000

Dair, interesting that you mention Under the Dome. I'm actually reading King's [b]11/22/63[/b]. It's a pretty cool conception of time travel and changing history. I like it a lot so far.

Subject: Re: What Books Have You Been Reading (Reboot) - by: Columbob

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:22:12 +0000

I just scored the complete [b]Book of the New Sun[/b] for a mere $5 at a used book sale at work. I'll be reading it for the first time pretty soon.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: iguanaDitty

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:27:27 +0000

[quote="ThirstyMan" post=152544]100% agree with this. Wasn't Ben designing some new Demon style game and play testing it last WBC? I seem to remember that was what was happening.[/quote] The one I remember was the brothel card tableau thing.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: ThirstyMan

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:13:49 +0000

100% agree with this. Wasn't Ben designing some new Demon style game and play testing it last WBC? I seem to remember that was what was happening.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: DukeofChutney

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:19:36 +0000

Played Civilisation. I've had a copy of the original 1980 Harland edition sitting on my shelf for about a year, finally got it played even if only with 3 players. Theres some really cool stuff in this design, and some pretty lame stuff too. Its fun expanding and building your civ, scraping over borders and blocking people off for them to break out with ships and having diplomatic discussions. The card trading mechanic is brilliant. And this is all great fun for the first 3 hours. Then the game slams into a brick wall. The disaster cards are pretty cool, but.. effectively they just take resources out of the game and make it longer, and secondly they can be really bad. I went from bring slightly ahead to being a long way at the back due to the civil war card. In a 3 player game it sort of kingmakered the player i split my civ with, although knowing the game could easily last another couple of hours it would come around again and potentially give me my civ back. The epoc goals are just too hard. One player actually worked out that by buying two sub optimal civ cards he had made it impossible for him to win. even if you house ruled that out, theres no real need to make the endgame require so many resources. Its a shame because the game could be redesigned to be shorter. If it had ended at 3 hours we would have all loved it, but after that it just degraded into a grand game of random take that whilst we slowly creep forward and pick up civ cards to try and win. The game is definitely designed with more than 3 in mind, the play time would be even less attractive at 5 or more.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: iguanaDitty

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:35:47 +0000

Every Eklund game needs to come with a copy of Ben "Bien" Stephenson. He explains any Eklund game in max 30 minutes, and it somehow makes perfect sense. I own High Frontier because of his teaching at WBC, but I won't be able to play it again until I see him next. Plus he agrees that American Megafauna is still the best Eklund. Looking forward to trying Pax because the game it is based on (Lords of the Sierra Madre) was impenetrable even for Eklund.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Michael Barnes

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:24:25 +0000

Yeah, that's the problem with all of Eklund's games...getting them played. Some groups have folks that are all committed to a) playing them often and repeatedly b) willing to learn living rules and c) willing to put up with all of the bizarre graphic design and producion. Frank and I could play these games, he and I would be cool with it. But it's the other people that are the issue. I _hate_ teaching them, which doesn't help. I dreaded explaining High Frontier to anyone, and the games I played with others all felt like learning games. Pax is MUCH more digestible, I think...some of the mechanics are even...common. But there are still barriers to entry that require players of a certain type to get through. It feels the most game-like of all of his stuff, but it still retains the unique perspective, obsessive details, and so on. And that freaking upside down text and bizarro card formatting with random blobs and windows.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Gary Sax

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:17:01 +0000

God damn, do I ever want to play my copy of Origins.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Michael Barnes

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:02:06 +0000

It's too squirrelly, not immediate enough. One of my chums loves it, it's the kind of thing he really digs (especially games with lots of "history beards"). The others, I dunno. We'll see if it gets asked back to the dance. Reactions weren't bad, but they weren't ecstatic either. It did go over better than High Frontier and Origins, so that's a good sign. Given the choice, we'd probably just play Cosmic again. Which is OK by me.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Msample

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:39:04 +0000

[quote="Michael Barnes" post=152520] Worth $25? Absolutely. Will it be regularly played by my gang? Almost certainly not. Which kind of sucks, because there's LOTS to dig into with it, lots of cool subtelties and Up Front-like design idiosyncracies. [/quote] Why won't your gang play it ?

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: San Il Defanso

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:20:03 +0000

I played [b]Terra Mystica[/b] this weekend. I did like it overall. It avoided a lot of mechanics that I'm generally a little weary of, like auctions and worker placement. It's easily the most complex resource system I've seen in this kind of game, for good or ill. I'm not totally sure exactly how much I like it though. I had fun, but I was a little exhausted at the end. I'm not sure if that was the game itself, or merely the effort to internalize everything that was going on. And it definitely is a "VP salad" type of game. That bothers me less than it does others, but there it is. Overall though, I think it might settle into the kind of heavy Euro like Caylus and Indonesia, one that I enjoy but don't really want to play much more often than every six months.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Legomancer

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:56:17 +0000

I haven't been doing much board gaming for a number of reasons, but I finally got in the first play of [b]The Convoy[/b]. Asymmetrical game set in the Neuroshima world (has anyone ever seen a copy of this Polish RPG that all these games are supposedly spun off from?). I played Moloch and my pal Matt played Outpost and I crushed him, but not, I felt, through any particular good play. It seems on the surface that Moloch just has absurd advantages over Outpost, including a whole action phase of its own. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to play again, but we were both intrigued by it.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Michael Barnes

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:32:19 +0000

Pax Porfiriana...I can definitely see why this is scoring with the heavy Eurogames crowd. It's like a super advanced version of something like St. Petersburg or Race for the Galaxy...but it's mixed with some HARDCORE take that, which makes all the difference in the world. Plus, there's this neat thing where you can use other player's stuff for your benefit, mainly through extortion. I like it a lot, but it is still very much a Phil Eklund game...obtuse systems, random upside down text on cards, obsessive historical detail, unclear objectives...that said, I think it's the first of his games that I've felt reasonably comfortable with after two plays instead of like, five. It's still a PAIN IN THE ASS to teach to someone else because it is very complex, and since you may not see any of the cards you played with in the last game again, there's a crazy learning curve there. Worth $25? Absolutely. Will it be regularly played by my gang? Almost certainly not. Which kind of sucks, because there's LOTS to dig into with it, lots of cool subtelties and Up Front-like design idiosyncracies. Also LOTS of Sentinels of the Multiverse. I just do not know what to think of that game...it's so irritating in a lot of ways, but I love soloing it. It has that Kickstarter feeling- underdeveloped, undertested, underproduced- but I love the different hero decks and some of the crazy plays you can pull off in momemnts of desperation. The Matriarch can fuck right off though. Shit is NOT fair.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: dave

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:58:16 +0000

[b]FFG Merchant of Venus[/b] Standard Game with my daughter. We played all 30 turns for the first time. She won via passengers & Zen Paint Job after I got hosed out of a $500 last turn delivery. Kinda sucks that someone can win ignoring trade routes altogether (which is really the whole point of the Classic Game); I had the Limo Service reward, and I could have tried to grab a Shuttle and just enslave all passengers, but I didn't have the heart to do it to her... this time!

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Gary Sax

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:54:46 +0000

That is some good fucking gaming.

Subject: Re: What MOVIES have you been watching? (v2.0) - by: Mad Dog

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:49:58 +0000

Clash of the Titans / Wrath of the Titans - Did a double feature of these this weekend. Maybe it was the really low expectations and lack of 3D but I didn't think they were nearly as bad as I'd heard. As far as CG Spectacle movies go they were fairly enjoyable. Lots of flying bright colors and some cool looking giant monsters.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: bfkiller

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:40:29 +0000

I hosted a weekend of gaming and played a ridiculous amount: [b]Mice & Mystics[/b] (1) - tried the opening chapter and didn't get out of the initial flipped tile. Enemies were cheesing it up [b]Room 25[/b] (3) - played a 2v2 team game once and two games with hidden guards (I was a hidden guard both times) [b]King of Tokyo[/b] (6) - everyone loved this one [b]Galaxy Trucker[/b] (1) - played with Another Big Expansion; I don't like the Commandos/Predators [b]Pandemic[/b] (2) - with Virulent Strain and Mutations; lost both [b]Glory to Rome[/b] (1) - first try and it took me a while to wrap my head around it [b]Eclipse[/b] (2) - a 5-player game (that I won) and a 7-player game (that I came in second), which I`m pretty happy with because I was the only one drinking both times [b]Tales of the Arabian Nights[/b] (1) - I`ve played three times now and we`ve still never gotten out of the morning period and I`ve only seen someone get to a Place of Power once; maybe we`re doing something wrong [b]Power Grid: First Sparks[/b] (1) - a learning game in which I was literally incapable of taking part in the game before the first round was over - I bought Fire and expanded twice, meaning I could only produce enough food to keep one person alive and do nothing else [b]7 Wonders[/b] (2) - I`m not a fan but I don`t mind a game or two on the rare occasion. [b]Archipelago[/b] (1) - a learning game (medium length) that took a while for me to wrap my head around the rules and didn`t get to the point where I could wrap my head around strategy; beautiful tiles, but the huts you need to count are basically Where`s Waldo [b]Lords of Waterdeep[/b] (2) - I suck at this game so much, getting demolished both times [b]Star Wars: Epic Duels[/b] (3) - first tries; I need to spend some time exploring this one (so I know that cards like All Too Easy are out there) [b]Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery[/b] (1) - goddamn I love this game [b]Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective[/b] (1) - we failed in our attempt to solve The Mummy's Curse, focusing too much on the side story; fantastic chapter

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Bull Nakano

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:19:30 +0000

I thought there was one of these for "recent trades" but I can't find it. I just traded The Manhatten Project for Warriors of God. I bought TMP probably a year ago and haven't even gotten it to the table and haven't had interest. It's fighting against Agricola which is a losing battle. I'm really excited to receive Warriors of God since it's OOP and looks really fun.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Stormcow

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:21:39 +0000

Putting in an order for Infiltration and Gauntlet of Fools. Sound like some fine light games for 4-6 players, a range that I don't really have games for. And what, I'm a huge Dominion fan, that's got to be worth something. If you guys keep talking up Kingdom Builder I might put that in as well. ><

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Sevej

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:54:04 +0000

Played X-Wing for the first time, base game only, default pilots. Teaching the owner. Pretty fun game. Turn goes really quick. I'm sure things will only gets better with addition of ships. He's planning to get 1 more box set and some more expansions to round up 3-ships squadrons. Dice can be pretty wild though. Another 2 games of Kingdom Builder. Man, I need a WHOLE FUCKING DAY dedicated just to play this game. There's a lot to dig here. It's a pure spatial game. Awesome.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Hex Sinister

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:29:00 +0000

Spent a few hours looking at my new Netrunner data packs and designing two decks for Jinteki and Shaper. Also Mage Wars: Forcemaster Vs. Warlord. The Forcemaster seems pretty powerful, at least against the Warlord. He made the mistake of getting too close. Pulled him into my space with a thought polyp(?) and gave him three attacks - two with the force blade and a freebie with the dancing scimitar. Along with the quick spell bonus from another card thats like 13 dice. Ouch. But sometimes you have to teach the hard lesson. I do think they both require a little more finesse than the basic set books. Pretty solid set. One of my book bindings was messed up but they replaced it hassle free. What would really improve Mage Wars would be dials like in RELIC. The damn cubes on boards to track stats is functional but if they get bumped it's fucked. Not a big deal but I'd buy dials in a second. Mage Knight: Lost Legion. Didn't use Volkare setup, just added all the new stuff. Some of the new monster chits are really difficult. Like what I saw so far but I think there's about 21 replacement cards in the set. Being a cheap-ass I would have rather gotten those replacements *ahem* free but oh well. At least none of the cards or tiles are mismatched. X-Wing with the Slave-1 and Falcon. Did the bounty hunter scenario which was a lot of fun. Flying these giant ships is going to take some getting used to. Quite a few fender benders- I mean navigational errors. Car repair + carpenter ants + vet bill = no fucking A-wing or Tie Interceptor for a while more. Relic is a big hit with the gf since she's an adventure game whore. I mean enthusiast! Pretty solid title and I'd sell my old Talisman if I could. Not certain why I like Relic more but I do. Don't know what else to say about it - you know exactly what you're getting when you buy it. I could say I also played Le Havre but why end on such a sour note? Heh, it wasn't that bad. I smoked some major fucking fish and my stacks of leather? Just wow :p

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: engelstein

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:03:18 +0000

Had a family over last night who have started playing Ticket To Ride at home and wanted to branch out into the wider world of gaming. There were 8 of us all together, and no one wanted to split up, so we put together this line-up: Space Cadets: Dice Duel (wasn't actually on my original list, but they insisted) Incan Gold The Resistance Cash and Guns A lot of gaming squeezed into two hours! It was interesting how all those games featured tension and yelling in various measures, and everyone felt physically and emotionally drained - in a good way - by the end of the evening. Certainly not like we would have by playing four games like TTR. It's great when good mechanics get tied into a game where everyone emotionally invests. Geoff

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: ioticus

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:08:23 +0000

[quote="Michael Barnes" post=152436]I'm luck dependent. Without luck, I'd never win anything.[/quote] I'm in the same luck dependent boat!

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: DukeofChutney

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:42:21 +0000

played another game of City of Remnants. It was more fun than last time as the guys i was playing with were generally more fun. However i'm not sure i can dig it. I was more or less put out the game by the second turn and it still lasted just under 3 hours. I was blue, red crossed the board and killed four of my guys on round 1 and i never recovered from it. He then in the mid game lost two fights too yellow and that put him out and yellow went on to dominate uncontested for the last hour or so. The game snowballs a lot. You need gangers on the board to get cash to get more men and vps etc so even losing two can be a serious blow. Its also far easier to defend once you have more guys on the board. I wouldn't mind all this if it came in at the 90 min mark, but unless you have experienced players i don't see this happening. The game can be very punishing if you make mistakes early, its like 18xx in that respect. I also tried the Star Wars LCG. I was the darkside and got crushed. I'm not really a CCG style card game fan, netrunner being the only one i've ever liked. I find adding numbers up and tapping cards rather unthematic most of the time. In netrunner it sort of makes sense due to it all being in a digital realm but to turn starwars in to a game of resource points and damage numbers kills the drama for me. The odd match up syndrome also puts me off a little. It does appear to be a sound game though. Finally we played 4 player eclipse. Plasma Torps kick ass. I won a lot of fights and had the biggest empire, came second last though as i didn't grab enough decent vp tiles.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Michael Barnes

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:58:42 +0000

I'm luck dependent. Without luck, I'd never win anything.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Stonecutter

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:50:07 +0000

[quote="ioticus" post=152415][quote="Josh Look" post=152170]The Buffy game totally rules. It's in the same vein as Last Night on Earth, but I think it's better. It does all sorts of cool, thematic things that you'll get a kick out of regardless of whether or not you've watched the show.[/quote] Sweet, the math trade resulted in me trading Twilight Struggle Deluxe (too long and too luck dependent) for Buffy![/quote] PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT BAHAHAHAHHAHAAH

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Gary Sax

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:18:35 +0000

Played Merchants of Venus. It's a little strange, my wife just sort of plays, not really to win, but just to trade and make some money. The game still works, though, if I'm keeping track of my money. On top of that, I've played too much Merchants of Venus 2 player. I'd love to play with more players, 3 or even 4. It would make the market much more interesting---with 2 its very easy to just set up your route and run it until the end of the game.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Sagrilarus

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:53:51 +0000

Anyone worried about the luck in Twilight Struggle is going to be very disappointed with Buffy. S.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Mad Dog

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:15:26 +0000

Roulette is too luck dependent. Twilight Struggle is not.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Mad Dog

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:10:00 +0000

RoboRally - One of the greatest board games ever made. We played two boards and four flags. Everyone else died at least once except me, but I didn't win. Was on my way to the final flag when two other people were both one turn away from it. It was a close race and very violent with lots of shooting each other and pushing into pits.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Hatchling

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:00:48 +0000

What is the thinking behind the phrase "too luck dependent"? To be honest, when people say a game is "too luck dependent", I tend to assume they crave attention and affirmation. So, either they are bad losers, or they are anxious that wins don't give them sufficient validation.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: ThirstyMan

Sat, 18 May 2013 04:19:35 +0000

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: iguanaDitty

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:38:55 +0000

[quote="faceknives" post=152412]I've been reading Kate Beaton's [i]Hark! A Vagrant[/i] book. It's excellent, in a history geek kind of way.[/quote] I love this comic. It's all online also so you can preview. Hilarious stuff.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: Dogmatix

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:49:19 +0000

[quote="SuperflyTNT" post=152372] It's simply too much dice/cards and too little brain.[/quote] Strikes me as a game that really needed a separate set of "advanced rules" to go with it.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Bull Nakano

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:07:44 +0000

well, Buffy is shorter at least.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: ioticus

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:59:47 +0000

[quote="Josh Look" post=152170]The Buffy game totally rules. It's in the same vein as Last Night on Earth, but I think it's better. It does all sorts of cool, thematic things that you'll get a kick out of regardless of whether or not you've watched the show.[/quote] Sweet, the math trade resulted in me trading Twilight Struggle Deluxe (too long and too luck dependent) for Buffy!

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: faceknives

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:56:52 +0000

Just ordered Cosmic Encounter from the local games store, mainly on the recommendation of people here. (So I will kill you if I don't like it. I say "kill". I mean "sulk in a passive aggressive manner until someone virtually punches me in the face").

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: faceknives

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:54:56 +0000

I've been reading Kate Beaton's [i]Hark! A Vagrant[/i] book. It's excellent, in a history geek kind of way.

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: Legomancer

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:54:35 +0000

[b]Atomic Robo[/b] - bought all the trades on Comixology. It's a lot of fun without being dead stupid, and all-ages without being cloying. Really good stuff that is sort of like Hellboy but not really. [b]Orbital[/b] - French sci-fi comics. Cool sci-fi that manages to exist and interest without having to be tied to some movie property. Based on it I've also started on Aldebaran by LEO, but unfortunately the English translations offered by Cinebook are censored for nudity. Also been reading some classic Judge Dredd (just finished the Cursed Earth saga), the new Ben Katchor book [b]Hand-Drying in America[/b], and I have [b]50 Girls 50[/b], a collection of Al Williamson EC stories. And still working through the second [b]Pogo[/b] volume.

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: dragonstout

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:51:32 +0000

[quote="Michael Barnes" post=152408]I'mma look at this sale...[/quote] It's frustrating looking at the sale on the website because you have to click through DOZENS of pages; I got an e-mail that just has a big list of everything. I'd copy and paste it here, but it's a gigantic list. I noticed there are some Geoff Johns JSA books, which I know you've been into lately. Also a couple Sleeper paperbacks, I think that's my favorite Brubaker comic. I've still got those Kirby Caps and Hellblazers, even cheaper than 50% off... Edit: Looking at the huge list of Archives books...it's no wonder the archive program at DC died. Just way, way, way too much crap. Even series that I'd be interested in, like the Shazam Archives, by volume 4 still hadn't gotten to the "good stuff". That's the huge difference between Archives and Masterworks: Marvel Masterworks, from the very first volume you're getting the classic Marvel comics, Kirby, Ditko, Lee. That's not how DC's series have worked. They should've taken an approach like Fantagraphics is taking with the Carl Barks series, where you start off with the peak era and slowly work your way outward. The Archives (especially golden age) also frequently look like shit, thanks to the Theakstonization process where they literally chemically destroy the comic so that they can recolor it (whoops, those chemicals destroy the black lines too?).

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: Michael Barnes

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:30:24 +0000

Yeah, that first issue of Waid's Daredevil is just STUPID good. Especially after years of bleakness and woe. It's swashbuckling, light on its feet, funny, and _colorful_. The whole run has been really good so far, the Christmas issue where he's stuck in the snow with all of these kids is really awesome. I love the Bendis stuff and think it's the best work he's ever done, but I _enjoy_ the Waid Daredevil more. I especially love how they constantly reference the tone of the past years. All-Star is in two volumes? Mine is in one. I found a copy of Black Hole at my shop today for $4.99. Snooty comics guy said "great find". I have been validated. I'mma look at this sale...

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: dragonstout

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:17:52 +0000

[quote="Shellhead" post=152398][b]Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?[/b] is a conventional superhero tale, but told by the best writer in the industry, Alan Moore.[/quote] Agreed that WHTTMOT is...fine and good but conventional, but the real reason I recommend that book is for the Mongul story ("For the Man Who Has Everything"); I think that one is Alan Moore's best one-off DCU story. Check out those Spirit books, Shellhead, they're super-duper cheap so you're not risking much. For writing, I think the Spirit and Plastic Man, both from the Golden Age, beat any other superhero comics from the Golden OR Silver Age. And the art and storytelling are very adventurous and energy-filled. They're definitely not about any kind of heavy angst, though; they're light, frothy, surprising, and funny.

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: Shellhead

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:59:46 +0000

Thanks to the library, I finally got to read the final two trades of [b]Scalped[/b]. That's always been a problem with public libraries, the next book I want to read in a series is always the one that is checked out or on hold. Anyway, Scalped ends well, with both ultraviolence and good characterization. I was hoping against all odds for a happy ending, but at least it was a well-written ending. My only complaint is it seems like Aaron had trouble deciding which characters were going to kill which characters, so there were a few too many final showdowns that should have resulted in certain characters dying sooner. The first trade of Waid's [b]Daredevil[/b] didn't disappoint. In fact, it might just be my all-time favorite Daredevil run so far. Better than Miller, better than the pre-Miller stuff that I liked, and much better than the misery-inducing stories of Bendis and Brubaker.

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: Shellhead

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:54:26 +0000

[quote="dragonstout" post=152396]I always recommend supporting your local comic book store, but if your local store sucks, then there's a HUGE sale on at Tales of Wonder, tons of stuff 50% off: http://talesofwonder.com/category-exec/category_id/5/root_category_id/1 Some 50% off books I'd STRONGLY recommend to everyone, no reservations whatsoever: Plastic Man Archives vol. 8 (all of them, actually, but they get better and better as they go on, so 8's the best yet published) All-Star Superman vols. 1-2 Best of the Spirit The Spirit: Femme Fatales Why I Hate Saturn Stuck Rubber Baby Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (also includes the Mongul story) I also recommend: Shazam: Monster Society of Evil Seven Soldiers of Victory (the Grant Morrison paperbacks) I'm strongly tempted to finally pull the trigger for the Doom Patrol archives and Flash archives...but really they'd be mainly for my kid, and I've already got *tons* of comics for him to read anyway, so that's stopping me. Despite being a huge fan of Kirby's Fourth World, I do not recommend the Fourth World paperbacks in the sale; they're in black and white, which is completely not how you want to see Kirby's art Go for the color books.[/quote] I can vouch for some of the above. [b]All-Star Superman[/b] is one of Morrison's better works. It's a self-contained romp through some of the more entertaining ideas of the whole Superman mythos. [b]Why I Hate Saturn[/b] is funny and insightful. [b]Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?[/b] is a conventional superhero tale, but told by the best writer in the industry, Alan Moore. [b]Seven Soldiers[/b] is fantastic, easily one of Morrison's greatest achievements. He writes an epic story that weaves together the fates of seven Z-list heroes that never become a team, spanning time, space, and several genres. Every issue is overflowing with neat ideas, and most of the artists are great. It's like an entire superhero universe distilled down into one amazing 30-part story. I have heard great things about [b]Shazam: Monster Society of Evil[/b], and the artwork is pretty. I look forward to picking it up at some point.

Subject: Re: What COMIC BOOKS have you been reading? - by: dragonstout

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:35:01 +0000

I always recommend supporting your local comic book store, but if your local store sucks, then there's a HUGE sale on at Tales of Wonder, tons of stuff 50% off: http://talesofwonder.com/category-exec/category_id/5/root_category_id/1 Some 50% off books I'd STRONGLY recommend to everyone, no reservations whatsoever: Plastic Man Archives vol. 8 (all of them, actually, but they get better and better as they go on, so 8's the best yet published) All-Star Superman vols. 1-2 Best of the Spirit The Spirit: Femme Fatales Why I Hate Saturn Stuck Rubber Baby Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (also includes the Mongul story) I also recommend: Shazam: Monster Society of Evil Seven Soldiers of Victory (the Grant Morrison paperbacks) I'm strongly tempted to finally pull the trigger for the Doom Patrol archives and Flash archives...but really they'd be mainly for my kid, and I've already got *tons* of comics for him to read anyway, so that's stopping me. Despite being a huge fan of Kirby's Fourth World, I do not recommend the Fourth World paperbacks in the sale; they're in black and white, which is completely not how you want to see Kirby's art Go for the color books.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Legomancer

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:28:41 +0000

My recent buys: [b]Core Worlds[/b] - The only deckbuilders I own physical copies of are Thunderstone Advance and Nightfall (which I got cheap so I could learn how to play on the iPad). I played a game of this and really dug it, thought it was a nice change of pace and felt right up there with Thunderstone as feeling like something is actually happening instead of me just moving cards around. Haven't ordered or played the expansion. [b]Convoy[/b] - I like Neuroshima Hex a lot but I love The New Era. Looking forward to playing this one tonight. [b]Pirate Dice[/b] - The rethemed Robo-Rally Express dice game. Played this the other night and it was goofy, quick fun. I had Terra Mystica on pre-order at CSI but mine was one of the ones that didn't get fulfilled. Kind of glad on that in retrospect. I like the game, but I'm not sure how often it would get played.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: SuperflyTNT

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:36:02 +0000

LMAO, no, not really. It's just a very "pocket" game that only a very select group of people would appreciate, I think. Reviews are mixed, but this is pretty close to the mark: http://thefrontlinegamer.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-dreadfleet.html It's simply too much dice/cards and too little brain.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: SuperflyTNT

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:01:05 +0000

[quote="JoelCFC25" post=152221][quote="Michael Barnes" post=152208]It isn't funny to joke about juggalos. They are one of the great social problems of our time.[/quote] Agreed. [url=http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2013/05/bucky_rogers_alleged_minnesota_terrorist_is_a_juggalo_photos.php]They're now branching out into terrorism[/url].[/quote] http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=juggalette "juggalette Share on twitter Share on facebook Share on more 1560 up, 1318 down A juggalette is a morbidly obese and/or borderline-retarded teenage girl who has zero friends other than fellow Clown Syndrome patients and listens to the Insane Clown Posse religiously. They come from a usually poor background (reason why they pretend to be tough) most of which becoming pregnant by the time they are 17 after drinking faygo and pretending to be drunk. They typically have worst-case-scenario acne and have an outer layer of lard around the brain that slows even the most basic cognitive ability, usually their love life does not exist beyond internet cybersex with juggalos." L M A O

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: schlupp

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:39:25 +0000

[quote="mikko_r" post=152300]Got Andean Abyss from GMT 50% sale. Would have gotten Sekigahara too if it were in print.[/quote] For me it was PQ-17. I've been eying this for a long time. It was actually already on sale, 40$ instead of 75$. With the 50% discount it was then only 20$. Coupon still valid until next Wednesday for all in-stock games.

Subject: Re: What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: QPCloudy

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:22:36 +0000

I work Sundays at a homegrown video game shop. This passed Sunday someone brought in a DSi XL and wanted cash. DSi XLs only trade in cash for $24. So, I bought it for $30. Then, I traded in a couple old PS3 games and got Pokemon Black Version 2. tl;dr I haven't seen the sun in a week. Is the Earth still out there?

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: Bull Nakano

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:45:21 +0000

I just placed an order from CSI after selling some magic cards, picked up some Sentinels expansions, some X-Wing stuff (they need to get the wave 2 small stuff in though!) and a cheap Victory Point Game called For the Crown, which is a Chess deckbuilder, and supposed to be pretty interesting.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: Sagrilarus

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:11:55 +0000

Wait a minute, was Dread Fleet declared a bust? I missed that. I need to do a better job keeping up on the news. S.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Bull Nakano

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:10:05 +0000

[quote="San Il Defanso" post=152308]So last night I set up a two-player game of [b]Terra Mystica[/b] and played out the whole thing. Just about everything Michael wrote about it looks to be true, but I'm more inclined to like games like that, if just as a change of pace. So I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit once I internalized what was happening. I'll play again this weekend and give some more thoughts on it. But yeah, it's definitely something that about 85% of our active users will HAAAAAATE.[/quote]I'm pretty curious to play it, it's REALLY high on my geekbuddies' ratings list, like top 5 with more than a dozen rated, so I'm actively seeking this out, but I try not to commit to euros I'm curious about because I often just get burned.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Columbob

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:07:00 +0000

Managed to get 2 games of [b]Merchants & Marauders[/b] over the weekend. A 4p game with both brothers and dad, where we ALL played merchants, even if a couple captains might have been better off pirates. I'd never played as a merchant and wanted to try it. It seemed for a while that my older brother was pulling ahead, until bro2 managed to sneak in a couple of sales just ahead of him to screw with the in demand goods to my hilarity. So bro2 seemed in the lead, and scooped one of my in demand sales as well, turns out it was for the best as I managed to find a third similar good and they were in demand on my way. Roll in, cash in, accomplish my mission and stash (through the courier) 50 gold for the win. Second game just my older brother and me, turns out we picked each other's captains from the previous evening. I definitely went pirate this time as it's just so much more fun. However navy ships kept springing up right around my hunting grounds and my home port. Manage to upgrade my ship to a galleon, unfortunately the French go to war against the Brits and the lowly frigates become mighty man'o wars. After brutal ship to ship combat I go down (close fought though, they only had 1 crew left), and concede defeat as he was 3 turns away from winning (5 glory, 10 gold stashed and 60 gold +goods in hand) and I only had 2 glory and 16 gold left. In hindsight, I should have tried a new captain to hunt him down in his lowly flute, but it was late and I was tired. That's a moment of weakness, for sure. Next game we'll definitely pick 2-3 captain cards to start with, don't want to be stuck playing the gentle merchants. That Netherlands captain who starts in St. Maarten (3-3-3-1) feels definitely like a pirate captain to me, except for his special rule which lets you ignore the first hit...from a pirate. Love this game, and even our 4p game didn't go over 3h, including setup and going over the rules. I can't really see how a game would end by emptying the events deck, we barely reach half of it most games.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: SuperflyTNT

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:10 +0000

It's too expensive for what you get, in my opinion, but man alive does it look like what I hoped Dreadfleet would've been.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: Dogmatix

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:48 +0000

[quote="SuperflyTNT" post=152192]This looks kind of fun, if not simple: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bombat/admiral?ref=category[/quote] If I wasn't already all-in on Sails of Glory, I'd probably be in on this.

Subject: Re: What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Gary Sax

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:43:42 +0000

[quote="Michael Barnes" post=152335]That sounds awesome, I'm going to check it out.[/quote] It's on steam. It's expensive ($30), but worth it. Or you could wait till it's finished, as well. From the designers of Darwinia. Here's a nice video of the game in action, being played by a couple people from Giant Bomb. The social commentary flies over most of their heads, but Patrick notices it. http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/quick-look-prison-architect/2300-7367/

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: hotseatgames

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:41:46 +0000

[quote="SuperflyTNT" post=152118]So, probably .00000000000001% of gamers have ever heard of Wastelands 3... http://s1.zetaboards.com/Post_Apoc_Wargames/topic/4759552/1/ ...and it is probably the single worst laid out rules book in the world. BUT... It is really good. Simple, and the campaign system is the single most well-devised of any game I've ever seen. Played around last night with it using my new "Max Max" terrain.. http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=53298.0;attach=11876;image http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=53298.0;attach=11875;image ...and holy crapoli! What a great system.[/quote] You're always turning me on to new games! Should I read this one, or Skank?

Subject: Re: What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: MattDP

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:35:57 +0000

[quote="hotseatgames"; post=152336]I played a chunk of Rage and found it really boring. I forgot I had it until I read this. :)[/quote] Me too.

Subject: Re: What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: hotseatgames

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:33:06 +0000

[quote="DukeofChutney" post=151428]I picked up Rage in a steam sale a while ago. After taking two days on an off to download it i got to play the first 20 mins or so yesterday. Not impressed so far. Man the start is uninspiring. Shoot bandits in some lame dungeon. Theres ones with just knives and ones with pistols. Its not terrible, its just the whole level design, challenge, story and setting etc have all been long flogged to death. Maybe it will improve.[/quote] I played a chunk of Rage and found it really boring. I forgot I had it until I read this. :)

Subject: Re: What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Michael Barnes

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:31:34 +0000

That sounds awesome, I'm going to check it out.

Subject: Re: What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Gary Sax

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:09:09 +0000

I bought and have been playing the alpha of Prison Architect. They say alpha but it's reasonably polished for an alpha. It's a pretty good management/sandbox sim. It's also an incredibly profound social commentary, IMHO. The whole thing is set up to put you in a very uncomfortable role of prison superintendent. It never says anything to you about it and it doesn't really preach in any particular direction. It's presented in a cartoony fashion in some ways, but it's fairly serious besides its presentation. It's confident enough to simply put you in the role of spending countless dollars and constructing huge building simply to lock up other human beings. It's heavy stuff. If videogames are going to be art or social commentary, they have to exploit the interactive nature of the medium. This game is a great example of this. It says something about the US prison system (and prison in general) that couldn't be said in any other medium. It forces you into a strange, awkward role and makes you interact with the results.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: lj1983

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:46:57 +0000

I took my mine foreman's exam on tuesday and so had most of the day off. took my brother in law and his girlfriend out to lunch as a 'welcome to wyoming' thing, then we played games. 2 player Clash of Cultures learning game. Star Wars Epic Duels using Halo terrain. Emperor & Yoda put the smack down on my Vader & Obi-wan. Though I was *this* close to winning with Vader's "all to easy" card. I made 2 attacks. he blocked one and not the other. He chose wisely. some more King of Tokyo which is always fun and Last Night on Earth. really hoping to get Timber Peaks in the current BGG math trade.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: San Il Defanso

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:45:55 +0000

I like the idea of everyone on this site getting one "Stone Age" game, where they can love it to their heart's content and everyone else can make fun of them. Actually, it really is closest to a somewhat less-abstract Kingdom Builder, except you need to manage about 4-5 different kinds of resources. If that sounds like your kind of headache, then you'll like it.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: ThirstyMan

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:43:45 +0000

No apparently 99.9% hate that....

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: SuperflyTNT

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:34:01 +0000

So, it's Stone Age?

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: San Il Defanso

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:57:14 +0000

So last night I set up a two-player game of [b]Terra Mystica[/b] and played out the whole thing. Just about everything Michael wrote about it looks to be true, but I'm more inclined to like games like that, if just as a change of pace. So I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit once I internalized what was happening. I'll play again this weekend and give some more thoughts on it. But yeah, it's definitely something that about 85% of our active users will HAAAAAATE.

Subject: Re: What board games are you BUYING? - by: mikko_r

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:06:40 +0000

Got Andean Abyss from GMT 50% sale. Would have gotten Sekigahara too if it were in print.

Subject: Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing? - by: Ancient_of_MuMu

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:04:42 +0000

First game of [b]Spartacus[/B] last night. We played the short game but started at 4 influence and finished at 9 as recommended by most people, rather than the official 7 to 12. It was a very close game with one person making it to 9 then being knocked back to 7, quickly followed by me making it to 9 then being knocked back and then the other 2 players both hitting 9 simultaneously and battling it out in the arena to determine a winner. This game does probably have the best tie-breaker rule as that final battle was quite tense. There is something about it that really reminds me of Cosmic Encounter and I really enjoyed it. Timing your run to a winning position is crucial and being able to enjoy all the little moments of treachery is key to the game. Not sure how well it will play with more players, but I will almost certainly get the expansion when it comes out, just because our group normally has 5.

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: tscook

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:02:25 +0000

Torchbearer, OSR done right (because it isn't done by the "OSR" grogs)

Subject: Re: What MOVIES have you been watching? (v2.0) - by: Shellhead

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:57:15 +0000

[b]Youth in Revolt[/b] was fun. It was a comedy that was romantic and also strange and quirky, but definitely not a conventional Hollywood Rom Com. I dislike the concept of Michael Cera, but somehow his acting wins me over every time.

Subject: Re: What MOVIES have you been watching? (v2.0) - by: ZMan

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:13:58 +0000

I forgot about Howl's Moving Castle - I agree with San's point that something seems to be missing - I don't fully understand the motivations of certain characters or even plot. I get that with quite a few Asian films: not understanding certain motivations. Must be a culture thing. Never saw all of Earthsea. I think I've seen Whisper of the Heart but I don't recall it: so maybe I should watch it anyway. Arriety: I like the innocence in that one as well. Still feels a little weak to me though. Spirited Away: animation is awesome but again some motivations I don't get. But I'd still watch it again. I'm wondering if it took off because it was hailed so well from Japan and at the height of Miyazaki and anime in general, that it became cool to like this sort of thing even if most people didn't understand it or care about it (or even watch anime anymore). Ponyo: I agree with Michael - not really good. The story - animation is still nice. There are some nice innocent touches but the whole does not work for me. I have not seen Porco Rosso (I tried ordering it from the Disney Movie Club but they never got my order). And I've never seen Pon Poko. Grave of the Fireflies was great. [quote="Michael Barnes" post=152148]Porco Rosso is such an odd film. It's intensely personal, I think, and he feels very invested in the story. But it's just so _odd_. Not necessarily because of the pig thing, but because of this weird old Hollywood sense about it paired with obsessive aviation details. River loves it. I've always had a mixed opinion of it. Earthsea is deathly boring. Whisper of the Heart has the one good scene with the cat (and the crazy John Denver thing going on) but it can safely be missed. Ponyo is just horrid. It's the only film of his that I felt like he didn't give a shit about. Howl's is somewhat underrated, IMO. It has some real weirdness in it too...the whole mardi gras/New Orleans thing. Transvestitism. This strange thing about getting old. The war. It's kind of a mess, but it's hugely imaginative, sometimes whimsical and sometimes very dark. Pon Poko (a Takahata film, not Miyazaki) is worth seeing...very sad. Maybe not quite Grave of the Fireflies sad. Some really profound comments about man's encroachment into natural environs. Haven't seen Arriety yet. Spirited Away is good, but I never understood why that was the one that really took off in the US, because in some ways it's his least Western, least accessible film.[/quote]

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: Stonecutter

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:01:13 +0000

[quote="ThirstyMan" post=152245]Do you have a link for this? Save me traipsing through kickstarter projects....[/quote] http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1402889231/galaxy-defenders-co-op-sci-fi-miniature-board-game Here's Vasal's preview [video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]afEHSlnfRFE[/video] And here's Rahdo's [video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]AziwJD2ywFk[/video]

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: ThirstyMan

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:51:05 +0000

Do you have a link for this? Save me traipsing through kickstarter projects....

Subject: Re: What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? - by: Stonecutter

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:34:23 +0000

Grabbing Galaxy Defenders, because it's Ares games who has a good track record, they're being very open and up front about what it is and isn't, and because it looks so much like a bunch of the awesome GW board games I missed out on in the 80s. Also, gives that tactical minis feel while still being a full game in a box, rather than a starter set or somesuch bullshit.