Barnes on Games- Barnes' Best GOTY 2016
Game Information
Spoiler- It's Star Trek: Ascendancy
Here it is, the last column of a shitty year that benefitted absolutely no one except rich, white scumbags. THANKS A LOT 2016 for finding all new ways to take good things away from us. Anyway, one of the brighter parts of the year is that there were actually quite a lot of really good games released this year- I found myself doing my "huh, this is actually pretty good" affirmation through more games than usual it seems, but it could also be because I've gotten MUCH more selective about what I play and review, if that's even possible because I was already filtering out tons of junk. So over at Miniature Market we've done our GOTY post, and it has my "official" GOTY picks on it which will probably surprise no one. They are:
Star Trek Ascendancy- This is the one game that just completely blew me away this year, and it was one I wasn't even really sure I wanted to play. In fact, Charlie asked me to review it and I was like "yeah, sure, whatever". But then I got a review copy and I was like "no, we are reviewing this together because it's awesome". This is a magnificent piece of design work that gives you the big, hoary 4x game experience but with streamlining in the right places. More importantly, it captures the sense of adventure, exploration, negotiation and discovery that defines Trek. It's a near-perfect use of the license and it is by far the best Trek game to date. I haven't gotten to play this game nearly as much as I'd like due to the three player limit, but every game has been awesome and well worth telling some other friends at game night to take a hike. This is also GF9's best game to date.
Scythe- This is probably the controversial pick because it was "promised" to be a 4x game when in actuality it is an economic game with a fascinating theme about agrarian cultures being driven to fight using the tools at hand. The title is apt, as it's a farming tool that can also be used as a weapon. This is a beautiful game refined and designed to spec at an almost Kubrickian degree, full of interesting and interlocking mechanics and a unique setting. I have the expansion sitting right here but I have yet to even take a look at it because of the disaster that was the holidays this year, but I'm trying to get at least seven lined up for a game this weekend.
Zimby Mojo- Jim Felli delivers again with this year's "vanguard" pick. This is a wholly outsider game unlike anything else you have played. It's bizarre, violent, goofy and idiosyncratic and it is a great example of the difference between scrappy but singular game design genius and sloppy Kickstarter non-development. It's kind of a mess, it's too long, and it's not a game that you can just break out and play with anyone but there is not an alternative. Much like Shadows of Malice (which held this same spot last year), you either let Mr. Felli do his thing or you go somewhere else. But if you do get on board, you're going to have a fresh, fun experience that is well worth working through the barriers to entry.
Now, you might find yourself asking where some of my other favorites, specifically Gorechosen and Silver Tower, are. Well, I couldn't pick those because we are beholden to choose games that Miniature Market sells for obvious reasons. Regardless, I think that ST:A would have still taken the top prize but everything under that would be completely in flux with those two games in the mix because:
Gorechosen: This game is quite possibly the best design Games Workshop has ever come up with and it hits every single element that you've wanted from their board games for the past 30+ years. It's ridiculous, funny, capricious, violent and the whole thing just kind of explodes. It is totally heavy metal to the hilt. But it is also an incredibly well-written gladiatorial game that avoids a lot of the stumbling blocks you often seen in melee-focused, low model count skirmish. Nobody stands around trading blows. Everything is always moving and the weapon profiles make maneuver a critical element. The cardplay is fun, the miniatures are of course the best in the industry, and it is just a blast to play in the same way that games like Wiz-War and DungeonQuest were in the 1980s.
Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower: As I've stated repeatedly, this is the best dungeoncrawl game on the market and I do not care one lick if it is not a 1:1 remake of the original game. This is a leaner, cleaner game with an excellent dice-based activation mechanic, lots of detail, simple leveling and TONS of great narrative thanks to the scenario format. It's also the best-looking game of its type available, with a very Tzeentchy color palate and a more surrealist, almost deco take on the usual aesthetics. This is a game with birdmen and spider-goblin hybrids. This is also probably my most played game of 2016, having gone through the full campaign solo and also with a group that rotated between 2-4 players over the course of it. I look at this game and it makes me think about getting rid of the AD&D Adventure System set I have, and that speaks to its overall quality. I want more WHQ, and hopefully GW will deliver in 2017.
Now, in addition to all of the above...I allowed the Review Corner writers to select an overall Game of the Year. Most of them had Star Wars: Rebellion on their lists, so editorially that was what made sense. I gave it four stars, but that crap-ass fake-depth combat system kept it from top marks. Nonetheless, it's a decent "popular" pick for an overall GOTY. Even if it is wrong by my standards.
That's it- now let's all limp on through the rest of this accursed year and hope for a better one come Sunday.
More on Scythe, Star Trek: Ascendancy, Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower, Zimby Mojo, Gorechosen
I guess I'll have to look into Silver Tower and Gorechosen.
Still, I own a hell of a lot of Heroquest and Dungeon Saga and those scratch a lot of itches.
And Wiz-War fun in the 80s?! Come on now. I have fun playing Wiz-War in 2016! Wiz-War is probably by favorite FFG reprint.
I want to like it, its has things that could have worked but it needs help
The space lanes also matter because ships block people from warping through, so they create choke points.
- Research broken as it can't be used (effectively) both for weapons/shields and advancements (unless you are well on your way to a supremacy win, then it doesn't matter).
- Hidden exploration with no initial player contact for maybe five turns can make a player a spectator if they get unlucky draws (i.e. three phenomenon and a planet eater out of eight system draws = just watching the other two).
- It's still just a production race.
Southernman wrote: I still like the game but my disappointmants (still) are:
- Research broken as it can't be used (effectively) both for weapons/shields and advancements (unless you are well on your way to a supremacy win, then it doesn't matter).
- Hidden exploration with no initial player contact for maybe five turns can make a player a spectator if they get unlucky draws (i.e. three phenomenon and a planet eater out of eight system draws = just watching the other two).
- It's still just a production race.
I know that ten games isn't a ton, but on average, our games have first contact on turn 3. Two players are trying to make contact with the Romulans to get trade up ASAP. I don't think that shields and weapons are meant to be maxed, only to have the capacity for a few upgrades if they become the sole research priority. I think the terrible system draw can be crippling, but not as much as when you and your opponents are inexperienced. As for the production race, if that were the case, then I think the Federation should win every game, right?
Unicron wrote:
Southernman wrote: I still like the game but my disappointmants (still) are:
- Research broken as it can't be used (effectively) both for weapons/shields and advancements (unless you are well on your way to a supremacy win, then it doesn't matter).
- Hidden exploration with no initial player contact for maybe five turns can make a player a spectator if they get unlucky draws (i.e. three phenomenon and a planet eater out of eight system draws = just watching the other two).
- It's still just a production race.
I know that ten games isn't a ton, but on average, our games have first contact on turn 3. Two players are trying to make contact with the Romulans to get trade up ASAP. I don't think that shields and weapons are meant to be maxed, only to have the capacity for a few upgrades if they become the sole research priority. I think the terrible system draw can be crippling, but not as much as when you and your opponents are inexperienced. As for the production race, if that were the case, then I think the Federation should win every game, right?
We are aggressive players so 1st contact does not come quickly, we are too busy exploring to get all the resource nodes to be able to attack or defend attacks.
I had two games in a row where I was basically out of the game by turn four/five - one wasn't as bad as the other and I was squirrelling away ships hoping to make a backdoor attack on the guy smashing over the other guy but he won before i had enough ships just to match one of his fleets.
Not sure where you are going with your Fed/production comment.
RabidWookie wrote: Was it really necessary to start a Game of the Year piece with silly political hyperbole?
What's silly about it? And who says it's hyperbole? A majority of Americans and much of the free world considers the election of a longtime conman and liar a downright catastrophe for the US and for the rest of us. Even if Michael only alluded to it indirectly, per the FAT unspoken rule to generally stay away from politics, I am glad he has an opinion that goes beyond just board games.
RabidWookie wrote: On topic, Ascendancy is broken and overly long for such a defensive game. Gorechosen and Silver Tower are brilliant, and I'd have probably picked Silver Tower as GOTY.
I'm sure GW fan-boi games were excluded - actually they probably got gamers who played other games as well as GW to vote
scissors wrote:
RabidWookie wrote: Was it really necessary to start a Game of the Year piece with silly political hyperbole?
What's silly about it? And who says it's hyperbole? A majority of Americans and much of the free world considers the election of a longtime conman and liar a downright catastrophe for the US and for the rest of us. Even if Michael only alluded to it indirectly, per the FAT unspoken rule to generally stay away from politics, I am glad he has an opinion that goes beyond just board games.
Yes but this is the exact reason why we have separate forums for spitting your own flavour of vitriolic creed at everyone else ... most of the site is about discussing games (except for Black Barney who is allowed to post about anything, and usually not games) and probably all of us like it that way.
scissors wrote:
RabidWookie wrote: Was it really necessary to start a Game of the Year piece with silly political hyperbole?
What's silly about it? And who says it's hyperbole? A majority of Americans and much of the free world considers the election of a longtime conman and liar a downright catastrophe for the US and for the rest of us. Even if Michael only alluded to it indirectly, per the FAT unspoken rule to generally stay away from politics, I am glad he has an opinion that goes beyond just board games.
Both candidates were crooked liars and plenty of people had good reasons (and bad reasons) for voting for either of them. To pretend otherwise is to engage in childish hyperbole. I couldn't in good conscience support either of them.
As far as gaming, 2016 was a pretty big let-down compared to the wonders 2015 delivered. My highlights for the year were pretty much relegated to Games Workshop working it's way back into my life after a 25 year hiatus and discovering older games for the first time, like Puzzle Strike.
scissors wrote: my own flavour of Vitriolic creed? you are kidding, right? since I barely ever come here anymore, for any reason, for that reason i should perhaps have kept it myself. this just happened to catch my eye, you self styled spokesman for what's right or wrong at FAT.
Wait, you're criticizing someone for supposedly speaking for the majority of a niche message board, after you just tried to speak for the majority of Americans and the world regarding your angry politics?
scissors wrote: my own flavour of Vitriolic creed? you are kidding, right? since I barely ever come here anymore, for any reason, for that reason i should perhaps have kept it myself. this just happened to catch my eye, you self styled spokesman for what's right or wrong at FAT.
Nope, the moderators are (I just know stuff) and they just told you to fuck off to another forum ....... told ya so, na na na
(PS My 'your own flavour' comment was the same as the 'royal we', meaning everyone).
Miniatures games are dumb toys for little babys.