What's the worst AT game in your collection?

What's the worst AmeriTrash game in your collection?

What makes it so bad?

Could it be fixed with some rules patches or some kind of overhaul?

Why do you still own it?

The worst is probably Lord of the Rings: Risk. It's tedious, long, jarringly anti-thematic, and has a vastly superior replacement in War of the Ring.

I still own it because honestly no one would give up enough for it to be worth shipping. And the pieces are pretty (even if the map is like a narrow, fun-house version of Middle-Earth.)

Rogue Trooper.

Imagine Talisman.

Re-theme it as a sci-fi game.

And now, and this is the important part, remove absolutely everything about the game which makes it enjoyable.

You've got Rogue Trooper.

Dark Future would probably run it a close second. GW didn't half put out some bad games alongside the classics during its golden years.

The reason I still own both is because they're in storage at my parents' house which is across the other side of the country. As soon as I can be bothered to get them back to my place, they're going on Ebay.

The worst one I'd actually keep is Talisman - mainly because of nostalgia, and because for all that it's pretty dull by modern standards it's the only game of it's ilk in my collection. I have a first edition copy and if it was still worth anything, I'd probably flog it. But the reprint put paid to that. Another weak game I'd keep is Chaos Marauders because although pathetically lightweight it is at least short, and often quite funny.

These are all GW games I don't know what that says about me. Probably that I grew up as a gamer in the UK during the GW golden years.

I don't keep games I would describe as "worst". I prefer a lean collection of favorites over a bloated collection of niche-fillers.

I'm very picky about the games I buy. These days, I tend to read reviews and comments and consider previous games by that publisher or designer when pondering a decision. In the old days, I went with gut instinct, based on apparent theme, quality of cover artwork, and word-of-mouth at the game shop. So just about everything in my collection is a game that I like to play.

But to be honest, there are a few games that I never play anymore, so there is probably something wrong with them that I don't to play them anymore.

The worst might be Snapshot. It's a more detailed version of the combat system for first edition Traveller, plus cardboard counters, a big foldout ship map, and some dice. There are also several scenarios to play. We played it a few times way back when it first came out, but I'm pretty sure that box hasn't been opened in over two decades now.

Snapshot is not a terrible game. The rules work, the scenarios are playable, and there is plenty of combat. But the zero-G combat rules are more trouble than they are worth, and the first edition Traveller setting was extremely dry. Everybody wanted to play a science-fiction setting like Star Wars, Star Trek, or Alien, but Snapshot delivered Outland, only with a relatively boring map.

I suppose Snapshot could be fixed. Streamline the zero-G rules or dump them and assume normal gravity for every scenario. Replace the cardboard dudes with some miniatures. Punch up the scenarios with different maps, aliens, higher tech, space zombies, anything with more flavor than humans shooting humans on a map that resembles a super-sized space shuttle. Specifically, I have some compatible Traveller maps that we could have used, like the FASA ship templates, or Azhanti High Lightning, or especially the great maps for the superior Asteroid boardgame from GDW.

So every once in a while, I find myself looking at the Snapshot box and thinking, I should work up some new scenarios and try to play this sometime. Then I set aside and pick up a better old game, like Kung Fu 2100 and play that instead.

Ha ha! I've got ROGUE TROOPER...I keep only because it's a 2000AD/GW game...and hell, it's got Dave Gibbons art. It's not great, that's for sure.

Most folks would look at my collection and say that CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB is the AT stinker there...but I like it.

I've owned some real crap ones over the years, most now lost to Ebay, trades, and time...CULTS ACROSS AMERICA comes to mind...X-MEN UNDER SIEGE is pretty lame...the STAR TREK disc game was cool for about 10 minutes and then it became horrible...

Shellhead wrote:

What's the worst AmeriTrash game in your collection?

What makes it so bad?

Could it be fixed with some rules patches or some kind of overhaul?

Why do you still own it?

Hands down, that would be Thieves Guild.

What makes it so bad? Besides the crappy artwork, the poor layout and inarticulate nature of the rulebook, and the nonsensical nature of sitting in the same store you looted until the following turn to re-loot it? Nothing.

Why would I want to fix a game after being attacked by the designer because of my less than glowing review? I'm not on his payroll, nor do I wish to be. Games I am partial to I will come up with fixes, but not this piece of crap.

I still own it because it's trade bait; albeit stinky, three day old fish smelling trade bait. If I don't get an offer for it in the near future, I may just turn it in to Noble Knight for credit.

I don't think my collection is big enough to have a "worst" game. What I would classify as my worst games are games I've purchased but have never played: Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles, Wreckage and Arena Maximus. Next would be the games I haven't played in a long time. Longest would be Conquest of the Empire the MB version (which is actually my brother's and in terrible condition), Axis and Allies 3rd edition (also technically my brother's but I don't think he cares about it, also not in great condition). Oh I also have a copy of stratego missing a piece that needs to go to Goodwill. Then there's Pirates of the Spanish Main.

All of that stuff I keep around because I can't find anyone to pawn it off on.

Then there's Wings of War and BattleLore. Both of which I'm on the fence if I like them or not. Wings of War is pretty fun, but it hasn't been played in over a year. And BattleLore, I just introduced it to my buddy and he liked it, and I still have my fingers crossed that they will be able to do something cool with the system.

I just realized something. My least favorite modern AT game just might be Cash'n'Guns.

Yeah, I said Cash'n'Guns.

Sure it was great fun at first. Reservoir Dogs the boardgame, more or less, and lots of laughs. But there are problems.

1. Aside from the MetaGame, there isn't much game there. Countdown, point, laugh, countdown again, then score the wounds and payout. Repeat seven times.

2. The language-independent components are a pain when you play with the special powers. Half the cards are so mysterious in depiction that several people are grabbing for the rules at the same time.

3. The cop scenario just doesn't work well. It's almost impossible for the cop, under the strict parameters. Also, I unfortunately "look like a cop." (Which really stings, because I like to think of myself as looking more like Henry Rollins.)And not the lazy, corrupt, donut-munching cop, but the ruthless cop who spends long hours at the firing range. And I don't even own a gun.

4. I hate the cartoony artwork almost as much as that found in Strange Synergy.

5. I won our first game bigtime without even getting shot once, so everybody who played that first game comes gunning for me by default.

Maybe the Yakuza expansion adds enough fun to Cash'n'Guns, but I'm not willing to spend that kind of moolah without trying it out first. With the base set alone, it's just not enough fun to get me enthusiastic about playing any more. It's quite possible that the problem is our players, that we need more trash-talking and less giggling. But if I lead the way on the trashtalk, I will be dead in two turns or ducking for cover a lot.

Because there isn't much to the game, I don't feel motivated to try to tweak Cash'n'Guns, except that I might download that Reservoir Dogs style set of cards that somebody uploaded at BGG. And maybe spray paint my guns black.

For now, I will keep Cash'n'Guns, because all my friends like to play it, and it is fun to watch new players and/or drunk people get into it.

What's the worst AmeriTrash game in your collection?
Probably Dark World, though to me it seems more like a Milton Bradley game in AT clothing.

What makes it so bad?
Identical characters, identical monsters except for their life points, boring combat, fantasy dungeon crawl without spells (wtf?), (dare I say it) not much interesting decision-making, no interesting narrative unfolding before you.

Could it be fixed with some rules patches or some kind of overhaul?
Yup - I added tons of shit that made it feel like more like a crazy game of Nethack. Spell deck with all kinds of effects, random scroll and potion effects, special abilities per character or monster, weapon specialties...I don't remember much of the special abilities I cooked up, except one guy was better with spells and mummies could disease the heroes...When a hero died, he came back as a zombie controlled by the Korak (bad guy) player. It still wasn't so great.

Why do you still own it?
I'm kind of a pack rat.

Ken B. wrote:

The worst is probably Lord of the Rings: Risk. It's tedious, long, jarringly anti-thematic, and has a vastly superior replacement in War of the Ring.

Ugh - I blocked this one out of my mind. I might have to change my answer.

That sucks to hear about that dragon game, Uba. That's one I'll see pictures of from time to time and go, "Hey, that's a neat looking game." Thanks for the warning.

I love zombies, chainsaw, dice and Games Workshop (when they still made board games) but HOLY FUCK! I HATE CHAINSAW WARRIOR. Strategy , tactics, risk management etc. are thrown out the window in favour of drawing a card, throwing the dice and dying in 3 turns.

This is the fun murderer of my collection. I've played it about 5 times and each time I felt extremely frustrated with the system. There is no way that you can play this game unless you cheat. Yeah I could house rule it but I'm not a designer, this shit should work outta the box. I've played difficult games like DungeonQuest which far surpasses Chainsaw Warrior in creating a more "balanced" imbalanced game.

It's like this game was created to make people hate dice, randomness and theme.

Why do I still have it? 'Cause no one is dumb enough to trade me for it.