Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

KK
Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
35136 2
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
20816 0
Hot
KK
Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
7404 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
3964 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
3485 0
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
2074 0
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
2582 0

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
2250 0
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
2494 0
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
3009 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
1971 0
S
Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
3690 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
2617 0
O
oliverkinne
October 10, 2023
2460 0
O
oliverkinne
October 09, 2023
2287 0
O
oliverkinne
October 06, 2023
2504 0

Outback Crossing Review

Board Game Reviews
×
Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.

× Talk about other nerd culture stuff in here.

Thank you F:AT...

More
02 Jun 2017 12:00 #249351 by san il defanso
For being the only place on the internet where I actually like to discuss games. I don't know if it's just that I'm no longer in anything called a "target demographic," or if it's because all of you have ruined me for discussion anywhere else.

Anyway, ya'll are cool with me.
The following user(s) said Thank You: mads b., jeb, Gary Sax, Msample, Jackwraith, Brewmiester, Frohike, Erik Twice, charlest, Gregarius, JEM

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

More
02 Jun 2017 12:50 #249353 by Sagrilarus
Replied by Sagrilarus on topic Thank you F:AT...
(At this point I think we need to cancel the plans to throw San off the web site.)
The following user(s) said Thank You: jeb, Black Barney, Jackwraith, stormseeker75, san il defanso, Frohike

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

More
02 Jun 2017 12:55 #249354 by Jackwraith
Replied by Jackwraith on topic Thank you F:AT...
Likewise, the only posts I've made on BGG in the past several years have been answering rules questions. If I'm talking about board games, I'm pretty much here. My only complaint is that, fairly often, no one here is interested in talking about what I'm interested in. I've been playing a lot of The Others lately and there's really no one to discuss hero teams, strategies, different Sins, etc. with because everyone here other than Egg either never got into it or tried it and moved on ages ago. Likewise, I can't think of the last time I had a really good strategy discussion about Blood Bowl: Team Manager (What teams are weak? What teams are OP? Are there alternatives to "Star players first, upgrades second" as an overall strategy?) or Merchants and Marauders (Easier for merchant, pirate, or hybrid? Always situational? What expansion options are definites?) or Runebound (What large expansion works the best? Do you use the bazaar rules? What's the risk/reward of attacking others?) because those are all old games and people naturally gravitate toward the new thing. Trying to start those kind of threads on BGG is pointless because you'll either get no response or attract the trolls and, like you, I appreciate the knowledge and insight of the folks here far more than the random collection over there.

Similarly, trading over there is fucking useless. So many times I've made decent offers for things and simply been ignored. People have had these games up for trade for YEARS, but unless they're getting what they think is a steal, they won't even bother to reject an offer. I've even offered up lowballs on my part because I don't really care that Earth Reborn is "worth" more than Hellenes. The game is sitting on my shelf, unplayed, just like yours is. We could solve that...
The following user(s) said Thank You: Gary Sax, Cranberries, Frohike, Varys

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

More
02 Jun 2017 13:08 #249355 by san il defanso
Replied by san il defanso on topic Thank you F:AT...
I am right around the 10-year anniversary of purchasing my first non-Catan hobby game. Since I had spent so much time around here I had always felt like a baby in the hobby, but I've since learned that I've actually been around long enough to see a couple of trends rise and fall. F:AT is the only board gaming website where it feels like the collective memory extends further back than about three years.

Jackwraith, I also regret that some older games don't have as much traction as they once did, but that's just how it is. We don't talk about lots of old games, and that's fine I suppose. It does feel like it's possible to put together a thread here on F:AT and ask how people feel about the game several years out, and I always like those threads. Almost no one outside of this site seems interested in reflecting on games in that clear-eyed way at all, so I appreciate when I find stuff like that.

Even though most of us here are a bunch of old farts, this is the only place where I feel like we are still okay with everyone around us engaging in the hobby in our own way. It's also one of the only places I know where all of the different facets of hobby gaming bleed into each other in such a way that most of us participate in more than just one aspect. We have board gamers, roleplayers, wargamers, minis fans, and people who dabble in all of those. And I like that we seem to sense the tension of how real life interacts with our hobby. There are people on this site whose major life events I know better than some people I'm related to. Kids, changing careers, moves, divorces, there it is. A motley crew indeed, but kind of like family too.

Sag, I would have thought I'd be well down the list of people to be ousted. Is it because I'm not controversial enough?
The following user(s) said Thank You: Frohike, Gregarius

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

More
02 Jun 2017 13:24 #249358 by Black Barney
Replied by Black Barney on topic Thank you F:AT...
thanks for letting me hang out and not talk about games ever
The following user(s) said Thank You: Cranberries, Frohike

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

More
02 Jun 2017 13:25 #249359 by the_jake_1973
Replied by the_jake_1973 on topic Thank you F:AT...
Jack,
I will talk at length about Merchants & Marauders. That continues to be not only one of my favorite games in my collection, but the best pirating game I've played. Christian Marcussen's pirate is one of the best due to the storms invulnerability. Although, it may be because storms seem to happen a lot in our games.

This is a fantastic site and the only board game site that I frequent for conversation. I am eager for the Midwest Throwdown next year.
The following user(s) said Thank You: san il defanso

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

More
02 Jun 2017 13:48 #249361 by stormseeker75
Replied by stormseeker75 on topic Thank you F:AT...
May. It will happen.

Seriously though, BGG is terrible. Worse than ever. Too many people who don't want to contribute, they just want to be right.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Cranberries, Black Barney

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

More
02 Jun 2017 13:52 - 02 Jun 2017 13:54 #249363 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Thank you F:AT...
I know BGG gets beaten up a lot, but it has gotten even worse as it scaled up in the last couple years when boardgames kind of blew up among the general population. It is now, truly, only a vehicle for the database (which I use!).

I like this place too. I do think that it struggles to keep conversations going about details of specific games outside of the big what have you played threads, but I think that's down to a pretty limited membership which is aging.
Last edit: 02 Jun 2017 13:54 by Gary Sax.
The following user(s) said Thank You: jeb

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

More
02 Jun 2017 13:55 #249364 by san il defanso
Replied by san il defanso on topic Thank you F:AT...
Is anyone here familiar with the Board Game Revolution Facebook group? It's kind of a new place for BGG escapees, except it's horrible.

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

More
02 Jun 2017 13:56 #249365 by Cranberries
Replied by Cranberries on topic Thank you F:AT...

stormseeker75 wrote: May. It will happen.

Seriously though, BGG is terrible. Worse than ever. Too many people who don't want to contribute, they just want to be right.


As someone who isn't especially funny and tests high for Asperger's, even I can't stand what passes for humor in the discussions at BGG, with a few notable exceptions.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Black Barney, Jexik

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

More
02 Jun 2017 14:00 #249367 by jeb
Replied by jeb on topic Thank you F:AT...
I don't visit BGG for months at a time. Sorry, Jackwraith, I am one of the jerks not responding to Trade Requests. I see them pop up over there 8-9 mos after they are offered. My bad! I should shut all that down.

I love it here, but I also note the demographic issues. There's like twelve of us. This place is awesome, but it's like a Google Hangout at this point.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Gary Sax, Cranberries, stormseeker75

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

More
02 Jun 2017 14:04 #249369 by san il defanso
Replied by san il defanso on topic Thank you F:AT...
There are a couple of people here with whom I generally keep in touch via Twitter and Facebook, so it has created some spread there. But yeah, this is a pretty insular bunch. I'm not sure if there's anything to be done about that, but it's a thing.

There was a time when I tried to recommend the site to a few others, but it rarely took, and it's a little like recommending a sketchy restaurant to someone. Food is great, as it were, but it takes a certain kind of person to become a loyal fan.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Gary Sax, stormseeker75

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

More
02 Jun 2017 14:13 #249370 by Erik Twice
Replied by Erik Twice on topic Thank you F:AT...
Me too. There's a lot of stuff that makes F:AT a great place to discuss games.

1) Posters have a lot of experience with games of all kinds. People have played euros, wargames, abstracts, second-rate negotiation games and have plenty of video game experience.
2) Posters are acquaintanced with art as a whole. You won't get dirty looks for talking about old films or by saying a game is very romantic in how it's played.
3) Despite 1 and 2, opinions are varied and people don't take games too seriously. Posters just don't think it's notable to talk about games a bit more deeply and do not need to derive pride from it.
4) The community has its flaws, but it's small and hence doesn't attact the usual problematic posters (Trolls, validation-seekers, weirdos who get banned 10 times and make new accounts to keep posting, etc.).

Black Barney wrote: thanks for letting me hang out and not talk about games ever

I actually enjoy talking about games with you quite a bit, Barney.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Black Barney

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

More
02 Jun 2017 15:23 - 02 Jun 2017 15:25 #249371 by Msample
Replied by Msample on topic Thank you F:AT...

san il defanso wrote: Is anyone here familiar with the Board Game Revolution Facebook group? It's kind of a new place for BGG escapees, except it's horrible.


I took a quick peek, the first discussion was people whining about Asmodee for the umpteenth time and spouting out hair brained and incorrect legal buzzword.. Just like BGG, with the shittier interface of FB layered on top.

Nope...
Last edit: 02 Jun 2017 15:25 by Msample.

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

More
02 Jun 2017 16:14 #249372 by Gregarius
Replied by Gregarius on topic Thank you F:AT...
I still frequent BGG, but mainly just for the database, blogs, and groups of friends I've made. I vastly prefer the game discussion that occurs here.

I'm curious, though-- how pervasive is the BGG mindset? I completely agree with the criticisms already mentioned, but has anyone tried having a thoughtful discussion in a particular game's forum? Something like Earth: Reborn, as an example. I really have no idea, so it's an honest question. I just wonder if the vast majority of BGGers stay on the surface and hot new games, and maybe some valuable conversations happen somewhere in the bowels.

On a separate but related note, BGG is also quite a bit of a bubble. There are huge sections of boardgamers who ignore it. I know Reddit has quite a large group, but I'm too old to try to fit in over there. Do any of you frequent any other game sites?
The following user(s) said Thank You: Gary Sax, allismom3

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

Moderators: Gary Sax
Time to create page: 0.315 seconds