Trashdome - Twilight Imperium 3 vs Nexus Ops

You forgot to tally the votes for BJs.

Sorry Steve...if you think TI3 players have no life, I'm going to have to tell you you're full of shit.

TI3 is an event. Something we plan a month in advance. Something we really look forward to. And for six hours, we wheel, we deal, we blow shit up, we tell stories. A game of TI3 is NEVER something to forget.

Now Nexus Ops...I'm trying to remember even the smallest details from the last time we played. I *think* I pulled a "death from above" with a big ass dragon on one of my opponent's home bases, but that's all I got. I don't even remember who won. Probably my friend Johnny, who wins more often than he should at most of the games we play

A root canal is an event also Ken. Wow it sounds like you had quite a game of TI3, I'm sure you won't mind posting a detailed session report for us to enjoy! My guess is that you and your brother picked a couple of alien races and played a few turns then Ken smiles and says,

"We gotta try this out , it is great!"

Then the dust begins to cover Petersen's name on the box.

Ken, there is a reason "Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit" is your favorite game. It is a better Sci Fi universe, a better play time and a better game and I agree with that as well which is why it is one of my favorite's too and for the record you can tell Skeletor they made a few movies about that Star Wars game too!

Ken you can goosestep along with the the AT boys all you want but even you have to be realistic, which is why Star Wars beats out TI3 every time!

Can't wait to read that detailed session report Ken!

the*mad*gamer wrote:

A root canal is an event also Ken. Wow it sounds like you had quite a game of TI3, I'm sure you won't mind posting a detailed session report for us to enjoy! My guess is that you and your brother picked a couple of alien races and played a few turns then Ken smiles and says,

"We gotta try this out , it is great!"

Then the dust begins to cover Petersen's name on the box.

Ken, there is a reason "Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit" is your favorite game. It is a better Sci Fi universe, a better play time and a better game and I agree with that as well which is why it is one of my favorite's too and for the record you can tell Skeletor they made a few movies about that Star Wars game too!

Ken you can goosestep along with the the AT boys all you want but even you have to be realistic, which is why Star Wars beats out TI3 every time!

Can't wait to read that detailed session report Ken!

I don't write detailed session reports. I really do have better things to do.


If I got 2? War of the Ring and Queen's Gambit are top choices. If I got 6, and time? It's Twilight Imperium. What the fuck else am I going to play, "Say Anthing?"


So the point is, if I have the time, I'm going to play 1 game of TI3 before I play 4 games of Nexus Ops. You want the line with the "we dig short playtimes?" It forms over at TOS.


Oh, wait...

Ken B. wrote:

I don't write detailed session reports. I really do have better things to do.


If I got 2? War of the Ring and Queen's Gambit are top choices. If I got 6, and time? It's Twilight Imperium. What the fuck else am I going to play, "Say Anthing?"


So the point is, if I have the time, I'm going to play 1 game of TI3 before I play 4 games of Nexus Ops. You want the line with the "we dig short playtimes?" It forms over at TOS.


Oh, wait...

So Ken, I guess what it comes down to is that if you have the choice to play 2-3 games of War of the Ring/Queen's Gambit OR one game of TI3 - everything else equal - what do you play?

This is the question as I see it - if I play 100 games (and have fun) of NO, and ONE fun game of TI3, my opinion is still that TI3 dominates.

This "I only have time to play short games" can be true - I certainly don't have time to play 6+ hour monsters all that often, but when I *do* it is what great board gaming is to me at it's essence - fun, immersive, narrative, and epic.

It's like following after the dream of "Civ Light" games over at TOS - you LOSE something by neutering the play time. The game can still be awesome, and themeatic, but it just can't give you the same feel.

Comes down to number of players, ska. I consider all 3 to be top-tier, absolute favorite games.

I don't write detailed session reports. I really do have better things to do.


If I got 2? War of the Ring and Queen's Gambit are top choices. If I got 6, and time? It's Twilight Imperium. What the fuck else am I going to play, "Say Anthing?"


So the point is, if I have the time, I'm going to play 1 game of TI3 before I play 4 games of Nexus Ops. You want the line with the "we dig short playtimes?" It forms over at TOS.


Oh, wait...

You don't write the session report because frankly you know it would bore us to death, just like the game.

KEN B is just your average FFG Toady

YES KEN B HAS BEEN EXPOSED!!!

What the fuck? I've NEVER gotten a free game from FFG. Not ONCE.


If I fucking bore you, there's a wealth of other options out there on the internet. Seriously.

What the fuck? I've NEVER gotten a free game from FFG. Not ONCE.


If I fucking bore you, there's a wealth of other options out there on the internet. Seriously.

I thought you received a free copy of "Red November"

I'm sure I read a post where you said they sent you a game. But if they did not , I retract that statement

Nope. My brother bought Red November at Book Mark, down in nice n' southern Huntsville, AL.

The copy I played first though was with my friend David Knepper, over lunch with my brother and two other local gamers.

I would buy it but it's redundant 'cause my brother has it. Same reason I don't have Last Night on Earth, which I think is a fantastic game...but again, my brother has it. Bought it from The Deep, also in Huntsville, AL.


I've received one free game in all my time reviewing stuff: Monty Python Fluxx.


That's why most of my reviews are "slower" to come out. I have to buy the stuff and try it first. Or wait until a friend of mine has it, so I can play it. But what you get is an honest opinion from me.

I retracted the statement.

But that doesn't change the true facts about TI3

How many games of TI3 have you played Ken?

Have you played with a full set of players?

Do you play the game on a regular basis? If so, how often?

Do you always finish the games you play?

Is your ass numb after the game?

the*mad*gamer wrote:

Is your ass numb after the game?

Numb Ass is a serious gaming affliction. However, there is no evidence that long games cause it so much as long gaming sessions. And improper seat cushioning is often the leading factor. If you, or someone you know, is suffering from Numb Ass then I suggest getting up and walking around. Do not attempt to play more games while sitting until you are fully recovered. Numb Ass has a strong chance of re-occurance if treatment isn't completed.

5 full games. Once with four, otherwise with six players. Always played to completion.

I have no idea where you're going with this.



Are you saying a game is no good because it's inconvenient? Like...because it's an "event" game?


So we should all bow down and play half-hour games, even if a larger game is worth the effort?


Did you join BGG just to spout "AT dogma" (whatever the fuck that means) and now that you're "stuck" with us, you're going to reverse guns?



Nexus Ops is a fun game. No question. Humorously enough though, I've played it only 3 times. It's a totally fun but absolutely forgettable little game.


Compared to the options, the depth, the replayability, the variance of TI3, it's no contest.


Galactic Emperor tried to take all the best bits from TI3 and "Euro-ize" it. By all accounts it's mostly a failure on all levels. I want to try it for myself just to see, but I'm in no hurry.

If I *thought* a game could match the depth of TI3, could grasp its epic scope but fit it in a tighter time frame, I'd be all for it. But I'm NOT going to discount a modern classic just because "it takes too long to play."

Dear Ken, et al.

Galactic Emporer sucks badly. I too thought differently at one point and just wanted to "give it a try." I will never recover those HOURS we played before just quitting. PLEASE think of your unplayed games the next time you have an opportunity to play GE.

Ye gods it's bad.

So this is the thread where Weeks finally jumps the shark, then?

Anyway, one thing that hasn't been brought up much is that SHATTERED EMPIRES makes TI3 markedly better than without it. The accelerated early turns, which shave off an hour or more of what is really extended setup, I think make for a much better game overall. I actually didn't like TI3 all that much the first couple of times I played it (but I loved NEXUS OPS on game one, and I think that both shows the impact of NO and attests to the depth and scope of TI3)and I kind of put it aside until the expansion came out. Unlike Frank, I like the greater emphasis on combat- the option to do the whole Cold War thing is still there if you want to and it fits your strategy, but it gives you a very different path to follow if you want.

I think a good point was made about TI3, with its relative complexity and required commitment, being more in line with what hobby gaming is all about in the first place, and I think that's one of the points it has over NO. I'm certainly not "dismissing" the game because of its length or complexity. That's like saying PITCH BLACK is a better movie than 2001 because it's shorter and has more fighting. But I do think that games that have a consistent 4+ hour time frame have a handicap if only because for most adults that creates a limitation on how often and when you can play them. It's not a design defect, it's a logistical consideration.

TI3 is a lot like CIV. It _has_ to be long. I don't want "TI3 in 90 minutes" because them the hugeness of it- which is one of its principle assets and attractors- is inevitably lost. TI3 has to be big, sprawling, take up two tables, and cost you most of a full day to play. It's one of the places where GALACTIC EMPEROR completely fumbled.

Both games are among my favorites and for wholly different reasons. NEXUS OPS may be "forgettable", but it's an incredibly tight, smart design that did a lot of pretty innovative things and came out of nowhere. TI3 was the third edition of an established game that had the guts to bolt on some Eurogame mechanics while sticking to its guns in terms of theme, concept, and scope. That was innovative in and of itself.

In the end, TI3 is probably the Timeless Classic and probably should win this edition of Trashdome although I stick by my vote for the underdog. It is Mike Tyson to NEXUS OPS' Little Mac.

I want to see TALISMAN versus PROPHECY.

Are you saying a game is no good because it's inconvenient? Like...because it's an "event" game?

Watching paint dry is an "event too but I can get the same experience with time lapse photography without missing much

So we should all bow down and play half-hour games, even if a larger game is worth the effort?

You are pulling a Skeletor move again. You can't play Nexus Ops in a half hour. You can't play Queens Gambit in a half hour. I'm all for good games that take less than half a day to play. No game that take 6 hours is worth the effort except nude Twister with 6 women.

Did you join BGG just to spout "AT dogma" (whatever the fuck that means) and now that you're "stuck" with us, you're going to reverse guns?

I have always been independent and have never been an AT Blue Blood.

I have always thought the name "Ameritrash" was stupid and thought it was a shame that you decided to create a website based on an "insider" term that was so connected with BGG and in doing so limiting your potential membership.

The reason I post here is that I generally find more agreement here than on BGG or other sites.

If I *thought* a game could match the depth of TI3, could grasp its epic scope but fit it in a tighter time frame, I'd be all for it. But I'm NOT going to discount a modern classic just because "it takes too long to play."

Who voted this a modern "classic"? Not me