Trashdome - Nexus Ops VS StarCraft: The Board Game

Nexus Ops is a total featherweight in the ameritrash genre. Sure its enjoyed by people that don't like ameritrash (that's a hint YOU people!) It's just too small, too simple. While starcraft is more complex, epic, more thematic. The card mechanic is one of corey's most overused elements lately. But it really shined when Starcraft came out. It made a game more strategic and allowed for all techs, units to be seamlessly integrated in the gameplay.

Starcraft is more thematic, more innovative and gets it right. Nexus Ops is a rehash of old concepts. A very good rehash but it shows nothing new.

Vote: Starcraft

The more I reflect on the games designed recently by CK, I think mjl hits it on the head in the "straightjacket" comment. That's the way that Starcraft, MEQ, BSG, and now Runewars is starting to feel to me. Tons of options, but only one clear way to make decisions if you want to win -- this seems to be a by-product of the "streamlining" games.

Careful now, Space Case, that's dangerous, cane-shaking, FFG-hating dinosaur obstinance. Not only that, but it's mildly critical of Mr. K (peace be upon him). It's heresy I tell ya'!

mads b. wrote:

Also, I'm really sick and tired of the "it's over just as it gets funny"-argument, which is utter bullshit.

Righteous, Brother!

All sissies arguing that kind of shit have been turtling too long and only get out when it's too late. That's the great thing about this game : if you wait till the last turn to show your designs, you will be too late.

No contest. (Or is that no content?)

Vote: NEXUS OPS NEXUS OPS NEXUS OPS

Yes, you may count my vote three times. It's that righteous and emphatic.

Vote: Nexus Ops

LilRed wrote:

... Sure its enjoyed by people that don't like ameritrash (that's a hint YOU people!) It's just too small, too simple.

Since when has that been a indicator of a good AT game ... cannot be liked by non-AT gamers and must be complex - [buzzzzz] try again.

While starcraft is more complex, epic, more thematic. The card mechanic is one of corey's most overused elements lately. But it really shined when Starcraft came out. It made a game more strategic and allowed for all techs, units to be seamlessly integrated in the gameplay.
Starcraft is more thematic, more innovative and gets it right.

This seems to be in contention in this thread ...

Nexus Ops is a rehash of old concepts. A very good rehash ...

While this isn't being argued over.

I really enjoy Nexus Ops and I haven't tried Starcraft. The thing is, while I was interested in it when it was released, it never interested me enough to justify buying it, and I'm pretty sure it won't get played as much as NO so....

Vote: Nexus Ops

Southernman wrote:
Since when has that been a indicator of a good AT game ... cannot be liked by non-AT gamers and must be complex - [buzzzzz] try again.

Its more of a personal preference. I suppose. I tend to like the bigger, complexer AT more. While games as Memoir are like pseudo AT to me. I do consider Nexus Ops as AT but it's simply too simple for me to prefer it over a much more epic Starcraft.

LilRed wrote:

Southernman wrote:
Since when has that been a indicator of a good AT game ... cannot be liked by non-AT gamers and must be complex - [buzzzzz] try again.

Its more of a personal preference. I suppose. I tend to like the bigger, complexer AT more. While games as Memoir are like pseudo AT to me. I do consider Nexus Ops as AT but it's simply too simple for me to prefer it over a much more epic Starcraft.

Now THAT is a good Trashdome entry 'cos 'I' got itself well into the mix !

Southernman wrote:

Death and Taxis wrote:

Starcraft for the win!

You obviously haven't been paying attention to what your fellow FA:ties have been saying about it .....

F:ATties SM:ATties. Some of you have tastebuds on your ass.

I also have a wee bit of regret that I didn't get Starcraft when it was at the lower price point. And you Southernman, own a copy that you don't play. That's like leaving half your steak on the plate when children in the 3rd world are starving.


LilRed wrote:

I tend to like the bigger, complexer AT more. I do consider Nexus Ops as AT but it's simply too simple for me to prefer it over a much more epic Starcraft.

This kind of sums up what I was trying to say earlier. Look, don't get me wrong, I like Nexus Ops and I think I even voted for it in an earlier Trashdome, but the more I play it, the more ho hum I'm getting about it. There just isn't enough meat there for me. I need more sustenance - the kind that a game like Starcraft can give me.

Southernman wrote:

Now THAT is a good Trashdome entry 'cos 'I' got itself well into the mix !

Thanks for the compliment!

Death and Taxis wrote:

I also have a wee bit of regret that I didn't get Starcraft when it was at the lower price point. And you Southernman, own a copy that you don't play. That's like leaving half your steak on the plate when children in the 3rd world are starving.

I got it brand new for half price ... so on a cost basis I don't deem it an urgent-to-play

I got my copy for half price, too! At Books a Million!

And I have yet to remove the shrinkwrap!

I can say for the record I really enjoy Nexus Ops, perhaps for reasons other people don't like it as much- it's simplicity. And the plastic. Gotta love that day-glow plastic!

Let's simplify this trashdome a bit, and only count the votes of people who have BOTH played Starcraft with the expansion AND Nexus Ops under black-light. Which leaves only one legitimate vote: mine. Starcraft wins.

mjl1783 wrote:

Obligatory Schwieg! bitch slap:

After that intro, do I really have to try to make any valid counterpoints?

Hey, I've opened Chess games with a Rook's Pawn. There's nothing actually stopping me from doing it, except for the fact that I want to win and it's a stupid fucking move 99.9% of the time.

Unless you won all those games, your counterargument is worthless. Actually, even if you did win them all, it's still worthless since you claim you didn't repeat your strategy from game to game, and thus can't claim that the same one won't work every time.

Hmmm... It almost sounds like some of your wide range of different strategies haven't worked...

You missed my point completely; Starcraft is a multi-player game, so if any strategy turns out to be overly successful, the other players have plenty of room to react to that. Unless you're playing with a bunch of dimwits. The other things is that, for example, a Terran player shouldn't even bother developing Science Vessels when up against Zerg, but they're a must have against Protoss. So while certain units might seem worthless in one game, they might kick serious ass in another, primarily because set-up is always different. Finally, how many strategies exist in Nexus Ops?

Couldn't more with the first sentence more. The second one, not so much. A&A in any number if minutes is a bad idea as far as I'm concerned. I was using A&A interchangably with DoaM, and if you want to swap out the latter term, I stand by my original statement.

OK then, DOAM ... well, I personally pretty much only like games that take longer than three hours. But if not enough time is at hand, I'd pick Nexus Ops over A LOT of other games, especially euros, which claim the lion share of games with low playtime.

It's still funny that Nexus Ops drew a lot of flak in the commentary to that recent front-page article, and now all of a sudden it's F:AT's darling again.

Last but not least, much shame on Southernman who hasn't even played Starcraft yet ... maybe if it had sheeples he'd be more eager to pull it, of the shelf.

Schweig! wrote:

It's still funny that Nexus Ops drew a lot of flak in the commentary to that recent front-page article, and now all of a sudden it's F:AT's darling again.

It's a matter of perspective really. You compare it to stuff like Runewars or Descent or whatever, and you start to see how simple and hollow it really is.

Put it beside clunkers like Starcraft and Battlelore and you remember how exciting and tense the games are in comparison.