Re: What BOARD GAME(s) have you been playing?

Played an Epic Team Game of X-Wing with two Tantives. 400 points per side. I was on the Imperial side. I took a few bombers and a Slave 1. The other side was a bunch of X-Wing synergizing bullshit. Our Tantive had its rear section crippled but we destroyed all of the Rebel's small ships. If it wasn't 1 AM on a Tuesday and 5 hours into the game, we probably could have gotten our last few ships in behind the Rebel Tantive and just blasted it to death while following it around. We decided to call the game instead.

Captain Jonus' reroll ability is pretty broken with the Tantive's weapons. I'm curious if and when the Imperials will get their own huge ships.


So glad we brought out an extra mat that we didn't even use.

We got too fucked up to finish High Frontier, wishing we played Mushroom Eaters.

Okay, I'm back from Origins and I played and demoed several things:
Duel of Ages II - I really don't have the rules down yet. This thing takes time, which I just haven't had. We fumbled our way through a 3 player game. It was fun, but we could tell that it could be a lot MORE fun with better understanding.

Space Hulk Death Angel - I love this game, and this time we actually got to the last room. Of course we were cut down.

Nexus Ops - I picked this up at the con for $30. We played a 3 player game that evening, and it was the highlight of the con for me. I loved it, and can't wait to play again. I'm kicking myself for not buying it sooner.

Lunch Money - We were playing this one wrong. But even if we had played it right, I would not have liked it. It seems like it's supposed to have a cheery goofy theme, but the version we were playing has gothy emo photography. No thanks.

Dead of Winter - I played a production copy this time, and it was a great time. We would have survived the game, had we not had a betrayer amongst us who was quietly throwing the match the whole time. I never suspected him. If you want this one, I suggest pre-ordering it. I won't be surprised if they sell every copy they take to Gen Con.

Battle at Kemble's Cascade - this one comes out at Gen Con. It looks really neat and the ships have cool upgrades you can buy. This was a pre-production copy so I'm hoping the actual playing field components changes a bit; scrolling the field seemed a bit clunky.

Volt - this one is cool and I'll likely end up owning it soon. It's a robot battle arena where you use dice (that you don't roll!) to pre-program how your robot will move / shoot that turn. The thing is, based on the number you choose for your dice, someone may get initiative and totally foil your plans. It does look very prone to AP and rage-quitting. I also have to say I wish the robots looked cooler. Still, I would buy it.

Mage Wars - I decided to catch up to everyone and check this one out so I looked at a demo. It seems really awesome and I can tell I'd like it, but I don't have anyone to play it with, so oh well...

D & D Attack Wing - I was a bit out of my league since I've not played Star Trek Attack Wing. It seems like it will be cool, but I am not sure I'll be willing to jump in. Sadly, or luckily, they will not be selling it at Gen Con. They will have a couple of copies for demo purposes but it won't go on sale until October.

As a side note, Boss Monster was EVERYWHERE. Tons of places were selling it, and you couldn't throw a rock without hitting someone playing it.

This is where the Origins reports go? Okay...

Cyclades - I played it for the first time Thursday, a 4-player. I lost, but I liked it. I played it again Friday, against another newbie, and won. Since he is the resident 'buy this game' guy, I guess I should have lost. He wants to try it with 4 or 5 before he is willing to be hypnotized into buying it.

Going, Going, Gone - it's a simple-minded auction game. I played it twice, and I think I'm done with it. It's fun, in the 20 minutes it'll take to play it.

Railways of England and Wales - I said last week about how you can be dead in Railways of the World, and you don't know it yet? This was an object lesson in that. I played with a couple of local gamers that I knew, and one local gamer that I didn't. The unknown local gentleman beat us like rented mules.

Love Letter - I played a ton of Love Letter. Opponents were: my hypnogamer coworker friend, my other coworker friend and his daughter, my brother who didn't go to Origins, my other brother who didn't go to Origins, their wives, etc. That's probably the best $10 in gaming that I've ever spent.

Trains - This is Dominion with a board. The hypnogamer bought a copy right after playing, which saved me from buying it.

Revolver - a two-player game, in a big tin a'la Forbidden Island. A Western where the good guys are trying to kill the bad guys before they escape. Each player has a faction-specific deck full of hoser cards. I liked it. My friend was gifted a copy by a friend, and now he knows that he can keep it and not be disappointed.

Lords of Vegas - I won a 4-player game, by one 5-point track space.

I think next time I'll try to hunt up some of the heavier games. But I had a really good time playing those games, with those folks.

hotseatgames wrote: D & D Attack Wing - I was a bit out of my league since I've not played Star Trek Attack Wing. It seems like it will be cool, but I am not sure I'll be willing to jump in. Sadly, or luckily, they will not be selling it at Gen Con. They will have a couple of copies for demo purposes but it won't go on sale until October.

As a side note, Boss Monster was EVERYWHERE. Tons of places were selling it, and you couldn't throw a rock without hitting someone playing it.

Boss Monster is the bomb. A simple auction game where you want to win the stuff you can kill and send to your opponents the stuff you can't. Fantastic game and I can see why it's everywhere.

I really want to get into the D&D: Attack Wing. But I'm already deep in XWing, Attack Wing and Wings of Glory and have a hard time balancing those three, let alone adding a fourth in the same style. Though I do love all three games so I'd easily see myself loving that one as well.

Did you use any of the ground units? If so, did those feel pretty natural? That's what is really going to sell me on the game, how the ground units are incorporated.


As for myself, I played my first game of Rivet Wars, first mission. It plays like a late 80's or early 90's mass market game, and to me that is a complement. Dice chucking, lots of flavor and character but with very simple and intuitive rules and a little rough around some of the edges. It was the first Mission which limits you and the missions ease you in to all the elements over the first three or four and I can't wait to see the rest of the stuff in action. Rivet Wars for me feels more AT than just about any game since Heroscape.

VonTush wrote: Did you use any of the ground units? If so, did those feel pretty natural? That's what is really going to sell me on the game, how the ground units are incorporated.

All they had were 3 dragons. The guy that was running the demo talked about several ground units being available at launch, but none of them were there. There will also be a 4th dragon.

The dragons had a "ground" and an "air" card that detailed how their attacks worked. I should add that the dragons themselves look totally awesome. He said the starter set is $50, but I didn't find out if that was for 1 player or 2.

How many tables did you guys seeing Tonga Bonga? Was there an Auf Asche tournament? What did the Um Reifenbreite scene look like? Did the merchants have any copies of Extrablatt?

Michael Barnes wrote: How many tables did you guys seeing Tonga Bonga?

Were you on mushrooms when you wrote this, because I am, and I still can't understand it?

Michael Barnes wrote: How many tables did you guys seeing Tonga Bonga? Was there an Auf Asche tournament? What did the Um Reifenbreite scene look like? Did the merchants have any copies of Extrablatt?

Hmmm... These could have been getting played at the table at which I saw a dude presenting 6 inches of ass crack, but I didn't get close enough to see for sure.

I did witness some "Giant" Catan. Everything's more fun with giant pieces. Right?

Right?

No, that would have been something like TI 3 or Descent. Those playing the finer German games would have been in tuxedos and the tails would foreclose on ass crack exposure.

No, that would have been something like TI 3 or Descent. The gentlemen playing the finer German games would have been in tuxedos and the tails would foreclose on ass crack exposure.

I did see a table of 8 dudes playing TI3. They all had a million tiny ships in front of them. I wanted to ask them how long they had been sitting there but didn't want to interrupt.

I'd like to play that game some day but I don't think I will ever commit that much free time.

Still on mushrooms and now I'm fucking seeing double!! Does vitamin C work with this shit?

Played Arkham Horror with F:AT's own Wadenels and 4 other folks yesterday. All expansions included, but no heralds, with Abhoth as the Great Old One. We struggled mightily but only got three seals before final battle. Abhoth attacks by devouring unless you discard three things: clues, trophies and/or items. One investigator got devoured and then we finished Abhoth off the following round, in a real nail-biter.

Then we played Thunderstone. Total disconnect between theme and mechanics made it a work-like exercise in drawing, discarding and shuffling cards. You could we were doing the same in Arkham Horror, but the dice-rolling and the rich card text of AH do make for a more engaging experience. The guy who won that game of Thunderstone had almost as many VP as the rest of us combined. Total stomp.

Yeah Arkham was fun! Previously I wasn't wild about it because I was always the rules guy. I liked it a lot better when everybody else knew how to play. My wife was the one who got devoured, which I teased her about afterwards because she managed to get devoured three times in a single game of Elder Sign the day before as well. The Great Old Ones eat well when she's playing.

Still not wild about Thunderstone. I didn't really care for it years ago when it was new, and I was hoping Advance would be better. It wasn't. I couldn't really tell the difference. I wonder if the Village cards could be selected in a way that makes the game more fun, but I don't think I'll play it again to find out.