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08 Mar 2020 14:09 #307790 by hotseatgames

Disgustipater wrote: In a game I played last night, a player who was considering attacking the plot would always guess Raid before attacking so he could then destroy it without consequence.

You get a VP for correctly guessing the token, since you are removing it from the board. The Exposure rule on the faction board does not mention this, but the rule book does remind you.


Thanks, I didn't catch the part about getting a VP for guessing. I'm sure that would have made a difference. As for guessing Raid.... he still has to pay the card if he guesses wrong, so there is always a consequence.
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08 Mar 2020 14:36 - 08 Mar 2020 18:49 #307791 by wkover

ubarose wrote: Al and I played 7th Continent last night and lost before we even really got started again. We just can’t figure this one out.


There are a number of rules that, if you misinterpret or miss them, your survival chances go way down. Here's a decent list:

boardgamegeek.com/thread/1969265/some-gotchas

The walking stick is really good. You should always build that if you come across it.

Adjusting test results can be important to save cards/life: reducing the number of cards drawn, but increasing the difficulty. This can work if you have guaranteed stars.

Understanding the 7 and star 7 cards is also a pretty big deal ( example ).

Don't be afraid to use items. You can build them back up again with same-keyword cards, so don't be shy about wearing them down.

It costs less to move back to a location with a fire - and that cost might even stack. So -2 for 2 characters? But I forget and always mess that up.

Importantly: Don't do anything in 7th Continent that you wouldn't do in real life. If you're tempted to put your head in a guillotine, for instance, you might want to reconsider.

Unfortunately, part of the game is searching your brain (i.e., the action deck) for useful tools. Climbing stuff if you need to climb, etc.

Anyway, if you want to try it at WBC, we can schedule a few hours to mess around. But that's a few months away, and you may set it afire from frustration before then.

P.S. Are you doing the Crystal scenario? You should definitely start with that one, not the Goddess scenario. That's really long, and quite challenging for new players. And frankly some scenarios/curses aren't well designed. They're either tedious, arbitrary, or both. I wish I'd skipped Offering to the Guardians entirely. And Icy Maze, which is the only Curse that killed us so far. Unfairly, in my opinion.
Last edit: 08 Mar 2020 18:49 by wkover.
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08 Mar 2020 16:50 #307794 by Jackwraith

hotseatgames wrote: I haven't played Rising Sun in a long time... not one I would ever play with an odd number of players. Being shut out of an alliance is a death sentence and not fun.


I've actually had a couple OK games at 5, but those were with experienced players who knew that there was value in shifting alliances. One duo was a husband and wife and the other was my long-time 2-player partner (who has just returned to the light) and my girlfriend, both of whom know not to trust me. So, with their lack of knowledge about the game plus their assumption that I knew all of its tricks and crevices (not true), I was left in the cold. And, honestly, if I had played Koi, I probably would have been fine, since I could have grabbed a couple more provinces in Summer and been within striking distance of the top bonus. But, honestly, I really wasn't thinking about winning. I just wanted to finally introduce the game to some new players and I got the desired result (they liked it.)

Just FYI: Marquise, Cult, and Conspiracy is only a reach of 15. The law recommends a reach of 18 for three players. I know you were planning on four and would probably have had the desired number with those factions (although said fourth person would still have had to play the Eyrie or the Duchy to do so.) The Lizards just can't function without someone willing to fight them for space. It's just too difficult to get Acolytes on a regular basis without another aggressive faction, which the Corvids aren't and the Cats don't have to be if they're not threatened by another large force. Sounds like it was a decent game, though.
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09 Mar 2020 10:02 #307795 by Shellhead
Finished the first week of my 6-character solitaire game of Magic Realm. Still playing slowly because I am trying to look up everything I am in doubt about as I play. Sometimes I get really stuck and I retreat from the game to study the rules for a while, rather than rush the issue or make an incorrect guess about how to play. Although I like the Plain English rules, the 3.1 rules are the most comprehensive. And sometimes the 1st edition rulebook is somehow actually the easiest way to understand a rule, though looking up a specific rule is hard in 1st.

Due to the intial map layout, the Dwarf got screwed, with a moderately long walk to a small number of unproductive caves, and a really long walk to a better set of caves. The Inn started out adjacent to the hex that ended up containing the Lost City, and the Elf, Witch, and Amazon teamed up to loot the place, out of fear and respect for the 12 goblins now camped out on that hex. The Elf also hired a rogue, so the four of them might be able to handle the dozen axe and spear goblins. In the mean time, the Elf and Amazon managed to kill three big serpents, and the Witch found the Lair and has been looting it. On the far side of the map, the Wizard and Woods Girl teamed up and managed to just find the hex containing the Lost Castle.
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09 Mar 2020 10:19 - 09 Mar 2020 10:25 #307796 by Ah_Pook

Michael Barnes wrote: Legacy has you actually creating 4 different bespoke mages over the course of the game...not sure how I really feel about that TBH, which is why I've hesitated to get that wave.


Before and after DnD yesterday we played the first three chapters of Aeons End Legacy and man it's rad so far. The story isn't going to win a Hugo or anything, but it's solid and the way things ramp up is really cool so far. You start with nothing and super bad available cards, and each chapter you unlock stuff (charges, unique cards for your deck etc) and you get to upgrade the card market as you go as well. I won't spoil my personal favorite mechanism thus far, but the baddies get stronger as you go too. And all the stuff is just more AE cards after the campaign. And the box is big enough to use as a storage solution for your other AE stuff after you're done too (this is the main reason I jumped in tbh, as I've got two boxes currently and it's annoying). So yea, id recommend it pretty strongly if you think it sounds fun at all. The best Legacy games are ones that tweak an already strong game and give it some fun twists imo, and this one is definitely that.

Also it would be an incredible intro to the system, for anyone that hasn't played before. The lack of mages would be a replayability hindrance after the campaign, but aside from that it's a really cool way to introduce the mechanics.
Last edit: 09 Mar 2020 10:25 by Ah_Pook.
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09 Mar 2020 12:18 #307799 by ubarose
@wkover

Thanks. We definitely got some rules wrong - same keyword items adding durability, stacking cost reduction when moving back to fire - and maybe a few others.

We will try again with the Crystal scenario. We have been trying the suggested Goddess scenario.

Unfortunately we will not be at WBC this year. Not enough vacation time.
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11 Mar 2020 17:21 #307886 by Msample
My local opponent brought over RES ARCANA for a spin this weekend. I'd been hearing about it for awhile so it seemed worth giving a spin.

In the end, its not horrible, its just...another game. The game consists of each player choosing one of two randomly drawn wizards ( each has a special power ) then you get a randomly dealt 8 card deck of cards . You start with 3, and draw a new card at the end of your turn. You deploy cards by paying a combo of up to five different resources ( red, blue, green, black, gold ) . Some cards are worth VP, you can also build one of the common cards in the center of the table. Each card has a power of resource generation, attack etc. First player to 10 wins. It has the virtue of being fast - I'd say we banged out 3 2 player games in about two hours. Thematically its probably a bit better than other games of this ilk - some theme peeks out now and again, like a Fire Pit that consumes one green token ( life ) and spits out a black skull and a fire ( red ) token.

But at the end of the day it doesn't scratch the itch of a one hour filler game any better - or nearly as entertaining - as say GLORY TO ROME. One less game to buy, not a bad thing.
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11 Mar 2020 17:24 #307888 by Gary Sax
Getting flavor or an arc into that short a game is a real challenge. If they don't, I tend to have the same reaction you do---"that happened, ok!"

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11 Mar 2020 17:33 #307890 by Msample
Totally agree . I am not expecting anything that immersive. Its better than say Lords of Waterdeep, a game with zero theme IMO. But at the same time I like to feel a little connected to whatever theme is allegedly being peddled.

The other thing I forgot is that the cards are pretty icon dense and it takes a bit of tine to figure out some of the more obscure ones. Its mostly head down play, not much interactivity, although there is some attacks or abilities that key off an opponent. But the icons are hard to read across the table so its not easy to see what an opponent might be up to.

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11 Mar 2020 17:48 #307891 by Shellhead
My 6-character Magic Realm game is heating up. On turns 8/9, the Imp showed up at the Statue (Lost Castle) and got one-shotted by the Woods Girl while the Wizard watched. Meanwhile, the Witch found some some decent loot in the Lair (Lost City), while the Elf and Amazon haven't even found the lair yet. A tremendous dragon showed up. The Witch and the Elf were safely hidden, but the Amazon had to run away. The Witch and Elf will likely sneak away the following turn, because they also can't handle the dragon. The poor Dwarf explored some more empty caves. He can take a long hike to get to the Lost City, or maybe take his chances at the nearby Lost Castle.
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11 Mar 2020 20:53 #307895 by DarthJoJo
Joined a game of Bunny Kingdom with expansion when I couldn't find more than one other person for Battle for Rokugan at open play this week. Eh. I haven't found a pure drafting game that I don't like, but I'd rather play Greed, 7 Wonders or Paper Tales first. The board and area control elements feel like they should create more player interaction, but between the busyness of the board, the inability to profit off hate drafts and secret bonus points, I didn't have the attention to do more than work on just my strategy. Not a bad game, just plenty of better options in its genre.
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13 Mar 2020 22:05 #308038 by Ah_Pook
Two handed solo game of Aeons End vs the Prince of Gluttons came down to a 50/50 turn order draw on the last turn. I lost, but it was a real nail biter. Gravehold at 1 hp and a single card left in the market (that particular Nemesis eats cards out of the market and punches Gravehold when he cashes out stacks, and also autowins if he completely empties the market).

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14 Mar 2020 02:18 - 14 Mar 2020 11:29 #308042 by Frohike
The Shining

I picked up the game from Target and played it today. Save yourself the $25 and skip this one. I'm not surprised that Ravensburger decided to pass on it.

We played with the "advanced" rules and not only is it too simple, the mechanisms are distilled to something so generic that it feels barely germane to the theme of the game. Sure the art looks like the film, but none of the vibe is there. This could have been "about" anything, but there's just so little tension or atmosphere in the design that I'm not sure it would have been successful with any other skin either.

You're basically traveling around a handful of connected nodes (rendered as photograph-style images of a few iconic rooms in the hotel) picking up Willpower tokens with varying points and hoping to collect enough of these to outnumber the sum of two cards in your hand (called "Shining" points... like why? Shining isn't necessarily a negative thing in the film/book so its usage here just seems off. Call them insanity or horror points. Sure it's generic, but so is the mechanism), which are hidden until the end of the round. If you fail, you attack the nearest player, with some potential extra "oompf" if you picked up one of the higher value tokens (depicting a weapon) since these can proc for extra damage on the attack role. The inverse of these "risky" points is quite ironically a bourbon token. These increase in value with each one you possess and are straight up positive "Willpower" points. Again... massive misread of the source material.

There are interesting thematic touches here & there, but not as many as I'd assumed there would be, given how much material they had to work with. The art on the cards is cool, with each increase in "Shining" corresponding to a scarier image from the film. If you go to the Maze location, you can't travel and attack people in the hotel (& vice versa) at the end of the round, allowing you to quarantine yourself if you think you'll fail the Willpower vs Shining check or one of your neighbors will.

Overall, though the Shining vibe just isn't there. It's too diffuse and flat, with no real ramp-up in tension. The effects of the rooms are barely thematic (land in the Kitchen and you get to move another player to an adjacent location... um... ok) and there are so few locations that the choices on any given turn are quite sparse. None of the players is given a unique identity/character/ability. You're either a "caretaker" or the "corrupted." None of the event cards flipped every round show any attempt at flavor. They just plainly state "can't travel to {insert room name here}" or "move players to {insert room here}" but repeated across the card in "all work and no play" style because that's clever, I guess. I also can't help but feel that this would have benefited from a two-phased approach used in other Prospero Hall games. Maybe an escape sequence, or a maze run... just anything to add some variety and drama to the game.

Overall, unless you want to bring this to a Halloween party as a one-off quasi-gag game, don't waste your money. I know it's surprising, given that Prospero Hall has been on a roll lately, but this one is a miss. The design is just sort of phoned in and barely grafts to the source material.
Last edit: 14 Mar 2020 11:29 by Frohike.

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14 Mar 2020 23:23 #308062 by ubarose
We played 7th Continent and finally succeeded. It's amazing how much easier this game is when you play by the correct rules (thank you wkover). Although, in my defense, the FAQs for this game are THIRTY-TWO PAGES long!
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19 Mar 2020 09:37 #308297 by DarthJoJo
Took two runs at Rallyman GT’s ISGOYTRA January course, both coming in around 9 minutes, 30 seconds. Checked the winning times. I would have placed 16 of 17. The winner ran a flat 3 minutes and almost half were under 6 minutes. I have a lot to learn.

Link below if you want to prove you’re somebody:

tekeli.li/rallyman-gt/2020-01.pdf
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