Return to Neuroshima Hex: One old army and two new ones

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Nice article! I haven't played Neuroshima in so long. The last army I bought was Mississippi I think.

Thanks! I've had a few games in the last few months, mostly with Trogs and Beasts, so of varying quality as I'm continuing to learn how to use those armies. But it's still Hex so it's still generally a good time.

A game I wish to get to the table soon. You're absolutely right about Doomsday Weapon it's a cracked out army, nigh unstoppable. I'll let new players use that to get acquainted with the game, then crush their spirit when they play another army! Mu ha ha.

I'm glad you're writing about these older games Jackwraith.

I loved Neuroshima Hex for a brief moment, but kind of grew tired of it over time. I think personally I'd just rather play a miniatures skirmish game or a two player card game if presented with a single opponent and an hour.

N Hex really requires dedicated opponents, something that was maybe easier to find back when it came out, and today there is a lot more competition in that space.

One would think that its lack of miniatures and thus cheap price / ease of setup would be more of a positive but I don't know that it is the case.

I agree that two player is best, but I have had many great 3 and 4 player matches. Again though, once you go past 2 players there are a lot of more attractive options for other kinds of games.

I think you're right, to play optimally I think you really have to know what's left in your opponent's bag and what it does.

charlest wrote: I loved Neuroshima Hex for a brief moment, but kind of grew tired of it over time. I think personally I'd just rather play a miniatures skirmish game or a two player card game if presented with a single opponent and an hour.

I totally understand that. In fact, I've been there myself with some players whom I know wouldn't really be into the "miniatures-esque" nature of Hex, but would be into the card game that is Neuroshima Convoy. The attraction to me of Hex has been not only the setting (I'm a sucker for anything post-apoc), but the variety spawned by the interaction of different factions. A game of Hegemony vs Mephisto is very different from Hegemony vs Outpost and so on. Plus, the nature of the game kind of elevates the tactical considerations above many card games for me. Not only is it a random draw, like cards, but there are also many things to take into account before deciding what to discard, what to play, and what to save for a future turn (an option not taken often enough by many, many players.) Then, you have the consideration of where to place each tile on the board to make it most effective or to make it a feint to distract your opponent from where that ideal tile might go for that future turn... In that way, it's much more like a minis game. But the advantage for Hex in that respect is that, as opposed to a whole new minis faction which might cost you $20-30, a new army for Hex costs you $10. I think the minis are probably more aesthetically pleasing (GW veteran) but the cost difference can't be ignored. Plus, I can fit all 20 armies, the board, and two stand-up dice bags for drawing from in one standard size box.

So, yeah, I can make a lot of arguments in favor (obvsly), but I also get that its shine can wear off or simply not hook people in the first place. And, like hotseat says, it is pretty much strictly a two-player, whereas we often found it easier to accommodate more players in games like Mordheim or simply to play something different with three and four.

I first got NH because someone positively compared Summoner Wars to it. It’s a solid game and I probably wouldn’t turn it down if someone I knew around here was excited about it. I like Summoner Wars better and can’t even find live players for it either.

I was so tempted by the new edition of Summoner Wars. It looks very cool and it's a fresh start with revisions to make things work better and... No. Can't do it. Not only would it be just one more game on the pile, but it's a two-player and I lost my regular opponent a few months back (not, like, permanently lost; he just moved on to other things) so I also wouldn't have anyone to regularly play it with. I'm lucky that I can still cadge people around here into the occasional game of NH.