Best of 2021 Guide - Still Inaccurate, Still Incomplete, But Now with a Significant Delay!

Best Two-Player Experience- Cthulhu Wars Duel
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I'm a huge Cthulhu Wars fan, but I have no desire to try duel. I'd rather just play other games I'm not getting to the table enough at that player count. Still, maybe I should try it sometime.

charlest wrote: I'm a huge Cthulhu Wars fan, but I have no desire to try duel. I'd rather just play other games I'm not getting to the table enough at that player count. Still, maybe I should try it sometime.

I believe CW Duels: extinction just came out. Which should give a nice mix to available Clans to play in the duel set-up if it's mixed with the orginal release.

Duels is actually pretty cool if you're in the mood for Cthulhu Wars or something similar and don't have any other two-player DoaM games. (I, uh, have several.) You're right in that it's not going to be a real shift from the original game because it's basically just a couple rules tweaks that otherwise plays exactly like the regular version, which is fine if you're a fan. I enjoy the lower tension/less sprawling nature of it, so I think it's worthwhile to at least try.

Wade, you're the second person that tried to pre-empty my complaints about Imperium (the other being Dan Thurot) by assuring me that Rise of Ix solves what I regard as the game's fundamental flaw: lack of card shedding. Part of what makes Tyrants of the Underdark so good is the ability to purge your deck of the starting crap that can otherwise hamstring you in the mid- and late-game if you end up with a hand full of it while everyone else has their cool, powerful cards. I enjoy the game. I think it's well-designed. But I've just had one too many instances of feeling like I'm trying to do something and the deck I've been constructing is preventing me from doing it, which is exactly the last thing you want out of a deckbuilder. I'm not sure that I'm interested in spending another $40 or whatever to get an expansion that's required to fix that problem.

Glad you're finally enjoying Root, though. Getting the Marauder expansion has me wanting to get it on the table as often as possible these days. It's really one of my all-time faves at this point.

Given that DUNE IMPERIUM is only ten rounds, max, in the original game perhaps people thought the game was too short to warrant trashing cards. Reading TIME OF CRISIS threads on BGG many people thought the same of that game. It wasn't my experience - I trashed aggressively and in the endgame my deck was way leaner and more powerful. DI had very limited ways to trash cards and despite its short length I think this was a shortcoming, so I am eager to try the expansion.

Jackwraith wrote: Duels is actually pretty cool if you're in the mood for Cthulhu Wars or something similar and don't have any other two-player DoaM games. (I, uh, have several.)

Sure, rub it in that I don't have Ankh .

Jackwraith wrote: But I've just had one too many instances of feeling like I'm trying to do something and the deck I've been constructing is preventing me from doing it, which is exactly the last thing you want out of a deckbuilder.

True. Dune: Imperium can and will hamstring someone by not providing a symbol you need for a space you wanted to go or to a faction you wanted/needed to boost. Still, it's a thrill to overcome it. Of course, I wasn't there for your games so, it's hard to know if it was the fault of bad luck, the deck that was build, or lack of the ability to shed. May I suggest one house rule for the original game and you let me know what you think?
At the start of your Reveal Turn, you are allowed to Trash 1 card from your hand. (before activating it, of course.)
If all else fails, it was at least a cheaper alternative than purchasing an expansion (which you should get cause Dreadnauts!)

I have an absurd aversion to house rules most of the time, but that certainly might be something to try.

Jackwraith wrote: I have an absurd aversion to house rules most of the time, but that certainly might be something to try.

Me too, brother. I can only think of two games that have house rules we use. One is for Bilder where we allow sound effects when building. The other is for 4 card Golf (where you are supposed to be penalized points for "knocking" and not having the lowest score. We throw that out when alcohol is being consumed).

WadeMonnig wrote:

Jackwraith wrote: I have an absurd aversion to house rules most of the time, but that certainly might be something to try.

Me too, brother. I can only think of two games that have house rules we use. One is for Bilder where we allow sound effects when building. The other is for 4 card Golf (where you are supposed to be penalized points for "knocking" and not having the lowest score. We throw that out when alcohol is being consumed).

Me, reading about other people's raucous and hilarious game groups on this site for the last 14 years.