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[Board Games] Space Alert owns. Like, a lot.
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But I didn't feel that strategic decisions paid off in the long run, and that the dice always seemed to be as influential on your winning chances before and after you've made sound decisions. Although that might just have been some freakish dice rolls in our two games. (No flag symbols and only a handful of archer hits in our first game, and an abundance of both in our second game.)
I've since had a look at the second scenario and it does seem much more interesting and dynamic than the first, so I'm looking forward to giving the game another go next week. I've not quite grasped the strategic depth of BoW, and I sometimes feel like I keep having to wade through a lot of chrome to get to it; but I think there's more tactics and strategy to get out of this game. At least more than just "charge your enemy and hope to roll as many appropriate symbols as possible".
The game is very dice heavy; that's definitely true. With games like that, though, the better player is one who minimizes how much dice rolls can affect his overall strategy.
Battleship Galaxies
D&D Conquest of Nerath
The Resistance
Aye Dark Overlord
I am pumped for ALL of them.
Playing: Blah's Baby Bestiary in Dungeon Petz Game 1
"Caprica" Six in Exodus Game 12 of Battlestar Galactica
I'm not sure how to actually do that. It seems to me that dice rolls are placed at some very crucial points in a turn structure, so how does one go about minimising their influence?
To be honest, I don't really mind the dice but I would like to try my hand at some more strategic play, getting a feel for it and so on. I look at BoW as my "strategy games training wheels", so any hints and insights into what's possible in the game would be greatly appreciated.
Sadly I am in a bit of a financial crunch this paycheck due to picking up Miskatonic horror (BUY IT IF YOU OWN ARKHAM, but it is more justifiable the more expansions you have), and due to the Steam sale.
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Of course, I don't know how Battle of Westeros differs from Battlelore.
Walked in yesterday to pick something up and saw that Avalon Hill did a second edition so I picked it up.
Anyone got any experience playing the game?
Sadly, the latest games fizzled.
If "convincing opponents to kill each other while I fort up in Australia": http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/483/diplomacy
If "killing mans with dice":
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/43111/chaos-in-the-old-world
or either of the two games being discussed in the last couple of pages.
If "wargame strategy":
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12333/twilight-struggle
The OP also has good advice on this topic.
I checked this morning and saw the official release date listed as 7/8/11, so I went to my FLGS on my lunch break and picked up a copy. Damn this game looks awesome.
Just one note of caution: the game comes with 2 cardboard screens and the stands are already attached on either side of each screen. One of the side stands snagged to some other part of the box, and I nearly ripped it off. Will be easy to repair, but be careful anyways when unpacking the game.
History of the World is the game Risk wishes it could grow up to be.
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224/history-of-the-world
However, it's out of print so it's not going to be cheap. I got my copy for $80. It's totally worth it, though. You'll never go back to Risk.
According to most reviews, BoW only shares a superficial similarity with Battlelore. And by all accounts it seems to be less dice-heavy than Battlelore, too.
In the meantime I've managed to sneak in another game of BoW. Again with scenario #1, but this time playing the Starks. We've been playing with two rules fundamentally wrong, which made playing the Lannister incredibly difficult.
Rules mistake no.1 - the Lannisters get to replace the Stark tokens on the board with their own should they end their turn there. We just assumed, you'd have to finish turn 5 on the two spaces or lose the game. In hindsight this would have won me the first game, although not the second.
Rules mistake no.2 - if you're standing on a ford, your attacks are NOT penalised; only counter-attacks are. This crucial difference would most likely have made a difference when trying to fight the archers in the woods. I might have actually won both games that way.
And finally, now that I am somewhat familiar with the rules, I am starting to adjust my play. Starting with the fundamental insight that during a single turn you will most likely not get to move every unit, and it's often not necessary to do so either. In fact, it's better to look at the most efficient way to move your troops AND their commander closer to wherever you want them; and that keeping your troops in a huddle of three is a very effective, as it keeps them stalwart. Trying to move as many troops, and engage the enemy as often as possible, always made the rules feel restrictive and the game frustratingly hard to manage. Trying instead to move my troops to a position from which they might be able to either block passage, or at least threaten important spaces is a far more sensible goal. The archers kept Lannister away from the river for 3 turns, simply by camping in the woods. This also makes you somewhat less dependent on the opening dice rolls. Once you accept you will only move some of your troops each turn, the dice rolls are less of a random restriction on your actions and more of a way to simulate the ebb and flow of troop movement.
I think I am slowly getting the hang of this game. I still don't think I am any good - after three games - but I think I'm starting to grasp how I can become better at it. So that's a start at least.
Having finally played PR at a table, I feel confident enough to play online and have thusly joined this game.
Other games to consider (from BGG's "The Best Alternatives to Risk"):
A Game of Thrones (about to be reprinted by FFG)
Nexus Ops (out of print?)
Axis & Allies (much more complex, though)
Rune Wars (probably too expensive)
Small World (quick and light; Vinci is on that list, but Small World is an updated version of it)
Okay, looking to check prices on those and I see that A Game of Thrones and Nexus Ops are both unavailable at the moment (outside of used copies). But Nexus Ops recently released an iPad version, and the Game of Thrones license is at the height of its popularity from the recent TV show. Why don't the game companies make sure their games are on the shelfs when people would most want to buy them?
I saw that game you were talking about the other day, with the Wrecks and the ICS or whatever. Battleship Space edition or whatever. I hadn't realized it was actually the same brand as Battleship, and originally thought it was a nerdier version of the actual Battleship game, with the guessing at coordinates and stuff.
It looked pretty cool, but I just don't want to invest in another 2 player game when I barely get to play the ones I have.
Also was eyeballing a Star Trek themed cooperative game at the FLGS. One of the store guys said it was actually pretty decent, but I'm wary of anything with the Star Trek brand, since they always seem to rely more on the license than any strong design.
It looks like Darian wins at advice, that Conquest of Nerath looks like what the doctor ordered. Also, I want it now.
I don't think Runewars is a good transition from Risk, even though I love it. You could win Runewars without fighting an enemy player at all.
DiceTown for it's familiarity, and simple, easy-to-play rules. There is strategy involved, but it could all be dashed away by how the dice come up, sort of like in actual Poker. I was 2 VP behind from winning, all because I lost Sheriff in the final round.
7 Wonders was a huge surprise. Layers of complex strategy. I'm thinking this one is must to own. Has anyone played with the Legends expansion?
Saturday night: birthday party, a good group of kids and adults (parents, siblings, etc). At first, NO success getting a good game going. They had the TV on, or worked on a Thomas Kinkaide puzzle (???). And then I'm like, "Well, fine." Pulled out Ticket To Ride: Europe for the 4 kids (aged 5 - 11). Put the 5-year-old on my team -- he placed the trains and "we" explained the game (it was my first time playing also). We ignored the tunnel rule and I told them to keep 2 destinations -- one long one and a short one. What a GREAT time! They immediately grasped the "set" idea, and after a few rounds they were shooting for their destination tickets, and even the 5-year-old understood well enough to say things like, "Oh, we need train cards! Draw train cards!"
Tonight is another Citadels game (it's a gift to them), but I'm hoping to show them some Race for the Galaxy (just picked up the expansion), and we'll probably end up playing at least a bit of Dominion, because we hooked them on that a couple of weeks ago. He also found his old copy of Scotland Yard, which I remember as a kid (like 20-25 years ago, wow).
I can't believe that I didn't know about ANY of these games one month ago! This thread has been invaluable for finding quality forms of entertainment for groups of various size. So thanks! I still like vidja games and all, but MAN there are some great card/board games out there. Now excuse me. Need to go create some virtual worlds in which to slay and be slain.
TI3: $58 via CoolStuffInc.
EDIT: Granted, you may want to toss something else in the order with it to push it over for free shipping. Because let's face it, shipping on a copy of TI3's gotta suck if you've seen the size of the box.
The "something else" should be the first expansion of the game. It increases the game's fun factor exponentially. Not sure about the second expansion, but I would assume it to be worth it. Sure does look worth it.
C'mon guys, I love it as much as you do but it costs 100 bucks and takes 16 hours to play.
Which is why I put it on my list! Sadly, though, you don't get to roll lots of dice for Small World.
Also, 16 hours for TI:3 is a nasty lie (or heavily drunk/very tired players). Are A&A and TI:3 even that similar? (Sadly, I've never actually sat down and played Axis and Allies, so I can't speak to it from personal experience.)