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[Board Games] Saving the world from Monopoly and Life, one person at a time
FINAL WORD ON THESE GAMES I'M ALWAYS RIGHT NEENER NEENER
Memoir '44- Game is entirely determined by scenario and card/die luck. There is very little actual strategy and where there is it's simplistically obvious to the point htat moves are automatic. You can determine a winner from simply looking at scenario setups most of the time. The side that starts with more cards and a defensive position wins. This was the same case with Battlecry, where the South won almost every scenario.
Eclipse- Yeah it's definitely one of those "a decent game that unfortunately is outdone by something else". I just cannot go back to it after Twilight Imperium. Unfortunately it's so hard to get people into Twilight Imperium. Eclipse to me has become the equivalent of going out to the movies with a group of people and wanting to see a really well written thought provoking movie but you're outvoted by the people who want to see the newest Michael Bay or Adam Sandler flick.
Haven't tried the expansions but the base game was way too dependent on exploration luck. You could practically call the game for the player who got all the good draws. Also falls prey to the unfortunate mechanic where you have to choose between stopping the leader OR helping yourself, so of course no one stops the leader.
I'm a big fan of conquest games where victory points are separated from snowballing, like Twilight Imperium. Eclipse seems like it tried to do this but points are still tied to being successful in battle and how many economy boosting planets you conquer.
Stronghold- Also seemed fun when I first played it, but you learn fast that it's only fun for the attacker since the defender might as well be run by an auto script. Also very very hard to gauge things as you won't know if something is going to work until 3 turns later. Was interested in trying the Undead version since it looks like they added in more variables for the defender.
MrBody on
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
Yo dawg, I hear you like net damage, so we put some net damage in your net damage so you can take net damage while you take net damage.
Also, remember that Net Shield is first net damage this turn. So if you take net damage multiple times it won't work. Still might be handy to have around, if just because they might be able to hit you on their turn with EMP Spike.
Holy flying fuck, Janus 1.0. The possibility of FOUR brain damage? OM NOM NOM. Yeah, it's 15 creds, but damn. At least one of those is probably going to go through, if just because the runner won't ever have enough clicks to spend to break them all that way.
EDIT: DAT H-B AGENDA. Yeah, six advancement tokens to pull it off, but a extra click per turn? YES DO WANT.
Janus is nuts. The runner can break it with clicks... but since it's four subroutines they can't break all of them, and since it's brain damage they can't afford to take it one at a time. That said, that cost is a big barrier (lol get it?)
The agenda's are all pretty interesting, and someone pointed out that more high-cost/variable-cost agendas makes traps better.
Eclipse- Yeah it's definitely one of those "a decent game that unfortunately is outdone by something else". I just cannot go back to it after Twilight Imperium. Unfortunately it's so hard to get people into Twilight Imperium. Eclipse to me has become the equivalent of going out to the movies with a group of people and wanting to see a really well written thought provoking movie but you're outvoted by the people who want to see the newest Michael Bay or Adam Sandler flick.
Haven't tried the expansions but the base game was way too dependent on exploration luck. You could practically call the game for the player who got all the good draws. Also falls prey to the unfortunate mechanic where you have to choose between stopping the leader OR helping yourself, so of course no one stops the leader.
I'm a big fan of conquest games where victory points are separated from snowballing, like Twilight Imperium. Eclipse seems like it tried to do this but points are still tied to being successful in battle and how many economy boosting planets you conquer.
Stronghold- Also seemed fun when I first played it, but you learn fast that it's only fun for the attacker since the defender might as well be run by an auto script. Also very very hard to gauge things as you won't know if something is going to work until 3 turns later. Was interested in trying the Undead version since it looks like they added in more variables for the defender.
To be fair, every board game in existence is outdone by Twilight Imperium . But using Eclipse as a gateway for TI might mean you're on the right track.
Is there an English version of the Undead expansion for Stronghold: Undead? I'd like to try that too, but I've never seen it except in Polish.
FINAL WORD ON THESE GAMES I'M ALWAYS RIGHT NEENER NEENER
Memoir '44- Game is entirely determined by scenario and card/die luck. There is very little actual strategy and where there is it's simplistically obvious to the point htat moves are automatic. You can determine a winner from simply looking at scenario setups most of the time. The side that starts with more cards and a defensive position wins. This was the same case with Battlecry, where the South won almost every scenario.
I will admit that tonight I played a very fascinating scenario for Memoir 44 with my friend who owns it and whom I humor by playing her games every now and again. After all, she does it plenty for me and my games that she hates.
Both players have 6 cards, the Axis has overwhelming firepower, and an inredibly difficult time bringing it to bare. It was the 13th scenario I believe where the Axis have to cross a rather long bridge and hardly anyone can fire across the river and the Allies were heavily entrenched with tons of artillery and towns and sandbags. It was an incredibly close game and the decisions to run guys in, kill a few, then try to run them away before the artillery could rain death on them was tense. Getting people across the bridge as the Axis was nerve wracking as well. In the end I won, but one more turn and I would have lost. And I did feel like the scenario forced a great deal of tactics to be used.
I will however maintain that a well designed scenario like this is the exception rather than the rule. The other 12 scenarios we played? No brainers from start to finish.
Alright, so we just referenced Dominion as, "A game that invented something new and then other games did it better." So far I would not agree with that sentiment. I've never found a deck building game that was a better deck building game than Dominion, if you take into account being able to use some expansions. Who would put forth a different game to beat it?
A Few Acres of Snow.
But that's because it is a hybrid deck builder. I would probably, personally, rate any hybrid deck builder over Dominion. But that is because I find, once the initial novelty of a deck builder wears off, that they are deeply boring games to play.
As for a different topic, Eclipse vs. Twilight Imperium:
I have a hard time comparing the two, despite being so similar in some way. Eclipse you can get done in an evening after work. TI takes setting at least one whole day aside. I think both have a solid place in any boardgame collection.
As much as I want to play Twilight Imperium, I don't anticipate being able to ever get enough people with enough time to actually play it, and therefor won't ever buy it. Eclipse on the other hand, doesn't take a year to play and is still excellent with 4 players, which I have heard TI is better with more.
Alright, so we just referenced Dominion as, "A game that invented something new and then other games did it better." So far I would not agree with that sentiment. I've never found a deck building game that was a better deck building game than Dominion, if you take into account being able to use some expansions. Who would put forth a different game to beat it?
A Few Acres of Snow.
Does have the issue of having a 100% broken strategy which the game designer has, after a couple of half hearted attempts at fixing the game, has thrown up his hands and said it's impossible to fix and not a problem anyways as 2 player games will always be broken and only a Magic: The Gathering player would ask this rules question.
Those new ships for X-Wing look amazing. I'm so envious of people getting the Slave. I love the look of that ship so much. Is there a list up of the Falcon yet? I'm interested to see it's co-pilots.
Alright, so we just referenced Dominion as, "A game that invented something new and then other games did it better." So far I would not agree with that sentiment. I've never found a deck building game that was a better deck building game than Dominion, if you take into account being able to use some expansions. Who would put forth a different game to beat it?
Also, I ordered King of Tokyo. Looks like a great filler/game to have around if family visits.
Alright, so we just referenced Dominion as, "A game that invented something new and then other games did it better." So far I would not agree with that sentiment. I've never found a deck building game that was a better deck building game than Dominion, if you take into account being able to use some expansions. Who would put forth a different game to beat it?
Also, I ordered King of Tokyo. Looks like a great filler/game to have around if family visits.
Tanto Cuore
Games with underage girls flashing their panties are probably excluded from the list.
Is there an English version of the Undead expansion for Stronghold: Undead? I'd like to try that too, but I've never seen it except in Polish.
The english manual is up on BGG. I'd imagine you could play any version of the game with them? Unless it's just a matter of availability.
I'll have to check that out. But yeah, as long as you could understand which cards and buildings were which, I'm sure you could use any language version.
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
Oh right, I forgot to talk about Netrunner at all ...
Honestly, I thought the data pack was a lot of 'eh, alright, sure'. Except for the agendas, all of which I thought were pretty insane for the first additions to the game.
I'm liking Imp, even though as a criminals player I won't be running it. Same with Morning Star - neat concept. The console is there. I think it's a nice alternative, if a risky one, especially as we see more traces.
Criminal cards made me yawn. Cortez will probably see play - I might even try it myself. Peacock is ... there. I guess my problem is that it's a matter of taste if you want to save the influence on Gordian Blade, because at best Peacock will break even to what GB costs you on a run (the corner case being the single credit it saves you against Tollbooth).
Shaper's new Icebreaker is cool, and I expect to see in decks. Rabbit Hole was already a good card, so I expect to see the two in conjunction because "why not?" The hardware is ... something. I don't find it hugely impressive off-hand.
The new ICE all feels 'decent, but gimmicky', except for Caduceus. Janus could be HB's Archer, really, in that high-strength sentries are just hard to deal with outside of Femme Fatale. Mumblings seem to be that people want to spring it as a surprise, but I feel like the ability for that to happen will be very limited. I think it's a great PR or ABT target and do expect it to come out. I'll also be happy any time I hit it with Forged Activation Orders. Ash still looks good, and I may make room for him in my corp (NBN) deck as I already love the bejesus out of Red Herrings.
Snowflake and TMI both seem ... interesting. Each can be good and efficient, but each can also be much less so and cost you too much to have work properly. Time will tell, as will experimentation, I expect. And Draco seems like nice neutral ICE. Probably winds up as an alternative to Hunter?
Anyone think I'm horribly wrong about any of this?
Braintrust seems like exactly the kind of Agenda that Jinteki needs. Is it a trap, or is it Braintrust? Come and find out... The Weyland version (Project Atlas) is neat too, although for different reasons.
Those new ships for X-Wing look amazing. I'm so envious of people getting the Slave. I love the look of that ship so much. Is there a list up of the Falcon yet? I'm interested to see it's co-pilots.
Origin for Dragon Age: Inquisition Shenanigans: Inksplat776
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
I haven't played Rune Age, Thunderstone or Ascension, or Arcana (although I hadn't even heard of that one).
Nightfall was one of the most lackluster games I ever played. Could not believe it was popular when it launched.
Core Worlds, I'm always wary to compare to deck-builders, because while it uses some similar principles, it's still very much a drafting game at heart. That said, I think it's a better game than Dominion, but I'll also be the first to suggest we're comparing apples and oranges.
I also think Puzzle Strike 'does it better', as loathe as people often seem to give Sirlin credit. Asymmetry, better player scaling (I kind of hate that Dominion is basically a 2-player game), and the non-requirement of several thousand expansions (okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, sure) are all big plusses while the core gameplay stays similar. You also have more interesting choices in how you play out your gem stack with the risk/reward system built into it, which is something Dominion can't touch with its set-in-stone VP win-condition.
I know opinion will vary, but when it comes down to it, these are always going to be matters of opinion, right?
I agree about it all being matters of opinion, but I feel it's a good idea to allow the 'deckbuilding' genre to be wide enough to admit games like Core Worlds. Otherwise 'deckbuilding' ends up really being 'Dominion clones', which isn't really a good idea.
I love Nightfall, but it needed expanding an incredible amount - I only liked it after Martial Law came out.
I haven't played Puzzle Strike but would really like to. I think Sirlin's ridiculous when he's ranting about scrubs, but there's nothing wrong with his game ideas.
But I do think I have a different perspective, because the first deckbuilders I played were Rune Age and Thunderstone. When I played Dominion later, it was just too abstract for me to enjoy.
If it was your first deckbuilding love, I can understand that being a big deal.
I also think Puzzle Strike 'does it better', as loathe as people often seem to give Sirlin credit. Asymmetry, better player scaling (I kind of hate that Dominion is basically a 2-player game), and the non-requirement of several thousand expansions (okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, sure) are all big plusses while the core gameplay stays similar. You also have more interesting choices in how you play out your gem stack with the risk/reward system built into it, which is something Dominion can't touch with its set-in-stone VP win-condition.
Arctic I may have asked you before but my memory is fuzzy though the clouds of alcohol. Have you played much Puzzle Strike as 3 or 4 player? I'd like opinions on how it plays with that number of people at the table. Particularly if you're playing the latest (third?) edition.
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
Not enough to fairly tell you anything concrete, Tayrun. It's simply (in my opinion, of course) that the way the game plays out, and the tension directly between players, is a much better fit than Dominion's general unbalance above 2 players.
Mostly through dumb luck and hesitation, I never acquired a copy of Puzzle Strike myself, which, after the 3rd printing, may well have turned out to be in my favour. Some day, perhaps I'll get a copy. But the truth is, Core Worlds is about as good as it gets for me currently, and deck-building isn't a genre I'm hugely interested in, so I don't need to invest in others. That being said, if I had my choice of a 2nd title, it would definitely be Puzzle Strike.
I can totally agree that Core Worlds is a better game than Dominion. I think you could state that almost objectively so.
And yet we still play Dominion more. I think because someone can sit down at Dominion even if they aren't feeling especially on top of their game that night, they can still have a few good turns and have fun. In Core Worlds, if you aren't bringing your A game to the table, you are hopelessly destitute and incapable of much of anything by turn 3.
Those new ships for X-Wing look amazing. I'm so envious of people getting the Slave. I love the look of that ship so much. Is there a list up of the Falcon yet? I'm interested to see it's co-pilots.
TIE/In's are cray-cray. 3 attack, 3 agility, and Evade? Oof.
I've played a lot of Thunderstone, and it's not as good as Dominion. It's more flavorful, but the design gets awkward unless you very very carefully pick what cards are available.
Dominion is pretty special in terms of emergent interactions and strategy for a boardgame.
That said, I do like actually playing Eminent Domain better.
Edit: Also, you're all nuts talking about Eclipse and Twilight Imperium. Twilight Imperium doesn't "outdo" Eclipse for one enormous reason;
It's not actually possible for 4 adults with full time jobs to find time for a game of Twilight Imperium. Ever. I have owned Twilight Imperium for 3 years, pushed to play it at every opportunity, and still never finished a game.
If you can play one game and not the other, the game you can play is better. Even if the other game has Death Stars.
Even if the playtime of TI3 magically got cut in half, I would still say that there is an argument to be made on behalf of Eclipse. Because it's impossible to finish a game of Twilight Imperium, it's easy to overlook some of its flaws. I don't want to hate on TI3, but.... look at the politics mechanic, or the racial balance.
Those new ships for X-Wing look amazing. I'm so envious of people getting the Slave. I love the look of that ship so much. Is there a list up of the Falcon yet? I'm interested to see it's co-pilots.
TIE/In's are cray-cray. 3 attack, 3 agility, and Evade? Oof.
Luckily Homing Missiles are amaaazing.
Origin for Dragon Age: Inquisition Shenanigans: Inksplat776
I've played a lot of Thunderstone, and it's not as good as Dominion. It's more flavorful, but the design gets awkward unless you very very carefully pick what cards are available.
Dominion is pretty special in terms of emergent interactions and strategy for a boardgame.
That said, I do like actually playing Eminent Domain better.
Edit: Also, you're all nuts talking about Eclipse and Twilight Imperium. Twilight Imperium doesn't "outdo" Eclipse for one enormous reason;
It's not actually possible for 4 adults with full time jobs to find time for a game of Twilight Imperium. Ever. I have owned Twilight Imperium for 3 years, pushed to play it at every opportunity, and still never finished a game.
If you can play one game and not the other, the game you can play is better. Even if the other game has Death Stars.
Even if the playtime of TI3 magically got cut in half, I would still say that there is an argument to be made on behalf of Eclipse. Because it's impossible to finish a game of Twilight Imperium, it's easy to overlook some of its flaws. I don't want to hate on TI3, but.... look at the politics mechanic, or the racial balance.
I've owned/had access to a copy of TI2 or TI3 for... about a decade now. I've played a dozen or so times, and we have never, not once, not a single time, actually played a game through to a technical victory by the dictates of the rules.
TI3 is a great theory, but fuck actually playing it.
Those new ships for X-Wing look amazing. I'm so envious of people getting the Slave. I love the look of that ship so much. Is there a list up of the Falcon yet? I'm interested to see it's co-pilots.
TIE/In's are cray-cray. 3 attack, 3 agility, and Evade? Oof.
Luckily Homing Missiles are amaaazing.
SO jealous.
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TrynantManiac BrawlerRank 20.100 and full WildRegistered Userregular
TI3 is a game you plan ahead for, but as long as you're not looking for a frequent play of the game is still feasible to bring to the table.
Personally, I've enjoyed my plays of TI3 much more than my play of Eclipse. TI3 may be imbalanced and all over the place, but Eclipse--to me--just felt boring. It rewarded defensive play far too much and as a result turtling ran rampant in the game I played. Sure, I've only played it once, but I still feel incredibly underwhelmed with it.
Sadly there doesn't seem to be much in the way of thrilling and short space 4x games in the same vein as Eclipse and Twilight Imperium, so I guess it's a lose/lose situation.
TI3 is a game you plan ahead for, but as long as you're not looking for a frequent play of the game is still feasible to bring to the table.
Personally, I've enjoyed my plays of TI3 much more than my play of Eclipse. TI3 may be imbalanced and all over the place, but Eclipse--to me--just felt boring. It rewarded defensive play far too much and as a result turtling ran rampant in the game I played. Sure, I've only played it once, but I still feel incredibly underwhelmed with it.
Sadly there doesn't seem to be much in the way of thrilling and short space 4x games in the same vein as Eclipse and Twilight Imperium, so I guess it's a lose/lose situation.
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
If I point out that there isn't really a popular 4X computer game that can do that, it doesn't make you hugely hopeful for board games, huh? >_>
Not that I wouldn't like similar, but I think some degree of simplification is okay. For example, I think the 'tech' in Eclipse is totally fine in how it works. Some of it could probably be changed for effect (some is bland / uninteresting, and the 3 lines could probably be made into more than 3 lines), but it does a good job of being simple and versatile.
Just got an email saying toys and games 20% off on Amazon if you use their credit card on the first $100 with TOY20OFF. This includes the board games section.
Who cares if your fleet is balanced if you look good.
Also guys I have a disease called space opera ship fleet-itis
It means that I want things with pew pews in space beyond all reason even though I have plenty of board games that have been barely played, my friends and I have never really played a game enough times to get tired of it (except for descent 1 which got a full campaign), and I bought x wing and expansions and haven't even played it yet.
I have one tab open to Star Trek Fleet Captains (I don't even watch Star Trek) and one to Core Worlds.
What is wrong with me
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ObiFettUse the ForceAs You WishRegistered Userregular
Who cares if your fleet is balanced if you look good.
Also guys I have a disease called space opera ship fleet-itis
It means that I want things with pew pews in space beyond all reason even though I have plenty of board games that have been barely played, my friends and I have never really played a game enough times to get tired of it (except for descent 1 which got a full campaign), and I bought x wing and expansions and haven't even played it yet.
I have one tab open to Star Trek Fleet Captains (I don't even watch Star Trek) and one to Core Worlds.
What is wrong with me
If something is wrong with you I dont wanna be right.
Who cares if your fleet is balanced if you look good.
Man, 5 Interceptors are going to be beastly. You are not going to suffer on the viability to look good.
However, the Interceptors and A-Wings are definitely going to reward skill with the movement dial--if you're good at visualizing where your ships need to go and will end up, you'll be able to dance around your opponent, out of their firing arcs, and just fire on them freely.
Not to mention each Interceptor is basically Howlrunner no matter where you shoot from + Boost, for only 2 points more.
Origin for Dragon Age: Inquisition Shenanigans: Inksplat776
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jergarmarhollow man crewgoes pew pew pewRegistered Userregular
I also think Puzzle Strike 'does it better', as loathe as people often seem to give Sirlin credit. Asymmetry, better player scaling (I kind of hate that Dominion is basically a 2-player game), and the non-requirement of several thousand expansions (okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, sure) are all big plusses while the core gameplay stays similar. You also have more interesting choices in how you play out your gem stack with the risk/reward system built into it, which is something Dominion can't touch with its set-in-stone VP win-condition.
Arctic I may have asked you before but my memory is fuzzy though the clouds of alcohol. Have you played much Puzzle Strike as 3 or 4 player? I'd like opinions on how it plays with that number of people at the table. Particularly if you're playing the latest (third?) edition.
I got Puzzle Strike recently (at the BGG Con), and I think I prefer 3/4 players to 2 players. The nice thing about >2 players is that you have a nice decision to make when someone attacks you. You see, you normally always attack in one direction (clockwise), but if you GET attacked, you can "counter-crash" a gem in reply (counter-clockwise). So should you "counter-crash", or wait until your turn and perhaps crash even more gems? Also, more players means that the players who have "attacking abilities" are comparatively stronger, making them more interesting. However I think it's probably best with 3. With 4 players it can run a bit long for such a light game, but on the other hand I tend to play it with 4 people (2 couples), and everyone still seems to have a lot of fun.
Rune Age, Core Worlds, Thunderstone, Nightfall, Ascension and Arcana are all better deckbuilding games than Dominion.
Ascension is very light, but I have that and Dominion on my iPad and it's Ascension that I play all the time.
Rune Age (+exp) is excellent. Deckbuilding but with direct attacking. Core Worlds is excellent too.
I respect Dominion a lot for being the first big deckbuilder, but I don't want today it now these other, more enjoyable ones exist.
That's all, of course, just my opinion, man. But I think there is room for some subjectivity in our Boardgame assessing.
I just want to point out that "better" in your context (and in your later posts), seems to mean "more interesting and enjoyable". It might be hard to argue that Dominion, with it's various expansions, isn't more "fleshed out" in the deck-building idea alone than, say, Thunderstone.
But I agree with you that Dominion can get boring even when I recognize that it's not mechanically flawed. Sometimes I don't want to play a mechanic, I want to play a game! Thus why I have been playing a bunch of Puzzle Strike recently, and enjoying it.
jergarmar on
When I was a child, I had a fever... My BoardGameGeek profile
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Posts
Memoir '44- Game is entirely determined by scenario and card/die luck. There is very little actual strategy and where there is it's simplistically obvious to the point htat moves are automatic. You can determine a winner from simply looking at scenario setups most of the time. The side that starts with more cards and a defensive position wins. This was the same case with Battlecry, where the South won almost every scenario.
Eclipse- Yeah it's definitely one of those "a decent game that unfortunately is outdone by something else". I just cannot go back to it after Twilight Imperium. Unfortunately it's so hard to get people into Twilight Imperium. Eclipse to me has become the equivalent of going out to the movies with a group of people and wanting to see a really well written thought provoking movie but you're outvoted by the people who want to see the newest Michael Bay or Adam Sandler flick.
Haven't tried the expansions but the base game was way too dependent on exploration luck. You could practically call the game for the player who got all the good draws. Also falls prey to the unfortunate mechanic where you have to choose between stopping the leader OR helping yourself, so of course no one stops the leader.
I'm a big fan of conquest games where victory points are separated from snowballing, like Twilight Imperium. Eclipse seems like it tried to do this but points are still tied to being successful in battle and how many economy boosting planets you conquer.
Stronghold- Also seemed fun when I first played it, but you learn fast that it's only fun for the attacker since the defender might as well be run by an auto script. Also very very hard to gauge things as you won't know if something is going to work until 3 turns later. Was interested in trying the Undead version since it looks like they added in more variables for the defender.
Janus is nuts. The runner can break it with clicks... but since it's four subroutines they can't break all of them, and since it's brain damage they can't afford to take it one at a time. That said, that cost is a big barrier (lol get it?)
The agenda's are all pretty interesting, and someone pointed out that more high-cost/variable-cost agendas makes traps better.
To be fair, every board game in existence is outdone by Twilight Imperium
Is there an English version of the Undead expansion for Stronghold: Undead? I'd like to try that too, but I've never seen it except in Polish.
You know what would be funny? Chumming it.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Anything you can do to rez it for free makes it real gross.
I have a hard time splashing for Chum though just 'cause it only has an effect if you draw it with the right ICE.
The english manual is up on BGG. I'd imagine you could play any version of the game with them? Unless it's just a matter of availability.
I will admit that tonight I played a very fascinating scenario for Memoir 44 with my friend who owns it and whom I humor by playing her games every now and again. After all, she does it plenty for me and my games that she hates.
Both players have 6 cards, the Axis has overwhelming firepower, and an inredibly difficult time bringing it to bare. It was the 13th scenario I believe where the Axis have to cross a rather long bridge and hardly anyone can fire across the river and the Allies were heavily entrenched with tons of artillery and towns and sandbags. It was an incredibly close game and the decisions to run guys in, kill a few, then try to run them away before the artillery could rain death on them was tense. Getting people across the bridge as the Axis was nerve wracking as well. In the end I won, but one more turn and I would have lost. And I did feel like the scenario forced a great deal of tactics to be used.
I will however maintain that a well designed scenario like this is the exception rather than the rule. The other 12 scenarios we played? No brainers from start to finish.
A Few Acres of Snow.
But that's because it is a hybrid deck builder. I would probably, personally, rate any hybrid deck builder over Dominion. But that is because I find, once the initial novelty of a deck builder wears off, that they are deeply boring games to play.
As for a different topic, Eclipse vs. Twilight Imperium:
I have a hard time comparing the two, despite being so similar in some way. Eclipse you can get done in an evening after work. TI takes setting at least one whole day aside. I think both have a solid place in any boardgame collection.
Does have the issue of having a 100% broken strategy which the game designer has, after a couple of half hearted attempts at fixing the game, has thrown up his hands and said it's impossible to fix and not a problem anyways as 2 player games will always be broken and only a Magic: The Gathering player would ask this rules question.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
Games with underage girls flashing their panties are probably excluded from the list.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
PMAvers do you play using OCTGN? Also does anyone else? We could totes have a CF group playing together like those popular kids over in GT!
I'll have to check that out. But yeah, as long as you could understand which cards and buildings were which, I'm sure you could use any language version.
Honestly, I thought the data pack was a lot of 'eh, alright, sure'. Except for the agendas, all of which I thought were pretty insane for the first additions to the game.
I'm liking Imp, even though as a criminals player I won't be running it. Same with Morning Star - neat concept. The console is there. I think it's a nice alternative, if a risky one, especially as we see more traces.
Criminal cards made me yawn. Cortez will probably see play - I might even try it myself. Peacock is ... there. I guess my problem is that it's a matter of taste if you want to save the influence on Gordian Blade, because at best Peacock will break even to what GB costs you on a run (the corner case being the single credit it saves you against Tollbooth).
Shaper's new Icebreaker is cool, and I expect to see in decks. Rabbit Hole was already a good card, so I expect to see the two in conjunction because "why not?" The hardware is ... something. I don't find it hugely impressive off-hand.
The new ICE all feels 'decent, but gimmicky', except for Caduceus. Janus could be HB's Archer, really, in that high-strength sentries are just hard to deal with outside of Femme Fatale. Mumblings seem to be that people want to spring it as a surprise, but I feel like the ability for that to happen will be very limited. I think it's a great PR or ABT target and do expect it to come out. I'll also be happy any time I hit it with Forged Activation Orders.
Snowflake and TMI both seem ... interesting. Each can be good and efficient, but each can also be much less so and cost you too much to have work properly. Time will tell, as will experimentation, I expect. And Draco seems like nice neutral ICE. Probably winds up as an alternative to Hunter?
Anyone think I'm horribly wrong about any of this?
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Ascension is very light, but I have that and Dominion on my iPad and it's Ascension that I play all the time.
Rune Age (+exp) is excellent. Deckbuilding but with direct attacking. Core Worlds is excellent too.
I respect Dominion a lot for being the first big deckbuilder, but I don't want today it now these other, more enjoyable ones exist.
That's all, of course, just my opinion, man. But I think there is room for some subjectivity in our Boardgame assessing.
Thunderstone and Nightfall are nowhere near as good as Dominion. I haven't played the others.
I really should, although I've been slack in setting it up.
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Nightfall was one of the most lackluster games I ever played. Could not believe it was popular when it launched.
Core Worlds, I'm always wary to compare to deck-builders, because while it uses some similar principles, it's still very much a drafting game at heart. That said, I think it's a better game than Dominion, but I'll also be the first to suggest we're comparing apples and oranges.
I also think Puzzle Strike 'does it better', as loathe as people often seem to give Sirlin credit. Asymmetry, better player scaling (I kind of hate that Dominion is basically a 2-player game), and the non-requirement of several thousand expansions (okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, sure) are all big plusses while the core gameplay stays similar. You also have more interesting choices in how you play out your gem stack with the risk/reward system built into it, which is something Dominion can't touch with its set-in-stone VP win-condition.
I know opinion will vary, but when it comes down to it, these are always going to be matters of opinion, right?
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I love Nightfall, but it needed expanding an incredible amount - I only liked it after Martial Law came out.
I haven't played Puzzle Strike but would really like to. I think Sirlin's ridiculous when he's ranting about scrubs, but there's nothing wrong with his game ideas.
But I do think I have a different perspective, because the first deckbuilders I played were Rune Age and Thunderstone. When I played Dominion later, it was just too abstract for me to enjoy.
If it was your first deckbuilding love, I can understand that being a big deal.
Arctic I may have asked you before but my memory is fuzzy though the clouds of alcohol. Have you played much Puzzle Strike as 3 or 4 player? I'd like opinions on how it plays with that number of people at the table. Particularly if you're playing the latest (third?) edition.
Mostly through dumb luck and hesitation, I never acquired a copy of Puzzle Strike myself, which, after the 3rd printing, may well have turned out to be in my favour. Some day, perhaps I'll get a copy. But the truth is, Core Worlds is about as good as it gets for me currently, and deck-building isn't a genre I'm hugely interested in, so I don't need to invest in others. That being said, if I had my choice of a 2nd title, it would definitely be Puzzle Strike.
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And yet we still play Dominion more. I think because someone can sit down at Dominion even if they aren't feeling especially on top of their game that night, they can still have a few good turns and have fun. In Core Worlds, if you aren't bringing your A game to the table, you are hopelessly destitute and incapable of much of anything by turn 3.
I was going to try to get it to the table with some casual-players, but if it breaks you if you're not on top form ...
TIE/In's are cray-cray. 3 attack, 3 agility, and Evade? Oof.
Dominion is pretty special in terms of emergent interactions and strategy for a boardgame.
That said, I do like actually playing Eminent Domain better.
Edit: Also, you're all nuts talking about Eclipse and Twilight Imperium. Twilight Imperium doesn't "outdo" Eclipse for one enormous reason;
It's not actually possible for 4 adults with full time jobs to find time for a game of Twilight Imperium. Ever. I have owned Twilight Imperium for 3 years, pushed to play it at every opportunity, and still never finished a game.
If you can play one game and not the other, the game you can play is better. Even if the other game has Death Stars.
Even if the playtime of TI3 magically got cut in half, I would still say that there is an argument to be made on behalf of Eclipse. Because it's impossible to finish a game of Twilight Imperium, it's easy to overlook some of its flaws. I don't want to hate on TI3, but.... look at the politics mechanic, or the racial balance.
Luckily Homing Missiles are amaaazing.
I've owned/had access to a copy of TI2 or TI3 for... about a decade now. I've played a dozen or so times, and we have never, not once, not a single time, actually played a game through to a technical victory by the dictates of the rules.
TI3 is a great theory, but fuck actually playing it.
SO jealous.
Personally, I've enjoyed my plays of TI3 much more than my play of Eclipse. TI3 may be imbalanced and all over the place, but Eclipse--to me--just felt boring. It rewarded defensive play far too much and as a result turtling ran rampant in the game I played. Sure, I've only played it once, but I still feel incredibly underwhelmed with it.
Sadly there doesn't seem to be much in the way of thrilling and short space 4x games in the same vein as Eclipse and Twilight Imperium, so I guess it's a lose/lose situation.
Aces Wild is a pretty stellar game.
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Spaceship combat, tech development, exploration, and economic management. With each mechanic fully developed. With a playtime less than 2 hours.
Not that I wouldn't like similar, but I think some degree of simplification is okay. For example, I think the 'tech' in Eclipse is totally fine in how it works. Some of it could probably be changed for effect (some is bland / uninteresting, and the 3 lines could probably be made into more than 3 lines), but it does a good job of being simple and versatile.
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Also I want all the TIE Interceptors.
all of them
I want to fly a whole team of them!
Who cares if your fleet is balanced if you look good.
Also guys I have a disease called space opera ship fleet-itis
It means that I want things with pew pews in space beyond all reason even though I have plenty of board games that have been barely played, my friends and I have never really played a game enough times to get tired of it (except for descent 1 which got a full campaign), and I bought x wing and expansions and haven't even played it yet.
I have one tab open to Star Trek Fleet Captains (I don't even watch Star Trek) and one to Core Worlds.
What is wrong with me
If something is wrong with you I dont wanna be right.
Man, 5 Interceptors are going to be beastly. You are not going to suffer on the viability to look good.
However, the Interceptors and A-Wings are definitely going to reward skill with the movement dial--if you're good at visualizing where your ships need to go and will end up, you'll be able to dance around your opponent, out of their firing arcs, and just fire on them freely.
Not to mention each Interceptor is basically Howlrunner no matter where you shoot from + Boost, for only 2 points more.
I got Puzzle Strike recently (at the BGG Con), and I think I prefer 3/4 players to 2 players. The nice thing about >2 players is that you have a nice decision to make when someone attacks you. You see, you normally always attack in one direction (clockwise), but if you GET attacked, you can "counter-crash" a gem in reply (counter-clockwise). So should you "counter-crash", or wait until your turn and perhaps crash even more gems? Also, more players means that the players who have "attacking abilities" are comparatively stronger, making them more interesting. However I think it's probably best with 3. With 4 players it can run a bit long for such a light game, but on the other hand I tend to play it with 4 people (2 couples), and everyone still seems to have a lot of fun.
I just want to point out that "better" in your context (and in your later posts), seems to mean "more interesting and enjoyable". It might be hard to argue that Dominion, with it's various expansions, isn't more "fleshed out" in the deck-building idea alone than, say, Thunderstone.
But I agree with you that Dominion can get boring even when I recognize that it's not mechanically flawed. Sometimes I don't want to play a mechanic, I want to play a game! Thus why I have been playing a bunch of Puzzle Strike recently, and enjoying it.
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