Introduced Root to my usual group yesterday, and they thankfully loved it except for one guy we didn't want to play with anyway throwing a hissy fit and quitting the game an hour and a half in so we couldn't finish it, declaring it "a shit game" and "literally extremely unbalanced, and impossible to BE balanced"
ANYWAY, I had some rules questions on it that the book was not helping me figure out, namely two things:
1) when someone tries to enter an Alliance-sympathetic space or remove one of their sympathies without having any cards in hand to pay the toll, what happens?
2) how the hell does crafting as the Vagabond work? I really don't understand how you know what build requirements you've filled as them
I also introduced Root to some people yesterday. It was fun, but I forgot about how the cats need supply lines to use wood so they had way to easy of a time scoring. Also the birds had the unluckiest run I've seen and just kept going into turmoil.
Were there ever any good ones, besides Risk and Pandemic?
It depends on your definition of "Legacy game," but Gloomhaven is more than fine if you can make it work. Campaign-style games are where permanent changes could live comfortably for a while.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
It's been a huge mistake to my wallet to come by the FFG store here for Worlds.
Besides an extra copy for Reign and Reverie for someone back home (there were some flown in, but not many, to support the players), I also picked up the Sagrada expansion, the final Firefly board game component I was missing (the Artful Dodger), and an interesting hidden identity game called "Almost Got 'im", based on the Batman: The Animated Series cartoon. I really couldn't pass it up.
It's been a huge mistake to my wallet to come by the FFG store here for Worlds.
Besides an extra copy for Reign and Reverie for someone back home (there were some flown in, but not many, to support the players), I also picked up the Sagrada expansion, the final Firefly board game component I was missing (the Artful Dodger), and an interesting hidden identity game called "Almost Got 'im", based on the Batman: The Animated Series cartoon. I really couldn't pass it up.
They don’t by any chance have any copies of Order & Chaos do they? :tell_me_more:
Re: Welcome To... got to play it at PAX and really enjoyed it. You have a lot of decisions to make between the house number and power combinations each turn and what kind of points you plan to score for the end game. I think our 3 player game ended with all of us within about 5 points of each other. Can’t wait to pick it up later this year to play with my wife!
Went to a local game convention today which was a lot of fun. We sold 11 games, bought 1 and won 4 in raffles. So a net reduction but less than it could have been lol.
Played Hoity Toity x3, which I still think is just a fantastic game. Played Harvest Dice, which was a really quick dice drafting game that was fun enough for the 10 minutes. Played Pairs, which was a really fun kinda blackjackish card game. Super light, but fun for what it was. Played Traders of Osaka, which was a nice very pretty card game with some interesting decisions. Glad I picked it up, as it will slot quite nicely next to Jaipur , Lost Cities etc in my wife and I's rotation. My wife played a 5p game of Dice Throne which she kinda hated so of course she won the copy of it in a raffle. Seems like it would work wayyyyy better as a 2p game so we'll see. On the whole a nice day!
admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
On the one hand, I'm diversifying and cleaning up my board game collection so I have more games that are playable with a wide variety of groups, like Ra, Castles of Burgundy, and Clank. Even my heavier, wargamier choices are turning away from hex-and-counter and towards more sellable historical games like Cuba Libre.
On the other hand, my fascination with Pax Pamir 2e has led to me looking at John Company and An Infamous Traffic and oh nooooooo.
On the one hand, I'm diversifying and cleaning up my board game collection so I have more games that are playable with a wide variety of groups, like Ra, Castles of Burgundy, and Clank. Even my heavier, wargamier choices are turning away from hex-and-counter and towards more sellable historical games like Cuba Libre.
On the other hand, my fascination with Pax Pamir 2e has led to me looking at John Company and An Infamous Traffic and oh nooooooo.
Root has taken over my entire brain, so yeah I'm pretty curious about trying other Cole Wehrle games
I don't know if I'm the particular kind of lunatic for them, though, Root may be the exact sweet spot for me
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
On the one hand, I'm diversifying and cleaning up my board game collection so I have more games that are playable with a wide variety of groups, like Ra, Castles of Burgundy, and Clank. Even my heavier, wargamier choices are turning away from hex-and-counter and towards more sellable historical games like Cuba Libre.
On the other hand, my fascination with Pax Pamir 2e has led to me looking at John Company and An Infamous Traffic and oh nooooooo.
Root has taken over my entire brain, so yeah I'm pretty curious about trying other Cole Wehrle games
I don't know if I'm the particular kind of lunatic for them, though, Root may be the exact sweet spot for me
Root is brilliant and a totally reasonable place to stop. But you put together the terms "historical simulation" and "tableau-builder" and I am thirsty. Throw in "an unflinching look at imperialism" and "the East India Company" and I'm a goner.
and one of the things I've learned is a reflex that whenever something begins describing itself and includes "the East India Company" I can immediately go "oh I am most definitely too dumb for this"
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FairchildRabbit used short words that were easy to understand, like "Hello Pooh, how about Lunch ?"Registered Userregular
Phrases like "an unflinching look at imperialism" are a big fat warning lite, I'm afraid. This is a game designer preparing to beat me over the head with a very didactic message, which makes me quite grumpy.
and one of the things I've learned is a reflex that whenever something begins describing itself and includes "the East India Company" I can immediately go "oh I am most definitely too dumb for this"
Phrases like "an unflinching look at imperialism" are a big fat warning lite, I'm afraid. This is a game designer preparing to beat me over the head with a very didactic message, which makes me quite grumpy.
The dude literally wrote his dissertation on British imperialism. I'm happy to learn from boardgames just as much as I want to learn from everything else I do.
So we just got done playing our first real game of legacy. By that I mean we started February, got to open boxes, stickers , and got to experience what a legacy game us all about. I didn't realize this was coming so it took longer to set up than I planned, but man was that fun and exciting!
I think we may be hooked on legacy games.
Also, I really need to stay on top of things. I'll move the infection marker up and forget it's 3 cards per infection cycle instead of 2. Not sure how long I was doing that for before I realized.
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FairchildRabbit used short words that were easy to understand, like "Hello Pooh, how about Lunch ?"Registered Userregular
Phrases like "an unflinching look at imperialism" are a big fat warning lite, I'm afraid. This is a game designer preparing to beat me over the head with a very didactic message, which makes me quite grumpy.
I'm sorry you don't want to learn, but the dude literally wrote his dissertation on British imperialism.
Oy, now I'm even less likely to play it. Have you ever heard someone get started on their dissertation subject ?
Phrases like "an unflinching look at imperialism" are a big fat warning lite, I'm afraid. This is a game designer preparing to beat me over the head with a very didactic message, which makes me quite grumpy.
I'm sorry you don't want to learn, but the dude literally wrote his dissertation on British imperialism.
Oy, now I'm even less likely to play it. Have you ever heard someone get started on their dissertation subject ?
I for one, very much enjoy when people want to share with me the things they are passionate about and interested in.
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
Snark aside, when I say "an unflinching look at imperialism" I'm not saying that every time you play a card you have to declare how many non-white people you're willing to kill to play that card, I'm saying that it presents an accurate and unsanitized view of what the British empire did in Afghanistan/India/China. You're not supposed to feel bad for playing the game, but you can certainly learn something.
I was windering how we were going to deal with an untreatable disease, and then we get the quarantine specialist. Ummmm, she seems really good. February was a breeze using those token's to stop outbreaks.
I think edutainment board games fall into a bit of an awkward spot for me and end up being limited in both education and entertainment. There's definitely a audience for them, but I don't think I'm in it. (I'm thinking of games like Dog Eat Dog and Train.)
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
I think edutainment board games fall into a bit of an awkward spot for me and end up being limited in both education and entertainment. There's definitely a audience for them, but I don't think I'm in it. (I'm thinking of games like Dog Eat Dog and Train.)
To be clear at no point did I describe any of Werhle's games as trying to educate you. That was 100% inferred. They are smart, they are aware of their topic, and they clearly present their topic, but learning from it is up to you.
Which is true of literally everything. I'm just interested in Pax Pamir/John Company/An Infamous Traffic in particular because British imperialism is fascinating*.
I think edutainment board games fall into a bit of an awkward spot for me and end up being limited in both education and entertainment. There's definitely a audience for them, but I don't think I'm in it. (I'm thinking of games like Dog Eat Dog and Train.)
I have Freedom, and while it doesn't hit the table often, it has been enjoyable when it has.
So we just got done playing our first real game of legacy. By that I mean we started February, got to open boxes, stickers , and got to experience what a legacy game us all about. I didn't realize this was coming so it took longer to set up than I planned, but man was that fun and exciting!
I think we may be hooked on legacy games.
Also, I really need to stay on top of things. I'll move the infection marker up and forget it's 3 cards per infection cycle instead of 2. Not sure how long I was doing that for before I realized.
Opening boxes and secret envelopes feels so good. We do it in player order so everyone can enjoy it. I think we are doing terrible in our Pandemic Legacy run, but I always look forward to playing it, I just want to open more boxes and see what comes next.
I cracked open Star Wars: Imperial Assault for the first time in order to learn the game. Box size aside, it's actually really approachable! There aren't a lot of rules around the actual mechanics, at least nothing too hard to remember. If there is a downside , however, it's that the game doesn't include figures for a number of its units. So you've got a bunch of plastic goodness alongside cardboard character tokens. Oh, but latter can be replaced with purchasable character packs! This game is going to get costly. I knew it had character packs prior to buying the game, but not that the core boxes come incomplete. Ffffffff
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
I think edutainment board games fall into a bit of an awkward spot for me and end up being limited in both education and entertainment. There's definitely a audience for them, but I don't think I'm in it. (I'm thinking of games like Dog Eat Dog and Train.)
I have Freedom, and while it doesn't hit the table often, it has been enjoyable when it has.
So we just got done playing our first real game of legacy. By that I mean we started February, got to open boxes, stickers , and got to experience what a legacy game us all about. I didn't realize this was coming so it took longer to set up than I planned, but man was that fun and exciting!
I think we may be hooked on legacy games.
Also, I really need to stay on top of things. I'll move the infection marker up and forget it's 3 cards per infection cycle instead of 2. Not sure how long I was doing that for before I realized.
Opening boxes and secret envelopes feels so good. We do it in player order so everyone can enjoy it. I think we are doing terrible in our Pandemic Legacy run, but I always look forward to playing it, I just want to open more boxes and see what comes next.
I think we're about to hit some hard times. Me and my dad have a really good grasp on it and the strategy behind it, and we've won the first two months. I do no for sure at times I've messed up with the mechanics. In February I think it was only for a turn or two, but I'm not sure how long I was drawing 2 cards instead of 3. And in January I wasn't sure how to deal with outbreaks of multiple colors. I'm pretty sure I got everything mostly right, but again, I know I messed up some and maybe enough to get us the win.
We have gotten pretty lucky though with card draws and spread out infection cards.
Always looking forward to the next game though.
I think edutainment board games fall into a bit of an awkward spot for me and end up being limited in both education and entertainment. There's definitely a audience for them, but I don't think I'm in it. (I'm thinking of games like Dog Eat Dog and Train.)
The games in question (Cole Wehrle's designs) are actual games that are designed to be playable and fun, not art exhibits or indie RPGs designed to ruin friendships and make people generally miserable. They happen to also have well researched historical settings, and present arguments about history that you can engage with if you are interested in doing so. They don't set out to beat you over the head with things at the expense of the gaming experience.
I just watched Shut Up Sit Down's review of "Welcome To: Your perfect home" and it looks way fun. I'm going to have to pick it up when it comes out.
I really like Welcome To. Roll and Write is a weird genre that I generally enjoy in the filler space, and Welcome To is my favourite. Interestingly, SUSD seem way more into Railroad Ink based on their podcast (and Welcome To) review, but it didn't quite leave as strong an impression at Gen Con. I'd be down to try it again, maybe it was a matter of time and place.
Well good news you're playing the one really good one.
I'm in a minority for sure, but I honestly find that Risk Legacy is still my favourite of them. It's got so many nice twists on a game pretty much everyone already knows, really doesn't hold your hand about the order you can open things, and is just full of so many good "WHAT!?" and "WHY!?" moments. I'm honestly disappointed that legacy games pretty much immediately turned into branching story paths afterwards, and we didn't get more sweet and simple sandboxes to romp in. I know there's still time, but it doesn't strike me as the direction most people would want to go anyway.
I think edutainment board games fall into a bit of an awkward spot for me and end up being limited in both education and entertainment. There's definitely a audience for them, but I don't think I'm in it. (I'm thinking of games like Dog Eat Dog and Train.)
I have Freedom, and while it doesn't hit the table often, it has been enjoyable when it has.
So we just got done playing our first real game of legacy. By that I mean we started February, got to open boxes, stickers , and got to experience what a legacy game us all about. I didn't realize this was coming so it took longer to set up than I planned, but man was that fun and exciting!
I think we may be hooked on legacy games.
Also, I really need to stay on top of things. I'll move the infection marker up and forget it's 3 cards per infection cycle instead of 2. Not sure how long I was doing that for before I realized.
Opening boxes and secret envelopes feels so good. We do it in player order so everyone can enjoy it. I think we are doing terrible in our Pandemic Legacy run, but I always look forward to playing it, I just want to open more boxes and see what comes next.
I just read the ars technica article about glory to rome. I really want to get the game. Shame the PNP files have been taken down on bbg.
It is such a good game. I got to play the original, ugly as sin version. Well worth finding a way to play it. Not worth 100+ secondary market price unless you are just rolling in cash though.
I read the Root dev diaries and he mentioned them approximately 800 times and any research I did proved...inconclusive
is it a series? a system? a publisher?
It’s a series of games about COunter INsurgency, which I guess usually involve asymmetric gameplay (like Root does) because they’re about what it’s like when a big military force tries to fight a small guerrila force in various historical contexts.
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ArcticLancerBest served chilled.Registered Userregular
I read the Root dev diaries and he mentioned them approximately 800 times and any research I did proved...inconclusive
is it a series? a system? a publisher?
It’s a series of games about COunter INsurgency, which I guess usually involve asymmetric gameplay (like Root does) because they’re about what it’s like when a big military force tries to fight a small guerrila force in various historical contexts.
Eh ...
At this point they've kinda stretched the definition and it's more just about the system. Like, I'm sorry, but Pendragon sorta threw it all out the window and it's been a bit over the map since. :P
For the most part though, any time it's referenced in regards to Root it's about the mechanical and thematic center of COIN games. They're always four asymmetrical factions, which have some amount of give and take with the other factions, and that there are never true alliances so much as shared interests. Andean Abyss, the original COIN game, dealt with the internal power struggle of Columbia during the height of the drug trade. So you've got the local government simply trying to secure the nation, but a radicalized opposing political movement in the FARC who want to take over. The AUC is a smaller guerilla force that pretty much wants to wipe the FARC off the map, often putting it in a support position with the government, but also one they can never let get out of hand and grow too large. Then the generic combined cartels pretty much just want to make a ton of money, and don't really mind playing nice or dirty with anyone else as long as it helps them meet those ends. It's this kind of "uncomfortable agreements" that Root strives towards with a simpler system and less complex faction asymmetry.
admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
They're consistently asymmetric direct conflict historical simulations. Everything else has been stretched as more games come out, including the counter-insurgency part. Though if you take out Falling Sky and Pendragon they're all close.
You can't even say four factions as Colonial Twilight is two and the upcoming All Bridges Burning is three.
its possible i may have gotten really into the idea of finding a copy of Schoko & Co., a really nuts German economic business sim boardgame from 1987 about competing chocolate companies. sometimes you go down rabbit holes and things happen what can i say.
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I also introduced Root to some people yesterday. It was fun, but I forgot about how the cats need supply lines to use wood so they had way to easy of a time scoring. Also the birds had the unluckiest run I've seen and just kept going into turmoil.
It depends on your definition of "Legacy game," but Gloomhaven is more than fine if you can make it work. Campaign-style games are where permanent changes could live comfortably for a while.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Besides an extra copy for Reign and Reverie for someone back home (there were some flown in, but not many, to support the players), I also picked up the Sagrada expansion, the final Firefly board game component I was missing (the Artful Dodger), and an interesting hidden identity game called "Almost Got 'im", based on the Batman: The Animated Series cartoon. I really couldn't pass it up.
I'm also very jealous of the Reign and Reverie. I hope I can get a copy when the rest come in.
They don’t by any chance have any copies of Order & Chaos do they? :tell_me_more:
Re: Welcome To... got to play it at PAX and really enjoyed it. You have a lot of decisions to make between the house number and power combinations each turn and what kind of points you plan to score for the end game. I think our 3 player game ended with all of us within about 5 points of each other. Can’t wait to pick it up later this year to play with my wife!
Played Hoity Toity x3, which I still think is just a fantastic game. Played Harvest Dice, which was a really quick dice drafting game that was fun enough for the 10 minutes. Played Pairs, which was a really fun kinda blackjackish card game. Super light, but fun for what it was. Played Traders of Osaka, which was a nice very pretty card game with some interesting decisions. Glad I picked it up, as it will slot quite nicely next to Jaipur , Lost Cities etc in my wife and I's rotation. My wife played a 5p game of Dice Throne which she kinda hated so of course she won the copy of it in a raffle. Seems like it would work wayyyyy better as a 2p game so we'll see. On the whole a nice day!
On the other hand, my fascination with Pax Pamir 2e has led to me looking at John Company and An Infamous Traffic and oh nooooooo.
Root has taken over my entire brain, so yeah I'm pretty curious about trying other Cole Wehrle games
I don't know if I'm the particular kind of lunatic for them, though, Root may be the exact sweet spot for me
Root is brilliant and a totally reasonable place to stop. But you put together the terms "historical simulation" and "tableau-builder" and I am thirsty. Throw in "an unflinching look at imperialism" and "the East India Company" and I'm a goner.
and one of the things I've learned is a reflex that whenever something begins describing itself and includes "the East India Company" I can immediately go "oh I am most definitely too dumb for this"
Same tbh, but I love it.
The dude literally wrote his dissertation on British imperialism. I'm happy to learn from boardgames just as much as I want to learn from everything else I do.
I think we may be hooked on legacy games.
Also, I really need to stay on top of things. I'll move the infection marker up and forget it's 3 cards per infection cycle instead of 2. Not sure how long I was doing that for before I realized.
Oy, now I'm even less likely to play it. Have you ever heard someone get started on their dissertation subject ?
Um. Yeah. All the time.
I was windering how we were going to deal with an untreatable disease, and then we get the quarantine specialist. Ummmm, she seems really good. February was a breeze using those token's to stop outbreaks.
To be clear at no point did I describe any of Werhle's games as trying to educate you. That was 100% inferred. They are smart, they are aware of their topic, and they clearly present their topic, but learning from it is up to you.
Which is true of literally everything. I'm just interested in Pax Pamir/John Company/An Infamous Traffic in particular because British imperialism is fascinating*.
*and horrific.
I have Freedom, and while it doesn't hit the table often, it has been enjoyable when it has.
Opening boxes and secret envelopes feels so good. We do it in player order so everyone can enjoy it. I think we are doing terrible in our Pandemic Legacy run, but I always look forward to playing it, I just want to open more boxes and see what comes next.
I think we're about to hit some hard times. Me and my dad have a really good grasp on it and the strategy behind it, and we've won the first two months. I do no for sure at times I've messed up with the mechanics. In February I think it was only for a turn or two, but I'm not sure how long I was drawing 2 cards instead of 3. And in January I wasn't sure how to deal with outbreaks of multiple colors. I'm pretty sure I got everything mostly right, but again, I know I messed up some and maybe enough to get us the win.
We have gotten pretty lucky though with card draws and spread out infection cards.
Always looking forward to the next game though.
The games in question (Cole Wehrle's designs) are actual games that are designed to be playable and fun, not art exhibits or indie RPGs designed to ruin friendships and make people generally miserable. They happen to also have well researched historical settings, and present arguments about history that you can engage with if you are interested in doing so. They don't set out to beat you over the head with things at the expense of the gaming experience.
Well good news you're playing the one really good one.
I really like Welcome To. Roll and Write is a weird genre that I generally enjoy in the filler space, and Welcome To is my favourite. Interestingly, SUSD seem way more into Railroad Ink based on their podcast (and Welcome To) review, but it didn't quite leave as strong an impression at Gen Con. I'd be down to try it again, maybe it was a matter of time and place.
I'm in a minority for sure, but I honestly find that Risk Legacy is still my favourite of them. It's got so many nice twists on a game pretty much everyone already knows, really doesn't hold your hand about the order you can open things, and is just full of so many good "WHAT!?" and "WHY!?" moments. I'm honestly disappointed that legacy games pretty much immediately turned into branching story paths afterwards, and we didn't get more sweet and simple sandboxes to romp in. I know there's still time, but it doesn't strike me as the direction most people would want to go anyway.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Oh you have no idea.
Please be sure to keep us posted!
It is such a good game. I got to play the original, ugly as sin version. Well worth finding a way to play it. Not worth 100+ secondary market price unless you are just rolling in cash though.
Its now my first foray into the tasteful anime waifu rich world of Indines.
I read the Root dev diaries and he mentioned them approximately 800 times and any research I did proved...inconclusive
is it a series? a system? a publisher?
It’s a series of games about COunter INsurgency, which I guess usually involve asymmetric gameplay (like Root does) because they’re about what it’s like when a big military force tries to fight a small guerrila force in various historical contexts.
At this point they've kinda stretched the definition and it's more just about the system. Like, I'm sorry, but Pendragon sorta threw it all out the window and it's been a bit over the map since. :P
For the most part though, any time it's referenced in regards to Root it's about the mechanical and thematic center of COIN games. They're always four asymmetrical factions, which have some amount of give and take with the other factions, and that there are never true alliances so much as shared interests. Andean Abyss, the original COIN game, dealt with the internal power struggle of Columbia during the height of the drug trade. So you've got the local government simply trying to secure the nation, but a radicalized opposing political movement in the FARC who want to take over. The AUC is a smaller guerilla force that pretty much wants to wipe the FARC off the map, often putting it in a support position with the government, but also one they can never let get out of hand and grow too large. Then the generic combined cartels pretty much just want to make a ton of money, and don't really mind playing nice or dirty with anyone else as long as it helps them meet those ends. It's this kind of "uncomfortable agreements" that Root strives towards with a simpler system and less complex faction asymmetry.
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
You can't even say four factions as Colonial Twilight is two and the upcoming All Bridges Burning is three.
I want.
Finnish civil war! It looks super interesting.