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[Board Games] Cardboard Action at a Distance

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Posts

  • MrBodyMrBody Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    I don't see any point to a Dark Tower remake. The whole thing about the original was that the idea of an electronic doo-dad controlling a board game was MIND BLOWING back in 1981.

    Now? App-driven games are common enough that the gimmick alone isn't enough to sell it anymore. I have to imagine it's just going to be an app? I can't imagine them actually manufacturing a mechanical centerpiece like the original.

    Heck, even the idea of a board game that simply wasn't just another roll & move was mind blowing to the general public back then. There are sooooo many games that have done what Dark Tower did in the last 38 years.

    (I still tell the story about when I sold my old copy of Dark Tower on ebay for $140, only for the buyer to turn out to be exactly the kind of person you'd expect would pay $140 for Dark Tower: insane. I did him the favor of actually driving down and dropping the game off to him in person since it turned out he lived 5 miles from a friend of mine. The next couple days I got screaming emails and a phone message that, out of all the tons of components, that the plastic dragon was missing his tongue and how THE WHOLE DEAL SHOULD BE OFF because I never mentioned that (it was so tiny I couldn't even tell it was supposed to have a tongue). Eventually I refunded him $20 and he shut up.)

    MrBody on
  • JonBobJonBob Registered User regular
    They are indeed building a mechanical centerpiece; Daviau talked about it a bit at Gen Con during the Dice Tower show.

    jswidget.php?username=JonBob&numitems=10&header=1&text=none&images=small&show=recentplays&imagesonly=1&imagepos=right&inline=1&domains%5B%5D=boardgame&imagewidget=1
  • MrBodyMrBody Registered User regular
    Huh. Well we'll see how that goes.

    Another thing is that there wasn't much competition from video games in 1981 (Atari's Adventure was about the closest thing), making it seem like the original was doing something impossible.

  • BloodySlothBloodySloth Registered User regular
    I had fun with Fireball Island, but yeah I did find myself wanting something a bit more... vicious? I dunno. I didn't go in wanting something incredibly mean-spirited, but the game advertises this take-that experience where you're rushing around, nabbing treasure, taking it from your friends, and getting besieged by lava and tigers and bees (all under the vague control of your opponents) while the game itself feels a lot more light-touch about it all. Everybody has a decent chance to grab a bunch of stuff, the escape helicopter which threatens to leave people behind in practice gives everyone ample time to get on board, and the winner is who managed to pile their stash up the highest.

  • azith28azith28 Registered User regular
    MrBody wrote: »
    I don't see any point to a Dark Tower remake. The whole thing about the original was that the idea of an electronic doo-dad controlling a board game was MIND BLOWING back in 1981.

    Now? App-driven games are common enough that the gimmick alone isn't enough to sell it anymore. I have to imagine it's just going to be an app? I can't imagine them actually manufacturing a mechanical centerpiece like the original.

    Heck, even the idea of a board game that simply wasn't just another roll & move was mind blowing to the general public back then. There are sooooo many games that have done what Dark Tower did in the last 38 years.

    (I still tell the story about when I sold my old copy of Dark Tower on ebay for $140, only for the buyer to turn out to be exactly the kind of person you'd expect would pay $140 for Dark Tower: insane. I did him the favor of actually driving down and dropping the game off to him in person since it turned out he lived 5 miles from a friend of mine. The next couple days I got screaming emails and a phone message that, out of all the tons of components, that the plastic dragon was missing his tongue and how THE WHOLE DEAL SHOULD BE OFF because I never mentioned that (it was so tiny I couldn't even tell it was supposed to have a tongue). Eventually I refunded him $20 and he shut up.)

    You mean a collector actually OPENED THE BOX AND HANDLED THE PIECES? My Gods he is insane. I hope he doesnt know where you live.

    Stercus, Stercus, Stercus, Morituri Sum
  • FuselageFuselage Oosik Jumpship LoungeRegistered User regular
    The Memoir 44 New Flight Plan box is on sale on Cool Stuff and even though I hadn't even heard of it before, and don't have or play Memoir, it made me really wish I did all of those things. I may have a problem.

    I'd consider getting Memoir but I have 878 Vikings and while those arent the same, I still haven't played 878 and can get the team invasion experience there.

    o4n72w5h9b5y.png
  • captainkcaptaink TexasRegistered User regular
    Played Manhattan Project: Energy Empire and Everdell this weekend.

    Manhattan Project was a modest hit, everyone said they enjoyed it. I'll bring it out again. I got trounced pretty badly because my environment was mostly polluted, and then got worse with event cards.

    Everdell was strange to me. It's a woodland creature-themed worker placement and tableau building game. You start with only 2 workers and hand of up to 8 cards, depending on player order. You then play winter, spring, summer, and fall and then the game ends. Since you only get two workers and the buildings/creatures are fairly expensive relative to what a worker can produce, I was sure I'd end up with just a small town. Somehow, I ended up with 18 cards in my city and winning by a good margin. I think it's really luck of the draw though. Most buildings enable you to recruit specific citizens for free, so you have to exploit that. Green buildings/citizens produce once when they're bought, and again when you end your winter and summer turns. You get more workers, up to 6 by the fall. Cards can get turned into resources, very useful for hard-to-get stone. I won, definitely due to some good plays, but also just to drawing into the right cards and hitting some of those combos. It felt like Terraforming Mars in a way, trying to spend all your resources each season before hitting reset and getting your new production. We mis-played a bit too and would need to correct for that.

  • Mr. GMr. G Registered User regular
    Everdell just has way too much unique shit for me

    it felt like it already had two to three expansions built into it

    6F32U1X.png
  • VyolynceVyolynce Registered User regular
    Everdell is waaaay too hardcore for its theme.

    "Oh, a worker placement game featuring tiny little woodland critters? Oh,and the resources are twigs, pebbles, resin, and berries? How adorable!"

    *two seasons later*

    "Ok, I can place this critter for free thanks to this building, which triggers these five other cards and generates me a bunch of resources."

    nedhf8b6a4rj.jpgsig.gif
    AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697 @vyolynce@mastodon.social
  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    Quick question - are the components in the board game 504 (the "come up with your own game" game) worth $35?

  • PMAversPMAvers Registered User regular
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    COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
  • Ah_PookAh_Pook Registered User regular
    Quick question - are the components in the board game 504 (the "come up with your own game" game) worth $35?

    I've never heard anyone speak well of 504.

  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    Yeah, me too - I'm actually just thinking of getting it for the components for repurposing (prototypes etc).

  • AstaerethAstaereth In the belly of the beastRegistered User regular
    For that money, you’d probably be better off getting a bunch of cheap thrift store Parker Bros. and using those pieces, honestly. I don’t remember 504 being anything special components wise.

    Looking at it, the chief benefit would probably be that it does have a lot of meeples and tokeny bits in five player colors, so if that’s what you need it’s not a bad value. There are map hexes too. But it also doesn’t have much else in the way of random and repurposable. You probably have the right components there to... make one of 504’s 504 generic mediocre games. You might just end up stifling your own creativity. Or it could be just what you need. Anyway, this is the overview:

    https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2651235/504

    ACsTqqK.jpg
  • 38thDoe38thDoe lets never be stupid again wait lets always be stupid foreverRegistered User regular
    PMAvers wrote: »

    What is this? I want it because Shovel Knight but I can't tell what it is that I want. Help!

    38thDoE on steam
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  • Custom SpecialCustom Special I know I am, I'm sure I am, I'm Sounders 'til I die!Registered User regular
    38thDoe wrote: »
    PMAvers wrote: »

    What is this? I want it because Shovel Knight but I can't tell what it is that I want. Help!

    Exceed is one of their 1v1 fighting card games. I think it's supposed to be less complex than Indines?

    XBL: F4ll0utBP | STEAM | PSN : CustomSpecial | Bnet: F4ll0ut#1636
  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    Astaereth wrote: »
    For that money, you’d probably be better off getting a bunch of cheap thrift store Parker Bros. and using those pieces, honestly. I don’t remember 504 being anything special components wise.

    Looking at it, the chief benefit would probably be that it does have a lot of meeples and tokeny bits in five player colors, so if that’s what you need it’s not a bad value. There are map hexes too. But it also doesn’t have much else in the way of random and repurposable. You probably have the right components there to... make one of 504’s 504 generic mediocre games. You might just end up stifling your own creativity. Or it could be just what you need. Anyway, this is the overview:

    https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2651235/504

    Thanks! Yeah, double checked against Meeple Source's meeple price and just the meeple in five colors in 504 already matches the sales price. The cardboard goods and hexes, plus the "settlements" sounds like good value, even if I'm not going to use the others.

    I have a couple ideas that I'd like to see in practice to see if they're good ones.

  • TimFijiTimFiji Beast Lord Halfway2AnywhereRegistered User regular
    Hey my Tim Fowers game Sabotage arrived. Excited to try it.

    Switch: SW-2322-2047-3148 Steam: Archpriest
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    • MNC DoverMNC Dover Full-time Voice Actor Kirkland, WARegistered User regular
      TimFiji wrote: »
      Hey my Tim Fowers game Sabotage arrived. Excited to try it.

      I got mine today too! Looks awesome!

      Need a voice actor? Hire me at bengrayVO.com
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    • MrBodyMrBody Registered User regular
      I had fun with Fireball Island, but yeah I did find myself wanting something a bit more... vicious? I dunno. I didn't go in wanting something incredibly mean-spirited, but the game advertises this take-that experience where you're rushing around, nabbing treasure, taking it from your friends, and getting besieged by lava and tigers and bees (all under the vague control of your opponents) while the game itself feels a lot more light-touch about it all. Everybody has a decent chance to grab a bunch of stuff, the escape helicopter which threatens to leave people behind in practice gives everyone ample time to get on board, and the winner is who managed to pile their stash up the highest.

      Yeah it feels way too chill. More than half the fireballs ended up missing (the tree rotation and root blocking never affected anything), and if someone does get hit it just dings maybe 5% off their final score. You got knocked down onto a different trail? Whatever, there's plenty more treasures and snapshots to grab there. It's all the same. Even the one factor that seemed severe - getting left behind by the helicopter as the island shakes apart in cataclysmic fire - isn't a big deal. Snapshots only worth half points if you get left behind to die? Pfff, okay?

      The original Fireball Island promised and delivered "it's like Sorry!, only it doesn't suck" and an amazing board on top of that. (can I point out more about the terrible art on the board? There are countless "paths" that are extremely confusing if you can move across them or not, to the point that the rulebook has to make special mention of which ones you can use, as if they recognized too late that the board art came out terribly so they tried to fix it during manual printing). This remake just feels like Fischer Price victory point salad.

    • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
      I still really, really want to get 504

      I have a thoughtful and infrequently updated blog about games http://whatithinkaboutwhenithinkaboutgames.wordpress.com/

      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.
    • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
      I still really, really want to get 504

      It's pretty cheaply available now. As it says upthread it's not a bad source of bits and was a cool experiment in that each game works even if they aren't actually good

      Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
    • ArcticLancerArcticLancer Best served chilled. Registered User regular
      edited August 2019
      I still really, really want to get 504
      Nobody is stopping you~ Maybe you'll wind up pleasantly surprised and find something to enjoy between the actual game and the components in the box. Just don't expect to resell it and you're pretty much golden.

      ArcticLancer on
    • captainkcaptaink TexasRegistered User regular
      Vyolynce wrote: »
      Everdell is waaaay too hardcore for its theme.

      "Oh, a worker placement game featuring tiny little woodland critters? Oh,and the resources are twigs, pebbles, resin, and berries? How adorable!"

      *two seasons later*

      "Ok, I can place this critter for free thanks to this building, which triggers these five other cards and generates me a bunch of resources."

      Exactly. And a bit of that is down to luck of the draw. If I hadn't drawn both the Queen and Palace, my score would have been so much lower. But then it's also really thinky to maximize your output from limited workers. If one player has both luck and can do the math, they're going to run away with it.

    • jergarmarjergarmar hollow man crew goes pew pew pewRegistered User regular
      I've been out of town, saw a review for that Clank! Acquisitions Incorporated legacy game, and that it's getting pretty good initial impressions. Still pre-order, I guess? Or was it a Kickstarter and some people got it already? Heh, anyone pre-ordering for the pin alone?

      When I was a child, I had a fever...
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    • ArcticLancerArcticLancer Best served chilled. Registered User regular
      Casual reminder that Inis is still the best game. It's criminal that it's been like 10 months since that game last hit a table I played at, but all my friends that love it as much as I do have moved and nobody left has nearly the same reverence ... :'(

    • VyolynceVyolynce Registered User regular
      Casual reminder that Inis is still the best game. It's criminal that it's been like 10 months since that game last hit a table I played at, but all my friends that love it as much as I do have moved and nobody left has nearly the same reverence ... :'(

      This is still #1 on my list of Games To Try but the opportunity never presents itself and I'm no longer in a financial situation where "buying to try on the strength of word-of-mouth" is a valid option. :/

      nedhf8b6a4rj.jpgsig.gif
      AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697 @vyolynce@mastodon.social
    • ArcticLancerArcticLancer Best served chilled. Registered User regular
      That's totally understandable. Do you participate in math trades on BGG? It's a game that still pops up often enough you could potentially swing it.

    • 38thDoe38thDoe lets never be stupid again wait lets always be stupid foreverRegistered User regular
      How is the expansion?

      Also has anyone played Shobu(I think)? Its a short interesting chess like experience. The FLGS sold out the night I saw it and I'm thinking of making my own set since its basically 32 rocks and 4 pieces of wood.

      38thDoE on steam
      🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀
      
    • ArcticLancerArcticLancer Best served chilled. Registered User regular
      I can't comment, as I haven't played it. I'm actually not sure it's been available to buy yet in Canada.

    • InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
      I saw the expansion for Inis in the wild but didn’t grab it because I was like... the base game is kind of perfect and I want more plays of the base version as is.

    • FuselageFuselage Oosik Jumpship LoungeRegistered User regular
      Casual reminder that Inis is still the best game. It's criminal that it's been like 10 months since that game last hit a table I played at, but all my friends that love it as much as I do have moved and nobody left has nearly the same reverence ... :'(

      npfyp4p51brs.jpg


      Guess I'll continue feeling guilty.

      o4n72w5h9b5y.png
    • ArcSynArcSyn Registered User regular
      That's totally understandable. Do you participate in math trades on BGG? It's a game that still pops up often enough you could potentially swing it.

      That reminds me I need to check for and then keep an eye out for the PAXU math trade. Had some good luck with those.

      4dm3dwuxq302.png
    • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
      Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
      I still really, really want to get 504

      It's pretty cheaply available now. As it says upthread it's not a bad source of bits and was a cool experiment in that each game works even if they aren't actually good

      I have not seen it for cheap in the UK. As I don't play boardgames that aren't My First Carcassonne (excellent game for a 5 year old BTW) much at the moment I can't justify 60 quid for it.

      I have a thoughtful and infrequently updated blog about games http://whatithinkaboutwhenithinkaboutgames.wordpress.com/

      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.
    • Evil MultifariousEvil Multifarious Registered User regular
      Inquisitor wrote: »
      I saw the expansion for Inis in the wild but didn’t grab it because I was like... the base game is kind of perfect and I want more plays of the base version as is.

      The expansion is worth it for the fifth player components, tbh, since they carefully tweak the action cards

      And also the tiebreaker variants to shorten games

    • LykouraghLykouragh Registered User regular
      I've gotten one play in with the Inis expansion also- my group enjoyed the seasons and the harbors but someone managed to blitz out a win in the second round (for nonexpansion reasons, he just played well) so I hesitate to give a full review :)

    • CaptainPeacockCaptainPeacock Board Game Hoarder Top o' the LakeRegistered User regular
      Received an email that keyed me in on still being able to order Brass Birmingham Deluxe. My hand immediately withdrew my wallet before I'd even clicked the link.

      Cluck cluck, gibber gibber, my old man's a mushroom, etc.
    • ArcticLancerArcticLancer Best served chilled. Registered User regular
      Inquisitor wrote: »
      I saw the expansion for Inis in the wild but didn’t grab it because I was like... the base game is kind of perfect and I want more plays of the base version as is.

      The expansion is worth it for the fifth player components, tbh, since they carefully tweak the action cards

      And also the tiebreaker variants to shorten games
      This is so confusing to me. Inis doesn't take that long to play unless people are bad at it. It's pretty rare for people to be really bad at a game like that, but also enjoy playing it. It's pretty rare for those people to buy an expansion for a game they don't like, or to get to the point of using it even if they did all-in on it.
      I mean, power to them and whatnot, but part of what makes Inis so great is how finely balanced the conditions for victory are.
      big shrug
      Received an email that keyed me in on still being able to order Brass Birmingham Deluxe. My hand immediately withdrew my wallet before I'd even clicked the link.
      This is an excellent investment. Birmingham feels really, really good~

    • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
      Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
      I still really, really want to get 504

      It's pretty cheaply available now. As it says upthread it's not a bad source of bits and was a cool experiment in that each game works even if they aren't actually good

      I have not seen it for cheap in the UK. As I don't play boardgames that aren't My First Carcassonne (excellent game for a 5 year old BTW) much at the moment I can't justify 60 quid for it.

      I distinctly remember seeing a couple of copies marked down to twenty or thirty quid , but that was a few months back

      Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
    • ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
      My FLGS posted on Facebook that they had Wingspan in stock so I immediately called them to reserve it before running down to get it. Now to see if it's worth all the hype!

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