Were those the acrylic ones? I certainly remember a lot of people playing with those.
I have these:
For Netrunner I had these acrylics and I loved that design.
but I do like metal coins when appropriate. I still have coins for the GoT LCG when we briefly got into 2E.
Oh shit, yeah, I forgot about those ones. I actually never replaced any other tokens in the game, but certainly used a lot of those via other people having them~
I am often tempted to get one big set of nice metal coins and just keep it separate to use in any and every compatible game.
I have the first Stonemeier Treasure Chest of realistic resource tokens (ore, gold, wood, stone, gems, and clay/brick) for this purpose although I don't play games that use them as often as I'd like. Or, in some cases, the games already have decent non-cube resources.
For a handful of games, I procured a bunch of 5¥ coins (the ones with a hole in the middle) at cost. Very cheap way to upgrade some games that only need a few coins per player, like Tokaido.
I have a nice set of poker chips but also all games come with money tokens so like... Why bother messing with another box of stuff.
Also I'm real into 51st State atm. I still think the complete reprint price was bonkers.
Well paper money is shit. I sometimes just don't play power grid because I hate paper money.
My opinion ofcourse.
I don't play Power Grid because it's the least fun math test I've ever taken. And I was (am...) a giant nerd who liked math. But yes paper money is another valid reason.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited March 2022
Oooh, we on paper money?
Wanna see... well.. completely unwieldy bills?
These are the "prop" money for Firefly: The Board Game (called Big Money). Supposedly scaled / accurate to the bills used on the actual show. It's just... ridiculous. And doesn't fit in my game organizer.
These are the "prop" money for Firefly: The Board Game (called Big Money). Supposedly scaled / accurate to the bills used on the actual show. It's just... ridiculous. And doesn't fit in my game organizer.
We made fun of how ridiculous the big money sounded. And then I decided to buy it.
We won't play without it now.
Cluck cluck, gibber gibber, my old man's a mushroom, etc.
+1
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KetarCome on upstairswe're having a partyRegistered Userregular
I have a nice set of poker chips but also all games come with money tokens so like... Why bother messing with another box of stuff.
Also I'm real into 51st State atm. I still think the complete reprint price was bonkers.
Well paper money is shit. I sometimes just don't play power grid because I hate paper money.
My opinion ofcourse.
I don't play Power Grid because it's the least fun math test I've ever taken. And I was (am...) a giant nerd who liked math. But yes paper money is another valid reason.
I play Power Grid with a bunch of old friends from college. One has a degree in physics and is a math team coach at a high school that is frequently ranked among the top 10 public schools in the US, one has a degree in math and works for the statistics department of our alma mater, one has a degree in math and works in comp sci now, and one has a degree in economics and went into business. I was a high school mathlete who burned out and got a degree in psychology and I have won more games of Power Grid over the years than all the rest combined.
Getting too mathy about it is a mistake. I don't ever try to compute things out until the last turn or so when I start getting curious about whether my gut has been right about everyone's chances, so it never really feels like a math test at all.
Today we did Spirit Island vs Russia (topical!) at level 4 (difficulty 7)
Was a close one but we pulled it off with a Terror 3 victory. Five players, Ocean's Hungry Grasp, Shifting Memory of Ages, Many Minds Move as One (me), Grinning Monkey Stirs Up Trouble, and Lightning's Swift Strike
So we had plenty of offense, and my spirit was a dedicated defense/fear/beast movement and generation tool. It worked really well even though we got the worst possible event card with Russia: the one where Explore targets all lands that don't have buildings (though they still need to be adjacent to buildings or oceans). This is very bad with Explorers doing extra damage and being a bit tougher. Also a truly horrific number of explorers on a five-board game. At one point we literally had every Explorer from the box on the goddamn island.
I really enjoyed Many Minds, despite never using an offense power and never getting a major power — the sheer amount of passive defense and fear you can generate, plus being really mobile, was very fun.
I bought a poker chip set to play 18xx because 18xx with paper money is ~pain~. I’d use them with any other paper money game if I had any.
We got started on poker chips for the same reason and have stuck with it for other games with currency. I sometimes miss the metal coins we used to use regularly, but they are just not nearly as efficient. It just speeds the game up so much it is unbelievable.
I have a nice set of poker chips but also all games come with money tokens so like... Why bother messing with another box of stuff.
Also I'm real into 51st State atm. I still think the complete reprint price was bonkers.
Well paper money is shit. I sometimes just don't play power grid because I hate paper money.
My opinion ofcourse.
I don't play Power Grid because it's the least fun math test I've ever taken. And I was (am...) a giant nerd who liked math. But yes paper money is another valid reason.
I play Power Grid with a bunch of old friends from college. One has a degree in physics and is a math team coach at a high school that is frequently ranked among the top 10 public schools in the US, one has a degree in math and works for the statistics department of our alma mater, one has a degree in math and works in comp sci now, and one has a degree in economics and went into business. I was a high school mathlete who burned out and got a degree in psychology and I have won more games of Power Grid over the years than all the rest combined.
Getting too mathy about it is a mistake. I don't ever try to compute things out until the last turn or so when I start getting curious about whether my gut has been right about everyone's chances, so it never really feels like a math test at all.
I don't mind PG as a concept; I own a copy of First Sparks and get it to the table fairly often. Actual PG just feels like it has too many variables for some reason.
I have a nice set of poker chips but also all games come with money tokens so like... Why bother messing with another box of stuff.
Also I'm real into 51st State atm. I still think the complete reprint price was bonkers.
Well paper money is shit. I sometimes just don't play power grid because I hate paper money.
My opinion ofcourse.
I don't play Power Grid because it's the least fun math test I've ever taken. And I was (am...) a giant nerd who liked math. But yes paper money is another valid reason.
I play Power Grid with a bunch of old friends from college. One has a degree in physics and is a math team coach at a high school that is frequently ranked among the top 10 public schools in the US, one has a degree in math and works for the statistics department of our alma mater, one has a degree in math and works in comp sci now, and one has a degree in economics and went into business. I was a high school mathlete who burned out and got a degree in psychology and I have won more games of Power Grid over the years than all the rest combined.
Getting too mathy about it is a mistake. I don't ever try to compute things out until the last turn or so when I start getting curious about whether my gut has been right about everyone's chances, so it never really feels like a math test at all.
I don't mind PG as a concept; I own a copy of First Sparks and get it to the table fairly often. Actual PG just feels like it has too many variables for some reason.
The math in PG isn't even that intense and in the two games I played it hyped up, I was destroyed mentally by the end of them.
I tried Power Grid a couple times and hated it. Probably because it's an auction game, and I find those unbearable, especially when nobody knows what things should be worth.
I finally got a set of poker chips, but it's difficult to bring them out because we'd also have to learn denominations. They're not super high quality but I got them for a steal from Target when they had a sale.
I got two sets of the AI metal coins, but it's not enough for some games, so waiting for another awesome sale and may grab another 1 or 2 sets and just use them for all games.
I tried Power Grid a couple times and hated it. Probably because it's an auction game, and I find those unbearable, especially when nobody knows what things should be worth.
Isn't that the point of an auction game? You have to collectively decide what things are worth, moment to moment, with your bids.
I tried Power Grid a couple times and hated it. Probably because it's an auction game, and I find those unbearable, especially when nobody knows what things should be worth.
Isn't that the point of an auction game? You have to collectively decide what things are worth, moment to moment, with your bids.
Sure, but I tend to have the experience where 3/4 players bid themselves out of money and then one person gets everything for free. This has happened more times across more games...
A related problem is when someone doesn't realize they're "supposed" to put in at least token bids for things they don't want, so, again, either everyone else has to do it or someone is getting everything for cheap
admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
Ra definitely still suffers from one player playing poorly can make someone else win, but the way the auction works makes it easier to comprehend and less... math-y.
I tried Power Grid a couple times and hated it. Probably because it's an auction game, and I find those unbearable, especially when nobody knows what things should be worth.
Isn't that the point of an auction game? You have to collectively decide what things are worth, moment to moment, with your bids.
Sure, but I tend to have the experience where 3/4 players bid themselves out of money and then one person gets everything for free. This has happened more times across more games...
A related problem is when someone doesn't realize they're "supposed" to put in at least token bids for things they don't want, so, again, either everyone else has to do it or someone is getting everything for cheap
You can't get anything for free in Power Grid - each plant has a minimum price that has to be paid no matter what.
I rarely see plants go for more than a few dollars over their minimum price, so being the last one to buy a plant doesn't save much. Getting into a bidding war over a plant is almost always a big mistake - you'd be better off spending that money on the resources needed to power a less efficient plant, or getting an additional city sooner.
But getting into a bidding war over plants, and hoping to stiff someone with a way too expensive plant only for you to end up with the hot-potato is like the fun of auction games... Is it always the strategic best choice? no, but it sure is fun.
I generally find that auction games work a lot better if people feel the need to spend money to auction. Like I find Age of Steam a lot more fun if people are thinking of getting extra-shares because they need to get a specific power so they have to bid, which drives up the prices for everyone else. but you need to have group that is willing to auction.
I do feel like age of steam is great for that if you play on tight maps with high player counts. but power grid is a game where positioning is more important, and actually bidding money on the auctions isn't 'that' impactful over placement and goods buying to bleed your competitors.
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KetarCome on upstairswe're having a partyRegistered Userregular
Sure, but Power Grid isn't an auction game - it's a strategy/economic game with an auction component. The auction section is only one phase out of three each round. As you say, "power grid is a game where positioning is more important, and actually bidding money on the auctions isn't 'that' impactful over placement and goods buying to bleed your competitors."
If I want to play an auction game then I'm going to push for Ra or (better yet) Modern Art.
+2
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
I wonder how many people caught that in Power Grid, you are not supposed to use all the regions on the map. It's designed to force you to compete over cities.
Yeah in my experience, auctions tend to nudge a game into the territory of "each player needs to be on the exact same page knowledge wise or it's going to be thrown".
Dune was the biggest offender in this regard. Any game with a new player who wasn't on Team Emperor always ended up throwing the whole game to Team Emperor on the very first turn.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited March 2022
Today is a SAD day for my wallet. Two big kickstarter games I've been excited for have gone live: Casting Shadows from Unstable Games, and Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders + RPG from Druid City Games.
Luckily both appear to have retailer options so that helps brunt the pain a bit.
I'm actually really happy to see this, as it means they will make a bigger, better game. And that's exciting.
I dunno that we're reading the same update... That's not particularly long or particularly insightful. "We want to make a better campaign. While we revisit the drawing board here's another of our kickstarters."
What I took away from the earlier banter in the thread was that it didn't look like they actually had a finished game, so uh ... good on them for deciding maybe to revise that?
I'm actually really happy to see this, as it means they will make a bigger, better game. And that's exciting.
I dunno that we're reading the same update... That's not particularly long or particularly insightful. "We want to make a better campaign. While we revisit the drawing board here's another of our kickstarters."
What I took away from the earlier banter in the thread was that it didn't look like they actually had a finished game, so uh ... good on them for deciding maybe to revise that?
Maybe it is my optimistic streak, but yeah.. going back and saying "hey, we're not gonna collect money until we have a mostly finished game" is a huge plus.
Outer Rim is getting it's expansion! It looks like there are some really good quality of life changes in here, like the core worlds hyperlane. Interestingly, there is no apparent content from the Mandalorian or Book of Boba Fett. I wonder how long this has been on the shelf waiting to be released.
that all sounds great. i only played the game once and it was with someone getting increasingly distraught that they had to wait through other players' turns so it was not the best experience but i was really enjoying my part of playing the game
Posts
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
I actually use the Coup money as Netrunner credits.
I have those same Covenant ones and love em.
I have the first Stonemeier Treasure Chest of realistic resource tokens (ore, gold, wood, stone, gems, and clay/brick) for this purpose although I don't play games that use them as often as I'd like. Or, in some cases, the games already have decent non-cube resources.
I've done this and it's worked out well. What we got were very good quality at a fair price. Got them here, although they are currently out of stock:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JCDHLMT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also I'm real into 51st State atm. I still think the complete reprint price was bonkers.
Well paper money is shit. I sometimes just don't play power grid because I hate paper money.
My opinion ofcourse.
I don't play Power Grid because it's the least fun math test I've ever taken. And I was (am...) a giant nerd who liked math. But yes paper money is another valid reason.
Wanna see... well.. completely unwieldy bills?
These are the "prop" money for Firefly: The Board Game (called Big Money). Supposedly scaled / accurate to the bills used on the actual show. It's just... ridiculous. And doesn't fit in my game organizer.
We made fun of how ridiculous the big money sounded. And then I decided to buy it.
We won't play without it now.
I play Power Grid with a bunch of old friends from college. One has a degree in physics and is a math team coach at a high school that is frequently ranked among the top 10 public schools in the US, one has a degree in math and works for the statistics department of our alma mater, one has a degree in math and works in comp sci now, and one has a degree in economics and went into business. I was a high school mathlete who burned out and got a degree in psychology and I have won more games of Power Grid over the years than all the rest combined.
Getting too mathy about it is a mistake. I don't ever try to compute things out until the last turn or so when I start getting curious about whether my gut has been right about everyone's chances, so it never really feels like a math test at all.
Was a close one but we pulled it off with a Terror 3 victory. Five players, Ocean's Hungry Grasp, Shifting Memory of Ages, Many Minds Move as One (me), Grinning Monkey Stirs Up Trouble, and Lightning's Swift Strike
So we had plenty of offense, and my spirit was a dedicated defense/fear/beast movement and generation tool. It worked really well even though we got the worst possible event card with Russia: the one where Explore targets all lands that don't have buildings (though they still need to be adjacent to buildings or oceans). This is very bad with Explorers doing extra damage and being a bit tougher. Also a truly horrific number of explorers on a five-board game. At one point we literally had every Explorer from the box on the goddamn island.
I really enjoyed Many Minds, despite never using an offense power and never getting a major power — the sheer amount of passive defense and fear you can generate, plus being really mobile, was very fun.
We got started on poker chips for the same reason and have stuck with it for other games with currency. I sometimes miss the metal coins we used to use regularly, but they are just not nearly as efficient. It just speeds the game up so much it is unbelievable.
I don't mind PG as a concept; I own a copy of First Sparks and get it to the table fairly often. Actual PG just feels like it has too many variables for some reason.
The math in PG isn't even that intense and in the two games I played it hyped up, I was destroyed mentally by the end of them.
I got two sets of the AI metal coins, but it's not enough for some games, so waiting for another awesome sale and may grab another 1 or 2 sets and just use them for all games.
Isn't that the point of an auction game? You have to collectively decide what things are worth, moment to moment, with your bids.
Sure, but I tend to have the experience where 3/4 players bid themselves out of money and then one person gets everything for free. This has happened more times across more games...
A related problem is when someone doesn't realize they're "supposed" to put in at least token bids for things they don't want, so, again, either everyone else has to do it or someone is getting everything for cheap
I love this game.
You can't get anything for free in Power Grid - each plant has a minimum price that has to be paid no matter what.
I rarely see plants go for more than a few dollars over their minimum price, so being the last one to buy a plant doesn't save much. Getting into a bidding war over a plant is almost always a big mistake - you'd be better off spending that money on the resources needed to power a less efficient plant, or getting an additional city sooner.
I generally find that auction games work a lot better if people feel the need to spend money to auction. Like I find Age of Steam a lot more fun if people are thinking of getting extra-shares because they need to get a specific power so they have to bid, which drives up the prices for everyone else. but you need to have group that is willing to auction.
I do feel like age of steam is great for that if you play on tight maps with high player counts. but power grid is a game where positioning is more important, and actually bidding money on the auctions isn't 'that' impactful over placement and goods buying to bleed your competitors.
If I want to play an auction game then I'm going to push for Ra or (better yet) Modern Art.
Dune was the biggest offender in this regard. Any game with a new player who wasn't on Team Emperor always ended up throwing the whole game to Team Emperor on the very first turn.
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.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cortadoo/cthulhu-island/posts/3458111
I'm actually really happy to see this, as it means they will make a bigger, better game. And that's exciting.
Luckily both appear to have retailer options so that helps brunt the pain a bit.
I dunno that we're reading the same update... That's not particularly long or particularly insightful. "We want to make a better campaign. While we revisit the drawing board here's another of our kickstarters."
What I took away from the earlier banter in the thread was that it didn't look like they actually had a finished game, so uh ... good on them for deciding maybe to revise that?
Perhaps I can interest you in my meager selection of pins?
Maybe it is my optimistic streak, but yeah.. going back and saying "hey, we're not gonna collect money until we have a mostly finished game" is a huge plus.
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2022/3/24/unfinished-business/
Outer Rim is getting it's expansion! It looks like there are some really good quality of life changes in here, like the core worlds hyperlane. Interestingly, there is no apparent content from the Mandalorian or Book of Boba Fett. I wonder how long this has been on the shelf waiting to be released.