Official CAG board/card game topic. From Dominion to Battlestar we gots it all!

Battlestar Galactica is really awesome. Very well done co-op game. Everyone wants to play it since we played it.

Munchkin is horrible. Seriously. Go to the boardgamegeek.com and bring it up in their forums and they will laugh you out of it. It isn't really a game, it's just something to do with friends (kind of like killer bunnies). There is practically no balance and one card draw can make that person dominate the whole game.

Sure, the cards are funny, but it's impossible to play it competitively. It's probably something you should whip out when everyone is drunk.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Battlestar Galactica is really awesome. Very well done co-op game. Everyone wants to play it since we played it.

Munchkin is horrible. Seriously. Go to the boardgamegeek.com and bring it up in their forums and they will laugh you out of it. It isn't really a game, it's just something to do with friends (kind of like killer bunnies). There is practically no balance and one card draw can make that person dominate the whole game.

Sure, the cards are funny, but it's impossible to play it competitively. It's probably something you should whip out when everyone is drunk.[/QUOTE]

Are you talking about just the card game or are you talking about the board game? THe board game has halfway decent ratings there and I had 2 guys at the comic shop recommend it. Regardless its bought and opened at this point so I will be giving it a try, and heh no offense but you hate ticket to ride soooooo!
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Battlestar Galactica is really awesome. Very well done co-op game. Everyone wants to play it since we played it.[/QUOTE]

Coincidentally, I just started S1 of the show tonight. I figured I'd better try to catch up as much as possible for the "You are a cylon" card spoils it for me. :/

But yeah. Obsessedwithgaming.com's video review of BSG:TBG really sold me on it. The whole thing sounds awesome.

[quote name='thrustbucket']
Sure, the cards are funny, but it's impossible to play it competitively. It's probably something you should whip out when everyone is drunk.[/QUOTE]

I don't really mind this. I have my competitive games if that's what the situation calls for. A lot of the times when we have enough people over to play these games, we ARE drunk, so maybe I should look more into this :)
 
I don't think there are many (if at all) spoilers in the BSG board game. If I remember correctly, the "You are a Cylon" card only has Cylon characters that are known to the viewers in the beginning. The most spoiler you may get is probably from the order of succession for the president and admiral spots, but you can probably figure that part out yourself as you watch through the seasons.

If you want to be completely safe from spoilers, then wait until the end of season 2 before you look into the board game.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Are you talking about just the card game or are you talking about the board game? THe board game has halfway decent ratings there and I had 2 guys at the comic shop recommend it. Regardless its bought and opened at this point so I will be giving it a try, and heh no offense but you hate ticket to ride soooooo![/QUOTE]
The card game. I have never played the board game. Maybe it's different.

And Ticket to Ride DID have some life for us. We played it a ton a couple years ago. But after awhile it got really competitive and people started figuring out that you could not only win, but really piss people off, by just blocking their routes all the time. Then, it became mostly a race to block routes in our games and nobody wanted to play anymore.

As far as train games go, I enjoy Railroad Tycoon more. If you can still find it.

[quote name='infamyRISE']Coincidentally, I just started S1 of the show tonight. I figured I'd better try to catch up as much as possible for the "You are a cylon" card spoils it for me. :/

But yeah. Obsessedwithgaming.com's video review of BSG:TBG really sold me on it. The whole thing sounds awesome. [/quote]
There really is no spoiler in the game past season 1.


I don't really mind this. I have my competitive games if that's what the situation calls for. A lot of the times when we have enough people over to play these games, we ARE drunk, so maybe I should look more into this :)
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Right. There are a slew of games that can be fun if you find the right crowd that just wants to be silly and not want to win. Munchkin and Killer bunnies are perfect for that.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']The card game. I have never played the board game. Maybe it's different.

And Ticket to Ride DID have some life for us. We played it a ton a couple years ago. But after awhile it got really competitive and people started figuring out that you could not only win, but really piss people off, by just blocking their routes all the time. Then, it became mostly a race to block routes in our games and nobody wanted to play anymore.

As far as train games go, I enjoy Railroad Tycoon more. If you can still find it.


There really is no spoiler in the game past season 1.



Right. There are a slew of games that can be fun if you find the right crowd that just wants to be silly and not want to win. Munchkin and Killer bunnies are perfect for that.[/QUOTE]

I will look into Rail Road Tycoon. I could see where it would get really annoying if the game became nothing but block each others routes. My fiancee tends not to think that much ahead though and even if she did I think it will help that we only play the game with 2 people. When her or my brother come over we will have a 3 person game but outside that it will remain a 2 person game for us.

Hopefully the Munchkins board game turns out better then you thought the card game was for us.

Also update we got the package from fairplaygames.com already and everything was there and in great condition. Truely amazing that a package I ordered with a free shipping method on Friday was here Monday mourning!

Last night we just played Mr Jack and Ticket to Ride again. Fiancee had been fighting off Bronchitus for the last week and wasnt in the mood to learn any new games last night, especially not something as complicated as battlelore. My guess is we will play some of the card games like Dominion over the next few days though then Battlelore or munchkins Friday night.
 
We gave Zombie Fluxx and Guillotine a try last night. Zombie Fluxx we played without the Zombies since it was our first time playing it. We both thought it was just ok and hopefully by adding the zombies it will be a lot more fun. Guillotine we both liked a lot so thanks again to whoever suggested it. It was amazingly simple and fast to learn and you have to rely on some luck but yet there is still some stratagy to the game which makes it very enjoyable.

Only other new board game thing is that I am going to try and create some variants for Last Night on Earth. I am really enjoying the game but want more charcters and scenarios so I am going to try and find some good ones on the net but also create my own and print mock ups for them. So far I have thought of 3 new characters and 1 new scenario(though I am not sure how balanced the scenario is yet).

New charcters

name - Tommy the Troubled Youth
Concept - With a broken home this young man is known by everyone in town but for all the wrong reasons. Even though Tommy is only 10 he is constantly at the police station for one thing or another. Breaking and entering, theft, assualt and shooting off his dads guns in the woods at animals

Abilties

Packing heat - Tommy begins the game with a shotgun in hand and may search for it in the discard pile.

Little Legs - Tommy is a lot younger then the other players in the game and as such he cant keep up. When Tommy rolls to move he only moves half as many spaces rounded down(so if you roll a 1 or a 2 he moves 1, a 3 or a 4 he moves 2 and a 5 or 6 he only moves 3).

Eh its just a misdemeanor - Tommy can unlock any door.

Youth - As all other youths he can heal a wound by sacraficing a turn.

Tommy can only take 1 wound before dying.



New Charcter - Wolf - Leader of the Local Pack
Concept - Wolfs have the ability to sense when things arnt right in nature....things that are evil. Wolfs often seen as villians in reality are guardians that hate the unnatural and evil and will fight to the death to return things to what they should be.

Abilities

Blood Red Fangs - The Wolf gets to roll a third dice in combat. Any doubles kill a zombie still.

Swift of Paw - The wolf adds + 3 to his movement rolls(so you can move 3-9 spaces a turn).

Licking my wounds - The Wolf can sacrafice a turn to heal up to 2 wounds.

What the hell am I supposed to do with this? - The Wolf cannot pick up ANY items. How would a wolf use a revolver or first aid kit anyways?

The wolf takes 3 wounds before dying.




Name - Rufus Local Zombie Enthusiast
Concept - Rufus(called Dufus by his classmats) is obsessed with zombies! He only plays Zombie video games, only watches Zombie movies and yes most of his Saturdays are spent like a true dork playing Zombie board games with his little brother Joe.

Abilities

Headshots only duh! - Rufus knows what it takes to kill a zombie. If he rolls higher then a Zombie its killed.

No melle unless I must - A zombie must roll a 3 or higher to wound Rufus

Too many Doritos - Too many nights of playing board games and eating snacks has made Rufus out of shape. Rufus only gets to roll 1 dice in combat and subtracts 1 from all his movement rolls.

Rufus takes 2 wounds before being killed.


I like the 3 new characters and think the balance should be on for them. All 3 are powerful characters given their abilities. But the flip side of things is Tommy cant move fast at all and if his shotgun breaks he is in severe trouble till he gets in a building to redraw it and the Wolf not being able to use any ranged weapons should make things difficult for him in certain situations and Rufus only rolling 1 die puts him in a tight spot.


The new scenario I am working on but not sure of how many zombies or turns it should be exactly is a scenario where a Meteor has hit the Earth which has caused the Zombie outbreak via a poison/foreign substance that was spread around the town. The game would start with 4 heroes in their normal starting positions and the point would be to survive 10 turns without dying. The twist is that every other turn the heroes take a wound from the poison the meteor has spread around town. Hopefully when balanced this scenario will make the game less abount finding weapons to kill zombies with and more about trying to avoid zombies and find health just to stay alive.
 
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Zombie Fluxx is definitely better with the Zombies. Also, add people. More = merrier (esp. with this particular game)!

LNOE and BSG should be here tomorrow. Can't wait to try them out.
 
Little up date. First off man the search scenarios in LNoE are horrible. The player is doing nothing but searching through the damn deck while the zombie player struggles to get close to the human player. We played one last night that took 2 and a half hours and the whole entire freaking thing was just me searching over and over and her struggling desperately to get close to my humans. Most boring game we played of ANY board game.

We broke Dominion out and I cant recommend it enough. It sits right there with Mr Jack and Ticket to Ride as a game that will get broke out constantly.

Munckins also got played. Fiancee liked it I thought it was meh but could be very fun with some rule changes. The game is essentially like this. The start tile is always the same and all charters start the same. You randomly select a new map tile and place it down and enter the room. Every new room you enter into gets a monster, if you beat the monster you go up a level and get treasure cards which provide you with equipment like in any RPG. Each room has different bonuses or negatives to different classes/races/sexes and different search values(after killing a monster you can search the room for treasure or gold) and most rooms have special text from bonuses to the monster to things like the abilty to sell off your items for double their value or to heal your character for gold. You explore around the dungeon fighting stuff and gaining treasure until you reach level 10 at which point a level 20 monster appears at the entrance. Defeat the monster as a level 10 and you win the game.

Simple concept and would be simple fun cept for one thing......you level way too freaking fast and slaughter way too many monsters. I hit level 10 in no time and escpaed and was insta killing many monsters along the way. You figure since you gain a level regardless of if your level 5 killing a level 1 or level 1 killing a level 5 and it makes a very fast level. Add in that you can trade your equipment for gold and 1,000 gold for a level....and ya again you level way to fast. I can see this being a fun game it just needs variants to the rules to make it harder.

So again new updated lists of favorites.

My list
Ticket to Ride
Mr Jack
Dominion
Guillotine
Talisman
Fluxx
LNoE/Munchkins/Zombies tie

Her list
Ticket To ride
Dominion/Mr Jack
Fluxx/Guillotine
Talisman/Munkin
Last Night on Earth/Zombies

So clear reccomendations are Ticket to Ride, Mr Jack, Dominion Fluxx, Guillotine and Talisman.
 
I guess I forgot to post some BSG impressions.

Up there as a favorite. We played a 6p game and it took forever, but the time went by fast and everyone (including the guy who hadn't even HEARD of Battlestar) had a great time.

We ended up having NO Cylons the first half of the game, but that didn't stop all the accusations from flying. Really intense game. Awesome traitor mechanic. Balanced pretty well in 6p game IMO.

One of the things I hear most is how the game leans heavily in the cylons favor. Our humans won however (I ended up being a cylon). I think a lot of it is the order in which the Crisis cards are drawn.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']I guess I forgot to post some BSG impressions.

Up there as a favorite. We played a 6p game and it took forever, but the time went by fast and everyone (including the guy who hadn't even HEARD of Battlestar) had a great time.

We ended up having NO Cylons the first half of the game, but that didn't stop all the accusations from flying. Really intense game. Awesome traitor mechanic. Balanced pretty well in 6p game IMO.

One of the things I hear most is how the game leans heavily in the cylons favor. Our humans won however (I ended up being a cylon). I think a lot of it is the order in which the Crisis cards are drawn.[/QUOTE]

Ill have to look into the BSG game later. I REALLY dont like Sci Fi and think BSG looks stupid so I brushed past the board game without a thought, but given that so many people are ranting and raving ill look into it. So last night my mom and little brother came to visit and decided since they so rarely see us they would spend the night. We played Dominion, Guillotine and Ticket to Ride. My little bro is only 10 so it was a good test both for how kids would play but also the multi player aspect. When they walked in the door we were in the last few turns of Dominion so naturally he instantly wanted to play what his big brother was playing! We were going to be doing something shortly so I told him no and we tried Guillotine since it would be shorter. He grasped the basic concept of the game but for some reason had a hard time grasping what actions were best and didnt do well at the game at all. I figured that would mean he wouldnt do well at all with Dominion but suprsingly he picked it up right away and grasped it enough that he came in second place out of the three people playing and gave me a run for our money when we played just the 2 of us. Ticket to Ride went well with all 4 people, I thought it was going to be way too freaking many people and everyone would be blocking each other but everyone still completed their routes and had a good time. Fluxx was the other game we played 4 player and Amanda again loved the game and my mom also really loved Fluxx since the rules were introduced as you play and things were constantly changing.

So again Ticket to Ride, Fluxx, Dominion and Guillotine have stood the tests of multiple play and play with multiple people now.
 
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I dug out Boggle in my closet and played it on Friday. It was actually pretty fun. All you do is form words in a 4x4 randomized grid of letters. Of course, it's handy to keep a dictionary around.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']I guess I forgot to post some BSG impressions.

Up there as a favorite. We played a 6p game and it took forever, but the time went by fast and everyone (including the guy who hadn't even HEARD of Battlestar) had a great time.

We ended up having NO Cylons the first half of the game, but that didn't stop all the accusations from flying. Really intense game. Awesome traitor mechanic. Balanced pretty well in 6p game IMO.

One of the things I hear most is how the game leans heavily in the cylons favor. Our humans won however (I ended up being a cylon). I think a lot of it is the order in which the Crisis cards are drawn.[/QUOTE]

If you had no cylons in the first half of the game, that's why the humans won, especially in your first game ;)

A lot of it does have to do with the crisis cards, that's why the key to the game is to use the character, cylon, and card powers that let you manipulate the crisis card draws (like risking raptors).
 
LNOE got several plays tonight.

Its fun, but it seems games can be a blowout very easily. Get the right card on an early search and you're golden. Don't, and you'll be struggling to catch up the entire game.

In the 5 games we played, there was never a time when the heroes were remotely close to getting to the bottom of their deck. Same with the zombies. I'd like to see some more card rotation, but the no-hand limit on heroes events really makes that dangerous for the zombies.

Definitely not as fun as BSG. And I love zombies. Hmm.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']LNOE got several plays tonight.

Its fun, but it seems games can be a blowout very easily. Get the right card on an early search and you're golden. Don't, and you'll be struggling to catch up the entire game.

In the 5 games we played, there was never a time when the heroes were remotely close to getting to the bottom of their deck. Same with the zombies. I'd like to see some more card rotation, but the no-hand limit on heroes events really makes that dangerous for the zombies.

Definitely not as fun as BSG. And I love zombies. Hmm.[/QUOTE]

Ya LNoE started really fun but went downhill fast and I actually find myself enjoying zombies more which is sad. We started off enjoying LNoE and really excited for it but the more games we played the more we saw how unbalanced and dull the game was. Every game the humans just run around searching and then as you said become horribly overpowered via weapons like the shutgun and shears and by the huge hand of events they get. Even if the Human player manages to wrestle the overpowered weapons away I just end up using event card after even card to make it so they have to reroll dice or I can roll 3 dice or other things to benefit me.

We played a little more Dominion last night as well and got in 1 more game before my brother left. All in all since we broke the game out like Thursday or Friday night I think we have played it like 10-14 times....and it wasnt getting old if anything it was getting better. I think it might have actually replaced Ticket to Ride as the top game for both me and my fiancee(she said if nothing else it tied TtR). I cant recommend Dominion enough and I can totally see why people have been going nuts over this game.
 
LNoE isn't as unbalanced as it seems. There are many threads on BGG where balance is discussed and criticized. Even the designers come in and explain, in detail, how if it seems unbalanced then you're playing wrong, misunderstanding something, or overlooking something.

For example, We have played maybe 7 times, and I think the humans have won only once. Usually they lose by running out of time, not by dying.

But then again, you aren't playing an Ameritrash game as dice-heavy as LNoE for balance anyway, your playing it for theme.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']LNoE isn't as unbalanced as it seems. There are many threads on BGG where balance is discussed and criticized. Even the designers come in and explain, in detail, how if it seems unbalanced then you're playing wrong, misunderstanding something, or overlooking something.

For example, We have played maybe 7 times, and I think the humans have won only once. Usually they lose by running out of time, not by dying.

But then again, you aren't playing an Ameritrash game as dice-heavy as LNoE for balance anyway, your playing it for theme.[/QUOTE]

Its always funny when people say if you dont enjoy something I do/I made you must not be playing it right. What could people be doing that unbalances the game to such a degree? I highly doubt its true that people are doing things so wrong that it is screwing the whole game up, but even if they are its still the games fault because the rule manual for LNoE AND its Xpack are the 2 worst manuals I have had to use so far. Even games like Talisman and Munchkin which are way more complicated do a better job of explaining game rules.

As for running out of time, so far it hasnt even been close to a problem. We have finished every game with the day timer half or more still full(so if I have 14 days I beat the scenario by turn 5 at the latest). Thrust how many people do you usually play with? I seriously am wondering if some of these game experiences are different because the people you play with. Again it seems everyone loves Ticket to Ride but your experience with it has been bad because the people you play with, and now with LNoE I am wondering if since so many people are having problems with the game and your not if its because you play with a big group of people vs small(or just that the people you play with play the game very different from others even if you use the same rules).
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Battlestar Galactica is really awesome. Very well done co-op game. Everyone wants to play it since we played it.
[/quote]

Battlestar Galactica is not entirely co-op though, it falls in the same category as Shadows over Camelot which I can highly recommend, but it is a tough game. Both games involve you assuming everyone is you're buddy, but there is a very real possibility that your buddy or buddies could be a traitor or Cylon trying to thwart you. The rules can be adjusted in Shadows over Camelot so that you don't have to worry about a traitor, but I am unaware if this can be done in Battlestar Galactica I haven't played it myself. My dad can definitely vouche for BSG he absolutely loves the game and it seems to be the only major game his gaming group focuses on now. If you're going to consider purchasing this game I think you'll need several players at least 4 to make the game interesting.

[quote name='MSI Magus']Guillotine we both liked a lot so thanks again to whoever suggested it.[/quote]

Glad you enjoyed Guillotine I definitely love it as a filler in between bigger games when doing a large gaming session, or when having friends over that don't want to be overwhelmed by rules and what not.

If you're looking for other games that are quite simple with out too many rules I would definitely recommend anything from Cheapass Games. By far not the greatest gaming company, but I found myself enjoying a couple of their games and they are quite in-expensive.

Games I enjoyed from Cheapass Games products:
Give Me the Brain
Kill Doctor Lucky (think they sold the rights to another company)
Lord of the Fries (Not sure if it's out of print or if they sold the rights)
and
Unexploded Cow
 
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[quote name='thrustbucket']LNoE isn't as unbalanced as it seems. There are many threads on BGG where balance is discussed and criticized. Even the designers come in and explain, in detail, how if it seems unbalanced then you're playing wrong, misunderstanding something, or overlooking something.

For example, We have played maybe 7 times, and I think the humans have won only once. Usually they lose by running out of time, not by dying.

But then again, you aren't playing an Ameritrash game as dice-heavy as LNoE for balance anyway, your playing it for theme.[/QUOTE]

I don't know if I agree.

A good example is a game we were playing last night: 3 player Save the Townsfolk game, myself and roommate vs. zombie girlfriend. We holed up in the gun shop and did nothing but search the entire time. We won with 1 or 2 rounds to go, and probably only because we had Jake as one of the characters to burn through 2 cards on his search. With at least two people searching EVERY turn we barely did it. That's not really balance, that's a lucky deck stack and the right character choice.

Another one:

We played Burn 'Em Out.
One of my characters' starting buildings wasn't on the randomly selected board pieces. Started in middle of town with a hero card. An explosive. Luck. One of the other character's first searches was a "Just what I needed!".. which let me get my second explosive on the second turn of the game. Yeah, needless to say that was over real quick.

I dunno, maybe I just have a problem with those scenarios, but I'd just like SOME strategy to come in somewhere. Luck based moves. Luck based combat, luck based draws. It's just too much (perhaps applying only to certain scenarios).
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']I don't know if I agree.

A good example is a game we were playing last night: 3 player Save the Townsfolk game, myself and roommate vs. zombie girlfriend. We holed up in the gun shop and did nothing but search the entire time. We won with 1 or 2 rounds to go, and probably only because we had Jake as one of the characters to burn through 2 cards on his search. With at least two people searching EVERY turn we barely did it. That's not really balance, that's a lucky deck stack and the right character choice.

Another one:

We played Burn 'Em Out.
One of my characters' starting buildings wasn't on the randomly selected board pieces. Started in middle of town with a hero card. An explosive. Luck. One of the other character's first searches was a "Just what I needed!".. which let me get my second explosive on the second turn of the game. Yeah, needless to say that was over real quick.

I dunno, maybe I just have a problem with those scenarios, but I'd just like SOME strategy to come in somewhere. Luck based moves. Luck based combat, luck based draws. It's just too much (perhaps applying only to certain scenarios).[/QUOTE]

We would kill for those scenarios. Ours were more stratagy but the stratagy was as I said just search and run, search and then destroy with overpowered crap.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Its always funny when people say if you dont enjoy something I do/I made you must not be playing it right. What could people be doing that unbalances the game to such a degree? I highly doubt its true that people are doing things so wrong that it is screwing the whole game up, but even if they are its still the games fault because the rule manual for LNoE AND its Xpack are the 2 worst manuals I have had to use so far. Even games like Talisman and Munchkin which are way more complicated do a better job of explaining game rules.[/quote]

Well I didn't mean to insinuate that you were misunderstanding rules, as to why it's imbalanced (Although 4/5 times we try a new game, and I go read the forums on BGG about it, I find we did some things wrong).

What I meant was I have played too many games to realize that it's pretty common for a game to feel pretty imbalanced until certain strategies are realized.

You may be playing perfectly right, and have realized all those strategies, and it's just been bad luck so far - but your post just reminded me of several I read on BGG that started very long threads.

As for running out of time, so far it hasnt even been close to a problem. We have finished every game with the day timer half or more still full(so if I have 14 days I beat the scenario by turn 5 at the latest).
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Weird. For us, if the humans win, it's always in the last 2 hour marks.

Thrust how many people do you usually play with? I seriously am wondering if some of these game experiences are different because the people you play with. Again it seems everyone loves Ticket to Ride but your experience with it has been bad because the people you play with, and now with LNoE I am wondering if since so many people are having problems with the game and your not if its because you play with a big group of people vs small(or just that the people you play with play the game very different from others even if you use the same rules).
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There are about 8 of us that we play with, in different mixes.

And for the record, I am very much in a minority in our group for not liking ticket to ride. Most people love it, especially the women. The opposite is true for LNoE. Only about 3 of us really like it; It is what it is, it kind of fits a very narrow need, unlike Ticket to Ride, which has mass appeal.

I simply stated, originally, that LNoE was far superior to Zombies!, which I still feel is true. Part of that is because I feel LNoE best replicates a B-monster movie best, and part of it may be because I view those types of games as more role playing games where the fun is in the experience, not the outcome (unlike euros). Runaway leader problems are something I hate in games, but still, our games are almost always very close in LNoE.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']I don't know if I agree.

A good example is a game we were playing last night: 3 player Save the Townsfolk game, myself and roommate vs. zombie girlfriend. We holed up in the gun shop and did nothing but search the entire time. We won with 1 or 2 rounds to go, and probably only because we had Jake as one of the characters to burn through 2 cards on his search. With at least two people searching EVERY turn we barely did it. That's not really balance, that's a lucky deck stack and the right character choice.

Another one:

We played Burn 'Em Out.
One of my characters' starting buildings wasn't on the randomly selected board pieces. Started in middle of town with a hero card. An explosive. Luck. One of the other character's first searches was a "Just what I needed!".. which let me get my second explosive on the second turn of the game. Yeah, needless to say that was over real quick.

I dunno, maybe I just have a problem with those scenarios, but I'd just like SOME strategy to come in somewhere. Luck based moves. Luck based combat, luck based draws. It's just too much (perhaps applying only to certain scenarios).[/QUOTE]

Like I said before, anything that uses dice, especially to the degree of LNoE, isn't a strategy game. Everything else you mentioned compounds that fact. Also, any game that heavily depends on cards that are randomly drawn is automatically very luck-driven.

You could do absolutely everything right in LNoE - play a flawless game, never make a mistake, and still lose. That's just the way it is. That's what classifies it as "Ameritrash".

BSG is the same way, except no dice. But you can play a perfect game and still lose. It's not chess.

I use to hate games like this but I have since learned that as soon as I see dice in a game, I automatically flip a "switch" where I am no longer in it for the competition, I'm in it to have a good time with friends.

Unfortunately there is no Zombie themed strategy game that I know of. Maybe someone should make one.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Well I didn't mean to insinuate that you were misunderstanding rules, as to why it's imbalanced (Although 4/5 times we try a new game, and I go read the forums on BGG about it, I find we did some things wrong).

What I meant was I have played too many games to realize that it's pretty common for a game to feel pretty imbalanced until certain strategies are realized.

You may be playing perfectly right, and have realized all those strategies, and it's just been bad luck so far - but your post just reminded me of several I read on BGG that started very long threads.


Weird. For us, if the humans win, it's always in the last 2 hour marks.



There are about 8 of us that we play with, in different mixes.

And for the record, I am very much in a minority in our group for not liking ticket to ride. Most people love it, especially the women. The opposite is true for LNoE. Only about 3 of us really like it; It is what it is, it kind of fits a very narrow need, unlike Ticket to Ride, which has mass appeal.

I simply stated, originally, that LNoE was far superior to Zombies!, which I still feel is true. Part of that is because I feel LNoE best replicates a B-monster movie best, and part of it may be because I view those types of games as more role playing games where the fun is in the experience, not the outcome (unlike euros). Runaway leader problems are something I hate in games, but still, our games are almost always very close in LNoE.[/QUOTE]

I am sure there are rules we are misunderstanding, as you said in all but the most simple of games or games with the best of manuals there are going to be some things you play differently then what was intended. However after you have played a game a half dozen or more times I think a well designed game you should have either figured out the rules or at least variants that dont break the game. So far that hasnt been the case for us with LNoE.

As for your friends, I wasn't implying you were all different or that you were wrong or anything...but more that it sounds like you play in large groups which might make a very big difference in both how you approach the game and the enjoyment you get out of them. LNoE with a group of 4-8 friends is probably a different experience then from a couple sitting playing alone.

Edit - Also is BSG like a 3+ people only game or could just me and my fiancee play it? Everything I hear about it makes it sound like its not suited for 2 player.
 
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BSG does have an official 2 player variant somewhere out there, I assume readily available on Fantasy Flight Game's website or boardgamegeek.com

That being said, the box says 3-6 players.

The whole point is someone is a traitor. With 2 players, its core mechanic is impossible, hence the 2p rules not being included. I have zero experience with the 2p set including not having so much as read it. I can't imagine it being nearly as fun as the core game though, which certainly improves as you add players and the uncertainty levels rise.

Simply put, its worth finding more people to play with if you're interested in this. Every person who's played has wanted more. It being a several HOUR game is the only thing holding us back so far. It still gets one of my highest recommendations.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Like I said before, anything that uses dice, especially to the degree of LNoE, isn't a strategy game. [/QUOTE]

That kinda works, but there are several games out there that use dice (sometimes to an almost scary degree) that have a fair amount of strategy (albeit from other mechanics) to them. Kingsburg comes to mind.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']That kinda works, but there are several games out there that use dice (sometimes to an almost scary degree) that have a fair amount of strategy (albeit from other mechanics) to them. Kingsburg comes to mind.[/QUOTE]

I would say Yshapan is one of those too, sorta. It just all depends on how much the game depends on dice rolls.
 
I'll have to check that one out. I DO like dice, when executed right! :D

Edit: While we're on the topic of Flying Frog games.... anyone tried Touch of Evil? I hear it's Arkham Lite. Which might be a good thing. My girlfriend doesn't seem too keen on jumping into AH, but she liked LNOE enough to maybe play a game with somewhat familiar components/mechanics. Not lasting 4 hours is a plus too!
 
2 things:

1) For LNOE zombie players: How much do you hate Heroic Resolve? With a weapon, someone with that card is pretty damn tough to beat. This wouldn't be such an issue if it eventually wore off, or if there was a zombie counter to it. Its like Faith on crack, except Faith wears off, or in the case of Joseph, can be countered with a zombie event.

2) Age of Conan: The Board Game. Can't freakin' wait!
 
Anyone have an opinion of Settlers of catan the 4th edition vs. an older 3rd edition? What is the cheapest I can get it for, I have seen it for $30. Do you think I can play this with an 8 year old? Thanks, Mickey
 
[quote name='mickeyp']Anyone have an opinion of Settlers of catan the 4th edition vs. an older 3rd edition? What is the cheapest I can get it for, I have seen it for $30. Do you think I can play this with an 8 year old? Thanks, Mickey[/QUOTE]

Really depends on the 8 year old and his willingness to get in on it. Settlers might seem daunting to an 8 year old at first, but if you explain it well it's not a hard game to learn.
 
As for the editions, I think its strictly cosmetic with the exception of a rule clarification or two. Nothing changes mechanics-wise.
 
Thanks to this thread and a podcast, forget which one (idle thumbs, player one, or gamers with jobs..) just ordered Settlers of Catan for when my little brother comes to visit next week and Dominion for the wife and I to play. First board/game I've bought since monopoly. Pretty excited about getting these games and finding out about a whole genre of entertainment I haven't been privy to.
 
[quote name='homeland']Thanks to this thread and a podcast, forget which one (idle thumbs, player one, or gamers with jobs..) just ordered Settlers of Catan for when my little brother comes to visit next week and Dominion for the wife and I to play. First board/game I've bought since monopoly. Pretty excited about getting these games and finding out about a whole genre of entertainment I haven't been privy to.[/QUOTE]

Glad my interest in this here has lead to others having one, especially if they are playing with siblings and spouces. Good thing to bring people closer together. Just realize with Catan it needs to be a 3+ person game...it can be played with 2 people but the trading aspect of it really makes it ideal to have atleast 3. Dominion on the other hand is just too freaking awesome regardless of if its just you and your wife or several other people to boot. The more I play Dominion the more I love it.

And speaking of Dominon! They announced 2 new Xpacks for it. First one will be called intrigue and it will be playable as a stand alone but also expand on what you already own with 25 new action cards. The developer says they want to keep it where they keep putting out new cards every 6 months or so which is great.
 
There's an official 2 player Catan variant that people seem to like that can be downloaded here. It's from the game designer, and has a "forced" trade mechanic to it as well as dummy players that you both control to fill up the board space and cut each other off. It looks good, but I haven't tried it yet.

Also, check this thread for information about ordering a pair of exclusive promo cards for Dominion (2 actions, 10 copies of each). If you haven't already, you should definitely order a set, because the Black Market looks great.
 
Dominion is our favorite game in the house ATM. It is very good!
Settlers and Stone Age used to be until it came along.=)
 
[quote name='Tyvan']Dominion is our favorite game in the house ATM. It is very good!
Settlers and Stone Age used to be until it came along.=)[/QUOTE]

Dominion is by far my favorite as well now. Fiancee still says Ticket to Ride is the top but that Dominion is a very close second. As I said its by far my tops. I will have to look into Stone Age.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']Ah, excellent.
I've ordered from BGR, a great experience, they're just further away from me, so I don't get things as fast! :)[/QUOTE]

They did ship super fast and their customer service was really good, but it seems like a lot of their games are a few bucks more then other peoples.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']They did ship super fast and their customer service was really good, but it seems like a lot of their games are a few bucks more then other peoples.[/QUOTE]

Really? Before or after shipping? I thought they were pretty competitive, but I haven't looked around in awhile.

Well I just got back from BGR with my Age of Conan. Super stoked to play it. $56 plus tax though.

I also, after talking with the owner, and others, think my next game purchase may be Brass.

Edit: Also, MSI, I would request that perhaps you should change the title of this thread to something like "CAG official Boardgame thread"....
 
Good idea on the title.

I ended up @ $51.99 on Conan, no shipping, since I grabbed enough to put me over the shipping threshold.

Race for the Galaxy and A Touch of Evil also on their way.

I'm really interested in getting Robo Rally and BattleLore, as well.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Really? Before or after shipping? I thought they were pretty competitive, but I haven't looked around in awhile.

Well I just got back from BGR with my Age of Conan. Super stoked to play it. $56 plus tax though.

I also, after talking with the owner, and others, think my next game purchase may be Brass.

Edit: Also, MSI, I would request that perhaps you should change the title of this thread to something like "CAG official Boardgame thread"....[/QUOTE]

Their prices are still competitive but I was able to find most board games for $4-$8 cheaper at places like fairplaygames. Also ya Ill change the title, I was thinking of doing it anyways and just always post and forget.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']

I'm really interested in getting Robo Rally and BattleLore, as well.[/QUOTE]

I haven't seen robo rally in stock for a while. It's a damn weird game though.

Also, I played Conan tonight. It was fun, but overly long due to checking the rule book every 5 minutes. It really wasn't hard to play but we were constantly not sure about certain things. Only played it with two, excited to play it with more.
 
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