OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

[freelunch]

this has been a long weekend in Australia (ie three days for gaming!)

Saturday
Age Of Industry with my two sons. I wasn't sure my six-year-old would be able to handle this just-released economic game from Martin Wallace - we played open-handed and I had to explain his options to him through most of the game, but he made his own decisions throughout and ended up beating his older brother.
Red November. several solo games, I got this one just last week and I want to have a good grasp of the rules before I try to teach it as the manual is poorly set out. the game is fun but I wish the board was less fiddly.

Sunday
played games with my family for most of the day:
Duck, Duck, Bruce. a kids' card game, quick'n'easy to play, a firm favourite of my youngest son (and of the schoolkids I game with every week)
Montego Bay. huge board, gorgeously over-produced and chaotic "family game" which uses a simultaneous action selection mechanism to manoeuvre dock workers in pursuit of cargo. my six-year-old likes it more than my older kids, but it is usually enjoyed by all when we play.
Through The Desert. a counterpoint to the other "cute camel" game* we've been playing a lot of recently.
Turn The Tide. an auction game in which players aim to have the highest or lowest bid on each hand, middle ground is bad.
Forbidden Island. another current favourite in my home, a family co-op game from the designer of Pandemic which shares a lot of that games mechanisms.
Fresco. my kids are still getting the hang of this game which has been nominated for this year's Spiel des Jahres at Essen. I like the fact that I can play a game about colour-blending despite being severely colourblind. :)

Monday
my (very small) gaming group met today and we played:
*Samarkand: Routes to Riches. still the best "family"/"filler" game I've played all year (ie no change since last week)
Age Of Industry. I think I've 'got' this one now (we made a significant rules blunder on Saturday which seriously messed up the way the game progressed). Treefrog's games are little heavier than our usual fare but I'm acquiring a taste for them.
Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game. a favourite of my sons' though we don't play it often as they are slooooow at deciding on their actions each turn. my zombies got the best of them today (as is usually the case)
Duck, Duck, Bruce again, a good close to the weekend.

[LordMortis]

Did a few more games of Carson City this weekend. We're still exploring it and still interested in it. So that's a good sign.

[freelunch]

after a couple of marathon gaming weekends we didn't play much this past weekend: Ark and Leaping Lemmings* on Saturday then Ice Flow and Dixit on Sunday (and my daughter played Incan Gold and Flicochet with a couple of students who are staying with us this week)

*after four plays I like Leaping Lemmimgs a lot, I suspect it'll be the game I most recommend to others for a few weeks at least. this review at BGG.com sums it up pretty well in words and pictures.

[edit]
and here's another review
[/edit]

[driver]

I've been playing a lot of Claustrophobia lately, a two-player game with a lot of great atmosphere and tension, and some clever stat mechanics. The human player has a tough road to hoe, but I think part of the appeal for me is how challenging a win can be.

[freelunch]

I've played the first Claustrophobia scenario a couple of times with my son, and he in turn has played it a couple of times with different friends - I think the humans have yet to win even once.

[hentzau]

The only boardgame I played this weekend was Lego Race 3000. My son picked it up after we went to Brickworld. Lots of luck, not much strategy, but it was still a fun time playing with him.

[freelunch]

most of my gaming time this past weekend was spent on Magic: The Gathering Online but we did manage to fit the odd "proper" boardgame in..

Saturday morning: Stone Age with my two sons
Saturday afternoon: Poison with my wife, daughter and youngest son
Sunday morning: Livingstone. our first time playing this one - the box says 35mins playing time and it took us nearly two hours. I'm not convinced there is enough to it for that kind of time investment but we'll play it a few more times to be sure
Sunday afternoon: Magic: The Gathering (not Online). free-for-all Planechase with my two older kids

[SpaceLord]

Played Horus Heresy yesterday. As Horus' forces converged on the palace, the Emperor made a desperate gambit, and boarded the Vengeful Spirit. An epic battle ensued, with the Emperor losing a battle of attrition.

We also played Agricola twice, with the girlfriends playing. They're fast becoming fans.

[Archinerd]

I played several board games over the weekend at Origins, but the most memorable was playing a 5 player game of Race for the Galaxy with the designer Tom Lehmann and Zarathud. We both beat him - me by a point, Zarathud by a dozen or so. The other two players (both RftG fanatics) came in 4th & 5th place.
Oh, and there were free omelets.

[Semaj]

I finally got to play BSG as boomer, there were no cylons the first half, everything was going way too easy the first half and then me, odama and Baltar (cylon, cylon, sympathiser) tuned the game on it's ear. We won when Odama was able to brig every goo dplayer and we won the last major vote before thier series of turns would allow them to escape the brig and jump the ship away.

[hentzau]

Got together with my old gaming buddies from high school (and our kids) and had a grand D&D romp. Then afterwards, we got in a game of Formula D. Man, I love that game. Big thanks to Hepcat for introducing me to it.

[Zarathud]

Origins report for more information about the Race for the Galaxy game against the designer, Junta!, Acquire, Carson City, Battlestar Galactica, and others.

I also demoed Road Kill Rally -- basically, a simplified, darkly humourous version of Death Race 2000 meets Car Wars. If you remember the 80s, you might remember the Troma film where they called out -- "Full point!"

I watched a little Defenders of the Realm and I'm torn between its cooperative promise and the 4-player limit.

[freelunch]

Road Kill Rally sounds like fun (Carmageddon, the boardgame?), though I don't know how I'll feel about playing it with my kids..

had to work on Saturday so I only got one day of gaming in this past weekend:
Leaping Lemmings played with my family and a visiting friend,
Magic: The Gathering, a 3-vs-1 "Archenemy" game played vs. my two older kids and the same friend.
Sleeping Queens with my wife and seven-year-old
Railways of the World with my two sons, played on the HUGE Eastern USA board

[hentzau]

A bit of Crokinole, and my daughter took us through a fairly excruciating game of Fairy's Tale. Barbie fairy tale movies, I hate you with a passion.

[Chaosraven]

Played Talisman friday (with the Highlands expansion), and chaosfaerie won. Played a couple games of Neuroshima Hex (with the new Duel armies of Smart and Vegas) with the boys and my son won both games. Played carcassonne with the Bridges expansion, and kenetickids wife won.

[coopasonic]

I played Cootie with my wife and 4 year old. My son won, my wife was one part short and I got the body and nothing else. Damn dice!

[hepcat]

Played Founding Fathers at my local game store with the owner and a few others. It was an early release the store owner picked up at Origins. It's a card driven game with the theme based on creating the Declaration of Independence. It combines bidding with card events and resembles Tribune in play (different sections of the board can be used to acquire victory points in different ways). While I enjoyed it, I doubt I'll be adding it to my collection any time soon. It just seemed to be missing that extra oomph that makes me buy a game.

Also got in a couple of games of Summoner Wars. It's like Magic played on a chess board and without the collectible part. It's EXTREMELY easy to learn yet has a surprising depth to it (not a lot, but enough to make it interesting). I picked it up at Origins this year based on word of mouth. I'll probably be picking up the expansion decks for new factions soon.

I finally got in a game of 1960: The Making of the President as well. I'm a huge fan of Twilight Struggle and Washington's War and this is another card driven game cast in the same mold. While similar in mechanics to those two aforementioned games, it has enough difference to make it play out in a unique way. However, I have so many two player games now that I can't justify its purchase just yet. It is on my radar, though.

...and needless to say, I lost every single game I played.

[Z-Corn]

Also got in a couple of games of Summoner Wars.

Designed by the guy who runs the biggest HeroScape site, http://www.heroscapers.com.

[Boudreaux]

I finally got in a game of 1960: The Making of the President as well. I'm a huge fan of Twilight Struggle and Washington's War and this is another card driven game cast in the same mold. While similar in mechanics to those two aforementioned games, it has enough difference to make it play out in a unique way. However, I have so many two player games now that I can't justify its purchase just yet. It is on my radar, though.

I really liked 1960: The Making of the President...right up until I played Twilight Struggle. Now, I don't know what to think. There are too many aspects of it that don't make any sense to me, and don't seem to work as well as TS does. The debates, "carrying" states, the media/advertising support, even the issues track is kind of clunky. I sometimes wonder how it would play if it used more of the TS rules.

I got to play Innovation a couple nights ago, a game I'd been hearing some good things about. It's decidedly difficult to explain, but basically it's a card game utilizing ten decks of innovations, sort of like civ tech advances. Every single card is unique and all of them have different benefits and abilities. On each turn you can either draw new cards, play cards, or use cards' abilities. The heart of the game is using cards against your opponents to score certain cards into your score pile. As your score pile grows, you claim achievements, five achievements wins the game.

What's interesting is that because all of the cards are different, you never know what combinations you're going to get. Some of the abilities are pretty nasty and we had some wild point swings between players. Bottom line - it was a lot of fun, and fairly easy to grasp. Because the cards are unique I see a TON of replayability here, this one's definitely going on my "to buy" list.

[Chaosraven]

Not the weekend, but taught the boys Lost Worlds (comabt books), old game by Nova.

[hentzau]

Not the weekend, but taught the boys Lost Worlds (comabt books), old game by Nova.

I loved the old Ace of Aces dogfight book games. Wish I still had them.

[Debris]

I played my first game of Warmachine miniature game last night and I really enjoyed it. I played at my local game store which has a league that runs on Friday nights. After the league play, the local press-ganger ran me through a game with two starter boxes. I played Cygnar, which is one of the good factions with him playing the evil Crix.

I already had a pretty decent grasp of the game mechanics, but had not had a chance to put them into practise. I actually did a lot better than I thought I would, and had him down to only his caster and a small, crippled bonejack before he took out my caster and won the game.

Overall, I think this is a MUCh better game than the Warhammer or 40K that I'm used to playing.

[Chaz]

Not the weekend, but taught the boys Lost Worlds (comabt books), old game by Nova.

I loved the old Ace of Aces dogfight book games. Wish I still had them.

I always wanted to find a copy of the Star Wars version of that.

[Chaosraven]

Played 6 Man free for all Neuroshima Hex, played 7 player and then 6 player Battlestar Galactica, and finished out with a game of Carcassonne (5 player, game end at 50pt). I think I need to cut back on the tiles in the bag...

[LordMortis]

Not the weekend, but taught the boys Lost Worlds (comabt books), old game by Nova.

I loved the old Ace of Aces dogfight book games. Wish I still had them.

I always wanted to find a copy of the Star Wars version of that.

I had the XWing and Tie Fighter once upon a time . I really should get them back and make copies.

[hentzau]

Got in about a half dozen games of Crokinole with the family while waiting for the Cheap Trick concert this past Saturday.

[SpaceLord]

Bought, then played around 6 games of Pandemic. Loved it! Light, fun. I'm going to teach my non-gamer family to play.

[Boudreaux]

Man, I didn't get to play anything. I bought a used copy of Dominion last week that I wanted to get my wife to try, but no joy. All she wanted to play was LEGO Harry Potter on the 360. Way to be a role model for the kiddos, babe.

[freelunch]

we only played two games this past weekend:

Dust on Saturday morning, our first play. It was OK but not as amazing as I expected.. as a two-player game I think I prefer Warlords of Europe, hoping to try Dust with more soon..

Dungeon Lords on Saturday afternoon, and again on Sunday (and again on Monday) another game we hadn't played before - my kids like it a lot though I wish there weren't so many bits to keep track of. I suspect this game would get old quickly if played too often so I imagine we'll bring it out again in a month or two..

[Chaosraven]

We played Lost Worlds and Dominion all weekend. The kids are digging both. Sunday was kenetickids birthday and he and I played Dominion with Remus West into the wee hours... Remus was kind enuff to let KK win a few of the games, but as it was not my birthday declined to allow me the same honor. Add to that my son killing my Samurai in Lost Worlds and you have a tale of pathetic sorrow that shall know no equal until the next time I get 48 hr off and get my head handed to me.

[LordMortis]

We played Lost Worlds and Dominion all weekend. The kids are digging both. Sunday was kenetickids birthday and he and I played Dominion with Remus West into the wee hours... Remus was kind enuff to let KK win a few of the games, but as it was not my birthday declined to allow me the same honor. Add to that my son killing my Samurai in Lost Worlds and you have a tale of pathetic sorrow that shall know no equal until the next time I get 48 hr off and get my head handed to me.

I left presumably shortly before you came over. I accidentally fell asleep around 20:30 and barely work up for work at 07:00. I'm glad I missed you.

[freelunch]

Saturday:
Railways of Europe. we've been enjoying Railways of the World so I picked up the first expansion. In a three-player games there is a lot more money on this map than on either of the base game maps - I thought this detracted from the tension of the game a little but my sons were happy being able to buy what they wanted when they wanted.
The Adventurers. this game looks cool but there's not much depth to it - my youngest enjoys it so I enjoy playing it with him.
Tumblin' Dice

Sunday:
Lost Cities | Batt'l Kha'os | Buccaneer | BattleBall | Zombie Dice | Sleeping Queens | Zombie in my Pocket

[Zarathud]

Carson City - Worker placement in the Wild West, so there are shootouts too! I probably should have reread the rules more than once before trying to teach it, and then I got caught up in my Saloon strategy. I expect this game to get nastier the more we play.

Kachina - Tile placement game with a Hopi spirit strategy. Archinerd and I played and had a pretty competitive game going. He kept helping me out by pointing out how I kept misreading the placement rule icons, which usually helped me get a few additional points.

Cutthroat Caverns - Much more fun than expected, and excellent with a group of 6 people who are into it. One of my Elk Grove friends loves Player-vs-Player (and usually plays the role of spoiler), so this fit his attitude perfectly. We had a great time interfering with each other's attempts to get the killing blow on monsters. hepcat does did have a tendency to hoard the potions which will be fixed next game.

I picked up the Small World Tales & Legends expansion this weekend and the Wealth of Nations Super Industry tiles arrived today.

[hepcat]

hepcat does did have a tendency to hoard the potions which will be fixed next game.

I picked up the Small World Tales & Legends expansion this weekend and the Wealth of Nations Super Industry tiles arrived today.

I was going to disagree, but then I realized you're 100 percent right. I DID hoard those damn things AND I kept forgetting to use them.

I need to pick up the ruins and relics expansion this weekend. It has even more potions and introduces magic weapons/items and events that change up the encounters.

I also wish I'd had a chance to play Kochina, but once you told me that Cat and Mouse had copies of Cutthroat Caverns, I just had to rush over and get one (they're out of stock until October everywhere I've checked after playing it at Origins).

and D'OH! I forgot about Small Wonder and the expansions you had! I wanted to play that!

[LordMortis]

Carson City - Worker placement in the Wild West, so there are shootouts too! I probably should have reread the rules more than once before trying to teach it, and then I got caught up in my Saloon strategy. I expect this game to get nastier the more we play.

Reading the rules, I thought I had wasted $60 (or was it more) and that they game would have no longevity. But there is actually a lot going on there and a lot of room for varied cut throat (six gun?) tactics. After five games or so we've barely scratched the surface and haven't even tried any of variants or the "advanced" game. The basic game is good enough to just play out for a while.

Cutthroat Caverns - Much more fun than expected, and excellent with a group of 6 people who are into it. One of my Elk Grove friends loves Player-vs-Player (and usually plays the role of spoiler), so this fit his attitude perfectly. We had a great time interfering with each other's attempts to get the killing blow on monsters. hepcat does did have a tendency to hoard the potions which will be fixed next game.

Sounds interesting. Tell me more.

[hepcat]

Cutthroat Caverns is an indie game that won the Origins best card game award in 2007. It's VERY easy to learn, but the encounters are nuanced with specific rules that affect gameplay.

Basically, you have a hand of cards that could include:

Attack - damage the encounter monster
Action - screw your neighbor by making him miss his turn, make him lose a card, make you miss a turn for more damage next turn, etc..
Items/Potions - buffs

Each turn (there are 9) a new encounter (or monster) is revealed and each player plays a card from the above list. The person who deals the killing blow gets the card, and the prestige points listed on the encounter. At the end of the game, the person with the most prestige points wins. That's it. However, each encounter has a specific set of rules detailing how it takes damage, how it attacks, etc.. Sometimes they can be a bit convoluted, but they're never dull.

It's a game of kill stealing, so if you have friends who are easily angered when getting screwed over in a game, this is NOT the game for them. You need to have a good sense of humor for it.

I really enjoyed it at Origins so I had to get a copy. I see it as the perfect "filler" game for those times when you want something fast, furious and uncomplicated.

There are a slew of expansions that add a number of encounters, heroes, items, etc. to the game. The base game is 30 bucks and all the expansions are around 25. You can pick and choose what you want without any need to follow a specific upgrade path. Plus, according to the developer's post on BGG, they've got a campaign book coming up that adds life via a persistent world mechanic.

p.s i'm also still lovin' Summoner Wars for the same reasons. Another fast, simple game that is just fun without all the rules references.

[LordMortis]

It's a game of kill stealing, so if you have friends who are easily angered when getting screwed over in a game, this is NOT the game for them. You need to have a good sense of humor for it.

That's me. But at least I also have the good sense of humor. Or at least I think I do. Gaming is ultimately about "it's all in good fun" so I'll have to talk someone into getting this.

p.s i'm also still lovin' Summoner Wars for the same reasons. Another fast, simple game that is just fun without all the rules references.

I'm all about the beer and pretzel gaming. Where's all this at OctoCon?

[hentzau]

It's a game of kill stealing, so if you have friends who are easily angered when getting screwed over in a game, this is NOT the game for them. You need to have a good sense of humor for it.

That's me. But at least I also have the good sense of humor. Or at least I think I do. Gaming is ultimately about "it's all in good fun" so I'll have to talk someone into getting this.

p.s i'm also still lovin' Summoner Wars for the same reasons. Another fast, simple game that is just fun without all the rules references.

I'm all about the beer and pretzel gaming. Where's all this at OctoCon?

I usually bring several beer and pretzel games to OctoCon, they just get lost in the shuffle it seems. And you seem to get sucked into six hour games of Dungeonlords.

[LordMortis]

I usually bring several beer and pretzel games to OctoCon, they just get lost in the shuffle it seems. And you seem to get sucked into six hour games of Dungeonlords.

Next time it will be Ace of Aces (I think that's what it was called).

BTW, while I wouldn't plan the OctoCon weekend on my calendar, the weekend of the first is out. The Weekend of the 9th is a rough call, as it is my birthday weekend. And I don't know if that should be my present to myself or if I should do something else as my present to myself. I could make that commitment but it might not be wise on my part, as drinking myself in to oblivion might seem like a good idea at the time even knowing it's really really not a good idea. The weekends of the 23rd and 31st are out for Halloween and Theatre Bizarre.

But the weekend of the 17th is still completely open for the moment.



Edit and back on topic

We played Titan (which I did embarrassingly bad at), Domion with the new expansion which is OK but not great and Race For The Galaxy with new expansion which we will probably house rule down the effect of prestige leads for. The prestige lead seems broken or at least it does in a three player game.

[hentzau]

I usually bring several beer and pretzel games to OctoCon, they just get lost in the shuffle it seems. And you seem to get sucked into six hour games of Dungeonlords.

Next time it will be Ace of Aces (I think that's what it was called).

Wings of War. And that game goes really quickly. Just pull the explosion card or fly off the end of the table accidentally.