I got my Elder Scrolls and the first expansion (game bundle reward) today. 29 pounds of chip theory gaming. Going to unbox now. However, I will not be making either a reaction or unboxing video.
Did you get a shipping notification first or did it just show up? Seeing lots of folks getting theirs and I'm eager for mine to arrive as well.
Not sure why, as I still have a bunch of games from Christmas that I haven't even played yet, but still...
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
I got a shipping notice on Monday. I'm in Chicago, so I'm fairly close to their warehouse. It appears they shipped the gameplay bundle's first. The all in stuff and the core only are shipping soon though.
I do wish I'd added a few more quality of life things to my pledge (those character holders are sweet looking), but I can grab those at the next convention they're at, I guess.
hepcat wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2025 10:26 am
Aaaannndddd I just got notification that my Death May Die kickstarter for Fear of the Unknown has finally shipped. That will be my LAST CMON game thanks to the last two crappy campaigns I backed with them. Nothing like looking at a game you're waiting on in stores for the last 5 months while you wait for your copy. Nice reward for being one of the people who helped make it possible (in their words).
I don't want to ruin your excitement, but I received the same notification last week and was looking forward to finally getting something I paid for (checks notes) in November of 2022. When I click on the tracking info, it indicates a domestic label was created back in November, so I'm taking this notification to mean it was shipped from China and now it'll be weeks (months?) before it arrives on the East Coast and will then be processed for shipping locally. Their last message indicated was scheduled to arrive on the East Coast by 1/4, but I'm not sure I believe that.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I do not trust CMON anymore and like you, I'm done with them for KS projects. I strongly suspect they're having financial difficulties and it wouldn't surprise me to learn they're in the trap of running one KS to pay for another. Regardless, I honestly have zero interest in this game now, and I doubt I'm even going to open it; it'll go right in resale pile.
Yes, I own the original and all the stuff from the first KS, but I'm realizing I've not even touched the KS stretch goal box from that or 90% of the other materials that shipped with it. As much as I love the miniatures, I just can't justify the space all this will take up anymore. I have plenty of DMD content already. It really is a great game, but I'm not sure I need all of the things.
I don't need 95 percent of the games I have. I'm currently living in a lean to in the parking lot of my building because I had to use up all the space in my place for games.
I'd be right there with you if we didn't move back in 2019 - I had an entire basement of a 2400 sq. ft. house and I'm confident it would look like the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark at this point.
I've used the last two auctions at Games Plus here in the Chicago area to sell off roughly 100 games in the last year. Netting a total of about 2500 dollars...
hepcat wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2025 2:32 pm
I got a shipping notice on Monday. I'm in Chicago, so I'm fairly close to their warehouse. It appears they shipped the gameplay bundle's first. The all in stuff and the core only are shipping soon though.
I do wish I'd added a few more quality of life things to my pledge (those character holders are sweet looking), but I can grab those at the next convention they're at, I guess.
Just checked my e-mail (I registered there with an account I don't use much and only check about once a week) and it looks like I got a shipping notice on Monday. It's scheduled for delivery tomorrow, just in time for the weekend.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
hepcat wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2025 4:14 pm
The rulebook is 94 pages of somewhat small print. Good luck.
There do seem to be several good "how to play" vids online, so that'll be my first stop.
hepcat wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2025 4:14 pm
p.s. Dized is going to have a tutorial at some point. But it's not ready yet.
I've only done one Dized tutorial (Tiny Epic Dungeons, I think) and wasn't terribly impressed. It got stock in a loop multiple times and I just gave up on it entirely
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
I've used a couple with no problem, but this one is probably going to be pretty large. So the odds of an issue are definitely higher.
Chip Theory Games themselves are supposed to be releasing a series of how to play videos shortly. Hopefully even by this weekend.
side note: in the rulebook, I hate how CTG defines areas in a row. They keep referring to "left most open space" which actually means "to the far right of every other die in that row". I get easily confused, obviously.
I got my C:DMD:FOTU package last week and have slowly been looking it over. I am happy I got it, but I think I am completely done with CMON after this. I love Cthulhu Death May Die as a ruleset but CMON just seems to have gotten more and more predatory about the shipping, the delays, and the treatment of the backers.
I am so excited about The Elder Scrolls. I went All-In and it looks like those shipments to the midwest hub were a tad delayed. But hopefully I will have my massive and overwhelming game boxes here in the next few week.
I am also anxiously awaiting Arydia. After their rollercoaster of a development, I am so happy for them to be finally able to release it to the public.
I stopped backing CMON after I realized my FLGS always carried their stuff, and often even their KS exclusives. I got all my C:DMD and Zombicide games from them retail with no issues.
Got an update that Unstoppable! will be shipping next month, so that's likely my next delivery. That's the solo/co-op roguelite deck builder from Renegade. The modular card design looked really cool.
I also signed up to be notified for the Ark Nova big box expansion KS that's coming soon. That one will pretty much be an insta-back.
Elder Scrolls is one of the few KS I'm kicking myself a bit for not backing, particularly since I already have so many other Chip Theory Games. Though to be fair, the timing would have been horrible since I'm already sitting on 3 recently arrived pledges I haven't even cracked the shrink on yet. Looking forward to impressions.
Finished the 97 page rulebook earlier. Going to play tomorrow. But my initial thoughts are that it addresses at least one of my two complaints about Too Many Bones.
One is the small maps that mean you can get boxed in very easily. The other is that the incentive to do anything but increase your health, attack and defense dice at the expense of all those cool dice is minimal if you’re trying to win the game.
The new maps for Elder Scrolls are quite large. Especially the delve and dungeon maps. Movement is now a tactic you can use. However, you still only have 6 rounds before the fatigue rounds start, forcing you to wrap it up pronto.
The training issue I’ll have to see in my games tomorrow though. I think they’ve addressed it, but I’m not sure yet. I will say at first I wasn’t sure about the new ability to “untrain” a skill line, but in thinking about it, it makes perfect sense. It’s like video game rpgs that allow you to respec.
The game itself is only complex because of all the things wrapped around the core tactical combat game. They’ve taken a little Hoplomachus and thrown it in, while expanding the overland game. I do worry about replay value as it is narrative driven. But with 6 books and numerous side quest and guild cards, it should be fun for a while.
Last edited by hepcat on Sun Jan 12, 2025 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Good lord, Elder Scrolls is absolutely brutal. Just got wiped on my very first delve (mini-dungeon).
The first room you open immediately fills your fatigue track (this is by design in the tutorial, btw) so you can't take any actions or use any skills for at least the next turn. You're also hit with a status effects, lose 2 HP (out of 5), and spawn an enemy. The next turn spawned three more enemies, which made short work of my fatigued hero, then mobbed my second hero. Both characters were dead within three rounds. This is the easiest delve and is part of the tutorial. Pretty sure I was meant to survive it no problem, but I got absolutely crushed.
I think I may be doing some house-ruling here (for the short term, at least) just so I can survive and actually have at least a little fun while learning an pretty complex game system.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
The tutorial is a clash, not a delve (the prison escape). Where are you seeing a delve in the tutorial?
Edit: Okay, you’re talking about the Dized tutorial. We only referred to that for setup, then struck out on our own. But we made so many rules mistakes now that I’m checking the Dized tutorial that I wish we had referred to it more.
But man, it was fun figuring out our characters and their strengths. I think they've MOSTLY addressed my earlier stated issues with Too Many Bones with the large maps and the multiple battle types. And from what we played yesterday, I never felt that I should JUST increase my health and stamina and do nothing else to create a strong character. As a matter of fact, we only won one of the clashes with a high armor baddie because the shadow skill line has some awesome freaking skills that allowed me to just wreck it. My friend used his one hand sword and shield skill line that he leveled up to deal an insane amount of damage after spending a few turns setting things up. Overall it was a blast.
After 15-20 hours of reading the manual, watching a couple playthroughs, and going through the Dized tutorial, I’m feeling like I’m just about ready to start my first actual game.
I really disliked the race/class combos I ended up with (Dark Elf Healer and Argonian Delragonknight). Both felt like big mismatches based on their class strengths and I think I can do better there
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
Been notified Arydia has shipped; should be in my grubby little hands on Friday. This is easily the game I've been looking forward to playing the most and nothing I've heard from people that already have copies has changed that.
My Arydia label was created today but the warehouse is close to Chicago.
"A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on." -Terry Pratchett, The Truth "The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it." -Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
We tried to watch Man on the Inside, and I declared to my wife that I would move into a retirement home with the plan to play board games every other day to keep engaged and sharp. Now I just have to save enough to retire and make that happen.
"A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on." -Terry Pratchett, The Truth "The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it." -Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 11:27 pm
Been notified Arydia has shipped; should be in my grubby little hands on Friday. This is easily the game I've been looking forward to playing the most and nothing I've heard from people that already have copies has changed that.
Arydia has been a blast, and has perhaps the best storytelling in a boardgame that I have experienced. My only grips so far is the jump in difficulty at a certain point in the game. I am bout 20 hours, sticking to the classes we chose at inception.
And now it goes to sit next to my copy of Freedom Five, which I still haven’t opened. And Maladum, which I still haven’t opened.
I can’t do this any more. And I really haven’t, for a long while now. I think this is the last of my long-outstanding Kickstarter, so it kind of signals the end of backing board games on KS.
“We can never allow Murania to become desecrated by the presence of surface people. Our lives are serene, our minds are superior, our accomplishments greater. Gene Autry must be captured!!!” - Queen Tika, The Phantom Empire
Zarathud wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 4:51 pm
We tried to watch Man on the Inside, and I declared to my wife that I would move into a retirement home with the plan to play board games every other day to keep engaged and sharp. Now I just have to save enough to retire and make that happen.
BGA FTW! I play on it nearly every day. I don't know that it keeps me sharp and I regularly fall in to the habit of playing favorites rather than discovering new games. Also BGA games favor Parlor games and Next Gen Euro Styled games that really are much almost solo games where you all sit at the same table and play your tiny world until someone or something runs the clock out. I'm OK with that though.
I do need to get at the table with people more and in a more varied environment. Forget the staying sharp part. I need to re-adapt to being a social animal.
LordMortis wrote:BGA FTW! I play on it nearly every day. I don't know that it keeps me sharp and I regularly fall in to the habit of playing favorites rather than discovering new games. Also BGA games favor Parlor games and Next Gen Euro Styled games
All right, twisted my arm. I’ll pay for the subscription and send you my tag. They have It’s a Wonderful World, a really sweet tableau builder.
"A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on." -Terry Pratchett, The Truth "The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it." -Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
LordMortis wrote:BGA FTW! I play on it nearly every day. I don't know that it keeps me sharp and I regularly fall in to the habit of playing favorites rather than discovering new games. Also BGA games favor Parlor games and Next Gen Euro Styled games
All right, twisted my arm. I’ll pay for the subscription and send you my tag. They have It’s a Wonderful World, a really sweet tableau builder.
Don't pay. Join for free and send me your tag. I'm already paying and so is Montag. You've also met RedRun and Remus West at Octocon. Though Remus only plays Terraforming Mars. I know a few others as well. Or let me send you an invite and you can get... something... Not sure if it's free premium for a month or "new game" points toward free premium for a month. For that matter I can send you a TM link for a free month of premium.
I play It's Wonderful World but suck at it. That's OK. You can't be great at all of the games. They also a few others we have played together at Octocon, like Eclipse, I think it was. I'd have to look.
Master of Orion: Ad Astra is an epic 4X space strategy where you command one of six distinct and powerful races. As the leader of a burgeoning space empire, your journey begins with the exploration of uncharted star systems, the colonization of distant worlds, and the relentless pursuit of advanced technologies. Based on iconic PC series Master of Orion.
Does include solo support via automa and I think you can actually solo against 4 or 5 automa controlled factions.
I'm over here jealous. I have no shipping notification for The Elder Scrolls (that's what I get for being a higher-tier backer and buying more stuff, I guess) and my Arydia is sitting at "Label Created." Boooo!
