OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

[Daveman]

If my previous post hasn't sold you already... get the Rise of the Demons expansion for Quarriors. It really adds a lot to the game.

[Isgrimnur]

Four player TtR and a two player game of Catan to round out the holiday weekend.

And both my sister and father managed to jostle the Dominion box at different times, leading to substantial effort to repair the organizational damage and raiding Mom's foam supplies to attempt to prevent future actions from taking place.

[SpaceLord]

If you like deck-building games, you owe it to yourself to try out Eminent Domain. Fantasic.

And I got to play a 3-player Through the Ages game on Black Friday. I'm constantly reminded why this game is #2 across the board on the 'Geek, it's a masterpiece.

[LordMortis]

If you like deck-building games, you owe it to yourself to try out Eminent Domain. Fantasic.

And I got to play a 3-player Through the Ages game on Black Friday. I'm constantly reminded why this game is #2 across the board on the 'Geek, it's a masterpiece.

I hear it's like Race for the Galaxy but with cards.

Speaking of Deck Builders, we played Ascension with expansion(s?) this weekend and it's quite a bit better with it (them?). While it's still resembles the deck builder multiplayer solitaire style of game. Your game decisions impact the other players more so than it did before and more than most other "card shufflers" do.

[Chaosraven]

Played Archenemy magic this weekend, and my daughter fell in love with both Being the Archenemy, and the new allfoil GraveBorn deck. Spent all evening playing Dominion (hinterlands makes for some nifty combos!), then recovered by napping while the kids played Magic all day in various formats (edh, star, emperor, archenemy, 2headed giant).

[El Guapo]

Played Archenemy magic this weekend, and my daughter fell in love with both Being the Archenemy, and the new allfoil GraveBorn deck. Spent all evening playing Dominion (hinterlands makes for some nifty combos!), then recovered by napping while the kids played Magic all day in various formats (edh, star, emperor, archenemy, 2headed giant).

I've been enjoying Archenemy in the "Magic 2012" XBLA game. Playing IRL archenemy, is there an "events deck" for the archenemy like there is in Magic 2012?

[baelthazar]

If you like deck-building games, you owe it to yourself to try out Eminent Domain. Fantastic.

I agree, EmDom is one of the best deck building games I've played. The wife really likes it too. But I have only played two player, so I can't speak to more players.

[hepcat]

And both my sister and father managed to jostle the Dominion box at different times, leading to substantial effort to repair the organizational damage and raiding Mom's foam supplies to attempt to prevent future actions from taking place.

I was driving to a friend's place one afternoon a few years ago and stopped rather abruptly after being cut off...and my Dominion box went flying across the back seat. I immediately pulled over and spent the next half hour finding and then organizing the cards. I have my priorities right...

[hentzau]

Finally got in a game of Ascending Empires last night, after having owned the game for about a year now. It was a 3 player game, and since it was our first game, it was also a learning game, so it took us a long time to finish the game (didn't help that one of the players kept being struck by AP). I really enjoyed it, despite being obliterated by Tommy and Stuart (game ended up something like 42 to 36 to 9.) Stuart and I got into a lengthy battle over control of a gray planet in my quadrant, while Tommy quietly expanded on his side of the board, and eventually got tech that gave him battleships. Then he started tap dancing on my kidneys after I had already been weakened from my battles with Stuart, and then I stalled out on my expansion. I eventually became the punching bag for Stuart and Tommy, with them destroying my starships with impunity. I'm not sure they ever exchanged a shot at each other through the whole game. Stuart eventually came out on top, mostly due to the number of tech advances he was able to claim VPs for.

I really enjoyed this game, despite the drubbing I took. Usual complaints for the game apply with me as well, as I wasn't very pleased with how the board game together in a couple of spots (I had one of the worst bumps in the board right near my homeworld). Also, because of my constant attempts to push down those spots, that black board seemed to absorb every bit of oil that I had on my skin, making these "oil slicks" in space (and that bugged me a lot.) I would love to have a custom MDF or plywood board made for this, but I don't think my woodworking and artistic skills are up for the challenge of doing this. And I don't think this one will hit the table very often, because of Tommy's general dislike of "flicking" games. So this one may be relegated to the two player and Octocon piles.

And last Monday Tommy and I played a game of Star Trek Fleet Captains. It was in general a pretty bleh experience. We both ended up with very small sized ships in our fleets, and almost no combat ships, so we spent our time cruising our quadrants of space and not really engaging. Tommy's side of the quadrant was COVERED with nebula, so he had both lengthy travel times as well as very few resources to build colonies. I had plenty of planets, but I didn't get a single encounter during my explorations, which made for a kind of boring start of play. Evenutally Tommy limped to a victory as we were trying to both out-wimp each other. Most disappointing game of FC I've had yet.

So that was two dud game weeks in a row for Tommy. Next week I let you pick the game, Tom. I owe you one.

[IceBear]

Played Archenemy magic this weekend, and my daughter fell in love with both Being the Archenemy, and the new allfoil GraveBorn deck. Spent all evening playing Dominion (hinterlands makes for some nifty combos!), then recovered by napping while the kids played Magic all day in various formats (edh, star, emperor, archenemy, 2headed giant).

I've been enjoying Archenemy in the "Magic 2012" XBLA game. Playing IRL archenemy, is there an "events deck" for the archenemy like there is in Magic 2012?

Yes, you get a group of "event cards" that match the theme of the archenemy deck that you are buying.

http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/produc ... roductinfo" target="_blank

[hepcat]

Star Trek Fleet Captains has a lot of warts, but I think they can be addressed with some good expansions...if it sold enough copies to warrant one, that is. I'm worried about that since it was on the sale table at our local gamestore Saturday night for 60 bucks.

[Tommy20]

So that was two dud game weeks in a row for Tommy. Next week I let you pick the game, Tom. I owe you one.

[Jow]

Star Trek Fleet Captains has a lot of warts, but I think they can be addressed with some good expansions...if it sold enough copies to warrant one, that is. I'm worried about that since it was on the sale table at our local gamestore Saturday night for 60 bucks.

The $100 retail price point baffles me a little - I've seen plenty of games that had significantly more, higher quality bits (read: Earth Reborn) for significantly lower prices than ST:FC goes for. Perhaps it's a licensing thing?

[Chaosraven]

Played Archenemy magic this weekend, and my daughter fell in love with both Being the Archenemy, and the new allfoil GraveBorn deck. Spent all evening playing Dominion (hinterlands makes for some nifty combos!), then recovered by napping while the kids played Magic all day in various formats (edh, star, emperor, archenemy, 2headed giant).

I've been enjoying Archenemy in the "Magic 2012" XBLA game. Playing IRL archenemy, is there an "events deck" for the archenemy like there is in Magic 2012?

as icebear noted, the decks come with some. Once you have a batch, you can build your own. 20 schemes, no more than 2 copies of a single scheme.

Played Chaos Marauders with the lil'uns last night.

[El Guapo]

One issue that I do have with Archenemy is that it really adds a ton of luck into the game, on top of what already exists. Like, there's one scheme which is "destroy all non-land permanents of target player." That's game-changing if it shows up on turn 10 (say), but completely worthless if it shows up on turn 1.

[hepcat]

Star Trek Fleet Captains has a lot of warts, but I think they can be addressed with some good expansions...if it sold enough copies to warrant one, that is. I'm worried about that since it was on the sale table at our local gamestore Saturday night for 60 bucks.

The $100 retail price point baffles me a little - I've seen plenty of games that had significantly more, higher quality bits (read: Earth Reborn) for significantly lower prices than ST:FC goes for. Perhaps it's a licensing thing?

Trust me, you are far from the only one who's questioned that price point in light of the numerous quality control issues the game had. I've always said it's not a 100 dollar game when viewed in terms of components. Earth Reborn has stellar production quality and almost half the cost. It has to be licensing, that's the only thing I can guess would drive up the cost that much.

If they released race expansions (Klingon, Borg, etc.) at about a 30 to 40 dollar price point, it would go a long way towards keeping the game moving.

[Chaosraven]

One issue that I do have with Archenemy is that it really adds a ton of luck into the game, on top of what already exists. Like, there's one scheme which is "destroy all non-land permanents of target player." That's game-changing if it shows up on turn 10 (say), but completely worthless if it shows up on turn 1.

That's entirely the point.

Most Archenemy games we play is at LEAST four players versus the one guy.

And in circumstances like that, the Archenemy is STILL supposed to win more often.

I played the new all foil GRAVEBORN precon against the four kids, and the first turn I had the scheme that you either go through your library to find a creature and put it in your hand, or put one into play from your hand.

I had Crosis the Purger in my hand, and starting turn 3 (when I had the 3 black) started nuking peoples hands.

You could pretty well play a deck of all commons with very little strategy involved, but a decent collection of schemes and give the others a run for their money with them playing PreCon World Championship Decks {which we have tried...]

[Chaosraven]

Oh, take turns being the Archenemy.

And that one time in twenty that the Heroes win is really that much sweeter

[baelthazar]

So I am hosting a game night this Saturday and I should have 4-5 players. I have so many games that are unplayed or underplayed that I am having trouble deciding what to bring. I thought I would see what people here thought.

Four Player Choices:
Runewars
Conquest of Nerath
Legend of Drizzt
Eminent Domain
SM Civilization

Five Player Choices:
Descent
Mansions of Madness
Fortune and Glory
Battlestar Galactica

Either number of Players:
Urban Sprawl (I've heard this is best with 3 players though)
Dominant Species
Gears of War
Merchants and Marauders

Of course we could always fall back on the group favorite of Twilight Imperium.

I was thinking something competitive, as I can play co-ops solo or with fewer people. I'm leaning toward bringing BSG, but I haven't had a chance to play Merchants and Marauders, Dominant Species, or Urban Sprawl. My group probably lends itself toward more "ameri-trash" than Euro though, and I'm not sure DS or US would be the best bet at the moment. It would be great if I could get two games in, but with many of these it just isn't feasible.

Any thoughts from the peanut gallery?

[MythicalMino]

well...looks like A Game of Thrones, 2nd Edition is now out. I want this...but do I really want to spend the money on it?

[SpaceLord]

baelthazar, I'd try out Urban Sprawl. It's awesome.

[hentzau]

Merchants and Marauders is four players top. And Legend of Drizzt is up to five players, but plays well with four.

So based on your criteria, my choices (based on what I've actually played) would be:

4 Players: Merchants and Marauders
5 Players: BSG

Honorable Mention: Legend of Drizzt

The advantage of LoD is that it is a relatively short game...in the same amount of time that it takes you to get in a game of M&M or BSG, you can get in a couple of games of LoD. I'd be hard pressed to between M&M and LoD. Love both of them.

Other thoughts: M&M does have a steep learning curve (lots of stuff to keep track of) but it oozes theme, and is absolutely gorgeous. Long game though...we've had games take upwards of 3 hours. Conquest of Nerath is a lot of fun, if you enjoy Risk-type games. They set the game up so that you have to get into conflict RIGHT AWAY. No spending several turns maneuvering around for position, just start walloping your neighbors right away. I vastly prefer LoD over Descent, but with the right group Descent is a fun three hours spent.

[Remus West]

I think our games of M&M have been around an hour discounting set up time. The first few went longer than that but once you get rolling it goes pretty smooth.

[Boudreaux]

Our group pretty much refuses to play Descent with more than 3 players - it turns into a tedious, never-ending dungeon slog. I would absolutely nix that with 4 or 5.

BSG would be tops on my list, especially with 5 players. BSG games turn into stories you remember for years. Legend of Drizzt would be my second choice, just because it keeps all the great D&D flavor while removing the fiddly crap that drags down Descent. Mansions of Madness isn't bad if everyone's good with the theme, although it does seem to have a lot of player down time with more than 3 players. Have not played Merchants and Marauders, so can't comment there.

well...looks like A Game of Thrones, 2nd Edition is now out. I want this...but do I really want to spend the money on it?

I have the first edition, plus the Clash of Kings expansion. It's high on the list of games I'll never get rid of, and most of the games I've played have been epic, unforgettable experiences. Easily one of my favorite games of all time.

That said, I've played it maybe twice in the last 3 or 4 years. You almost have to have the full complement of 5 players, and 6 is even better. I don't know if the 2nd edition changes that, but getting that many people together who all want to play it has been really, really difficult for us. If you have a group like that, it's a must-buy.

[hentzau]

I think our games of M&M have been around an hour discounting set up time. The first few went longer than that but once you get rolling it goes pretty smooth.

Not sure if the two three hour games we had were oddities, but the shortest game of it that we've played was about an hour and a half, and that was just because one player got extremely lucky with a bunch of merchant raids and racked up the Glory Points quickly. Even the BGG entry says the average play time is 3 hours, so you guys must have some speedy pirates.

[El Guapo]

Yeah, I loves me some BSG as well, and 5 players is generally agreed to be the ideal number.

[Remus West]

I think our games of M&M have been around an hour discounting set up time. The first few went longer than that but once you get rolling it goes pretty smooth.

Not sure if the two three hour games we had were oddities, but the shortest game of it that we've played was about an hour and a half, and that was just because one player got extremely lucky with a bunch of merchant raids and racked up the Glory Points quickly. Even the BGG entry says the average play time is 3 hours, so you guys must have some speedy pirates.

I could be way off too. The games just seem to move pretty well for us. We could also be doing something wrong rules-wise.

[LordMortis]

I can't imagine what we'd be doing wrong that would change the speed of the game that much.

My biggest fear for M&M has been that it won't that deep of a game and playing it will be just going through the motions but I suspect as we play it more and more there will be a turning on the winning player, causing more player vs player combat which is something we have very little of. Even then I don't think it will extend the duration by that much. Our ship to ship combats take only a minute or two apiece to run through. Maybe extend that to five minute player to player.

I suspect that our games are 45 minute to an hour and a half precisely because we move through it quickly, not because we do anything wrong. Turns are taken in seconds until something "different" happens because we already know what we want to do. We also play with 3 players and I'd imagine that clutters up the seas much less, so we avoid pirates and navy frigates easier, making us sink less often, store booty less often, and get to our upgrades quicker.

Hentzau,

It is not uncommon in our three player games to have a player upgrading a ship by the third round. That's usually 2 glory point right there (one for swapping three of a desired good resulting in 18 or more gold collected and one for upgrading the ship). If that player is truly lucky, he's one turn away addressing a rumor. After your ship is upgraded, points can move fast and furious. Where a lucky player can work on a plan to get a glory point somewhere between every turn and every other turn. Where our games go quickly is that we don't plan to stop someone's lucky plan from being completed until it's too late to stop them.

[baelthazar]

If we have four, I'm thinking M&M or perhaps Conquest of Nerath (the easy Risk-style, mixed with the team gameplay might be nice). I would like to get a round of Runewars in, but I fear the teaching will take longer than the playing. With a 1-3 hour game, we can afford two games (from 1:00pm-9:00pm is fine).

I might shoot for Urban Sprawl though, as I think it might be quite good with 4. If I have 5, that is a bit too many.

I think you all are right, if I get all 5, then I'll probably push for BSG. Easy to teach, easy to jump into, and about a 3 hour playtime. Then we can clean up with some Legend of Drizzt for lighter play.

Another option I forgot is Imperial 2030. That is such a good game, and most of the players know how to play it.

[El Guapo]

Another option I forgot is Imperial 2030. That is such a good game, and most of the players know how to play it.

I've had my eye on that game for some time now - it looks awesome. But then I have so many games already that haven't hit the table...

Though...what's a standard playtime for Imperial 2030?

[SpaceLord]

I might shoot for Urban Sprawl though, as I think it might be quite good with 4. If I have 5, that is a bit too many.

Urban Sprawl will make sense to your players within 5 minutes of starting. As a hint, though, I'd refrain for a bit in explaining the Politician tiles, and only mention the Mayor when discussing Vocations. Right before the end of the Town deck, I'd stop the game for a bit, and then go over what the other Politician tiles do.

[baelthazar]

Imperial 2030 is a great game that crosses the investment game of Acquire with the area control of Diplomacy (although much easier). The play time is around (my group is slow at games) 2-3 hours. If you get it, I suggest not using the paper money and using poker chips, as that is a more pleasing visual. Some people prefer stock Imperial, but I like the world map of 2030.

Space, how long did Urban Sprawl run for your group?

[Chaosraven]

Played lots of Magic tonight at Nerdsday Night Gaming, and let me say that being the Archenemy versus EIGHT people is ROUGH!

[SpaceLord]

Space, how long did Urban Sprawl run for your group?

With 4, it's probably 3 hours for the first game. Still a great time, though.

[freelunch]

Space, how long did Urban Sprawl run for your group?

With 4, it's probably 3 hours for the first game. Still a great time, though.

it took us about three hours for a first two-player game yesterday. great fun though, and it'll get quicker with experience.

[MythicalMino]

Ordered A Game of Thrones (from Boards and Bits), and it should be here tomorrow. Looking forward to checking it out as I love the books and the show....

[Daveman]

I picked up the Wizard Tower expansion to Castle Panic yesterday and got one game in. Hard to say after one game (a close loss) but I'd say they've done a good job of making the game more challenging but not too difficult... at least playing with the default rules.

The biggest change is a much more interesting variety of monsters. For the expansion setup you remove all of the base game Goblins (1hp) and nearly all of the Orcs (2hp) and Trolls (3hp). They're replaced by monsters with different abilities. Climbing Trolls are 3hp trolls that climb over the castle walls, Goblin Cavalry have 2hp but move forward 2 spaces per turn, a few other creatures are instantly killed when hit in certain arcs but immune to damage in others, etc. The game comes with 1 new boss-level monster and a set of 6 new Mega-boss level monsters. In the recommended setup you randomly add 3 of these Mega-bosses in each game. They have all sorts of powerful abilities (forcing a smaller hand size, randomly teleporting from one arc to another, a ranged fire attack, etc.) and 4-5hp.

To compensate for all this new nastiness there's the Wizard Tower. It replaces one of the normal towers in the castle, and for as long as it's up players who choose to discard 1 card per turn can draw a card from a new Wizard spell deck. These are generally much more powerful/useful attack cards and a bunch of defensive ones too... including a spell that lets players rebuild a tower! There's a few new basic cards added to the game as well... plus a new "fire" mechanic with a set of little fire tokens that can be placed on monsters or hung on walls/towers as well.

Very happy with the purchase. I know there's a lot of Castle Panic fans here... so put this on your Christmas list!

[hepcat]

If my previous post hasn't sold you already... get the Rise of the Demons expansion for Quarriors. It really adds a lot to the game.

Picked it up last night at the game store. Hopefully I'll get in a game next week/weekend. I want to get in a co-op game of the Star Trek Deck Building Game as well.

Also, hoping that Dungeon Run makes its way onto shelves soon. Then I'll take a break...

...for about a month.

sigh...I look at it this way. I used to smoke. That cost me about 140 bucks a month (7 bucks a pack, a pack a day). Spending approximately 50 bucks a month (on average) for board games is both cheaper AND healthier for me. So, in my book, WIN!

[LordMortis]

I'm looking for a release date on Dungeon Run. I have my free shipping $250 worth of games waiting for that one game. So if I spend $250 on games every six months, I'm actually spending less than hepcat, so that's a WIN, right?

[hepcat]

I'm looking for a release date on Dungeon Run. I have my free shipping $250 worth of games waiting for that one game. So if I spend $250 on games every six months, I'm actually spending less than hepcat, so that's a WIN, right?

According to bgg.com, copies are already showing up on store shelves, so I would go ahead and put in that order. I know I probably will today.