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Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:32 pm
by hentzau
hepcat wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:19 pm
hentzau wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:25 pm Glad you enjoyed a two player game of Core Space, Hep. Can't wait to get that one back on the table again.
....and galactic corp ordered.
GalCorp are fun. Are they an enemy? Are they a friend? Who knows?

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:05 pm
by hepcat
The only thing I'm not a fan of are those damn flimsy girders. I already broke one completely in half, and another one is about to go too. :x

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:40 pm
by $iljanus
hepcat wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:05 pm The only thing I'm not a fan of are those damn flimsy girders. I already broke one completely in half, and another one is about to go too. :x
I haven’t broken one yet but you really have to manhandle them when breaking everything down.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:42 pm
by hepcat
I’m just not going to use them from now on, I’ve decided.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:51 pm
by $iljanus
I like the aesthetics of the girders so I’ll keep using them till they break or get tired of using them. :D

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:25 am
by Blackhawk
I strongly recommend getting some brush-on superglue and brushing it over all of the connectors for the girders, terrain decorations, and so forth. I'm not talking about gluing them together, just brush it on the edges and let it dry. It soaks into the cardboard and turns it as hard as plastic instead of it being flimsy and fraying. It also works for weak points, as it's almost entirely invisible.

If you intend to color the edges (IE - get a set of markers and make the edges match the faces rather than being cardboard-brown), do that before the super glue, as it seals it and makes it hard to color.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:35 am
by hepcat
excellent, thanks for the tip!

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 5:36 pm
by baelthazar
Woah... I would have never thought of this. Those girders are a PITA, so I am happy to try this!

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:38 pm
by $iljanus
Blackhawk wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:25 am I strongly recommend getting some brush-on superglue and brushing it over all of the connectors for the girders, terrain decorations, and so forth. I'm not talking about gluing them together, just brush it on the edges and let it dry. It soaks into the cardboard and turns it as hard as plastic instead of it being flimsy and fraying. It also works for weak points, as it's almost entirely invisible.

If you intend to color the edges (IE - get a set of markers and make the edges match the faces rather than being cardboard-brown), do that before the super glue, as it seals it and makes it hard to color.
I think you mentioned this before. Probably should sticky it since it’s a great idea! :)

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:18 am
by Blackhawk
To be fair, it's not my idea. I saw it somewhere, tried it, and was happy enough that I'm just relaying it.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:30 am
by Blackhawk
I found a before-and-after of Battle Systems terrain showing the effect of using markers on the edges. Look especially a the corners and where the upper and lower stories meet, plus the barrels, roof edge, etc. It's more dramatic in Core Space given the bright colors and patterns, especially on things like crates. Since I have both Core Space and a smattering of their fantasy terrain, I bought a set of colored sharpies that did the trick perfectly. The only thing I had a problem with was the white items in Core Space. I couldn't find a white marker that didn't just soak in, so I just used a paint brush and white miniature paint.

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Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:05 am
by YellowKing
You guys have inspired me to glue/marker my Core Space stuff. That might be my project this weekend. I still need to get that to the table properly.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:34 am
by $iljanus
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:30 am I found a before-and-after of Battle Systems terrain showing the effect of using markers on the edges. Look especially a the corners and where the upper and lower stories meet, plus the barrels, roof edge, etc. It's more dramatic in Core Space given the bright colors and patterns, especially on things like crates. Since I have both Core Space and a smattering of their fantasy terrain, I bought a set of colored sharpies that did the trick perfectly. The only thing I had a problem with was the white items in Core Space. I couldn't find a white marker that didn't just soak in, so I just used a paint brush and white miniature paint.

Image

Image
Why are you making more work for me with those nice pictures? :P

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:44 am
by Blackhawk
Spite.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:24 am
by $iljanus
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:44 amSpite.
insert middle finger emoji here

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:30 am
by wonderpug
I shouldn’t be looking into this, but which Core Space add-ons would you guys say are essential or highly recommended?

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:57 am
by Blackhawk
$iljanus wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:24 am
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:44 amSpite.
insert middle finger emoji here
Which one? We have several: :obscene-birdiedoublegreen: :obscene-birdiedoublered: :obscene-birdiered:

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:59 am
by $iljanus
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:57 am
$iljanus wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:24 am
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:44 amSpite.
insert middle finger emoji here
Which one? We have several: :obscene-birdiedoublegreen: :obscene-birdiedoublered: :obscene-birdiered:
Too lazy to look for some. But I didn’t know we were so well stocked with profane smilies!

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 11:38 am
by Blackhawk
PG-13 no more. Swearing! Nudity! Drunkenness! Drugs! Suicide! Toilet humor! Violence! We have it all!

:angry-cussingblack: :angry-cussingwhite: :obscene-birdiedoublegreen: :obscene-birdiedoublered: :obscene-birdiered: :obscene-buttmoon: :obscene-buttred: :obscene-buttsmiley: :obscene-buttsway: :obscene-drinkingchug: :obscene-drinkingdrunk: :obscene-fart: :obscene-hanged: :obscene-sexualvlick: :obscene-smokingjoint: :character-burgerking: :obscene-smokingpimp: :obscene-smokingred: :obscene-tolietpush: :orcs-birdies: :orcs-buttshake: :puke-huge: :puke-front: :puke-right: :violence-instagib: :violence-hammer: :violence-shootself:

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 11:42 am
by $iljanus
Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 11:38 am PG-13 no more. Swearing! Nudity! Drunkenness! Drugs! Suicide! Toilet humor! Violence! We have it all!

:angry-cussingblack: :angry-cussingwhite: :obscene-birdiedoublegreen: :obscene-birdiedoublered: :obscene-birdiered: :obscene-buttmoon: :obscene-buttred: :obscene-buttsmiley: :obscene-buttsway: :obscene-drinkingchug: :obscene-drinkingdrunk: :obscene-fart: :obscene-hanged: :obscene-sexualvlick: :obscene-smokingjoint: :character-burgerking: :obscene-smokingpimp: :obscene-smokingred: :obscene-tolietpush: :orcs-birdies: :orcs-buttshake: :puke-huge: :puke-front: :puke-right: :violence-instagib: :violence-hammer: :violence-shootself:
And that’s why we don’t put that stuff in the initial choices for smilies! Oh my stars! clutches pearls

(But the Burger King smiley randomly popping up in the middle of that group is the scariest one of all :shock: )

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:35 pm
by hentzau
wonderpug wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:30 am I shouldn’t be looking into this, but which Core Space add-ons would you guys say are essential or highly recommended?
My opinions, of course.

First purchase, I bought several extra crew sets. I wanted the variety in crew members, plus you get a lot of extra equipment for your adventures.

After that there are two supplements that I would really recommend, Shootout at Zeds and the Galactic Corps. The both give you a new set of enemies/allies depending on what's on the table. Plus Zeds has a really great extra piece of terrain, Zed's bar.

The Deluxe Rulebook is really nice, but not truly necessary. it has more art, more behind the scenes stuff, and some optional rules.

Dangerous Days is a great addition to the game. It ups the difficulty in the game, plus gives you a new campaign, plus some additional rules.

And look carefully at additional Sci-Fi terrain. It's all compatible with Core space, and give you some neat options like sick bays and detention cells, and the like.

I haven't had a chance to kick the tires on any of the newer suppliements like Rogue Purge or Shift Change.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:44 pm
by Carpet_pissr
Anyone have or play Castles of Burgundy? I’ve really enjoyed Der Siedler Von Catan in a former life, but not really much of a board gamer these days. I saw a comment on a Amazon to the effect “if you liked Settlers.. “

Currently on sale on Amazon for $30 (anniversary edition).

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 12:37 am
by Anonymous Bosch
Carpet_pissr wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:44 pm Anyone have or play Castles of Burgundy? I’ve really enjoyed Der Siedler Von Catan in a former life, but not really much of a board gamer these days. I saw a comment on a Amazon to the effect “if you liked Settlers.. “

Currently on sale on Amazon for $30 (anniversary edition).
I do, and while many of the discussions here largely revolve around the cult of the new, I think Castles of Burgundy still holds up as one of the most enjoyable Stefan Feld "point salad" Euro games around (which is reflected by the fact that it currently stills ranks as the 15th best overall game on BGG). Quite honestly, the artwork of the anniversary edition and the original version both look ugly in their own different ways, but the fundamental gameplay mechanics are where the elegance of the game truly emerges. You come to realise the game’s mechanisms both make sense and exhibit some truly ingenious mathematical symmetry. And the game is absolutely stuffed to the gills with interesting decisions to be made throughout.

The GameBoyGeek review below provides a decent overview of how it plays and where the appeal lies:


Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:17 am
by Ralph-Wiggum
Castles of Burgundy is a very good point saladish game; lots of different strategies to get points. And I think it scales pretty well from 2 to 4 players. As mentioned, it is not the prettiest game and can be initially intimidating, but once you learn the mechanisms it really isn't too bad.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:39 am
by baelthazar
hentzau wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:35 pm
wonderpug wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:30 am I shouldn’t be looking into this, but which Core Space add-ons would you guys say are essential or highly recommended?
First purchase, I bought several extra crew sets. I wanted the variety in crew members, plus you get a lot of extra equipment for your adventures.
This is pretty crucial, IMHO. The crew packs come with nice new equipment and rules for the particular crews. And you get a good pack of new models at a very decent price. I had a hard time choosing which ones, so I think I got almost all of them.
hentzau wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:35 pm After that there are two supplements that I would really recommend, Shootout at Zeds and the Galactic Corps. The both give you a new set of enemies/allies depending on what's on the table. Plus Zeds has a really great extra piece of terrain, Zed's bar.
IMHO, I would get Galactic Corps before Shootout at Zeds. I like the teleporter terrain and I am more drawn to the theme of having the law show up and potentially help, potentially hinder your adventure. That said, the truth is you want BOTH, because then you can get gangs vs. lawmen battles happening around you, while the Purge comes in to ruin everyone's day.

My main caveat is that, while the terrain is great and the new models are very cool, I would say Purge Outbreak! for later. It adds more Purge, which is likely the last thing you needed. Also, the Purge in the core set are difficult enough to deal with, and the Outbreak Purge are even more difficult. The Annihilator and Mother are high powered.
hentzau wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:35 pm The Deluxe Rulebook is really nice, but not truly necessary. it has more art, more behind the scenes stuff, and some optional rules.
I really like the Deluxe Rulebook, so I would get it as soon as you can. I just like having everything in one place in a nice hardback. YMMV.
hentzau wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:35 pm I haven't had a chance to kick the tires on any of the newer supplements like Rogue Purge or Shift Change.
I sat down to play with Shift Change and just couldn't quite figure out the rules for the NPCs. It adds quite a bit of new behavior and a "locking" mechanic that I was not prepared for when I started the game (you have to have characters that can unlock the things the NPCs locked down). Some people say it is critical to make the game feel more "alive" but I was a little underwhelmed by what it added and overwhelmed by the new rules. That said, that reflects my feelings more than anything else.

To be brutally honest, you don't really need ANYTHING new at first, with the exception of new crews. When I first got my core box, I thought it was lacking in content. Boy was I wrong. You have enough there for hours of great gaming. New modules add more complexity and new rules, which even makes replaying old content feel fresh. So my main suggestion would be to grab the core and some crews and then play that for a while, before grabbing Zeds or Galactic Corp.

And when the new KS gets fulfilled, if you backed at the All-In level, you would have so much gaming goodness that one might never feasibly see the end of the content.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:06 am
by hepcat
Have you tried the campaign in the core set solo yet?

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:40 pm
by Carpet_pissr
Anonymous Bosch wrote:
Carpet_pissr wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:44 pm Anyone have or play Castles of Burgundy? I’ve really enjoyed Der Siedler Von Catan in a former life, but not really much of a board gamer these days. I saw a comment on a Amazon to the effect “if you liked Settlers.. “

Currently on sale on Amazon for $30 (anniversary edition).
I do, and while many of the discussions here largely revolve around the cult of the new, I think Castles of Burgundy still holds up as one of the most enjoyable Stefan Feld "point salad" Euro games around (which is reflected by the fact that it currently stills ranks as the 15th best overall game on BGG). Quite honestly, the artwork of the anniversary edition and the original version both look ugly in their own different ways, but the fundamental gameplay mechanics are where the elegance of the game truly emerges. You come to realise the game’s mechanisms both make sense and exhibit some truly ingenious mathematical symmetry. And the game is absolutely stuffed to the gills with interesting decisions to be made throughout.

The GameBoyGeek review below provides a decent overview of how it plays and where the appeal lies:

Yeah, I think I read somewhere that’s it’s visually hideous and cheaply made. :(

The fact that I’m still interested is ...weird.

Edit: no longer interested. Back up to $50. Problem solved!

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:47 am
by Skinypupy
I'll say one thing for the worldwide chip shortage, it's certainly been helping my board game collection as I watch all the money I had set aside for a PS5 slowly trickle away to new games. :lol:

Picked up Overboss for a $15 discount because one corner of the box was banged up. Definitely a steal at $30. I was iffy on it because it's a Boss Monster spinoff, a game I thought was very meh.

Overboss is a surprisingly quick, fun, puzzly game that has you drafting both locales and monsters and placing them on your board to score points. Different locales score differently based on how many of them are on the board, what they're next to, and if they border a water or mountain edge. Monsters then score for how many you have in a row, with a few more unique multipliers and effects in play. Plays like a combination of Sushi Go and Minecraft Builders & Biomes, basically.

I only played solo, but I loved how the game sets up and plays very quickly. Played 5 games in a little over an hour tonight. It's mainly a high score chaser, but there's a solo campaign you can play as well. Once you get the hang of it, the game moves quickly but has enough strategic decisions to be quite fun. I can't wait for the kids to give it a try tomorrow.

My only gripe was that in my 5 games, my scores were 55, 57, 57, 54, and 55...all of which are about mid-range on the score table. Interestingly, I got to those similar scores in very different ways. I was playing all 5 games with the same set of "basic" tiles (to get the hang of things), so those scores may look different once I mix in some of the other tiles and the "advanced" game variations.

First impressions were far better than I was expecting, and it seems like this could be a fun, light, game that requires just enough brainpower to stay interesting. Also, I love me a good ergonomic insert, and Overboss has a great one.

I also picked up Tiny Epic Tactics today, but didn't get a chance to give it a try. I'm an absolute sucker for anything that nods to Final Fantasy Tactics, which is what this one is most compared to. Will save that one for tomorrow, after I've had a chance to watch Rodney Smith do his thing. :)

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 2:17 pm
by AWS260
Got my wargame on this weekend with Bayonets and Tomahawks, about the French and Indian War. I'm not a wargamer, and everything I know about that war I learned from A Few Acres of Snow, so I'm not really in position to judge the game. But I had a good time.

The rules are relatively straightforward (although it's definitely wargame, so expect a lot more granularity than your typical board game). I really like how it models the different capabilities of light units, infantry brigades, and artillery. The map plays a critical role in shaping the course of the game: France's fortress at Louisburg is a natural target for a major British offensive, while Britain's southern colonies make juicy targets for raids by French light units.

In our game, my British lost to the French. I over-committed my forces to taking Louisburg, and as a result left myself vulnerable in other key locations. At least I didn't get George Washington killed.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:24 am
by AWS260
Last night I played Pax Viking, the newest entry in the Pax series (Porfiriana, Renaissance, Pamir). It's supposed to be a more accessible, less obtuse Pax game, although I can't speak to that, since I've only played Pamir 2nd edition, which in my opinion is relatively accessible already. In any case, Pax Viking was pretty easy to grok. There are only four possible actions, and all the variability lives on the location cards, which grant a huge variety of special abilities as you occupy different locations.

We had a pretty great time with a 5-player game. One person forged alliances with powerful neutral kingdoms in the Atlantic isles; another built a power base deep in the lands of Rus to the east. I established trade with Persia and India, and used that income and influence to grow my empire in northern Europe, eventually squeaking out a win.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:23 pm
by hepcat
I got that with Pax Renaissance 2nd edition last week. We played Pax Viking Sunday over Tabletop Simulator. It was frustrating for one of the players as they didn't understand you only needed one victory condition to win, and I screwed up by forgetting that the Parley action is what puts followers on the posts you're on. Other than that, it ran a bit too long...but that's more than likely because we had some AP from time to time, plus we were at 5 players and goofing off now and again. And the rules explanation probably chewed up about a half hour.

Overall I like it. I don't agree it's a "family game" like they tried to make it out to be during the kickstarter, but that's fine by me, as I was hoping it would have some meat on its bones. Which it does.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:23 pm
by LordMortis
Carpet_pissr wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:40 pm
Anonymous Bosch wrote:
Carpet_pissr wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:44 pm Anyone have or play Castles of Burgundy? I’ve really enjoyed Der Siedler Von Catan in a former life, but not really much of a board gamer these days. I saw a comment on a Amazon to the effect “if you liked Settlers.. “

Currently on sale on Amazon for $30 (anniversary edition).
I do, and while many of the discussions here largely revolve around the cult of the new, I think Castles of Burgundy still holds up as one of the most enjoyable Stefan Feld "point salad" Euro games around (which is reflected by the fact that it currently stills ranks as the 15th best overall game on BGG). Quite honestly, the artwork of the anniversary edition and the original version both look ugly in their own different ways, but the fundamental gameplay mechanics are where the elegance of the game truly emerges. You come to realise the game’s mechanisms both make sense and exhibit some truly ingenious mathematical symmetry. And the game is absolutely stuffed to the gills with interesting decisions to be made throughout.

The GameBoyGeek review below provides a decent overview of how it plays and where the appeal lies:

Yeah, I think I read somewhere that’s it’s visually hideous and cheaply made. :(

The fact that I’m still interested is ...weird.

Edit: no longer interested. Back up to $50. Problem solved!
I didn't think the quality or visuals are horrible. It's certainly a cut above Steve Jackson in component value and better than my experiences with Asmosdee but those are what I put at the absolute bottom.

Aside from component quality, I just own the base game and can't speak to anything beyond it. It's an acceptable 2-3 player game (that's all I've done) but it's nothing like Settlers unless you think every boad game not named Monopoly or Life is like settlers. Each person have their own building map and take actions on a central board. It's more akin to games like Carson City or Agricola than anything like Settlers. Only instead of worker placement you have dice... with a trading with the bank element...

I think I paid around $30 for the base set and was enjoying it until Terraforming Mars took over every gaming session.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:24 pm
by baelthazar
hepcat wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:06 am Have you tried the campaign in the core set solo yet?
I played the first adventure and it seemed fine. But I played it as a one-off and don't think I "saved" my game state at the end.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:46 pm
by hentzau
A game of Pulp Alley via Zoom…

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Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 8:13 am
by Blackhawk
Nice, how did it go?

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:00 am
by Zarathud
Love those trees. You could stream this setup.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:04 am
by Blackhawk
I know those would go over big on the Pulp Alley Facebook page.

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Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 8:51 pm
by hentzau
Blackhawk wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 8:13 am Nice, how did it go?
Pretty well. We're close to perfecting the Zoom setup. What I need is a better mount for my camera, one that can lower it a few more inches so the players can get a better view of the table. We played hands in the open, so that removes a few surprises. We were playing a musketeer scenario (obviously) and I think it actually worked out fairly well...the musketeers could handle pretty much any ally or follower, but Rochefort was pretty scary. The musketeer player lost track of his ultimate goal (to get plot points off of the table) and so we called it on turn 6 when I pointed out that at that point there was only one character he could get off of the table, so the guards won 4-3 VPs.
Zarathud wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:00 am Love those trees. You could stream this setup.
They're from Monster Fight Club Scenery.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:51 am
by hepcat
Saturday I played a two player game of Pax Renaissance 2nd edition on Tabletop Simulator. I really enjoyed it, and I believe the other player did too as he's talking about ordering a copy.

It really does result in some fun alternate history arising during play. In our game Saturday, I managed to turn Byzantium into a Reformation theocracy and threatened to do the same to Islamic theocracy Mamluke Sultanate to my south. I was trying for the hard to achieve Holy Victory. However, my opponent was able to snag a card that gave him a free republic right before the decks were about to run out and he grabbed a Renaissance Victory.

During our game we sent bishops at each other to silence our region cards, we hit each other with revolts, taxation, trade fairs, etc.. It felt like one giant game of Crusader Kings at times as we influenced things indirectly in most situations (you play medieval bankers and not rulers though).

I'm looking forward to another game soon. If anyone is interested in playing it on TSS sometime with us, let me know. I'd be happy to teach it.

Re: OO Boardgamers, what did you play this weekend?

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 10:28 am
by AWS260
This weekend I played Empyreal: Spells and Steam on Tabletop Simulator. A kickstarter to reprint the game is ending this week, and I wanted to figure out whether I should back it. While I liked the game, I didn't love it, and I won't be backing it. But I kind of wish that someone else in my gaming circle would; it feels like the kind of game that would be fun to put on the table 2-3 times a year.

At its heart, Empyreal is a simple route-building and delivery game. You build routes that connect resources to cities, then deliver those resources to the cities. There are different resources types and terrain restrictions, but the core game is very straightforward.

The interesting part is in the special abilities, which allow you to stretch or break the rules of the game. Each player starts with a slightly asymmetric ability set, then gains more (and more powerful) abilities as the game goes on. The strategy of Empyreal is in making the best use of those abilities.

In our game, I used a one-time power to gain a ton of mana, which let me cycle through deliveries more quickly than anyone else. Someone else used their unique faction ability to strip-mine resources from the map, turning hexes into wasteland. It's chaotic and clever, but at the end of the day the basic resource-delivering felt like it could get old quickly.