Boardgaming 2022: the year of "point salad really isn't very filling"

I’ll admit I’m glad that the Euthia KS died. Firstly, I wonder how they would have gone if there were just a standee version to reduce production costs. Secondly, I just don’t care about minis now. And with every KS seemingly wanting to include them, I don’t care for the extra bulk they inflict on the game box.

I received my shipment from Chip Theory Games yesterday, including Too Many Bones and Burncycle, and now I’m scratching my head wondering where I’ll put them now. Not only did I save a truckton of money on Euthia that ‘looked cool’ but now plenty of space too.

This is brought on by looking at Middara. Far out that KS is insane. I just kept scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling. Not the game for me it looks like. And yet, if I were only just getting into boardgaming, being stupid and naieve, I’d have probably backed it given the volume of content available. And not recognising the drawbacks of trying to singlehandedly solo the game.

Up. Not all the way up. But upper than the single-session game by a fair margin.

Thanks for that, that’s very helpful. Even the Core Gameplay is $675 though. If I had a guaranteed group for the whole thing, then I… well, I still wouldn’t do it, but I’d think about it. As it is, I’d probably just end up soloing it, so, probably TTS is the way to go. I read somewhere that Act 2 and 3 will never come to TTS, but the chances of me ever getting that far are pretty slim anyway.

Gonna have to let this one go, I think.

Yes please! I backed this one fully (my first KS) because I adore how Cole designs games.

Lost Ruins or Arnak - How do people feel about that one? I’m tempted to get it even though I have zero need of it. Thinking of using it to replace Clank! on my shelf, but not sure if it is accessible.

I like it alright. Why not play it on BGA a time or two to see if you like it?

I feel oddly intimidated trying to play games on BGA - maybe a little worried from my experience in video game multiplayer.

As with any of these things your value proposition declines steeply past the core boxes. We did one of the bounty packs. It’s a solid 5-7ish scenarios worth of mostly combat and has a bunch of new monsters, items, etc. (There’s more like 12 scenarios but it branches.) But compared to the core box, much more expensive per hour of play. So you could easily cut down to just the campaign, come to that.

If you’re at all on the fence, skip it, though. Lotta money and space if you aren’t completely sold.

Played Arnak this weekend. I enjoyed it quite a bit but I don’t know how much replayability it would have. I also don’t think it would be a replacement for Clank. There are some surface similarities but no push your luck mechanic and a much stricter timer.

I prefer Dune Imperium over Arnak, but like both a lot. Dune, with the Ix expansion, gets better and better with more plays with the same level of experience among the players.

BGA is fine. I play against randos and rarely get more than a “gg” in the chat. Besides, just get your game group on there and play with them!

Can you play the solo game of Lost Ruins of Arnak on BGA? And does it have the add-on?

Did y’all use the Expedition Leaders add-on? I’ve watched playthroughs because I’m curious about solitaire play, but I don’t think I have any desire to play this without the funky leader asymmetries.

-Tom

No and No.

Well I bet you’re a lot of fun at parties. :(

For the record, as someone who hates 99% of online/digital boardgame implementations, I’m a big fan of BGA. Decent selection and every implementation I’ve seen (four of them?) has been aces. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get ruined.

-Tom

No we didn’t. It was the first play for two of us, and it was at a cafe, so I don’t know if they even had it. Having leader differentiation would definitely help with longevity, especially if it ties in well with the cards.

Yeah, I looked into getting Midarra Chapters 1-3 but balked at the cost. $400 (plus shipping!) is a lot to put into one game for me. I know it’s a big game, but I think I would rather spread that budget out over a few games.

It looks like a cool narrative dungeon crawl, but if I’m honest dungeon crawls are not really my favorite genre. I prefer more adventure type games like Arkham Horror where the combat and such is more abstracted.

BGA is my digital board game site of choice. But, tied for that is Rally The Troops. One developer’s effort there has made some very very solid implementations. I am absolutely loving the chance to play Wilderness War and there are other great games there.

I am part of a board gaming group, we meet sometimes at my place, sometimes at a friends place. We already played Dune:I, Terraforming Mars, Blood Rage … some twice already.

Now is a good time, to pull out games I always wanted to play. I have Root sitting here and waiting. But I fear the teach. All factions are different. I don’t want to have a 1 hour teach to play a game. I don’t know how to get it on the table.

Is Root really hard to teach or am I overthinking it?

One hour is probably an underestimate.

ugh… really? It is supposed to be a great game, but if you can’t teach… maybe I should make a copy of the rule book and hand it out for a week later. Like homework.

It’s one of those games that’s not all that complicated in play but is a pain to understand without context.

The very best method of teaching is probably for everyone to buy the digital implementation and play through the tutorials.