My group takes a long time about teaching though, as we like to understand everything. So you may find yours is happy to just go with the flow for the first game.
My approach in this situation is usually to dish the rulebook out a couple of weeks before and ask them to have a look to see if it’s something that people in the group want to give a go to. If they haven’t even glanced at the rulebook two or three days beforehand then playing it isn’t really a goer and you can avoid a disaster by not trying it.
If no-one in the group is really interested in doing any prep work and just wants to be spoon fed the rules by the “expert” on games night then at least you know the limits on what sort of game you will be able to play.
There are rule videos online and specific rules for each faction. When our boardgaming group plays games of that type, the person who brings the game sends a rules video and we all watch it in advance. Shortens the teach a lot (all you need is a refresher as you play). And if someone is really interested in a faction, they can watch a video about it too.
Playing in a boardgaming group works best if all players are willing to share the load of learning the game, in my experience.
I think Terra Mystica is a brilliant design for how it’s based on a model of competing for valuable space, but also thriving on nearby players, all in the context of insanely asymmetrical powers. But I also think it’s been “obsoleted” by Gaia Project, which is a sci-fi overhaul that sands down a lot of Terra Mystica’s rougher edges, both in terms of gameplay and some really convoluted theming. And I don’t mean that jokingly, like when I say a competing game obsoletes another. I mean that far more literally here. Gaia Project is very much Terra Mystica 2.0.
However, I’m glad to see Terra Mystica itself given a sort of overhaul. Well, “streamlining” sounds like a more appropriate word. “Dumbing down” might work, too, depending on how you feel about Terra Mystica. Although to me it looks like they’ve just cut out half of the components and therefore rules, which just looks weird to my eyes:
That looks like some goofy Photoshop to me! So weird. It’s called Terra Nova – nooooo, that’s the Looking Glass game! – and it’s due out this fall.
-Tom
Huh, that’s interesting. I got really into TM for awhile; played dozens of games on @jsnell’s site. Even after a couple of attempts, I could never get traction on Gaia. And TM is a real pain to teach and therefore bring to the table, so I’ve only played it in person once. This simplified version might be just what I’m looking for.
Here are their bullet points in the press release:
That “multiple 2-player variants” caught my eye. I like the idea of pairing off different powers for unique two-player scenarios. Root comes with a ton of recommended match-ups, including for two-player games. If Terra Nova has a bunch of actual variants based on paired factions, that’s a pretty cool concept.
-Tom
I would love to have the world of Terra Mystica come alive.
They don’t scratch the same itch at all for me, though admittedly I have played 100x more games of TM than GP. GP randomizes too many aspects of the setup for my tastes, and increases the importance of the run of the mill economic systems over the cut throat spatial aspects. The late makes sense as a design goal, of course; a group of players needs tens of plays to understand how to play a new TM map properly. GP can’t expect them to get that understanding within a couple of minutes during setup.
(Sidebar: I think the excessive randomization comes from a desire to prevent anyone from saying anything specific about faction balance. The team must have a lot of scars from the TM discourse around that.)
Anyway, that does make TN pretty interesting from my perspective! They’re clearly keeping the board play the same except for reducing the number of terrains, and the cuts are in the economic system (cults, temples, favours, priests and workers(!) are gone). Just money and So it’s going in exactly the right direction. Let’s see whether TM actually needed that complexity to give enough texture and variability to the board play.
If it is just a gentle onramp for new players, it’ll be disappointing, but I’ll obviously buy a copy anyway.
I can’t compare to the previous editions, but after reading positive thoughts here and elsewhere I picked up Dawn of the Zeds (3rd Edition) and love it. After frequently hearing it discussed alongside Nemo’s War, which I did not enjoy at all, I was hesitant to try another wargames-adjacent thematic solitaire.
But the ungainly mess of options, add-ons, and random events that Zeds provides on top of what I gather is a more standard and predictable States of Siege structure totally work for me! I don’t expect to have any given strategy work, and don’t really even care if I win or lose. The scenario is just exciting to simulate.
I was hoping you’d post! :) Thanks for weighing in, especially since I consider you an instrumental part of helping me appreciate Terra Mystica.
-Tom
The Gaia Project app has a great AI, whereas the Terraforming Mars app’s AI is extremely poor. I play both on my iPad while travelling for work.
Coincidentally played both physically on Monday. First time I have tried the Turmoil expansion for TFM, it really changed the game around with the whole political aspect. Enjoyed it but I wouldn’t want to use it on every play.
I’ve been on a bit it a spree recently. I picked up Air, Land, Sea, the critter version as I thought the WW2 theme was a bit dry. It seems like a fantastic two player bluffing game. I’ve also got the horse racing game Long Shot and Quacks of Quedlinburg on preorder. I was just browsing the local boardgame store the other day and saw that they had three copies of Chinatown just sitting there! I grabbed it as it seems like a game that if you don’t buy when you see it, you might not have another chance. I remember watching the review on SUSD and it seemed to be a cool negotiation type game where you have the freedom to make any kind of deal you like with the other players.
“Critter” version? Is it just a reskin of Air Land & Sea or does it have its own rules? If it’s just a reskin, I can’t imagine how they swap in critters. But if it’s got its own rules, then I’m curious to hear more!
I really like Air Land & Sea, and it’s one of my favorite two-player filler games. Not the main event, but to be played between main events.
-Tom
It is exactly the same game with different art.
Nope, it’s absolutely just a re-skin. I just thought the WWII art was a bit bland. No difference in the versions whatsoever, with exception of the art.
I just finished my first full solo conquest game of Mage Knight. I pulled off a win with Tovak and made 127 points. This point salad was very tasty!
I had a blast learning what to do, especially with the cities. Things were looking kind of grim for about half the game, but I found both cities during the 2nd day. This gave me 3 rounds to prepare and get stronger. I was most fortunate to be able to cast one of my spells several times that allowed me to use the power of a unit in the offer. This helped a great deal.
My next playthrough is going to have to wait though. We have guests coming to stay for about 10 days.
I think I’ll try Arythea when I get the chance again.
How did you learn the game (or maybe you already knew it and this was first time solo)?
I had played the scouting scenario twice, once about 2 months ago, and the other time just this week. I also had watched Ricky Royal’s videos awhile back. There were other videos as well when I first got the game.
I got very distracted the last couple of months. I began making a foamcore insert for the Ultimate Edition. Several things needed to be altered (and I only worked on it on and off), so it took much longer than I expected. Now that it’s done, it works great! That left my table space free to actually play the game.
If anyone based in NYC is looking to order a box insert from Tower Rex, lmk. I am planning to place an order with them soon, and would happily add your item and cover shipping.
I am not in desperate need of box inserts (who is?), but they are a Ukrainian company, so this feels like a nice way to treat myself while supporting the Ukrainian economy.
I have ordered a couple of inserts from them before (Caverna and Eldritch Horror), and can vouch for the quality. Note that delivery time was long (~6 weeks) even before the invasion.
I got a hankerin’ to play some Marvel Champions after someone made me read a Doctor Strange comic book, and I discovered I liked it. I’m also enjoying a pleasant buzz from the energy in the first episode of Ms. Marvel. So I figured I’d dig up my Marvel Champion cards and fling them around, since it’s a fast breezy game, and I haven’t gotten around to playing with the latest characters, who include Doctor Strange and Ms. Marvel.
However, my game came to a halt pretty quickly because I couldn’t remember one of the basic rules. Each hero is has a deck of cards, and the basic concept will be familiar to anyone who’s played one of Fantasy Flight’s collectible card games. There are basically three types of cards: events, upgrades, and allies. Because of the ally cards, a game of Marvel Champions will almost never just be the characters you’re playing with. For instance, Doctor Strange has Wong, as you might imagine, as well as a few others. Ms. Marvel comes with ally cards representing her family members. Anyone with the core set will become intimately familiar with Nick Fury and Mockingbird, as these are core allies until you flesh out your collection a little.
And as you’re playing, sometimes you run into a bad guy with the keyword Guard. This is a pretty basic concept. It just means when you’re facing one of these minions, you can’t attack the main villain. So if you’re fighting Ultron and you draw some sort of drone with Guard, you’ll have to kill it before you’re allowed to attack Ultron. Simple, right?
But can your allies attack the main villain? Does Guard affect them?Lemme just flip to that part of the rules. No, it’s not there. Okay, lemme check over here. Hmm, not there either. Let me read this bit. No, that doesn’t resolve it. What about here? Nope, not there either. Okay, let’s check BGG. Oh my. What about Reddit. Yeesh. The official FAQ. Oh, there isn’t one.
And that’s how my game of Marvel Champions went. No one knows whether Guard prevents minions from attacking the main villain because Fantasy Flight won’t say. All this time, all this content, all these threads on Reddit and BGG discussing the issue, and the largest boardgaming company in the world can’t be arsed to resolve a common situation without a clear answer in the rules. Instead, there is support for both interpretations and a company that has simply opted out of the decision.
I alternate between being thrilled and disgusted with the state of boardgaming. There’s some amazing creative energy flowing into boardgames these days. But there’s also some of the worst of business models spreading unchallenged like rot. Fantasy Flight/Asmodee is printing money with these licenses, but their community support is almost literally non-existent. Right now, no one knows how to play Marvel Champions because the company that made the game won’t tell them. That’s astonishing and dismaying to me.
-Tom
EDIT: Okay, I should confess to some minor dumbness on my part. I’ve been working from the 1.0 rules and trying to resolve rules piecemeal by looking up answers to questions that have been answered in the 1.4 rules released a few months ago. The issue with minions blocking is resolved, but you’d have no way of knowing that unless you realized there are patched rules books available for download. That’s a new one that I appreciate!