Dark Moon is an excellent hidden traitor game that is literally a condensed version of Battlestar Galactica (started off as a fan made variant). It ditches the space stuff, limits actions to mostly “repair” or “executive order”, and players use banks of dice instead of cards to contribute to crises checks.
I think the dice system is brilliant. Everyone secretly rolls behind a screen, then has to submit as least one to the check. 4 of the sides are negative numbers and only 2 are positive. Thus begins the bluffing and trust game of “Sorry guys, it was all negatives!” It works soooo much better than the cards that I’m not sure I can go back to BSG, especially considering that Dark Moon wraps up in only 45-60 minutes.
BTW, scoff at Arkham Horror LCG players who use dedicated, stand-up dice bags and put their chaos tokens in coin capsules at your own risk. Because I thought that was kinda dumb, but decided to try it anyway…
…and oh my god. ITS SO NICE. This is how you should do that!
They’re clear hard plastic “cases” that coin collectors use for coins. But 25mm or 26mm coin capsules are perfect for the chaos tokens in Arkham Horror Card Game.
Basically, cardboard counters will start to fray on the edges with much handling (and these get jostled, stirred, and handled a lot, obviously). The hard plastic protects them, and it also makes it really easy to mix them in a bag and feel like you’re really making random pulls. Plus they make such a pleasing clicky sound in the bag, too.
I recommend BattleCON instead. It’s super deep, fast, simulates fighting games very well, and has a ton of variety for not that much money. Plus it skips expensive miniatures, and if you decide you like it, there’s another couple of sets and expansions for those that end up with dozens of characters.
It doesn’t have the Street Fighter license, though. If that’s the appeal. (I find Street Fighter super bland, at least by fighting game standards, but YMMV.)
It seems like Jasco’s previous Kickstarter for the Mega Man board game got a chilly reception. This looks like one of those Kickstarters where it might be worth it for the miniatures only. They look phenomenal! I can’t say I’m interested in the game they’re attached to. I don’t know what I’d do with the miniatures either, though, so it’s a pass for me.
Wow, guess we had a tabletop day event here and didnt even realize it!
I finally got to play Railways of the World. I’ve been collecting train games this year, and this game has a solid place in my collection. Its not as thinky or competitive as Steam, but I think its much more friendly to non-train gamers. The lovely components in my 10th anniversary edition certainly help too! I think it would be a great game to sit down with some beers and spend an evening with.
I also recently found out that some of my Warhammer friends are starting to get into Bolt Action. I’ve considered getting into a WWII miniatures game for a while, and it seems like a good time to take the dive. I got an army box and an additional tank (I couldn’t resist getting a Tiger, expensive point values be damned!). It looks really fun, and I can’t wait to try it!
