Boardgaming in 2018!

Games
1846

Hm, let’s see.

Root: I’m fond of this one. For a game of it’s complexity, it isn’t too long. The way that the factions work together, and against each other, is fascinating. Something does need to be done about those punk asses in the Woodland Alliance, though.

Redacted: I wasn’t a huge fan, even though I technically won for our team. You see, this game is about trying to figure out who is on your team. Every player receives a card that tells them whether they are Russian or American. Then you get together and steal some documents. You can either steal the documents first or blow up both helicopters that the enemy can summon. We blew up the helicopters. Funny story at the end, but the game was kind of long and frustrating.

I’ll try to write some more later.

1847

I wish Redacted was just a tad less complex, because it’s almost great. I have seen several pretty dramatic betrayals and reversals in it. It just takes too long to remind myself how it all works each time I bust it out (admittedly, a problem with a lot of games).

1848

I’ve played a ton of Chaos and Study over the past few years so while I’d love to play them with you guys I’m also glad I got to try a few new games instead. Next time more days.

We’ve played Santorini before and I always like it but this was enough to motivate me to go order my own copy. That’s when I realized you must have purchased the expansion because you have the cardboard base. Haha, nerd. That thing can’t be good, right? It’s got a bunch of goofy tokens and extra stuff that looks like it would just bog the game down. Do you use any of that? Is it cool? It’s not cool, right?

Lovecraft Letter is a slight upgrade to Love Letter, though I might keep the original around in case I’m ever playing with a non-Lovecraft fan that is new to the games. But maybe those people aren’t worth gaming with.

It’s pretty amazing how much Sol does with so few pieces and a very simple turn structure. I was also surprised how quickly the game moved once we got into it and when it ended I just wanted to keep playing. If it hadn’t been so late when we finished I would have asked for a second game. Tempted to pick up a copy but I don’t even know who I’d play with right now.

Valeria is kind of a weird one. I think it looks good on the table, is easy to play and ends right about where it should end and I do like the resource harvesting and planning out my team. But I really hate the model of “here’s a barely functional game in a box that’s 90% empty and you fill it by buying a bunch of boosters.” I think you said you had already bought a few of the expansions, right? And what we played felt to me like it should be the base game. I’ll gladly play someone else’s copy but I don’t want to deal with that stuff anymore. Just sell me a damn game, I don’t want cards as a service.

Lost Legacy is fine but too similar to Love Letter. I only need one of these games and the other one has Lovecraft now.

Root was really good, I’d definitely play that again. The Woodland Alliance is a great faction. Between this and Vast I guess my asymmetric board game main is “team that’s not on the board most of the time and just annoys people a lot.” I’d really like to check out the other factions at some point. I guess I’m going to have to buy this and Sol and then pay some people to come to board game night at my place.

I want to like Redacted more than I did. By the end of the game I still wasn’t even sure who was on my team, but that’s because I wasn’t playing aggressively enough. I bet if we had played a second game with the same group it would have been better, but Redacted runs longer than it probably should and by the time we finished I don’t think anyone was interested in a second game. That’s too bad, because it seems like there’s some pretty cool potential with all of the different objectives.

Mafia Cigar Box Game is alright. I think the best part is when you’re the don and you get the empty box back and you get to look at the rest of the table and be like you bastards. I’m usually pretty bad at lying games but I still ended up winning 3 rounds of this. Maybe it’s because I’m half Italian.

I liked Witness about as much as I liked The Witness, which wasn’t very much. They’re very different games, but they both make me feel like a jerk for being color blind, so screw those games.

Triplock is a game with a lot of memorization and I actively try to not remember anything so that’s strike one. The game looks nice but there were one or two places where the game seems more concerned with looking cool than it is with making things clear to players, which earns it a thumbs down. So that’s one strike and a thumbs down which everyone knows makes a…Yahtzee. But like a bad Yahtzee. I don’t know.

Vast is cool. All of the factions seemed interesting and I think what turned out to be a close game would have been even closer if I hadn’t wasted my second turn trying to do things that didn’t really help me with my objectives. Not sure if I’m sold on it yet but I’d definitely play it again.

I’ve never played Battle Line but Rise of Cthulhu is frequently pithed down to “Battle Line with Cthulhu” and I’m a big fan of “X with Cthulhu” so that’s fine by me. I’m thinking about picking this up because the only other 2 player card games I have are Yomi, Love Letter and Citadels. Still curious about 7 Wonders Duel, though. Hey, you have that. Say things about 7 Wonders Duel.

1849

Yep. One of my favorite things about Root! Just when you’re getting into the swing of things, it’s over. Root understands it’s better to leave them wanting more than to wear out your welcome.

Some of this is on me. I should have been better prepared to teach it.

Also, note that we just played one of the scenarios. The helicopter and documents stuff is just one way to play. There are, I think, two more scenarios that would probably (?) play differently, and an add-on that gives everyone dynamic missions. Unfortunately, I’m not sure these other ways to play are better because…

Exactly. I think the core concept has a smidge too much stuff stuck onto it, or at least stuff that could have been streamlined or smoothed out. The documents/helicopter scenario is the most basic, and once you start adding more stuff with the other scenarios, I’m concerned it would just fall apart.

That’s a great point. It’s one of those games where the first time you play is all about learning how aggressive you can be. I think in Redacted the answer is “way more aggressive than you were the first time you played”.

There is so much in Santorini that I will sadly never get around to even trying. The number of permutations the good doctor – it was made by an actual doctor and it says so on the box! – built into that game with cards and tokens is utterly absurd. I’ve probably tried maybe 5% of the pieces in that game.

We played with all the expansions except the Agents, and I think that was a mistake since the Agents add a lot. However, except for Agents, the expansions just give you new sets of cards to play and more events to shuffle into the exhausted pile. You can shuffle together all the sets, but I feel it would mess up a bunch of the elegance and personality. So it’s one of those modular games where you pick which bits you’re going to use each time you play. An expansion just gives you a wider range of choices.

But, yeah, the box as you saw it was the base game plus everything else they’ve ever made for it: one boxed expansion and three overpriced card packets. I think they’re on to their next game, so that might be it for Valeria Card Kingdoms.

Ha ha, you played Witness. Also, ha ha, you played The Witness.

We should have played 7 Wonders Duel! Here’s a thing to say about it: 7 Wonders Duel is nothing like 7 Wonders. Also, it’s short, very very interactive, features a clever and simple economic system, and allows lots of ways to advance toward victory. The religion expansion throws in some really cool gotchas. Hmm, why didn’t I show you 7 Wonders Duel? I think because I hadn’t gotten the box out.

-Tom

1850

There is a second Flame & Frost sized expansion for Valeria: Card Kingdoms in production - I guess it was Kickstarted but I missed it so I preordered instead and I believe will still be getting promo goodies.

Might still be an option?

Also there are five overpriced card packets, so if you only got 3 you don’t have all of them.

1851

I’m actually angry right now.

Ok I bought it.

1852

Valeria was my favorite game we played, possibly, while there. You can either hate or like the fact they provide space in the main box for storage.

1853

I very much appreciate when I am provided with space (and ideally, good storage options) in the core box for future expansions we all know they’re going to make. Unless they’re the sort of designer (Vital Lacerda seems to be) that don’t do them, in which case make a really smartly configured box for that exact set of stuff plz.

1854

-Tom

1855

I’m sorry, but I can only tell it like it is.

1856

Wow, Tom, way to ruin my trip.

1857

seconded

1858

Played two new games this weekend.

Targi is a two player game about trading tribes in the Sahara desert, has an interesting mechanic of worker placement in a perimeter of cards around a 3X3 interior of cards. Based on the orthogonal intersections of where your perimeter meeples are placed, you also get some actions in the interior (you cannot place on the interior directly). The opponent cannot place in a column or row you have place in, which creates some very interesting placement/blocking mechanics. Overall I thought this was a very elegant 2 player game. Will play again.

Brass Empire is a steam-punk themed deck builder most similar to Ascension but with more direct player interaction (your units can attack their units). I have a couple of quibbles with the presentation (some of the numbers on the cards are two small), but generally it’s a pretty good design. However, I feel like Ascension already owns the space of deck-builder with units and permanent cards and I don’t feel like Brass Empire adds much. A good effort but the deck building space is pretty crowded with excellent games these days.

1859

Is anyone interested in starting up a Tabletop Simulator group? I have been playing Star Wars Rebellion there and it is great. I would like to try Twilight Imperium 4 next if we can get a group of 4-5 interested. I haven’t been able to get this one to the physical table yet. If Twilight Imperium is too daunting maybe we can start with something like Clockwork Wars. I am on East Coast time and can play most night for a few hours. The beauty of TS is you can save your progress!

Joe

1860

Im in for Twilight Imperium!!! or Star Wars Rebellion! :)

1861

Look me up on steam, I occasionally play with some former qt3rs. We’ve been playing sidereal confluence last couple of times.

Wait steam has actual group capabilities doesn’t it?

1862

I’d be down for TI4 (or Rebellion, really)…that’s one I’ve always wanted to try.

1863

Great! That is four for TI4. Are you all free this Saturday afternoon (around 2pm est)? Also, I am joefriendgood on Steam.

1864

I think I can make that work…the QT3 Discord channel might be a good place to hook up.

1865

aw man, can we make it sunday? Sat this weekend I have plans :(