Yeah, I’m somewhat intrigued by MIddara. Might see if I can get a group to try it on TTS. I listened to the opening audio and was a little put off by it, but maybe it gets better.
While I’d probably be up for that, I’m not qualified to run it. I have played in a forum game in the past (on BGG), and it was good times, but I don’t remember the rules well enough and I don’t have the tools to host a forum game. It does need a non-playing host, though, I think.
I haven’t seen it or attempted to play it, but Magic Realm looks like one of those Avalon Hill games that was more an exercise in rules-writing than in creating a playable game. I’d give 50% odds that the creators never playtested it from start to finish (apparently a not-uncommon phenomena in those wargaming days).
I can imagine it being fun for a certain type of gamer to read the rules, look at the components, and marvel at the thoroughness of such a game. I can see it being fun for a certain type of gamer to try to slog through setup (one board can apparently take an hour to arrange before starting) and a few turns as a challenge of will and intellect. And I sincerely think both of those forms of fun are legitimate. But I can’t imagine Magic Realm being a fun game to actually experience as a player.
I’m guessing the newer Warhammer Quest games also belong here, like Backstone Fortress or Cursed City?
Miniature-based semi-randomised dungeon crawls with a metagame involving balancing character and difficulty progresson across a campaign.
I came close to almost buying the Cursed City but now it seems sold out everywhere here.
I didn’t bring them up in the sense that they have no narrative to speak of (and I’m not convinced they’re any good, either), but hey, if Shadows of Brimstone counts, they would too. SoB just looks like it’s a better realization of that form. And I don’t even know if I want that. (well, okay, I do know - I don’t. it’s a sprawling mass of finicky bits of product, you have to assemble the minis and they are copious, and there’s absolutely no provision for condensed, player friendly storage. But as a game to play, I don’t know if I would like it.)
I can assure you I have played it, and it is good. Much better than 99% of the “draw a card to see what happens” fantasy adventure games we’ve gotten in the 40 years since. But the cliff is just too dang high.
Exact reason I don’t have SoB. Same for Warhammer Quest, I guess! I love the idea of dungeon crawls on randomised maps, but the above turns me off too. Though at least Warhammer minis snap together, I think.
If I’d had more lawn mowing money I would have joined Armando in buying it after reading about it as a teenager. It looked great but even then I realized that my brother and I would read, fiddle, and play a few turns but we’d never get anyone else to play.
Am I really gonna plunk down $250 (including shipping) for ISS Vanguard? That’s the price without the miniatures expansion box. It’s dumb, but I might. I figure if it sucks I can always sell it for… probably $50. Maybe.
Where are you looking at that you would be paying $250 without the minis? On the pledge manager, which is open to late pledges, the core box is $100 and adding the two gameplay-relevant addons knocks it up to $170?
If you’re looking on the pledge manager, that $250 pledge very much includes the minis, and they’re $80 so I’d skip them, myself.
I added $10 for the sundrop effect on the core box and $15 for it on the campaign expansion (since I’m not going to paint them). And it’s $50 for shipping, if you want to get the core game this year. So $110 core game + $75 campaign expansion + $16 Personal Files expansion (not really sure what this even is) + $47.50 shipping = $248.50
Ah, I see. I’m not bothering with sundrop either. And I never count shipping, although I really probably should.
Alright, I dropped the sundrop, for $25 it’s probably not worth it. Still paid for early shipping on the core game though. Hope the game is good!
"You’ve been mistaken for Armando! Perhaps it’s your growing appreciation for metal; it could be some indelicate references to the political establishment you uttered after a few glasses over dinner with friends. Likely as anthing though, it’s as simple as having let hair grow a bit during the pandemic.
+5 Hearts, +3 Veils, +1 Iron. You’ve gained 1 Sky-Story and 1 Tale of Terror. Increased faction with Villainy and Bohemia, lost 2 with Establishment."
I went all in on that one. I’m either going to have the awesomest space adventure that ever awesomed or I’m going to feel really stupid for dropping that much cash on a single board game. Maybe both.
Based on Tainted Grail and Etherfields I expect it to be great but we’ll see.
This brought me genuine joy
That’s pretty good.
If this forum had a like button, I would press it twice.
-Tom
Great!
Argh, they’re hosting content on Dropbox, which has a download limit and everything is failing at present.