Sebmojo
3602
Revenge of the Iron Lich. Think Tomb of Horrors (less annoying, but just as deadly) and you’re about there. It’s a D&D 4e variant, Fourthcore, using the same rules but with a hilariously hardass take-no-prisoners style.
It’s not actually a board game, but it has handouts and cards and whatnot and is played (if you’re smart and can handle the hassle) largely by moving characters around on a printed out map (as positioning is vital). Four hours realtime from start to finish - either they’ve won, or they’re dead by then.
I’ve run my players through it once and they’ve got their second go on Sunday - it’s very much designed to allow for multiple runs, though a smart and very very lucky party might make it the first time.
Downloadable for free from here. It does require a bit of setup though, as there’s an onus on the DM to not take up any more time than necessary. I printed out all the cards and glued them onto card stock, which was loads of work but definitely worth it.
Vesper
3603
It’s the exact same size as Rune Age, which I think is the same as Red November - their “Silver Line” of games.
Mysterio
3604
Really? You’re going to use that to justify the house rules? Many BGG members are inclined to play armchair game designer and ignore the hours of playtesting designers have put into their games in favor of their supposedly better house rules. Sorry, but I’m inclined to side with the “hours of playtesting told us these rules work best” designer(s) of the game. True, your house rules may help newbies, but then how are they supposed to learn the way Dragons are meant to be played if playing under those house rules?
Would you send your Dragon in solo against one of my Footsoldiers? How about two of them? Three? I’ll gladly face your Dragon (5 gold) against even just two of my Footsoldiers (2 gold), since the battle will last at least two rounds. Worst case scenario, I’ll have 3d6 rolls to kill your Dragon before you kill both Footsoldiers. So I contend that rear spaces and Castles can easily be defended with 2 Footsoldiers (for 3 fewer gold) against raiding Dragons, which is why I don’t agree with your statements “This avoids the sneak attacks by dragons against capitols/castles” and “This…helps prevents dragons from romping behind the lines with impunity”.
Granted, players aren’t likely to leave a Dragon alone in a space after attacking it, but the goal is to discourage such raiding, not chase it down. Also, you’re forgetting about the Event decks, which can turn an entire game, if used properly. Just ask wahoo. :-)
OK, I’m getting Dreadfleet and War of the Ring and quite possibly the Game of Thrones reissue. Oh and A Few Acres of Snow, I want that one. And I guess King of Tokyo. But that is it. That’s all of the games I’m buying this year, I have too many of the damn things.
Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!
Mysterio
3606
haha I feel your pain!
As someone who doesn’t own Space Hulk, the info available for Dreadfleet didn’t sell me on it. I’m looking forward to reviews, but by then it may be too late to purchase.
I’d love to get War of the Ring, but I doubt my girlfriend would play it.
I have A Game of Thrones and have read its rules, but it hasn’t hit the table, yet, mainly because even I’m unsure if I’ll play it correctly! As an FYI, an updated FAQ (v3.0) was posted yesterday on FFG’s website.
I’m on the fence with A Few Acres of Snow, since I like the blend of mechanics, but, again…the girlfriend factor. (Perhaps I need a second girlfriend…?)
King of Tokyo is on my list, as I think my gaming group would love it. I’m holding off, though, given the complaints about the durability of the dice.
I don’t even know that I’ll play Dreadfleet. I’ll just spend four years trying to paint it and another three setting it up and taking pictures of it. If it actually turns out to be a great game that’s just gravy.
I played the AGoT board game one time and the rules didn’t seem all that complicated. I’m kind of waiting to see how well the expansions are integrated into the new edition. In the original you really couldn’t play with 4 or 6 people unless you had the right expansion. Apparently that’s all part of the base game now so if it really plays 4-6 I’m probably in. Also I want to make the rocket ship.
Right, the rocket ship. OK so you can make the rocket ship in Game of Thrones if you collect all three of the big trophies and then combine them. The sword is the top of the rocket and then you put the throne upside down at the bottom and it kind of looks like the exhaust. Then you put the bird in the middle so the rocket has wings. Then you hold them together and fly them around and make rocket ship noises while Tom Chick sighs, probably thinking to himself “When will I ever be as good at this game as Cathcart is?” Answer: not until you make the rocket ship, buddy.
Vesper
3608
Thanks for the tips on Norath guys. I think for our first play, we’ll play without any house rules to see how it goes.
z22
3609
I disagree playing with these house rules for two major reasons. First, to experience the game as intended you shouldn’t use house rules. Get familiar with the game as it’s written before your group decides to use house rules. Second, these house rules not only are unnecessary, they radically change the way the game plays. I’ve played CoN about a dozen times already (played it again last night actually), without house rules, and it plays great and is balanced. There’s a lot of luck in the game, from dice rolls to getting the right card at the right time, but the game is a blast and works as intended without any house rules. This game is meant to be played in 2-3 hours.
Why do I disagree with these house rules?
[ol]
[li]Dragons are strong, yes, but everyone gets them, and yes they are a focal point in play, but are far from overpowered. They are thematic too (D&D). Every faction has a card in their event deck that can cripple all enemy dragons in combat, and this card alone keeps dragons in check. Also, why limit Storm Elementals (flyers)? I’ve seen nations using lots of dragons lose BECAUSE of the amount they invested in dragons![/li][li]Dear god no. This is a major part of the game and one that allows CoN to work as intended, meaning a fast playing “Ameritrash” wargame that can be played in 2-3 hours, unlike the others that take 8-12 hours (Twilight Imperium, Axis and Allies, etc.). As the game progresses the ability to conquer remote territory with flyers is what keeps this game from bogging down and it plays fine. It certainly has in our dozen games.[/li][li]Totally unnecessary, See #1 and #2 above.[/li][li]AGREED! The most fun we’ve had is playing an alliance medium game. Team games are always faster and more open than free-for-alls.[/li][/ol]
I suggest trying it without house rules first to see if you feel the game needs changes. Dragon strength is by design and they are suppose to draw the attention of your opponent. We’ve put them on elevated bases, as seen here, so they can be easily seen.
Mysterio
3610
Whoops! I mistakenly thought you were referring to the LCG. I don’t own the board game, so please carry on!
Every time I see someone else’s painted minis, I wish I had even a shred of painting skills in my body. I’d love to paint my minis, but I just don’t think I have the steady hands and steely eyes for it (I know I don’t have the proper tools and supplies!).
Seconded. I just got Earth Reborn, and the minis in that are awesome… but I can’t do a damn thing about making them neater, cause I’m a miserable painter, and not willing to make my minis look like hell in a feeble attempt to make them look cool, and most of all not willing to spend the money to get started with it.
z22
3612
You and me both bud. I wish those were my minis but they aren’t. I’ve mounted mine like his but haven’t painted them. I paint mins often (doing so right now!) but I lean toward decent looking with high output. Some examples, all painted quickly:
Orc Bloodbowl Blitzer:
Descent Naga:
SKELETON ARMY!! I bought these minis in bulk from a clearance site. Painted them assembly line style!
Link to pics showing all of the painting stages for the skeletons
Instant Backlog came today.
Bellfort
Game of Thrones LCG
Rune Age
Resistance
Dice Town expansion
Fortune and Glory
added to my current backlog
Greed
Merchants of the Middle Ages
Hybrid
Luna
Xemu
3614
How does Nerath play with 3? I picked up a copy but haven’t unboxed it yet.
Mysterio
3615
Nice work! I’d say they’re more than decent looking. Wanna paint mine? ;-)
Six games in a single order is doing it right! I have my eye on Fortune and Glory: The Cliffhanger Game–it looks like fun and has high production values. The jury’s still out on Belfort, though. Let us know what you think of both.
No idea, since I’ve never played a 3-player game. Maybe you should join the next PBF game with me and wahoo to find out. :-)
Huh…never heard of that one until now. I wonder how well the solo play works, how good the story mode is, etc.
wahoo
3617
Dragons are a weird dynamic. B/c it makes sense to not retake the territory behind your lines. It’s just not good policy to take it back unless you can hold it vs. a flying dragon horde. Dragons are jsut awesome right now.
Reldan
3618
While I in general agree with the idea that dragons aren’t quite as bad for the game as they get made out to be, this is a bit of an odd scenario you’re trumpeting. A dragon only costs 2.5x your two footsoldiers, and will win with no losses in the scenario you’re setting up 8 to 1, so it’s kinda a no brainer that you’d send it in in that case.
Three footsoldiers is where you’d be close to a break even point where you probably wouldn’t risk it.
Axis and Allies really nailed this kind of thing down because of how much better infantry were on defense than offense combined with not having a sustain damage unit that could fight on land, which really made it cost effective to defend territory. That same defensive bent increased the strategic level of the game and reduced the variance from luck, but also is why the game takes so damn long.
ckessel
3619
I don’t normally get hostile in the board game thread because we’re all playing board games. Recommendations on CoN were asked for and I gave mine freely. Then you came in with the “Your recommendations suck! Learn how to really play!” asshole routine.
Your argument is basically “Suck it up and be a man, don’t play in a way you actually find fun.” And the math on your dragon example is laughably bad as Reldan has already detailed.
And the card someone else mentioned that cripples dragons? Yea, you have one of them in a 25 card deck in a game that rarely pulls 10 cards. If you live in fear of that card, you’re playing very sub-optimally.
Mysterio
3620
Yes, of course–that’s exactly what I said. Please quote where I said those exact words or something similar.
I said no such thing. You provided recommendations to someone who’s new to the game. Therefore, they are recommendations for newbies. I wrote:
True, your house rules may help newbies, but then how are they supposed to learn the way Dragons are meant to be played if playing under those house rules?
Put another way, your house rules are fun for you, but are not an appropriate recommendation for someone who’s never played the game. Period.
Yes, I would gladly spend 2 gold on 2 Footsoldiers to discourage a Dragon from soloing a space on the off chance they’d kill him. Ideally, I’d use at least three, but 2 would suffice until I could recruit more troops.
Nice assumption, but I wasn’t referring to one specific card.
Do you have any more personal attacks? Or can the rest of us keep this thread civil?
