Does this play anything at all like the LOTR co-op card game? I’ve had tons of fun playing that game…finding something else like that would be pretty awesome.
Chaplin
6102
This came out of nowhere on me. We are going to play a demo at the local shop today, but initial research indicates we will be buying it. It seems to be a LotR LGG or SotM type co-op game with carry over looting mechanics to subsequent game sessions. Character progression?! Very cool!
Played Robinson Crusoe yesterday. What a great co-op! The theme is just great. When you’re getting attacked by animals and freezing in the night you really feel it. The cards add tons of thematic text to the experience, and my favorite review criteria (does the game tell a story?) was met with flying colors. It took us 5 hours (we were all learning and had 5 people for the 4 spots in the game) but it was so good it felt like a “regular” long game (like 2-3 hours).
Edit: one thing though, the rulebook is pretty shit.
I haven’t read it, yet, so what makes it so shitty?
Tom_Mc
6105
Also curious if Crusoe suffers from multiplayer solitaire. Not necessarily a dealbreaker I like Tales of the Arabian Nights but it would probably mean I wouldn’t play with 4+.
Tom M
I’ve played Crusoe several times now- I learned and played it right after it came out last November at Essen, and then picked it up a few weeks ago and have taught and played the starting scenario three times (new group each time). I really really like it, too- everything arrendek said was spot-on. The theme is great, so many little things that help reinforce it.
It definitely doesn’t suffer from multiplayer solitaire. The whole group acts together, works on the same plans, helps each other’s actions, etc., not to mention if one player dies, it’s game over for everyone. That said, if you have that one player in the group that becomes the Alpha-Dog-I-Know-How-To-Play-This-Best-You-Should-All-Listen-To-Me type during co-op games… you might not want to play with him. There’s nothing in the game that guards against it- no traitor, no hidden information, no rules against sharing information, etc.
A good rulebook should be easy to follow, easy to reference, and have lots of examples. This one has none of those things (although I’m pretty sure it did have SOME examples). It’s hard to explain exactly, but play yourself a game and see. It’s worth it if you like co-ops; as far as I’m concerned it’s best in class.
I agree. Since everyone lays down simultaneously so it’s got less of the “discuss each persons best moves every turn” feel from other co-ops and more of a joint planning session where everyone decides what they all need and then people start laying down to get it.
Gotcha. Mage Knight’s rule book left me with that impression.
Anyone play zombicide? I picked it up, but the first 2 missions I’ve played have been less than exciting. I was expecting to have the board overrun, but I haven’t seen that yet. Does it get better?
I plumped for the season 2 KS so should be getting it fairly soon, but that was based on generally positive impressions across the internet with the naysayers also tending to be the folks that don’t like some of my other favorites like Arkham Horror and Sentinels of the Multiverse. We’ll see, I suppose.
Mage Knight’s rule books are even worse than that. There’s one book that is supposed to teach you how to play and the other is supposed to be a comprehensive ‘everything’ rule book- don’t try to learn from it, but you shouldn’t need the original later. Except that somewhere they screwed that up, and the original book has several key rules (in a very rules-heavy game with lots of little distinctions to remember) that aren’t in the real rule book. So every time you need to look something up, it’s a confusing, time-consuming hunt between both books. Ugh. That said, I do love the game- as long as we play with an absolute maximum of three players (and two is pretty optimal). Any more than that and it just drags.
hepcat
6113
RC is poised to become my GOTY if it continues being as awesome as it’s been. I thought Duel of Ages II might have been the one, but RC is just so friggin’ thematic and fun that I can’t stop playing it.
I got my copy at Gencon and had Ignacy even sign it. He admits himself that the rules aren’t the best written and that sometimes things get lost in translation, but if you play any of his games you’ll soon notice that theme dictates mechanics, not the other way around. When confused about something, stop and think how it would play out in life and in the context of the game’s story and you’ll almost always get an epiphany of what he’s trying to accomplish.
p.s. as far as alpha players dominating coop games goes, i don’t believe any mechanic in a coop game is going to really prevent it. there are just some players who are control freaks and it’s going to happen no matter what. hell, i’ve been in competitive games in which an alpha player has tried to play other people’s turns because they felt they weren’t “doing it right”.
Tom_Mc
6114
I’ve not played it too much. The board getting swarmed is definately something that happens to me. In addition to the edge spawn points you are remembering to do a spawn card for every interior room when you open a building right?
Tom M
Robinson Crusoe sounds great but either it’s out of print or the MSRP is insane because I’m seeing it go for $110+ online. I can just about fathom that for the Duel of Ages II Master Set because that thing is basically like 7-8 expansions in one box (or Ogre Deluxe, which is the entire product line to date in one box plus a ton of extras if KSed), but for a base game set that’s a bit much.
hepcat
6116
It’s suffering from a woefully underestimated expectation of demand and the resulting limited print run, but I can’t imagine it will remain so for long. You’ll most likely be able to grab it for less than MSRP from coolstuff and other online retailers soon enough. It just hit shelves on August 8th, I believe.
If you’re worried about the alpha-player problem in co-ops (a legitimate concern, though it seldom if ever rears its head in my group), there are ways to design around it. The route Space Alert and Escape! use, for example- timer always ticking, simultaneous play, too much for one person to do by himself for himself, much less all the other players. Or Hanabi, that builds communication limits into the mechanics in a reasonable way (as opposed to things like Space Hulk card game or Pandemic, that forbid sharing info just to make the game function). There are probably other approaches.
I didn’t know Crusoe was that popular! I’m glad to hear it’s doing well. When i played the forgiven release last year, I decided to get it when it came out stateside in March. Then that date slipped, and again. I kind of stopped looking. Then a friend put on a mini island-themed game day at a local shop a couple weeks ago. The shop had gotten copies in that morning, brand new release, so since I played and taught it, I got a 20% discount decided to grab it. Now I’m even more glad i did! Did you see there’s a campaign-style expansion slated for Essen release? Awesome.
Son of a biscuit. After researching this, I’ve found it’s receiving universal praise via video reviews from reviewers whose opinions I usually agree with, such as Joel Eddy and Scott “Tox” Morris. Since I had some Amazon promotional credit and gift cards, I bought the Base Set for $6. I’m looking forward to playing it!
Are you referring to the Base Set or the Add-On Deck? If the former, as of this posting, Amazon lists it for pre-order for $40.43 with a release date of tomorrow (August 27, 2013). Mine’s scheduled to be delivered on Thursday.
My order says base set will arrive on the 12th and addon deck on the 5th. But hey, maybe they’ll revise that tomorrow.
