It was something they were specifically doing because of COVID, I doubt it will recur.
Well, shoot. But I can’t be too mad, I guess, since they kept that sale going for three and a half months. Just a victim of bad timing.
However, I found it for only ten bucks more than the Lone Shark sale price at CoolStuffInc. And the two expansions are only eight bucks more a pop, so you could get all three for about $26 more before shipping.
In fact, if you get the base, the expansions, the nifty dice, and the Book of the Hybrids mini expansion, you just cross the CoolStuffInc threshold for free shipping, meaning that all of it, according to my calculations, would have been only $9 less through the Lone Shark sale including shipping (looks like LS charges $20 for shipping).
You won’t get the promos that you would have received if you ordered from Lone Shark, but it’s a pretty good second place deal for latecomers like me.
MORE FUN WITH COMPARISONS EDIT: LS charges $14 for shipping the base alone, while CSI charges $6 for its cheapest shipping, meaning you’d still just about break even with the LS sale price for the base game if you order it from CSI now.
If someone wants a copy of Apocrypha with books 2 and 3 and the hybrids stuff, let me know. I’d send it to to an interested party here for as cheap or cheaper than the LS sale. It just didn’t hit with me the same way as PACG does.
Well, I finally got Apocrypha and the expansions. And the 1500 card sleeves to go with them. Had the game for a while, but the cards are very dark and they did suffer some minor friction wear (losing some of the deep blacks) just from shifting them around.
Rules read fine. Seems quite similar to the new pathfinder. Theme and variety seem much, much better, though.
A couple of annoying things:
Between the game and the expansions you get 19 character standees but only 18 supports for the standees. Gonna have to find spares somewhere,
The game box barely fits all cards with premium sleeves. It’s so tight that rearranging the dividers in each “line” when I put an expansion card set into the base is going to,be problematic. Thankfully, adding the expansion cards into the base seems quite involved anyway, so hopefully the overhead is not too much.
I didn’t find the hybrids stuff. Not a big deal, since it will probably not fit anyway.
Looking forward for a play through tomorrow. Will do,the first scenario, but without the tutorial set of cards (Pathfinder’s reduced first scenario was very meh)
Tutorial cards are not for the first scenario anyway, they’re a cut-down version of one of the later ones, ‘Shirts and Skins’. :)
It was ok. Easy. But I hadn’t played Pathfinder before outside of a few turns of the computer version an age ago.
Thanks for the thoughtfulness, but the reason I know the ins and outs of the CoolStuffInc prices is that I went ahead and bought it all. Have at it!
Folks, I decided to pass because of my backlog so Andon’s generous offer is still available.
@JustinFletcher Hey let me know if you are still interested. I can try to run by my FLGS and see if they still have it. If so, it’d be $45 for the game, and whatever it costs to send to where ya are (at most, it’d prolly be $13 for USPS flat rate).
Email sent! Thanks!
Just wanted to let everyone know that @joex111 is straight up awesome. Renegade is basically impossible to get, with even the one seller in the EU that had it for a hefty markup now saying that it’s out of stock.
But thanks to joex111 and his handy, dandy FLGS, I’m now the proud owner of this:
All for MSRP plus shipping. Really appreciate you, joex111!
That’s very cool of you, @joex111! Amazon seems to think they can score a copy from the UK for $63, plus $17 shipping.
Now you have to play it and post your impression, @JustinFletcher! Note there are errata to the cost of a couple of the cards, and Toyko Drift* has had the cost of his (borderline useless) special ability reduced.
-Tom
* not his real name
I’ll never order from Amazon UK again. The first time I ordered an Italian language book, they sent the Dutch version. Then I ordered an English language boardgame, they sent the Spanish version.
And forget about returns, they give you such a small shipping allowance that you can save money by not returning it.
Aww, thanks. Just happy to help out a fellow gamer in these weird times we live in now. Also thankful you didn’t immediately think I was trying to scam you!
Now I’ve just gotta finish the Rulebook on my copy so I can test it out.
Here’s my top 10, but since I don’t have more than like 20 boardgames, its kind of like… my favorite fantasy boardgames (+ cthulu). Because thats my fave genre, whether theme’d or eurowhatever. Plus all I care about is something as close to dungeons crawling, character progressions and ttrpgs. Plus I love me some good FFG cruft (thats what Tom calls it, I think he means fluff, OH TOM SO SPECIAL). His mentioning it brings me to smiles! FFG is dead btw, that marvel game sucks and while i like the Arkham lCG it is the sloppiest gameplay ever.
- Gloomhaven
- Arkham Horror 2ed
- Runebound 2ed (houserules for solo)
- Talisman 2ed (solo rules)
- PACG - I’ll get Apocrypha soon now, cuz Tom
- Too Many Bones (boss fights best)
- Sword and Sorcery (Like Descent 2ed but campaign)
- Dungeon Universalis
- Tainted Grail
- Arkham LCG (I hate the ‘words on the cards’ rules get confusing and sloppy especially lately) Plus I got back into it because of this thread or some other Qt3 thread and FFG sucks at supplying, they kind of suck since Asmodee… Like really, just print alot you idiots. (and the paper stock they use gets worse and worse… compare old cards from Arkham and Talisman to the shit now). Well its not just FFG its because… China!
And kickstarters, I dont give a shit for mini’s. Give me some nice pawns (like in Pathfinder). Save us some money you assholes, there fucking expensive. Five hundred dollars for a Monster Hunter Kingdom Dark Souls Monster is so damn stupid. I hate this hobby for the shit they make you buy thats not neccesary… when they could get a better artist.
I’m really not into boardgames, I’m more into experience a good solo session of fantasy or cthulu. I know theres alot of good stuff out there… but I already have a huge pc gaming backlog as well!
I saw there was a kickstarter for the 2nd printing of this happening now (8 days left), and it looks kind of crazy and mini heavy.
Probably a bit too expensive and time consuming for me but I was intrigued.
I got DU on recomendation from youtube video… if you are okay with a board game trying to be a tabletop fantasy rpg that is NOT DnD you will love it. It is closer to a euro rpg like Hero Quest and even the old UK Fighting Fantasy system with much more detail (it does use 2d6 as its main die roll system). Also I got the non mini version which saved me like 200-300 bux…The only complaint I have with DU is its progression system is very equipment based… and you max out skills/stats pretty quick (by design). Also the bestiary is huge, as big as a Monster Manual 1 and 2 BUT I’m missing so many cardboard pawns. Im tempted to get this kickstarter just to get all the proper pawns. This hobby is more expensive than video games imo…
fantasy board games i have a weakness for the past few years since starting with Talisman, and especially during the fall (oddly the time when all the new computer games come out!). I’ve bought alot that I rarely play (andor, roll player, kilforth etc etc ), but the ones i do play, I keep out on a game table all the time… usually Gloomhaven … and suprisingly back into 2ed Arkham Horror (its so close to being an rpg with some of the expansions, especially with Innsmouth and personal stories).
Actually I think 2ed Arkham is still my fave solo game, or boardgame overall period. Gloomhaven is awesome, and I am glad it exists because every fantasy board game since has to consider all the effort that game has made.
Also I’m not sure about tainted grail… I like that its a fantasy 7th continent (I like 7th continent but think the art is very subpar/generic (imo). I’m still like very early into Tainted Grail game, but I love the components and parts they give with it plus awesome art, and not being too expensive compared to other kickstarters. But I love the art in Folklore a little more, like Victorian gothic fantasy…and I played that a little more, so maybe i should swap folklore with tainted grail… but Tainted Grail is more original whereas Folklore feels alot like some chaosium fatasy rpg boardgame (using % system)… actually my top 10 is more just games i played the last few years that i liked.
One of the best things the second edition of Arkham Horror has going for it is that it’s certainly better than the third edition of Arkham Horror!
I have all my second edition stuff crammed into a few boxes and they’re currently on the “to be sold” pile. I wonder if maybe I should pull them out of that pile. I haven’t played second edition since Eldritch Horror came out and that was, gosh, seven years ago.
Keep the impressions coming on Tainted Grail. I got really fed up with the scripting/narrative stuff, and the ticking clock felt like a real disincentive to explore. It didn’t help that the combat/parley system never really clicked for me. At first, I was intrigued by how different it was, even though I was struggling to wrap my head around it. But it always felt stilted and awkward. I always felt more like I was wrestling with it than playing it.
-Tom
Yeah I love everything about Tainted Grails presentation but am still early in game (still Chapter 1! out of 15). I’ve watched some reviews and its 50/50… I am about the same amount of time spent as with 7th continent… which I kind of compare except 7th is alot more simplified streamlined.
Ironicaly a couple of these games I got into from a youtuber that mentioned you, Tom Chick, as his favorite reviewer! I am tempted to get one of the Hexplores now which kind of reminds me of Runebound 2ed with its HEXploring… lol. He also doesnt like Gloomhaven! :-)
I recently finished a 72 game solo marathon of AH 2nd ed. 24 games with each of the Ancient Ones on each of the three towns, Dunwich, Kingsport and Innsmouth. Also with Miskatonic U and King in Yellow but I don’t have the other 3 small boxes. It was awesome, the game has such replayability. Agree with Tom that it is better than 3rd ed but I only played that once, a friend’s copy.
Also play Gloomhaven with two friends once a fortnight, great game. Have you tried the app? It’s decent. I am kind of glad it doesn’t have the campaign in it yet so I am not spoiled for my “real life” game.