-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Board Gaming Era |OT| (Mostly) Unplugged Gaming
- Thread starter XShagrath
- Start date
Because there's something oh so sweet about trading away all of one of your resources and then playing a monopoly card?
What are people's thoughts on Everdell? I mostly play games with my wife and she would love that theme. We currently really enjoy Wingspan and Lords of Waterdeep and thought this might be a good fit.
It's pretty fun! If you have played 7 Wonders, it has that similar tableau building where cards give you cards for free. Never played it with 2, which might decrease the tension over the market of cards/resource spaces.
I like it a lot. You're instincts are correct, you will feel at home and would enjoy Everdell if you enjoy both Wingspan and Lords of Waterdeep.
We like Everdell! It is a game where the first few rounds feel /really/ slow until you start to get synergies built. Once you get the basic notion of putting down locations to get creatures for free, the game really starts to open up, even from the beginning.
We haven't played with either of the expansions yet, but people generally seem to prefer Spirecrest to Pearlbrook.
The Standard edition vs Collector's edition is a bit annoying, however. There are just enough bonuses (extra cards, namely, though the upgraded components are probably nice, too) in the Collector's edition to make you wonder if it's worth having, but the cost is just enough to make that choice difficult.
Something to read into, if you haven't already.
One of my top 3 games. Super fun and easy to teach and awesome components
I'll be that person then.
I think it's fairly shallow, and you're railroaded in to a strategy by the lack of diversity in the cards with the base game. If you're not all that in to heavier games it might not be a problem, but I played it four times and saw all the game had to offer. When most people are playing a game once or twice before putting it on the shelf and never playing it again then you might not care but if you've got a small collection it goes stale fast.
Another Unmatched announcement:
Mondo/Restoration Games releasing 4 Marvel-Themed sets coming summer 2021 for Unmatched
Mondo/Restoration Games releasing 4 Marvel-Themed sets coming summer 2021 for Unmatched
- Redemption Row – featuring Luke Cage, Ghost Rider, and Moon Knight
- Hell's Kitchen – featuring Daredevil, Elektra, and Bullseye
- Teen Spirit – featuring Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and Cloak and Dagger
- For King and Country – featuring Black Widow, Black Panther, and Winter Soldier
Hopefully this doesn't mean that Marvel characters never appear in Funkoverse. Unmatched doesn't look like as good of a game to me.
I played it at BGG con last year. It's pretty fun if you like the world. If you can get for $10-15.
So, who's ready for the ISS Vanguard launch today (in about four hours)?
Don't forget, sign up for Gamefound prior to launch and get a $5 rebate on your pledge.
The Canadian shipping costs have definitely put a dent in my excitement. But, I'll be looking forward to see how it does. I'm pretty sure you can do $1 pledges so I will probably do that if they can improve the shipping at all. It looks like almost 30,000 people have signed up for the launch notification so this might be pretty big.
Don't forget, sign up for Gamefound prior to launch and get a $5 rebate on your pledge.
The Canadian shipping costs have definitely put a dent in my excitement. But, I'll be looking forward to see how it does. I'm pretty sure you can do $1 pledges so I will probably do that if they can improve the shipping at all. It looks like almost 30,000 people have signed up for the launch notification so this might be pretty big.
OP
OP
Previews for this have been extremely mixed. I wouldn't jump in on this without doing your due diligence and researching how the game plays.
I'm a big fan of Awaken Realms production and PR stuff. I went all-in on Tainted Grail and Etherfields, and they definitely have problems. Both of them have some very grindy elements that don't really work out in a board game (at least for me). They've already got a planned modification for Etherfields to make it less grindy, based on customer feedback. Seems like something they should have seen during playtesting if they did any outside testing.
Considering how well most of Awakened Realms recent games have reviewed they're a much safer bet for a big ks then other companies. Obviously not everything is for everyone (nemesis is top 50 on bgg and there are people here who despise it) but their track record is far better then say steamforged.
I didn't have any interest in Etherfields. I am still waiting for Tainted Grail to arrive. I group pledged the Great Wall but the game has been completely redone now and really is quite different from the game that I pledged for. I don't think every game they make is awesome. They are ambitious for sure. But, I have seen a lot of mixed reviews too for ISS Vanguard. The art and the theme is really what is drawing me so far. As I said, I will probably go for $1 and then take a look as it gets developed, assuming that those Canadian shipping costs come down a bit.
EDIT: And it's worse.. sounds like the high shipping rates to Canada don't guarantee friendly shipping.. so taxes and duties might be extra! I didn't even bother to put the $1 down.
EDIT: And it's worse.. sounds like the high shipping rates to Canada don't guarantee friendly shipping.. so taxes and duties might be extra! I didn't even bother to put the $1 down.
Last edited:
Just got a KS update for the most-recent Western Legends campaign and they unveiled that they have a battle royale game inspired by Fortnight, Apex, and Hunger Games/Battle Royale debuting on KS after the new year called Reload. Not too much info yet but I'm interested I guess. I've only played Frag but I know Adrenaline is supposed to be pretty good at capturing a multiplayer arena-based shooting game feel.
EDIT: Actually, there is a thread on BGG with a lot of info already:https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2545017/all-news-about-reload
I'm not feeling the colors on the hex-based map prototype. Hopefully that winds up looking a lot better.
EDIT: Actually, there is a thread on BGG with a lot of info already:https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2545017/all-news-about-reload
I'm not feeling the colors on the hex-based map prototype. Hopefully that winds up looking a lot better.
I didn't care for Adrenaline. It was more a euro dressed up as a shooter. I hear the newest Doom game was good though.
Watching the Reload preview I don't think the designers have ever played Fortnite. I'm not sure what's supposed to be fun there. Seems overly complicated for a dice deterministic game. Also ugly.
PS Fornite game should basically be Zombicide.
Watching the Reload preview I don't think the designers have ever played Fortnite. I'm not sure what's supposed to be fun there. Seems overly complicated for a dice deterministic game. Also ugly.
PS Fornite game should basically be Zombicide.
Last edited:
I'm in for the ISS Core for $95 (used the $5 voucher for singing up earlier)
The minis add on looks amazing but I can't justify the extra cost or the extra shipping as I don't think the minis will add as much to the gameplay as they do to something like a hex based dungeon crawler.
The minis add on looks amazing but I can't justify the extra cost or the extra shipping as I don't think the minis will add as much to the gameplay as they do to something like a hex based dungeon crawler.
Same, as dumb as a $5 voucher is it may push me over the edge.
I came across the Star Wars: X-wing miniatures game thread, and it seems like a ghost town, so I'll try asking here-
Anyone able to share their opinions on X-Wing and/or Armada? Which do you recommend and why? If I'm planning to play casually, is X-Wing still worth it?
I'm intrigued by both, but am worried about jumping into both at the same time since the FFG side of development is being moved to another studio and it kind of seems that the future of each is uncertain. I could be completely wrong, as I just started doing my research last week.
Anyone able to share their opinions on X-Wing and/or Armada? Which do you recommend and why? If I'm planning to play casually, is X-Wing still worth it?
I'm intrigued by both, but am worried about jumping into both at the same time since the FFG side of development is being moved to another studio and it kind of seems that the future of each is uncertain. I could be completely wrong, as I just started doing my research last week.
I am no expert but Armada is a lot more thinky/strategic as you have to position your fleets. I almost feel like Wing's strategy more so comes with your loadout (ship, pilot, accessories/additions). Armada still has loadouts though. Do you want to dog fight or trade blows like in a boat?
I had Version 1 of Wing, still do but I haven't touched it in years. If you don't play with a regular or someone with their own ships, there is a lot to read/think about when planning your selection of ships/cards if you collect a large variety of ships.
I only played Armada once or twice but I don't think you have to buy as many duplicate ships to do really cool fights. Or at least not of the big ships.
Worse comes to worse, you have really cool looking ships you can display.
Second Edition split the player base with many just moving on to other games. Then Organized Play had some reshuffling right before COVID hit and now things are kind of in a waiting period. It's basically the same position all competitive games are in (not named Magic). I'd still get a Second Edition core to play around with but definitely wait on buying in until you know that the community will still be back when thing open up again.
Welp, I own Marvel Splendor now. I already have a copy of Splendor (the earlier printing with the better quality chips) and it seems like Marvel doesn't offer any of the expansion content or rule changes to make it feel different. I've had a $50 AAFES gift card in my wallet for six years now though, that I can only spend at military Exchange facilities. A game store opened in the BX on base here a while back and I finally was able to check it out today. Turns out they take AAFES gift cards, and that was the only thing there that I didn't already own or was even sort of interested in, so I got it.
Actually they did have copies of Superskill Pinball 4cade, which I still really want, but I still have that on order at the main store in town so I have to keep waiting. :(
I wish COVID would die down though so I could be playing stuff again because the people working in this store on base seem really cool and I like what they are doing to try to create a community amongst the enlisted people who live on base in the dorms and stuff. I'd like to take all my BattleCON stuff in or run an X-Wing tourney or play Funkoverse or something. But COVID.
Actually they did have copies of Superskill Pinball 4cade, which I still really want, but I still have that on order at the main store in town so I have to keep waiting. :(
I wish COVID would die down though so I could be playing stuff again because the people working in this store on base seem really cool and I like what they are doing to try to create a community amongst the enlisted people who live on base in the dorms and stuff. I'd like to take all my BattleCON stuff in or run an X-Wing tourney or play Funkoverse or something. But COVID.
I'm not usually into dungeon crawlers, but two upcoming ones have caught my eye: Stormsunder and Nova Aetas: Renaissance. Due to the cost and scale of both, I'll only be getting one, but it's been a tough choice.
Stormsunder looks incredibly ambitious, but as time's passed I've drifted more towards Renaissance. I've never played the original Nova Aetas, but I'm aware it had some issues. Judging by the campaign book, Stormsunder will probably read better, but looks incredibly fiddly to play solo. Honestly, they should've made a SRPG videogame. Renaissance looks comparatively simpler (and I'm used to playing Kingdom Death and 5-hand Nemesis solo) with fewer characters and less minis. I enjoy minis, but Stormsunder's all-in has ~500, with Renaissance having a much lighter ~150. 500 is just too much for me, though I do like the characters and what I read of the campaign book.
For the issues the original Nova Aetas had, the company behind it does at least have a record of delivery. I'm hesitant to believe Stormsunder's going to make it, and the 9-day campaign always felt a little sketchy. Granted, they ended up keeping the pledge manager open for 6 months.
It's clear I'm leaning towards Renaissance, but is there any reason I shouldn't?
Stormsunder looks incredibly ambitious, but as time's passed I've drifted more towards Renaissance. I've never played the original Nova Aetas, but I'm aware it had some issues. Judging by the campaign book, Stormsunder will probably read better, but looks incredibly fiddly to play solo. Honestly, they should've made a SRPG videogame. Renaissance looks comparatively simpler (and I'm used to playing Kingdom Death and 5-hand Nemesis solo) with fewer characters and less minis. I enjoy minis, but Stormsunder's all-in has ~500, with Renaissance having a much lighter ~150. 500 is just too much for me, though I do like the characters and what I read of the campaign book.
For the issues the original Nova Aetas had, the company behind it does at least have a record of delivery. I'm hesitant to believe Stormsunder's going to make it, and the 9-day campaign always felt a little sketchy. Granted, they ended up keeping the pledge manager open for 6 months.
It's clear I'm leaning towards Renaissance, but is there any reason I shouldn't?
Last edited:
Kainazzo.. just be ready to expect a delay with Renaissance, if you go with them. They deliver but they will fuck something up in the process, it is pretty much guaranteed.
I got Dune: Imperium and played my first game solo. It's quite a good solo game and I can't wait to play it with real opponents. We're big fans of Tyrants of the Underdark and this feels like that but better. I think I have over 60 plays of Tyrants in past couple of years so it is time for its retirement anyway. It's of course quite a bit different with some of its mechanics but it is the closest thing that I have played with a deckbuilding/area control element. The components feel pretty cheap though. The wood tokens and the board graphics are the worst culprits. The art on the cards themselves is good though.
I got Dune: Imperium and played my first game solo. It's quite a good solo game and I can't wait to play it with real opponents. We're big fans of Tyrants of the Underdark and this feels like that but better. I think I have over 60 plays of Tyrants in past couple of years so it is time for its retirement anyway. It's of course quite a bit different with some of its mechanics but it is the closest thing that I have played with a deckbuilding/area control element. The components feel pretty cheap though. The wood tokens and the board graphics are the worst culprits. The art on the cards themselves is good though.
I have been going through some of my kickstarted games and done some solo runs.
Space Explorers. Eh...
Cthulhu Dunwich / Deck building 2nd edition. Eh...
Tiny Epic games. Kinda a hassle :(
Set A Watch. Feel like I had the most fun with this one.
Heroes of Tenefyr. Didnt feel like I had a good time with the amount of time spent.
Space Explorers. Eh...
Cthulhu Dunwich / Deck building 2nd edition. Eh...
Tiny Epic games. Kinda a hassle :(
Set A Watch. Feel like I had the most fun with this one.
Heroes of Tenefyr. Didnt feel like I had a good time with the amount of time spent.
I see an Expansion on kickstarter and it looks interesting... Do you (or anyone else) have any input on how the original ended up being?
Vindication® Board Game and Chronicles Expansion
Vindication® Board Game featuring the all-new Chronicles expansion, as well as the re-release of all sold-out items
I thought Vindication was a pretty straightforward but mediocre game. Nothing new or stand-out about it. Especially for the price, it left me pretty underwhelmed.
Edit:
The reviews on that KS sound way blown out to me. "It's this year's Gloomhaven" is an insane thing to say. God, I hate game reviewers, lol.
Edit:
The reviews on that KS sound way blown out to me. "It's this year's Gloomhaven" is an insane thing to say. God, I hate game reviewers, lol.
Last edited:
I think Vindication is interesting but it's overstuffed and not as elegant as it could or should be. I think you can have an overproduced game that still feels tight mechanically. I think Dwellings of Eldervale fits into this category. It has overproduction issues, but it's a mechanically interesting game that doesn't actually need the bells and whistles to be good.
So I bought King of Tokyo Dark, gonna need to figure out how I want to keep all my KoT stuff since I have everything and a bunch of promo monsters.
Aww man... my wallet hurts right now.
I kicked myself for not backing Street Masters or the Aftershock expansion. The current campaign on IndieGoGo is ending tonight and I just went damn near all-in. That's gonna be a big ol' box when it arrives... So expensive too.
While reading about the new campaign I learned something interesting though, that this new Street Masters: Tide of the Dragon box is a reworking of the characters and story of Dragon Tides. For those who don't know or remember (Dragon Tides was on KS way back in 2014), it was a game from Artistic Justice Games (who ran the campaign for the Fairytale Miniatures Battle Royale Game, which was never fulfilled) and Alexander Lim that had the official likeness of Bruce and Brandon Lee. Other characters in the game were based off of Donnie Yen, Jet Li, and more. It looked like it was going to be a really fun game. I went all-in on that one, and it had a lot of add-on Stretch Goal characters (tributes to Wolverine, Jackie Chan, and more). They ran into a bunch of problems though and only a few people ever got copies of the base game, which was wave one. I think mainly people in the US got it but other countries got screwed. The base game ended up being worse than what was promised though because apparently the Lee estate did not want the likenesses of anyone else than Bruce and Brandon used, so the Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Dolph Lundgren, and Bolo Yuen characters had their sculpts changed to derpy generic faces. Backers were going to receive minis and dashboards that looked like those original designs in Wave Two along with all of the stretch goals and add ons, but the second wave never happened. They ran out of money, kept promising to keep their word, and finally ceased all communication, leaving a lot of people with nothing and the few who got anything with a worse product than they were supposed to have and far less than what they were supposed to get. I'm one of the 'lucky' ones who got the base game, but my disappointment over the whole thing has prevented me from ever playing it. It was a Bruce and Brandon Lee game but more importantly it seemed like it was supposed to be a love letter to Hong Kong cinema and martial arts flicks, and I was super-stoked for that. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
So anyway, the new Tide of the Dragon expansion/standalone for Street Masters. Alexander Lim has resurfaced and recently worked for Blacklist Games (and possibly still works for them? The whole thing is confusing). Characters and the story from Dragon Tides are being reworked and reused for this. He's not too eager to talk about what went down with Dragon Tides but apparently an agreement with Blacklist was struck where every person who backed Dragon Tides will get the Street Masters: Tide of the Dragon box for free. Word is that they will reach out closer to the end of production and verify who qualifies. So I didn't add that to my pledge on IndieGoGo since I'll be getting it for free.
Kind of a weird feeling though tbh. Some former Dragon Tides backers are pretty angry over it. I imagine I'd be more angry than disappointed if I hadn't received anything at all. I'm backing this because of Street Masters and not anything to do with Lim and Dragon Tides though. And Blacklist has fulfilled multiple huge games like Street Masters and Altar Quest, whereas AJG never came through on any of the games they were supposed to make. Like, if this was Lim running the show I'd be concerned but it's still a Blacklist title, so I don't feel like I have anything to worry about.
Still, what a crazy turn of events.
I kicked myself for not backing Street Masters or the Aftershock expansion. The current campaign on IndieGoGo is ending tonight and I just went damn near all-in. That's gonna be a big ol' box when it arrives... So expensive too.
While reading about the new campaign I learned something interesting though, that this new Street Masters: Tide of the Dragon box is a reworking of the characters and story of Dragon Tides. For those who don't know or remember (Dragon Tides was on KS way back in 2014), it was a game from Artistic Justice Games (who ran the campaign for the Fairytale Miniatures Battle Royale Game, which was never fulfilled) and Alexander Lim that had the official likeness of Bruce and Brandon Lee. Other characters in the game were based off of Donnie Yen, Jet Li, and more. It looked like it was going to be a really fun game. I went all-in on that one, and it had a lot of add-on Stretch Goal characters (tributes to Wolverine, Jackie Chan, and more). They ran into a bunch of problems though and only a few people ever got copies of the base game, which was wave one. I think mainly people in the US got it but other countries got screwed. The base game ended up being worse than what was promised though because apparently the Lee estate did not want the likenesses of anyone else than Bruce and Brandon used, so the Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Dolph Lundgren, and Bolo Yuen characters had their sculpts changed to derpy generic faces. Backers were going to receive minis and dashboards that looked like those original designs in Wave Two along with all of the stretch goals and add ons, but the second wave never happened. They ran out of money, kept promising to keep their word, and finally ceased all communication, leaving a lot of people with nothing and the few who got anything with a worse product than they were supposed to have and far less than what they were supposed to get. I'm one of the 'lucky' ones who got the base game, but my disappointment over the whole thing has prevented me from ever playing it. It was a Bruce and Brandon Lee game but more importantly it seemed like it was supposed to be a love letter to Hong Kong cinema and martial arts flicks, and I was super-stoked for that. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
So anyway, the new Tide of the Dragon expansion/standalone for Street Masters. Alexander Lim has resurfaced and recently worked for Blacklist Games (and possibly still works for them? The whole thing is confusing). Characters and the story from Dragon Tides are being reworked and reused for this. He's not too eager to talk about what went down with Dragon Tides but apparently an agreement with Blacklist was struck where every person who backed Dragon Tides will get the Street Masters: Tide of the Dragon box for free. Word is that they will reach out closer to the end of production and verify who qualifies. So I didn't add that to my pledge on IndieGoGo since I'll be getting it for free.
Kind of a weird feeling though tbh. Some former Dragon Tides backers are pretty angry over it. I imagine I'd be more angry than disappointed if I hadn't received anything at all. I'm backing this because of Street Masters and not anything to do with Lim and Dragon Tides though. And Blacklist has fulfilled multiple huge games like Street Masters and Altar Quest, whereas AJG never came through on any of the games they were supposed to make. Like, if this was Lim running the show I'd be concerned but it's still a Blacklist title, so I don't feel like I have anything to worry about.
Still, what a crazy turn of events.
I finished JotL last night! Still got a few side-quests left but I'm done with the main campaign. The last scenario wasn't as challenging as some of the others before it so it was nice to knock it over in a single attempt. Awesome game, really satisfying end.
After that I thought it's finally time to dive into Gloomhaven so I unboxed it all, decided fuck that and put it all back. I think I'll play something a bit more lightweight for a while before I get into GH proper. So much stuff haha.
After that I thought it's finally time to dive into Gloomhaven so I unboxed it all, decided fuck that and put it all back. I think I'll play something a bit more lightweight for a while before I get into GH proper. So much stuff haha.
I think I may have leaped down the rabbit hole. I finally bit the bullet and ordered a copy of Beyond Valor so it's going to be the ASL life for me! To be fair, I did play the original Squad Leader game way back in the day and I still have both it and all the expansions so it's not as if it'll be all new to me, but it's a system that's always been intimidating. It's been decades since I played "the Guards Counterattack" scenario and it'd be cool to get back to it again.
Any beginner tips for JotL. Starting it today or tomorrow with my brother, but the rulebook is a bit intimidating. Also, what combo of classes is best for two people? We were thinking of doing Red Guard and Hatchet
Why didn't you start with the starter sets? Was it because you already played SL previously?
Red Guard and Hatchet are a pretty good combination.
Just play through the starter scenarios and follow along with the tutorial, it will ease you in. You don't need to read anything ahead of that.
I did have some questions about some things that I had to ask others about before it all really clicked, but feel free to ask here if you get stuck.
Anyone able to identify these meeples?
I'm trying to tidyup for Christmas because games table is about to have to become a dining table, and I've found these isolated in a bag on their own. There's a decent chance they're something tangentially related to a Kickstarter - maybe an addon or a replacement - given that I'm *usually* reasonably good at keeping stuff in a box... in the right box!
I'm trying to tidyup for Christmas because games table is about to have to become a dining table, and I've found these isolated in a bag on their own. There's a decent chance they're something tangentially related to a Kickstarter - maybe an addon or a replacement - given that I'm *usually* reasonably good at keeping stuff in a box... in the right box!
Anyone able to identify these meeples?
I'm trying to tidyup for Christmas because games table is about to have to become a dining table, and I've found these isolated in a bag on their own. There's a decent chance they're something tangentially related to a Kickstarter - maybe an addon or a replacement - given that I'm *usually* reasonably good at keeping stuff in a box... in the right box!
I got a bag of meeples like that from AVStudio (publisher of Tramways, Clinic, Small City). But they're pretty generic so it could be something else.
Tramways is something I kickstarted, so I suspect that's where they're meant to belong - so perhaps just as a useful freebie rather than specifically belonging to the game?
Yeah it's a little hard to understand why they send those, lol. Tramways the board game brings a big bag of them, bigger than that.
I got a bag of those because my Tramways box came busted up when I ordered it, so they sent a replacement box with that bag of meeples in it, no apparent reason. I ended up using them for the Tramways Engineer's Workbook spin off game.
Pretty much. The main reason why the starter sets exist is because the main rulebook is very hard to learn from, and it can be a lot too much up front investment in terms of money and learning time without them. I figured that if I'm going to jump in I might as well go all the way. And if I need to learn from the starter set scenarios I could always fire up VASSAL.
I feel like they are producing too many projects too quickly. Gameplay appears to be mixed, in the last few games they've made. I wish they'd stick to 1-2 a year and focus on that. I may skip this one.
Last edited:
I don't see why not. Photosynthesis does a great job of offering easy to understand rules and it's a great looking game. Just be aware that it can get cutthroat so if you aren't into direct competition it might not work for you.
Ditto. The only story based game I find appealing is Legacy of Dragonholt, but that's a very different kind of game from these big Kickstarters. Admittedly I did back Frosthaven, but that's Frosthaven so it doesn't really count.
I didn't back Frosthaven simply because I don't have a spare room to store it in.