# Games you've bought recently?



## MerricB (Aug 13, 2008)

This is a thread for people to post the boardgames they've bought recently, along with any comments they'd like to make on why those games.

In my case...

*ASL Action Pack #3 (Few Returned)
ASL Action Pack #4 (Normandy)*
In addition to being an Ameritrash gamer, Eurogamer and Roleplayer, I also play a few wargames. Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) is a new hobby for me - I only started in May last year, but it's quickly become one of my favourite games, especially as I can play it solo. I've never actually played full ASL with another player, but I've played it solo about 15 times so far (not counting the 30+ plays of the Starter Kits from which I learnt the game).

The Action Packs above each provide 3 maps and 12 scenarios for the game. Strangely, I can only play 4 of those scenarios... because I don't have enough else of the game! ASL's Core System involves about 8 different products, most of which are out of print. At some point they'll be back in print, though... and the Action Packs will be OOP. So, I bought the APs now.

The maps do allow me to play a few scenarios I have that I couldn't before, though, so it's not like they're completely useless - and the scenario descriptions are entertaining reading in any case.

*World of Warcraft: The Adventure Game*
It's like a cross between Talisman and Runebound! But better! 

Honestly, for someone who has never played WoW, I have a few games related to it. This has been the best so far. I'm still not 100% convinced by it, but the turns are quick and there's a good amount of character interaction as you go on quests and try to defeat overlords. Combat is occasionally frustratingly random, but that might also be because we haven't worked out how to finesse the system yet.

*Chrononauts*
It's a small cardgame from Looney Labs. Fairly random, but one of the coolest themes I know: You're a time-traveller, trying to alter the timeline so you can get home to your own reality. Or to collect some artefacts that someone will pay you a lot of money for. Takes about 20 minutes, and it's worth having a look at.

I've got about another 8 games on preorder (including Agricola), and I'll update this list as they come in.

What have you bought recently?


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## scitadel (Aug 13, 2008)

My recent buys:
Jambo - fun 2 player game where you take on the role of traders.  Card driven game but a nice mixture of trading and hand management and offensive options.  Definitely a great game, I'm looking forward to palying more of it.


WoW the Board Game - not the Adventure Game but the huge board game.  Only played it once so far, but I'm not unimpressed. I need a few more games to see how it plays out compared to Descent, but I can see both having different attractions for me. Definitely more control over the individual chars and without an 'overlord', everyone participates as a team (or teams, hee!)

Frontiers - another game I'd like to get more games in.  It's basically a miniatures game without the plastic figures set in the future with the humans and aliens fighting against one another. Quite fun, the set-up and gameplay is pretty easy and you can definitely get into it fast. I'm a fan.


I have both Risk 2210 and Fluxx sitting unopened so I ain't buying anything for the new future myself.  Bah! Too many games, not enough time.


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## Asmor (Aug 13, 2008)

Picked up the Catan dice game a couple weeks ago (to kill time while waiting in the juror selection pool, actually). It's not bad, but I've only played the "default" game, which is rather similar to yahtzee (i.e. no player interaction beyond trying to get the highest score). I'd be interested in trying the advanced rules, but don't have anyone to play it with at the moment.

Just picked up Monopoly Express today. I guess I'm on kind of a dice game kick. I blame To Court the King.  I've played Monopoly Express a handful of times on Hasbro's website, and it's actually pretty decent. Not a masterpiece by any means, but I think I like it better than the Catan dice game, at least. They're both good solo games.

I picked up Horus (this version) and Girl Genius: The Works about 2 weeks ago. I'm a bit surprised by Horus's low rating on boardgame geek. I've only gotten to play it once in a 2-player game, but I enjoyed it and would definitely like to play it again. I'm not really sure how much it adds to the game being able to place tiles at half-tile increments, but at the very least it doesn't detract from the game at all and does make it look a bit more interesting.

The Works is a bit disappointing. There's just too much going on, but not enough to really care about. It's a heavy game that looks and feels like a light game, and it just doesn't work well imho.


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## Steve Jung (Aug 14, 2008)

I just got Arkham Horror on a recommendation.


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## Philotomy Jurament (Aug 14, 2008)

Most recent purchases:

Hey, That's My Fish
Power Grid
Blokkus
Zombie Fluxx
Shipwrecked
Munchkin Impossible

(Most of those were picks by my kids)


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## Coyraven (Aug 14, 2008)

I recently got Agricola.

I have yet to play against other people, but the solo play has kept me entertained. 

CR


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## Sunaj2k3 (Aug 14, 2008)

Coyraven,

I too recently got Agricola (love those animeeples).  I've been able to play the family version with 3 players and with 5 players.  I'm looking forward to being able to play with minor improvements and occupations, but the family version is great.  5 player games clock in at around 2 hours and 3 player games are faster than that.

While I thought the farming theme would be boring as heck, the game itself is very well designed and balanced.  And, it keeps its balance as the number of players change--rare for most of the German games I've played, as many seem to have an optimum # of players.


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## johnsemlak (Aug 14, 2008)

I just bought the Starcraft boardgame, though haven't been able to try it yet.  I also recently picked up lost cities.  Sadly, I also haven 't played it yet.


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## Asmor (Aug 14, 2008)

johnsemlak said:


> I just bought the Starcraft boardgame, though haven't been able to try it yet.  I also recently picked up lost cities.  Sadly, I also haven 't played it yet.




You won't be disappointed, though they are very different games (obviously)


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## Gundark (Aug 18, 2008)

Last night on earth...enjoy it. looking forward to Touch of evil


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## juggler434 (Aug 18, 2008)

I won Clue the Card Game in a raffle at a con a while back, but just recently opened it and it turns out that its really fun. Much more fun than the boardgame in my opinion.


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## MerricB (Aug 19, 2008)

*Rally Point #2* and *ASL Journal #7*, both of which contain a number of scenarios for my Advanced Squad Leader game.

*Warriors of God* is a low-complexity wargame with two scenarios for the battles of the French and English (the Hundreds Year War, and "The Lion in Winter", which is earlier). Looks fun - 2 players, probably about 2 hours. You get to capture enemy kings and nobles, cool!  Oh, and leaders die lots, because the wars cover 100+ years!

Cheers!


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## Korgoth (Aug 19, 2008)

I recently picked up *Field of Glory*, an excellent ancient/medieval miniatures rules set. It is published by Osprey and comes as an incredible looking hardcover for the low price of 35 USD.

The rules really feel like you're moving around large units in a pre-modern milieu: your larger foot units slowly swing into position, while skirmishers and light horse units wheel in and out of harm's way. Many different troop types are covered, but the costing is standardized (it costs X to be protected versus Y to be armoured; it costs Z to use offensive spears versus W to use pikes, etc.). So what you get with the army lists are the available unit types and the minima and maxima dictated by historical precedent (there's no such thing as building a "killer army" based on some rules artifact as far as I can see; if you're building Galatians you basically take what they had available... your choice is merely emphasis in most cases, except for armies like Parthians and Graeco-Bactrians who can go entirely mounted if they wish or mix mounted and foot).

I played my first game yesterday, not even having fully read the rules (it was team play). Our side just made a military plan based on the disposition of forces, without much reference to the game mechanics, and executed that normal military plan (pike advance with refused right flank) and it worked out in play the way you basically would have expected it to in real life.


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## MerricB (Aug 19, 2008)

Korgoth said:


> I played my first game yesterday, not even having fully read the rules (it was team play). Our side just made a military plan based on the disposition of forces, without much reference to the game mechanics, and executed that normal military plan (pike advance with refused right flank) and it worked out in play the way you basically would have expected it to in real life.




Isn't it nice when that happens?

I've never been a miniature gamer; the requirements for one game were just too much for me (he says, ignoring the massive amount he's spent on Magic, D&D and now ASL...)

Cheers!


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## Brown Jenkin (Aug 20, 2008)

Gundark said:


> Last night on earth...enjoy it. looking forward to Touch of evil




A Touch of Evil came out at Gen Con and I managed to snag a copy. It is even better than Last Night on Earth.

I also picked up the Goat Spawn expansion for Arkham Horror. Haven't had a chance to look at that one yet.


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## Felon (Sep 10, 2008)

Picked these up at DragonCon to play at DragonCon:

*Mwahahaha!*: Exciting premise, mediocre gameplay.

*Murder City*: Great production values, but everyone at the table quickly realized that there were too many different types of cards that looked too simmilar and they were too much trouble to separate.

*Dungeon Twister*: Picked it up primarily because it's a two-player game and because of the kick-ass Wayne Reynolds art. No idea how good the gameplay is as I never got to try it.

*Aggrocola*: Awesome Puerto-Rico style game.


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## Asmor (Sep 11, 2008)

Felon said:


> Picked these up at DragonCon to play at DragonCon:
> 
> *Mwahahaha!*: Exciting premise, mediocre gameplay.




Also very nice bits, and a very, very full box. That thing is jam packed!

I like the game in principle, but in practice it takes way too long for what it is.


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## Aeson (Sep 11, 2008)

Felon said:


> Picked these up at DragonCon to play at DragonCon:
> 
> *Mwahahaha!*: Exciting premise, mediocre gameplay.




There is a game by this name? Priceless.


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## MerricB (Sep 11, 2008)

Latest games:
*Agricola* - the #1 game on BGG. It's just brilliant. Played it before, but very happy to have the English edition.

*Return of the Heroes* - another fantasy adventure boardgame, 1-4 players, plays fairly quickly (we finished a 4-player game in 90 minutes). Amusing, not that deep, and I still like Talisman more. It does have some nice moments, though.

*Race for the Galaxy* - very cool 1-4 player cardgame similar to San Juan. Good fun.

*Deluxe SPQR* - a consim of ancient Roman Republic battles. I'm currently playing one in the first Punic War.

Cheers!


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## Mindseye (Sep 11, 2008)

I picked up the Battlestar Galactica Board Game at GenCon. I'm not usually big on TV or Movie licensed games, but it seemed like it was getting pretty good buzz.

My group played 2 games of it last Sunday......and it is a really, really solid game. We had a great time with it and it captures the desparation of some of the episodes really well. The cylons won both games, so I'm looking forward to trying again.

Merric............I want to try Race for the Galaxy. Pretty fun?


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## MerricB (Sep 11, 2008)

Mindseye said:


> I picked up the Battlestar Galactica Board Game at GenCon. I'm not usually big on TV or Movie licensed games, but it seemed like it was getting pretty good buzz.
> 
> My group played 2 games of it last Sunday......and it is a really, really solid game. We had a great time with it and it captures the desparation of some of the episodes really well. The cylons won both games, so I'm looking forward to trying again.




I really, really want the BSG boardgame. 



> Merric............I want to try Race for the Galaxy. Pretty fun?




I think it's a lot of fun, but I need to play it more. 

Cheers,
Merric


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## Holy Bovine (Sep 12, 2008)

Mindseye said:


> Merric............I want to try Race for the Galaxy. Pretty fun?




I'll echo Merric on this one - Race for the Galaxy is very fun.  My friends and I have  played it a could of times now - each game was radically different than the last in terms of tone, pace and route to victory.


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## Mindseye (Sep 15, 2008)

MerricB said:


> I really, really want the BSG boardgame.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




We had 2 more games of Battlestar last night. Cylons have won all 4 games we've played thus far.

The last game we played, the humans were one player from victory when a particularly awful crisis kept them from reaching Kobol and caused the human race to perish from lack of food and water. On the good news front, this is one of my favorite new boardgames released in a long time.


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## Asmor (Sep 15, 2008)

After hearing so many rave about it here on ENWorld, I saw Adventurer and picked it up yesterday for $20. I can't say the game seems particularly good, though that's more because it doesn't seem like the kind of game I'd like, but the production qualities are absolutely terrible. The cards were unevenly cut, bad quality cardstock, grainy and sticky, thick and still flimsy, the printing process was uneven and the card backs go from normal to almost washed out in darkness. The box is oversized and flimsy (two things which don't go well together), there's a foam rubber dot in the center meant to keep the pack of cards from sliding around while in shrinkwrap which makes it really awkward to put stuff back in after they're unwrapped...

Stay away from the game. It's not worth $10 with production values like that, never mind $20.

I also picked up We Didn't Playtest This At All for $8. That was a pleasant surprise. Only played it as a 2-player game, and it never went past the second turn, but this seems like a game meant for larger groups of people. Imagine an 8-player game of Fluxx that's guaranteed to end in 5 minutes. Little strategy, but should be a fun game, and has some really cool mechanics (e.g. a series of battle cards, where everyone does paper, rock, scissors, and then everyone who threw a particular sign loses). The object of the game is to win, and you win by either winning or being the last person who hasn't lost. Highly random, but fun, and a good price point and pretty decent quality. Great filler for waiting for others to arrive or finish up a game.


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## Cadfan (Sep 16, 2008)

Agricola!

Also, Lascaux.

You can't really compare the two because Agricola is an intense 1 hour + game, while Lascaux is a light but very well designed half hour - game.  Get both.


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## Dr. Talos (Sep 17, 2008)

*Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition
Space Beans*
and
*Alhambra*

These round out my recent purchases...so many that I want...


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## Mistwell (Sep 17, 2008)

Race for the Galaxy.  Which, let me tell you, rocks!


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## MerricB (Sep 18, 2008)

Mistwell said:


> Race for the Galaxy.  Which, let me tell you, rocks!




It does. I need to play more games of it!

Cheers!


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## scitadel (Sep 24, 2008)

MerricB said:


> It does. I need to play more games of it!
> 
> Cheers!




Thirded. Great game and one I'll have to buy for myself I think.

I also had a chance to play Frontiers and Container (my most recent acquisition).  Frontiers is a ton of fun. It's everything it promises to be - a fast, 2-player miniaturless miniature game.   

Container was an utter flop with my gaming group. I'm going to have try some serious gamers who like business games before I write it off though - I liked it.


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## DonTadow (Sep 26, 2008)

I'm finally getting to the bountiful harvest i got from gencon (and bought before) 
Senji - Awesome game based around feudal Japan. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this time period.  The rules take a round to get, but once you get it it plays pretty well. 

Tomb- Fun dungeon romp

Trailerpark Wars -  Pretty fun light game if you know people who won't be offended. This game offends everyone. 

God Dice- Best pre dungeons and dragons game ever.  We've made this the new game to play before session while we wait for everyone to get there.  It's very light, very simple and yet lets you backstab and sneak attack your opponents.  No setup whatsover. 

Some Animal Game - There are these groups of animals (city, park, suburb and farm) and you play them against each other.  This is an impulse buy i regret buying.  The amount of space you need is big and youdon't effect the other players too much.  
----
Games haven't played yet
Wealth of Nations 
Horselords of Battue
In the year of the dragon
Growing Hunger


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## Punnuendo (Sep 29, 2008)

Twilight Imperium, Arkham Horror, and Starcraft. All are games I've played before and loved, but found a good deal on them and bought them up.


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## Committed Hero (Oct 1, 2008)

I just got Snorta - a fun game for kids and drunk adults.  Kovalic artwork to boot.


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## mhensley (Oct 7, 2008)

I just placed my order for the Doom board game and its expansion.  Oh, and Merric, could we not use the term Ameritrash?  I find that sort of BGG elitism offensive.  And besides, I think Eurocrap games are boring.


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## Asmor (Oct 7, 2008)

mhensley said:


> I just placed my order for the Doom board game and its expansion.  Oh, and Merric, could we not use the term Ameritrash?  I find that sort of BGG elitism offensive.  And besides, I think Eurocrap games are boring.




Ameritrash isn't an elitist term... That's a pretty common term. It's meant to be ironic.


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## mhensley (Oct 7, 2008)

Asmor said:


> Ameritrash isn't an elitist term... That's a pretty common term. It's meant to be ironic.




A bit of research reveals-



> Some people feel that the term "Ameritrash" is unnecessarily negative and prefer not to use it.






> While probably originally intended to apply just to genuinely bad American games, in deference to the much higher professional standards of mass-market games in Germany, the scope has since been expanded. Players of "euro" games probably used it as an insult for poorly-developed American games (after Hasbro bought out Avalon Hill in 1997, the center of game design and development experience shifted to Germany), and then some fans of those American games adopted the term as a badge of honor.




from-

Ameritrash | Wiki | BoardGameGeek


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## MerricB (Oct 7, 2008)

mhensley said:


> I just placed my order for the Doom board game and its expansion.  Oh, and Merric, could we not use the term Ameritrash?  I find that sort of BGG elitism offensive.  And besides, I think Eurocrap games are boring.




I actually prefer Ameritheme as the term, but occasionally I mistype.

Cheers!


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## Angrydad (Oct 8, 2008)

My wife recently bought me Gloom and Munchkin Cthulu for my birthday. Munchkin is always a good time, though I think the Cthulu set is underpowered compared to Star, Super, Fu, etc. Gloom is amusing, but we haven't quite played enough games for me to decide if it's actually really good.


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## Asmor (Oct 9, 2008)

Angrydad said:


> My wife recently bought me Gloom and Munchkin Cthulu for my birthday. Munchkin is always a good time, though I think the Cthulu set is underpowered compared to Star, Super, Fu, etc. Gloom is amusing, but we haven't quite played enough games for me to decide if it's actually really good.




I got Gloom a long time ago. It's an interesting game, and I love the cards, though I wish they were of a bit better quality... I might have an earlier printing, but some of them are rather difficult to read and suffer from spotting and being able to see through.

Fun fact: Gloom was designed by Keith Baker, the same dude who's better known for being the father of Eberron.


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## Angrydad (Oct 9, 2008)

Asmor said:


> I got Gloom a long time ago. It's an interesting game, and I love the cards, though I wish they were of a bit better quality... I might have an earlier printing, but some of them are rather difficult to read and suffer from spotting and being able to see through.
> 
> Fun fact: Gloom was designed by Keith Baker, the same dude who's better known for being the father of Eberron.




     I saw it was made by Baker and I wondered. I really can't stand those plastic cards. They slip and slide all over each other so easily. Gloom seems to suffer from a lack of strategery, in my mind. There are possibilities for clever card combos and saving ones that do special effects, but they seem a little limited in their application because many are only useable under certain conditions. It's still an entertaining game.


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## DonTadow (Oct 9, 2008)

Angrydad said:


> I saw it was made by Baker and I wondered. I really can't stand those plastic cards. They slip and slide all over each other so easily. Gloom seems to suffer from a lack of strategery, in my mind. There are possibilities for clever card combos and saving ones that do special effects, but they seem a little limited in their application because many are only useable under certain conditions. It's still an entertaining game.



Gloom is a good concept, but the technology just isn't there for it. After a while the cards begin to fade and peel off and making a game is difficult.


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## Asmor (Oct 9, 2008)

DonTadow said:


> Gloom is a good concept, but the technology just isn't there for it. After a while the cards begin to fade and peel off and making a game is difficult.




Actually, the technology does seem to be there. There's a game called Cranium Ziggity which uses clear plastic cards, and you can also buy clear plastic Bicycle cards which are of very nice quality.


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## scitadel (Oct 10, 2008)

Hey DonTadow - question - is God Dice actually in print these days?

Bought and played - Container.  Utter failure with my game group. But I see the potential, I just need to find a group that doesn't consist of 2 art majors. 

Cutthroat Caverns - like the game, but I think it missed the boat with the lack of 'screw them over' cards.  We have had times where there just weren't enough cards to hurt other players.

Intrigue - probably the best buy of the most recent purchase.  HUGE amount of fun and laughter.  Definitely can't be taken too seriously though.

Other recent acquisitions. None played (just last weekend):
- Prophecy
- Descent : Road to Legend and Well of Darkness
- Camelot Legends


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## jdsivyer (Oct 10, 2008)

I've picked up the Dark Heresy RPG, Pathfinder Campaign Setting and the hardcover reprint of the Traveller rpg


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## Asmor (Oct 10, 2008)

jdsivyer said:


> I've picked up the Dark Heresy RPG, Pathfinder Campaign Setting and the hardcover reprint of the Traveller rpg




That's cool, but this thread is for board games, card games, etc. If you'd like to discuss those games, you should check out the general forum (this is the board games & CCGs forum)


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## DonTadow (Oct 10, 2008)

scitadel said:


> Hey DonTadow - question - is God Dice actually in print these days?
> 
> Bought and played - Container.  Utter failure with my game group. But I see the potential, I just need to find a group that doesn't consist of 2 art majors.
> 
> ...



I've heard there was an older game, but this is a brand new design. Very fun very quick, but has some good tactical moments in it.


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## MerricB (Oct 11, 2008)

I've just won an e-bay auction for the original _Squad Leader_... that should be interesting.


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## mhensley (Oct 11, 2008)

MerricB said:


> I've just won an e-bay auction for the original _Squad Leader_... that should be interesting.




That's the only version I would even consider playing.  I couldn't even grok the starter kit for ASL.  Of course, Up Front is way better than either.


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## MerricB (Oct 11, 2008)

mhensley said:


> That's the only version I would even consider playing.  I couldn't even grok the starter kit for ASL.  Of course, Up Front is way better than either.




I've happily made my way through all the SKs onto full ASL. 

From what I gather, original SL was a pretty good game, but the subsequent expansions (gamettes) did horrible things to the rules...

Cheers!


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## Punnuendo (Oct 15, 2008)

Monsterpocalypse which is amazing and A Touch of Evil which is also a real blast.


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## MerricB (Oct 15, 2008)

Punnuendo said:


> Monsterpocalypse which is amazing and A Touch of Evil which is also a real blast.




I'm interested in A Touch of Evil... just bought too many other games of late.

Cheers!


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## Adso (Oct 15, 2008)

In the recent past I've picked up the following board or boardish game.

_Wings of War_
_BattleLore_
_Cold War: CIA vs. KGB_
_Citadels_
_Monsterpocalypse_
_Hey! That's My Fish_

Of these games, I'd already played a good amount of _BattleLore_, so I knew I would like that game. I just wanted to pick up the Days of Wonder version before FF took it over. 

I've only played a little _Citadels,_ and I would like to play more, but my first impression is that it's a pretty solid game. I need to get into one of the large games that Rodney Thompson and Chris Tulach keep telling me about. It’s one of those games where fun increases with player count. I’ve only played limited games. 

I absolutely love _Wings of War,_ and don’t get to play it nearly often enough for my tastes. I may finally pick up an X-Box 360 just so I can play it more often. 

I think _Cold War_ is a brilliant little two-player mind tease. Playing it spurs all sorts of fun little arguments between my wife and me (but I am into that sort of thing…and so is she). 

_Hey! That's My Fish _is one of the best little games I have every played. It's one of those games that I wish that I had designed. I've used it as an example of a simple yet robust game in my classes. 

_Monsterpocalypse _was a huge let down for me. I'm a fan of _Hordes_ and _Warmachine_ (especially _Hordes_), and wanted to see what the guys at Privateer did with a simple boardgame-like wargame. While I think the minis are ingeniously put together and decorated (oh, and just beautiful for the most part) I find the game too techy and bitsy for its genre and what I thought were its goals. Maybe I was wrong about the goals...who knows? There are things I like about the game...but they tend to be some of the same things I like about their other minis games, and just wish this one was...well...simpler. 

Oh…and I know it’s not a boardgame, but I do have to give high praise to 5th Edition _Warhammer 40K_. The team over at Games Workshop have done and excellent job with their current edition. I’ve played some of the best and smoothest games of my 40k career over the past couple of months, and the supplementary products they’ve released for it have been fantastic. Though I have to admit painting and assembling the new Space Marines drop pod has been a challenge.


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## MerricB (Oct 15, 2008)

Adso said:


> I've only played a little _Citadels,_ and I would like to play more, but my first impression is that it's a pretty solid game. I need to get into one of the large games that Rodney Thompson and Chris Tulach keep telling me about. It’s one of those games where fun increases with player count. I’ve only played limited games.




Yeah, it is really a fantastic game. 



> I think _Cold War_ is a brilliant little two-player mind tease. Playing it spurs all sorts of fun little arguments between my wife and me (but I am into that sort of thing…and so is she).




It's not Twilight Struggle, but the bluffing and tricks you play in the game are superb. I'm very impressed by that game. 



> Oh…and I know it’s not a boardgame, but I do have to give high praise to 5th Edition _Warhammer 40K_. The team over at Games Workshop have done and excellent job with their current edition. I’ve played some of the best and smoothest games of my 40k career over the past couple of months, and the supplementary products they’ve released for it have been fantastic.




Miniature gaming (of the non DDM sort) has always been the one area I've never participated in, but I have several friends who love WH40K. I'm really glad to hear you like the new edition so much, SRM. Games Workshop have been having so many difficulties of late, it's truly impressive that they've done a good job with the new edition.

Cheers!


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## MerricB (Oct 19, 2008)

My latest purchases have arrived:

*Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries* - 2-3 player only version; a _lot_ of fun; we played it last night. It's got a Christmas theme, and all the train cards have cool snowy artwork. 

*Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear - Russia 1941-2* - it's a very fast-playing wargame for 2-4 players. Large cardstock counters. Seems quite fun.

*Power Grid: China/Korea expansion* - new boards!  These are funky: for China, the plants come out in a predetermined order; for Korea, there are two resource markets!

Cheers!


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## Holy Bovine (Oct 20, 2008)

We finally got to play Power Grid last night with a couple of friends of ours and it was awesome!  Love this game.  We just used the basic rules and board but I am looking forward to trying the Belarus (?) board with limited nuke plant sites.  I was surprised at how easy the game was to learn.


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## Angrydad (Oct 20, 2008)

Is it just me, or is Muchkin Cthulu severely underpowered compared to many of the other variants, such as Star, Super, or even Fu?


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## Staffan (Oct 20, 2008)

I haven't played it, but it would certainly fit the theme. It's not like Call of Cthulhu is known for PCs having long and successful careers.


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## Korgoth (Oct 20, 2008)

I just picked up Fire & Axe: A Viking Saga. Man, that game is cool.

It has tons of theme (you know, you actually do what Vikings are supposed to do: raid, trade and settle) and a nice strategic component. There's enough randomness that there are no "safe" strategies. Exactly the sort of game that confounds the ultrararefied tastemakers of BGG.


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## Angrydad (Oct 20, 2008)

Staffan said:


> I haven't played it, but it would certainly fit the theme. It's not like Call of Cthulhu is known for PCs having long and successful careers.




True, but even the monstes and curses aren't that bad compared to some of the other variants. It's enjoyable anyway, but somewhat less powerful.


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## Plane Sailing (Oct 21, 2008)

Korgoth said:


> Exactly the sort of game that confounds the ultrararefied tastemakers of BGG.




Being rude about other sites isn't cool. Please don't do it again.


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## Staffan (Oct 21, 2008)

Korgoth said:


> I just picked up Fire & Axe: A Viking Saga. Man, that game is cool.
> 
> It has tons of theme (you know, you actually do what Vikings are supposed to do: raid, trade and settle) and a nice strategic component. There's enough randomness that there are no "safe" strategies. Exactly the sort of game that confounds the ultrararefied tastemakers of BGG.



A friend of mine bought this, and the verdict after playing once is that we like it. A big plus is that the state on the board is not necessarily connected to your score, so even if you're behind you get to sail around and do as much fun stuff as the other players.


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## Asmor (Oct 21, 2008)

Korgoth said:


> Exactly the sort of game that confounds the ultrararefied tastemakers of BGG.




So much so that it's got a 7.19 on the geek... (that's a VERY respectable rating-- not too many games break the 7 barrier)


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## Korgoth (Oct 21, 2008)

Asmor said:


> So much so that it's got a 7.19 on the geek... (that's a VERY respectable rating-- not too many games break the 7 barrier)




My point (and I'm a bit baffled by the Mod intervention above, so I hope I'm not stepping on any toes... I like BGG, use it frequently and am registered there) is just that there's a certain subset of the BGG usership who either favor Euros to the point of finding randomness unacceptable (heck... there are even people who take the dice out of Settlers!) and/or those who find "Euro" and "Ameritrash" (say it loud, say it proud!) to be separate camps that should not be intermixed. I would go so far as to say that there are some influential types who could be thought of in that way.

To the former group, Fire & Axe is probably off-putting because a really refined strategy can crash upon the rocks of poor dicemanship (whereas a lucky clod can skate by with an excellent roll). To the latter group, Fire & Axe may seem a shocking hybrid of Euro and American ideas.

Myself, I enjoy my status as a rather pedestrian boardgamer. Give me cool little toys, mechanics wedded to theme, and lots of "wahoo!" episodes involving crazy dice throws. I see no reason to be a purist about design principles (though I understand the opinions of those who do), I just want to laugh and have a good time with my buddies.

Probably if I have a strong bias, it's the marriage of theme and mechanics. Games which have mechanics that have nothing to do with their theme (Lost Cities could be about modern agribusiness and nothing would change except the card art) drive me nutso!


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## DonTadow (Oct 21, 2008)

Korgoth said:


> My point (and I'm a bit baffled by the Mod intervention above, so I hope I'm not stepping on any toes... I like BGG, use it frequently and am registered there) is just that there's a certain subset of the BGG usership who either favor Euros to the point of finding randomness unacceptable (heck... there are even people who take the dice out of Settlers!) and/or those who find "Euro" and "Ameritrash" (say it loud, say it proud!) to be separate camps that should not be intermixed. I would go so far as to say that there are some influential types who could be thought of in that way.
> 
> To the former group, Fire & Axe is probably off-putting because a really refined strategy can crash upon the rocks of poor dicemanship (whereas a lucky clod can skate by with an excellent roll). To the latter group, Fire & Axe may seem a shocking hybrid of Euro and American ideas.
> 
> ...



I think that's a bad generalization of BGG.  Agricola, the #1 game, is a clear example that a game can have random elements, still be strong and still be fun.  It's just a general thing on BGG that if the games are decided solely by a bad or good dice roll, the game takes the playability away from the player. Dice are not the problem. You'll find a lot of games in the top 100, 200,500 that utilize dice.  It's how much those dice decide the game. Oddly enough, dice take away from the theme and turn an engrossing game into a game of craps if done poorly.  Don't get caught up on the terms uero and ameritrash. Heck it was american war gamers who helped coin and promote the phrase. A sort of badge of honor.  And there's no shame in owning an american or euro game.  Battle lore is a top 20 american game that everyone loves. Conflict of heroes is another american game that's garnering some attention.  

Your diss at BGG, shows that you are just as much a culture of stereotyping as other people have been called.  Fire and Axe is nearly a top 211 game.  It has excellent reviews as well.  The randomness is not whats bringing this game as it seems to have a nice controlled dice element based off of your skill.  HOwever, you have to remember that BGG is an international board, and with cards that have ton of texts the translations can sometimes hurt a game's opinion.  From the read, it also has a very unique viking theme that may not appeal with all cultures.  Still a 7 is strong and since I've never heard of this game before I'll have to put it on my secret santa list.  Sounds like fun.


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## Korgoth (Oct 21, 2008)

DonTadow said:


> Your diss at BGG, shows that you are just as much a culture of stereotyping as other people have been called.




I really don't understand where this is coming from. BGG is an excellent and informative site with lots of distinguished users.

There is some rarefication of tastes, though. That tends to produce "purists". That's all. We all know about purists around here... seeing as an entire school of thought made a name for itself by charging D&D and Storyteller with impurity!

Anyway... getting back to the actually meaningful things: yes, Fire & Axe is neat. It's not a "pure" representative of either school, which is fun for those of us who like elements of both.

One interesting element is the fact that there are always 3 face up mission cards or "sagas". In addition to the normal points you'll get for raiding, trading and settling (the latter particularly pays off when all the settlements are in the same region, which is a score multiplier), you get additional points for finishing sagas (but you have to have the most or second most sagas of a particular land: Norway, Sweden or Denmark, so there's a set collection element too!). This is interesting because as the sagas get completed, new ones come out. To make the saga deck to begin with, a number of sagas are randomly removed. So it's hard to plan too far ahead of your next foray, because you don't know what sagas will come up as the players complete them. But you can't simply plan to complete the saga you're hoping for... you have to watch out for other players nicking it out from under you.


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## MerricB (Oct 22, 2008)

Woohoo! I've just received Stone Age. Ordered it four months ago, but it's a hot item and went out of stock at MilSims pretty much immediately. Finally came back in stock a week or so ago and they've just posted out my backorder.

This is a resource gathering/worker placement game. With dice! Ranked #35 on the 'geek, which is really high. 

Cheers!


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## Asmor (Oct 22, 2008)

MerricB said:


> This is a resource gathering/worker placement game. With dice! Ranked #35 on the 'geek, which is really high.




Fun game, I've played it a fair amount on BSW, would definitely like to own it at some point. Grats on the acquisition!


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## Agamon (Oct 31, 2008)

MerricB said:


> Woohoo! I've just received Stone Age. Ordered it four months ago, but it's a hot item and went out of stock at MilSims pretty much immediately. Finally came back in stock a week or so ago and they've just posted out my backorder.
> 
> This is a resource gathering/worker placement game. With dice! Ranked #35 on the 'geek, which is really high.




I was dumbfounded when I saw it sitting at the local FLGS one day and snatched it up.  Really fun game.

Finally picked up Twilight Struggle, one of favorite games, recently and schooled my roommate a couple times.

A Touch of Evil looks like a fun game.  I don't recommend playing it with 7 players though, it seemed to bog down a bit in the one play I've had so far.  6 or 8 and playing in teams is better with that many people, but it'd be faster paced with less players, too.


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## MerricB (Oct 31, 2008)

Latest two games - a couple of wargames:

Burma
Afrika

The latter is very playable. Burma? It's for really experienced wargamers. Not quite sure why I got it... well, actually it was to check out the system. I'll see how it plays one of these days.

Cheers!


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## Gundark (Nov 3, 2008)

Agamon said:


> A Touch of Evil looks like a fun game.  I don't recommend playing it with 7 players though, it seemed to bog down a bit in the one play I've had so far.  6 or 8 and playing in teams is better with that many people, but it'd be faster paced with less players, too.




We found that it bogged down too. Opitmal is 3-4. A really fun game.  I would recommend the co-op variant, as we had the most fun with it. The downside is that the town elder's secrets seem less meaningful that way though.


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## RefinedBean (Nov 3, 2008)

Well, I just got Settlers of Catan.

Because, you know...I like living in the past.


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## Demongirl (Nov 7, 2008)

Bought Arkham Horror last weekend. Played it with my friends and we all had a blast.


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## Asmor (Nov 15, 2008)

Dominion just arrived... Box is bigger than I expected, but it uses it well. Call me a geek, but I love a game with a good storage solution, and this game delivers one of the coolest ever. Take a look!.

There's around 500 cards, including 10 each of 25 different "kingdom cards." But you only use 10 types of kingdom cards per game, meaning keeping them organized and easily findable is of the utmost importance. The plastic tray has tons of slots for holding the cards, works beautifully. Can't wait to play it...

Stone Age arrived yesterday. I've played it on BSW quite a few times, and it's weird seeing it in person. It's like meeting IRL someone you've known for a while online; familiar, but subtly different than what you expected. I'm also quite pleased to say that Stone Age provided a decent storage solution, actually providing 8 little baggies for holding all the figures and a segmented cardboard storage area. On the down side, the box doesn't close all the way! That's a bit disappointing.  But still, very cool game, and it comes with a leather dice cup!

I've got Kingsburg coming soon, via a trade on Board Game Geek (I traded away my Betrayal at House on the Hill for it).

Tuesday (the night my college's game club meets) is going to be fun...


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## Victim (Nov 20, 2008)

I ordered Race for the Galaxy as a birthday gift for my brother.  We'll see how it is this weekend.


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## Ahzad (Nov 22, 2008)

I just picked up Killer Bunnies and the Journey to Jupiter board game, haven't played it yet but it looks to be fun. I'm a huge Killer Bunnies fan so I couldn't pass up another bunny game


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## MerricB (Nov 22, 2008)

Latest games:

Carcassonne: Cult, Siege and Creativity. Yet another mini-expansion.

Arkham Horror: Black Goat of the Wood. Another small expansion. Probably its best feature are the "difficulty modifier" cards which allow you to select how difficult the game is. Another Herald as well...

Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization. This game is extremely well-regarded on BGG (#11). I'm really looking forward to playing it.


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## meomwt (Nov 23, 2008)

Got hold of a couple of Cheapass games - _Secret Tijuana Deathmatch_ and _Jacob Marley, Esq_- because we like Cheapass games, and they're generally fun. Cheap, but fun. And anyway, _Secret Tijuana Deathmatch_ is a limited edition, because it uses bits that were destined for another game, but the print run of bits was higher than the number of games ordered!

Also got hold of the Knizia game _King's Gate_. This looks fun, though the two-player version looks a little difficult to manage. 

Haven't had chance to play anyof these yet, though


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## megamania (Nov 23, 2008)

Not sure if this counts but its non-RPG.... Heroclix.   My kids found my stuff a few months back and ever since we play a bit each month.   A friend of mine from the factory has interest in trying it out so who knows... I may get back into it again.


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## Adso (Nov 24, 2008)

*WoW...and I mean wow.*

This past Friday I picked up a starter and a booster for the WoW minis game. I had heard some good things about it, but found myself pleasantly surprised to be strolling back into my FLGS the very next morning to pick up 4 more boosters.

There are some surprisingly interesting and fun bits of design in it. It doesn't over think what it doesn't have to. It has pretty simple rules, but engaging strategy, and it's a good-good looking game. It also does a fine job of emulating some of the computer game's tactics in a minis arena. Color me impressed. I think it is worth trying a game or two.


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## MerricB (Dec 4, 2008)

New stuff:

*Brass* - superb Industrial Revolution game by Martin Wallace. It's Lancashire, and you're building coal mines, iron works, cotton mills, ports, shipyards, canals and railroads as the Industrial age starts! 3-4 players, 2-3 hours. I've played this once before and it's one of my Top 10 games at the moment. Lots and lots of fun, balancing income against gaining VPs and position.

*Rails of Europe* - the expansion to Railroad Tycoon, this one makes a much tighter game for 3-5 players. I've played it with 3 and 4 players so far, and each game has been very close and very enjoyable.

*Memoir '44: Terrain Pack & Pacific Theatre* - a light and really, really fun WW2 wargame that I play quite a bit of; these packs include more scenarios and bits for the game: the Terrain Pack has a lot of cardboard tiles and chits to allow more complicated boards; the Pacific Theatre adds the Japanese and gives rules for the USMC. I'm playing through PT with Randy at the moment, and it's very different to the base game and the Eastern Theatre. 

Cheers!


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## Coyraven (Dec 4, 2008)

*Dominion* - I liked MtG when it first came out, and enjoy other card games. This seems like a natural fit.

*Formula D* - I have only played Formula De once, but it was a lot of fun. A new edition? I am in.

*Wasabi* - My only new addition that I have actually gotten to play. It is very lite, but it is fun for a game or two. The gf enjoys it. I only wish more was done with the actual wasabi cubes. Such nice components that are barely of use. It almost strikes me as a gimmick.

Yesterday, I ordered a pile of board games as x-mas gifts, but I also ordered Blokus Trigon for me. 

CR


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## Slider Wade (Dec 5, 2008)

*Escape from Colditz* - Very old game and very fun. I remember playing it at my friends house back when I was a teenager. Set me back about $200, but it was worth it. I can't wait to play this with my family next weekend.


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## bento (Dec 7, 2008)

Ordered Wasabi!, No Thanks! and a nice wood chess set to go under the Christmas tree for the family.  Lots of electronic games are also purchased for the kids - DeBlob, Animal Crossing City Folk, Wall-E, Cooking Mana (Wii) and Nerf N-Strik (Wii).


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## physicscarp (Dec 10, 2008)

Adso said:


> This past Friday I picked up a starter and a booster for the WoW minis game. I had heard some good things about it, but found myself pleasantly surprised to be strolling back into my FLGS the very next morning to pick up 4 more boosters.
> 
> There are some surprisingly interesting and fun bits of design in it. It doesn't over think what it doesn't have to. It has pretty simple rules, but engaging strategy, and it's a good-good looking game. It also does a fine job of emulating some of the computer game's tactics in a minis arena. Color me impressed. I think it is worth trying a game or two.




I had the exact same experience. Bought the starter set out of curiosity (and because my FLGS had it marked down), came home and ran through a game. The rules are very simple and easy to learn and games are quick - less than an hour on average I would imagine. The variety of figures lends a high degree of replayability, as it seems unlikely that you would go up against the same pieces over and over. 

One aspect I really liked is that the conditions for winning (victory points) are tied to the strength of the pieces you are using (honors points). To win, you need to score an number of VPs equal to the total honor of your group. This let's someone use plenty of high powered (and therefore costly) minis, but requires them to do more to win. The guys who just buy a started can still play because they won't need as many VPs. And the minis look awesome. 

I'm going to my FLGS to try out some competitive play.


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## Asmor (Dec 18, 2008)

Just got BSG via a trade on BGG (traded away Kingsburg, which it turns out I wasn't so enamored with after all...).

I've skimmed the rules and I'm really excited for it. The way people do skill checks is absolutely brilliant and allows for a hidden cylon to subtly manipulate results without confirming his presence and-- and this is the big thing-- preserves the air of mystery even if the cylon doesn't act or there is no cylon yet!

The idea is that there are 5 different types of skills (tactics, piloting, engineering, diplomacy, forget the 5th). Every crisis has a list of 2-3 skills which are allowed. There's a "destiny deck" with 2 cards of each skill type shuffled into it.

Every time a crisis is drawn, 2 cards off the top of the destiny deck are played face down, and then players may each choose to contribute cards from their hands (or not) face down. The cards are then shuffled and revealed so you don't know which cards came from where.

Cards matching the crisis are positive. Cards not matching the crisis are negative. Higher totals are better.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, of course. There's a ton of things in this game that really help preserve the tension and suspicion, and I suspect that will make this an amazing not-completely-coop game.


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## Shade (Dec 24, 2008)

My wonderful wife got me all three Last Night on Earth expansions for my birthday a few weeks ago, and I finally got a chance to play them last weekend.

Growing Hunger adds some great rules variations.  We played the Zombie Apocalypse scenario first, and it was quite enjoyable.   Sam the Diner Cook is my new favorite hero, especially when armed with the hedge trimmer from the Revenge of the Dead supplement.   Despite his noble efforts, the zombies easily destroyed the necessary buildings.

We also tried the Revenge of the Dead scenario, using the grave dead zombie variant, offset by the well-stocked and extra starting hero card variants.  The heroes managed to hole up in the gun shop, and survived the ensuing rampage.


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## Punnuendo (Dec 24, 2008)

Recently picked up but haven't had a chance to play:

Formula D!
Android
Monsterpocalypse Map Pack
Battlestations Revised Rule Book
Battlestations: Pax Galactica
Battlestations: Pirates


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## MerricB (Dec 25, 2008)

New additions to my list: 

* Battlestar Galactica
* Pursuit of Glory (a WW1 wargame in the Near East)
* Descent: Road to Legend expansion
* Descent: Well of Darkness expansion
* Dominion
* Taluva

Cheers!


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## Plane Sailing (Dec 29, 2008)

I recently bought *Pirates Cove* from "days of wonder" to play with my daughters, and it is a blast. Best pirates board game I've come across for a long time.

Welcome - Pirate's Cove | Days of Wonder

Cheers


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## Asmor (Dec 29, 2008)

I traded Kingsburg for Battlestar Galactica. I'm really, really excited to play this, hopefully will get a chance to play it New Year's Eve.

Days of Wonder sent out an email earlier this month to people who've registered games with them. Offered a free copy of Colosseum if you spent at least $50.

Sadly, by the time I took advantage of the deal the game I really wanted, Cleopatra & the Society of Architects, was sold out. I ended up settling for Shadows over Camelot.

They just arrived today. I've punched out everything for SoC and don't really have any comments. I find it amusing that, despite not being a fan of cooperative games in general, I now have 2 of them waiting to be played (BSG and SoC). Of course, both of them have traitor mechanics, so they're not strictly coop...

Colosseum is an impressively heavy box. The plastic insert is very nice and it looks like it would be awesome for organizing the pieces... if I could figure out how to fit them all in it! I wanted to check BoardGameGeek to see if someone had any pictures of the components in the box to see what magic I'm missing, but BGG's down. :/ I was lukewarm about this game at first, but figured a free $60 game is nothing to sneeze at. Looking at it, though, I'm quite excited to give it a whirl now.

EDIT: I finally managed to fit everything for Colosseum into the tray and went to put the board and rulebooks back in, and I found an insert showing you where to put everything in the box. Woops.


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## The Prophet (Dec 29, 2008)

Got to spend some Christmas $...

Went a bit over the budget but got...

- Conquest of the Empire
- Imperial
- In the Shadow of the Emperor
- Modern Art

That should keep me busy for a while.


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## Asmor (Dec 30, 2008)

The Prophet said:


> - Modern Art




Only one of those I've played, it gets a hearty thumbs up from me.


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## Ahzad (Dec 30, 2008)

*Cold War: CIA vs KGB*

Not exactly new for me, I bought it six months ago or so but I just finally got around to playing it last night. I really enjoyed it.

It's a simple 2 player game where the object is to be the first player to reach 100 points. Each player takes on the role of either the KGB or the CIA vying over contested regions of the world during the Cold War, like Cuba, Afghanistan, the Congo and ect.. Each objective is worth different point costs 10 - 20, and it limits you to the number of groups you can assign to the help you win the objective based on the objective's population anywhere from 1 to 5. Some objectives are events like the nuclear escalation that's worth 5 points, but you can discard it later to remove all the military groups in play, or there's one that will allow you to bring an agent who was "terminated" back into the game. Each objective has an influence number on it and you need to be the closest to that number to win, if you go over your agent has caused civil disorder and your opponent wins the objective and your agent gets "terminated".

Each player has a small stable of agents to secretly assign to the objective, an assassin who if you win you kill your opponents agent x, but you don't win the objective it gets put on the bottom of the objective deck, or a double agent who will allow you to see who your opponents agent x is during the next turn before you choose yours, the director who can allow you to win 2 objectives in a turn, master spy who allows you to win the objective if you lose and others.

Each objective is won based on the groups you can recruit to help you win the cause, there are military, economic, media, political cards that have an influence number on them that adds together to reach your influence goal. The cards also have special abilities on them military cards allow you to remove groups to the discard pile, political cards allow you to move groups to your opponent or to take his, media allow you to look at the top cards of the groups deck, and the economic cards allow you to reset another cards power for use again.

This was a very simple overview of the game, but for the most part that's all there is to it. Like I said I found I really enjoyed it and it took very little space and was fast to play. Just the thing for setting around with a buddy, watching some tv or BSing w/o getting to heavily into a complicated game.


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## Asmor (Dec 30, 2008)

Ahzad said:


> This was a very simple overview of the game, but for the most part that's all there is to it. Like I said I found I really enjoyed it and it took very little space and was fast to play. Just the thing for setting around with a buddy, watching some tv or BSing w/o getting to heavily into a complicated game.




Based on the name I wouldn't have been interested in it, but from your description it does sound pretty cool. Gonna have to look it up... God knows I could use some more good 2-player games.


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## Ahzad (Dec 30, 2008)

the two player aspect was one of the big draws for me as well


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## Shade (Dec 30, 2008)

Plane Sailing said:


> I recently bought *Pirates Cove* from "days of wonder" to play with my daughters, and it is a blast. Best pirates board game I've come across for a long time.




Love that game!  Nothing beats preparing to die, and instead finding the Cacafuego.


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