There's a long running occurrence in TV shows to celebrate major episode marks with episodes of a slightly different nature. Stargate SG-1 did this with the use of a TV show that spoofed Stargate Command. Frasier did it by celebrating the 1000th and 2000th episodes of his radio show, for the 100th and 200th episode of Frasier.
When I started this blog on December 2nd 2011, I never dreamt that I'd be at 100 posts and nearly 10,000 page views in 10 months. It humbles me that so many people have read my blog, my random thoughts on boardgames. I've never been a great writer. I once had a professor tell me that I wrote too conversationally. That's a problem in the academic world, but for a blog, I think it's a good way to go about things. Many people search to find what they're passionate about. I feel that I'm lucky to say that my passion is boardgames, both playing them, and writing about them.
It's funny sometimes, the more I play games, the more ideas I have to write about, but the less time I have to write. Then, when I have the time, I don't have the ideas to work with. I've gotten better with balancing everything, I think that I've finally got into a rhythm with article series. I have the collection building series, a series of random thoughts balanced against my Top 7 lists, and then reviews. My aim is to publish one from each category per week, but often the week gets extended. Still, having those categories keeps the articles going, and gives me something to think about ahead of time.
As I've stated several times, board games are all about people. I write for you, my audience. I do enjoy it, but if it wasn't for you reading this, it wouldn't really matter. I'd just be some random guy writing about boardgames. I truly appreciate how much of a global reach I've had. Sure, the bulk of my hits are from the US, but I've had a good amount of views from the UK, Russia, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, Sweden, Ukraine, Netherlands, Indonesia, Brazil, Spain, Poland, Romania, Thailand, and the list goes on and on. It's made me realize how universal boardgames truly are. Anyone can play them and have a good time, because they are really about people.
To all of you who I've played boardgames with, Thank-You! This blog, specifically this post, is for you. Without you, my gaming addiction/hobby/enthusiasm wouldn't be possible.
Here's to 100 more posts and a lot of great memories yet to come.
Monday, October 1, 2012
September 2012 Update
Welcome to October, and a special Happy Birthday to my sister.
September was simultaneously the best and worst month of boardgames for me. The bad news, I only had 2 game days which accounted for a total of 8 game plays. That's the lowest all year and has me behind pace. The good news, a weekly game night has started up at my local game store. It's not big on boardgames yet, but we had some people stop by who were interested in playing the next time, so here's hoping. Also really big news, I played my 1500th boardgame last week. It was For Sale, for anyone who's interested. Cosmic came in at 1501, but I couldn't swing it for 1500.
What got playing in September?
Tsuro x3
Dominion x2
For Sale x1
Lost Cities x1
Cosmic Encounter x1
That brings the YTD total to 210, which is 15 behind pace for 300. Hopefully with the weekly game night, I'll make some ground up.
I acquired 4 new games this month. I received Angry Birds: Knock on Wood and The Resistance in a trade for some LoTR chapter packs, and I received Fleet and Solar Circuit Racing from Kickstarter campaigns. It's really nice to see games coming in from Kickstarter.
September was a productive month in terms of posts with a total of 10, though we'll call it 9 since the monthly updates don't really count.
I got out 3 reviews, Dominion:Dark Ages, Catacombs and Shadows Over Camelot.
Also, there were 3 additions to the Collection Building Series, Co-op, Team, and Dice.
Finally, there were 3 bonus articles, 2 random musings, Kickstarter, and the upcoming game Story Realms, as well as my Top 7 Places to Play Games.
Looking at October, there are some exciting things coming. I should have an interview with the designers of Story Realms, that should be in the next few days. Also look forward to new reviews of both new and older games. If you have suggestions for games I should review, feel free to leave a comment, or head over to the BoBG facebook page and vote there. I'm going to have a couple of guest reviewers come in to review Munchkin and Money. I'm going to try to review games in the Gryphon Bookshelf Series, at least the ones I own, which is 1-8. I'm open to having guests come in the review the rest of the series. If you're interested in that, let me know and we can talk about that.
Thank-you everyone for reading, commenting, tweeting, re-tweeting, etc. You all are the reason I keep writing articles. The next article will be #100, which I'll be using as something fun and frivolous. Also, BoBG is nearly at 10,000 views since launch in December. I know other blogs have gained a larger following, but 10,000 is something I never thought would happen this fast. Once again, thank-you to all of you, the loyal readers, the one time readers, and everyone in between.
September was simultaneously the best and worst month of boardgames for me. The bad news, I only had 2 game days which accounted for a total of 8 game plays. That's the lowest all year and has me behind pace. The good news, a weekly game night has started up at my local game store. It's not big on boardgames yet, but we had some people stop by who were interested in playing the next time, so here's hoping. Also really big news, I played my 1500th boardgame last week. It was For Sale, for anyone who's interested. Cosmic came in at 1501, but I couldn't swing it for 1500.
What got playing in September?
Tsuro x3
Dominion x2
For Sale x1
Lost Cities x1
Cosmic Encounter x1
That brings the YTD total to 210, which is 15 behind pace for 300. Hopefully with the weekly game night, I'll make some ground up.
I acquired 4 new games this month. I received Angry Birds: Knock on Wood and The Resistance in a trade for some LoTR chapter packs, and I received Fleet and Solar Circuit Racing from Kickstarter campaigns. It's really nice to see games coming in from Kickstarter.
September was a productive month in terms of posts with a total of 10, though we'll call it 9 since the monthly updates don't really count.
I got out 3 reviews, Dominion:Dark Ages, Catacombs and Shadows Over Camelot.
Also, there were 3 additions to the Collection Building Series, Co-op, Team, and Dice.
Finally, there were 3 bonus articles, 2 random musings, Kickstarter, and the upcoming game Story Realms, as well as my Top 7 Places to Play Games.
Looking at October, there are some exciting things coming. I should have an interview with the designers of Story Realms, that should be in the next few days. Also look forward to new reviews of both new and older games. If you have suggestions for games I should review, feel free to leave a comment, or head over to the BoBG facebook page and vote there. I'm going to have a couple of guest reviewers come in to review Munchkin and Money. I'm going to try to review games in the Gryphon Bookshelf Series, at least the ones I own, which is 1-8. I'm open to having guests come in the review the rest of the series. If you're interested in that, let me know and we can talk about that.
Thank-you everyone for reading, commenting, tweeting, re-tweeting, etc. You all are the reason I keep writing articles. The next article will be #100, which I'll be using as something fun and frivolous. Also, BoBG is nearly at 10,000 views since launch in December. I know other blogs have gained a larger following, but 10,000 is something I never thought would happen this fast. Once again, thank-you to all of you, the loyal readers, the one time readers, and everyone in between.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Story Realms
Story Realms is currently on Kickstarter, and will be until Thursday October 4th. I know, that isn't much time, but seriously, go check it out. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/springboard/story-realms
Story Realms is being designed by Escapade Games, and if you haven't heard of them, you're not alone. That's because they're a new company, but two amazing people are the lead designers for Escapade Games. They are Angela Hickman Newnham and Julian Leiberan-Titus, but you would know them better as the people behind the popular blog, Growing Up Gamers (along with Angie's husband.)
What exactly is Story Realms?
It is a cross between a board game and a role playing game. More than that, it is meant for people of all ages, especially kids. When Angie mentioned that her 6 her old daughter led a play session, I truly understood that the game is for all ages. The game plays in ~1 hour sessions, and there is a lot of material, including in depth adventures, in the initial box. Who knows what they could do with expansions. The game is meant for 2-7 players, with one being the story teller.
Everything I've seen, heard, read, etc. about Story Realms has maintained or enhanced my interest in the game. I was able to see the print and play version over the summer, and that looked really polished.
The game has already hit funding, so if you back it, you will be getting a game. They're estimating delivery in the summer of 2013, which is a ways off. A lot of that has to do with very high quality and high detail artwork. All of that takes an immense amount of time, and they want to make sure it's perfect.
If you like the idea of a storytelling boardgame, please go take a look at this game. It's worth 5-10 minutes to just peruse the kickstarter page and see what they have to say.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Collection Building: Dice Games
Many board games use dice for movement or combat, but those games would not be classified as dice games. What I'm looking at are games that focus on dice. The most prevalent of these games is Yahtzee. These are games about utilizing your dice. Sometimes, various combinations score points, other times different rolls let you do different things, but the main idea is that the roll of the dice determine what you can and cannot do.
When it comes to dice games, there are several types. There are the quick filler games, like LCR and Liar's Dice, and longer strategy games like Kingsburg and Roll Through the Ages. Several dice games take a pre-existing property, and transform it into a dice version. Hasbro experimented with this idea for Battleship, Monopoly, Risk, Clue, and Sorry and called it their Express line. While I appreciate the attempt to make these big name games faster, it really changed too much of the game's identity. Two of the big names in hobby games did this as well, Catan and Carcassonne. Ticket to Ride incorporated dice into the game, replacing the train cards, but it is not solely a dice game.
Let's talk more in depth about a few of these games.
LCR
LCR is a very simple game. Each player starts with 3 chips. Each turn they roll 3 dice. For each L, they pass a chip to their left. For each R, the pass a chip to their right. For each C, they put a chip in the center. The goal is to be the player who has all the chips at one time, meaning no other player has chips in front of them. There isn't any strategy to the game, just roll the dice and do what it says. I can't recommend this for gamers, but it could be a fun party game, or maybe a drinking game.
Liar's Dice
In Liar's Dice, the goal is to be the last person with dice left. Each player starts with 5 dice. All players roll their dice, and then the start player makes a statement about all the dice at the table, based on only knowing their own. The next player can either call them a liar, in which case all dice are revealed, and then if the asserter was right, the player who called them a liar loses a die, but if the asserter was wrong, they lose a die. If someone doesn't call liar, they must up the statement in some way, either by calling more of the same die face, or by calling a higher die face. For instance, if someone calls four 3's, I could call four 4's(5's,6') or five(or more) any face.
Liar's Dice actually has some strategy and some bluffing, so it is a real game. The dice are crucial, but so is the ability to read people, and do some quick probabilities in your head.
Catan Dice Game
The Catan dice game is an interesting play. Each turn, you roll 6 dice up to 3 times. The faces of the dice are the 5 standard Catan resources and gold. Gold acts as a wild, which is a great help. The game only lasts for 15 rounds, which keeps play time under 30 minutes, maybe 45 as an absolute long. In the game, you use resources to build roads, settlements, cities and knights. Knights grant you one free resource of a given type once during the game. They don't offer many points, but they can be a swing in the game. Things have to be built in order, which is a little confusing at first, but it keeps the game moving along. I've only played this a couple of times, but I find it a short version of Catan without the trading, and a fairly good competition between the players. There's a lot less you can do to mitigate bad luck, but given the time length, that's ok.
Kingsburg
Kingsburg fits more into the boardgame that heavily uses dice, but I think that it is a dice game at heart. In Kingsburg, players roll dice, then take turns placing one or more dice on various advisors. These advisors give the players different resources or army points, or victory points. Once an advisor is claimed in a round, no one else can take it. There's a lot of strategy in how you place your dice, but even the best strategy can be foiled by poor rolls. There is a lot going on here beyond the dice, but if you like dice games that let you do something meaningful with your rolls, Kingsburg is a great choice.
Roll Through the Ages
RTA is a civilization building game with dice. Players have to balance workers, food and coins with the threat of disaster. The more cities you build, the more dice you get to roll, but the more people you have to feed each turn. If you can't feed your people, you lose points, but if you don't have enough cities, you won't have enough dice to do things to score points. RTA has a fine balance to it, but there are a lot of ways to win. I think it's one of the most replayable dice games out there.
Quarriors
I wrote a full review of Quarriors, which you can read here. As such, I'll just summarize. Quarriors is a dice building game, where you are trying to gather creatures to score points. Each player starts with a very basic set of dice, but they buy more each round to grow stronger. Quarriors has a lot of fans and a lot of detractors. I personally fall in the "meh" category. It's a decent game, but I don't want to play it frequently.
Scary Tales
Here's another game I've done a full review, which you can find here. Scary Tales is all about rolling sets of icons to gather relics. There are cards that add in symbols, making the set easier to obtain. There's not an abundance of strategy to the game, but it is a neat game. I recommend picking up two different sets for variety, and to allow more players. I didn't really like it as a 2, but it's fun with 3 or 4.
Price Wars
Since we are building on a budget, let's look at the costs of these games.
If you're on a really tight budget, I'd say salvage dice from other games and play Liar's Dice/LCR. If you've got a bit more money to spend, Roll Through the Ages is a really great value purchase. For kids, Scary Tales might be fun due to the theme.
My pick for a dice game to own is Roll Through the Ages. Word of advice, track down "The Bronze Age" expansion, it's available for free online. It really does add to the game.
When it comes to dice games, there are several types. There are the quick filler games, like LCR and Liar's Dice, and longer strategy games like Kingsburg and Roll Through the Ages. Several dice games take a pre-existing property, and transform it into a dice version. Hasbro experimented with this idea for Battleship, Monopoly, Risk, Clue, and Sorry and called it their Express line. While I appreciate the attempt to make these big name games faster, it really changed too much of the game's identity. Two of the big names in hobby games did this as well, Catan and Carcassonne. Ticket to Ride incorporated dice into the game, replacing the train cards, but it is not solely a dice game.
Let's talk more in depth about a few of these games.
LCR
LCR is a very simple game. Each player starts with 3 chips. Each turn they roll 3 dice. For each L, they pass a chip to their left. For each R, the pass a chip to their right. For each C, they put a chip in the center. The goal is to be the player who has all the chips at one time, meaning no other player has chips in front of them. There isn't any strategy to the game, just roll the dice and do what it says. I can't recommend this for gamers, but it could be a fun party game, or maybe a drinking game.
Liar's Dice
In Liar's Dice, the goal is to be the last person with dice left. Each player starts with 5 dice. All players roll their dice, and then the start player makes a statement about all the dice at the table, based on only knowing their own. The next player can either call them a liar, in which case all dice are revealed, and then if the asserter was right, the player who called them a liar loses a die, but if the asserter was wrong, they lose a die. If someone doesn't call liar, they must up the statement in some way, either by calling more of the same die face, or by calling a higher die face. For instance, if someone calls four 3's, I could call four 4's(5's,6') or five(or more) any face.
Liar's Dice actually has some strategy and some bluffing, so it is a real game. The dice are crucial, but so is the ability to read people, and do some quick probabilities in your head.
Catan Dice Game
The Catan dice game is an interesting play. Each turn, you roll 6 dice up to 3 times. The faces of the dice are the 5 standard Catan resources and gold. Gold acts as a wild, which is a great help. The game only lasts for 15 rounds, which keeps play time under 30 minutes, maybe 45 as an absolute long. In the game, you use resources to build roads, settlements, cities and knights. Knights grant you one free resource of a given type once during the game. They don't offer many points, but they can be a swing in the game. Things have to be built in order, which is a little confusing at first, but it keeps the game moving along. I've only played this a couple of times, but I find it a short version of Catan without the trading, and a fairly good competition between the players. There's a lot less you can do to mitigate bad luck, but given the time length, that's ok.
Kingsburg
Kingsburg fits more into the boardgame that heavily uses dice, but I think that it is a dice game at heart. In Kingsburg, players roll dice, then take turns placing one or more dice on various advisors. These advisors give the players different resources or army points, or victory points. Once an advisor is claimed in a round, no one else can take it. There's a lot of strategy in how you place your dice, but even the best strategy can be foiled by poor rolls. There is a lot going on here beyond the dice, but if you like dice games that let you do something meaningful with your rolls, Kingsburg is a great choice.
Roll Through the Ages
RTA is a civilization building game with dice. Players have to balance workers, food and coins with the threat of disaster. The more cities you build, the more dice you get to roll, but the more people you have to feed each turn. If you can't feed your people, you lose points, but if you don't have enough cities, you won't have enough dice to do things to score points. RTA has a fine balance to it, but there are a lot of ways to win. I think it's one of the most replayable dice games out there.
Quarriors
I wrote a full review of Quarriors, which you can read here. As such, I'll just summarize. Quarriors is a dice building game, where you are trying to gather creatures to score points. Each player starts with a very basic set of dice, but they buy more each round to grow stronger. Quarriors has a lot of fans and a lot of detractors. I personally fall in the "meh" category. It's a decent game, but I don't want to play it frequently.
Scary Tales
Here's another game I've done a full review, which you can find here. Scary Tales is all about rolling sets of icons to gather relics. There are cards that add in symbols, making the set easier to obtain. There's not an abundance of strategy to the game, but it is a neat game. I recommend picking up two different sets for variety, and to allow more players. I didn't really like it as a 2, but it's fun with 3 or 4.
Price Wars
Since we are building on a budget, let's look at the costs of these games.
If you're on a really tight budget, I'd say salvage dice from other games and play Liar's Dice/LCR. If you've got a bit more money to spend, Roll Through the Ages is a really great value purchase. For kids, Scary Tales might be fun due to the theme.
My pick for a dice game to own is Roll Through the Ages. Word of advice, track down "The Bronze Age" expansion, it's available for free online. It really does add to the game.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Sir Dances on Tables - A Shadows Over Camelot Review
Shadows Over Camelot
- Designed by Bruno Cathala and Serge Lagent
- Published by Days of Wonder in 2005
- Playable for 3-7 players (5-7 recommended)
- Plays in around 90 minutes
Overview
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| The Knights of the Round Table They like to dance on tables. |
Components
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| Camelot is under siege from the Catapults |
Mechanics
Shadows thrives on two main mechanics. The first is card management, meaning, players need to know where to best use their cards, and when the right time to use cards is. The second mechanic is the hidden traitor. This injects a certain amount of paranoia/distrust into the game, and it keeps players from following the leader since the leader might just be a traitor.
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| The Saxons attack |
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| The Picts attack as well |
Interaction
Shadows requires players to work together. If everyone tries to do their own thing, everyone is doomed. There are limits in place to prevent players from working too well together. You can't openly discuss what's in your hand, but you can say something like "My good King, I would be best suited questing for the Holy Grail." The whole idea here is allowing players to work with each other, without plotting everything out. It also gives players a chance to think for themselves, which is greatly needed in any co-op game.
Shadows requires players to work together. If everyone tries to do their own thing, everyone is doomed. There are limits in place to prevent players from working too well together. You can't openly discuss what's in your hand, but you can say something like "My good King, I would be best suited questing for the Holy Grail." The whole idea here is allowing players to work with each other, without plotting everything out. It also gives players a chance to think for themselves, which is greatly needed in any co-op game.
Theme
Shadows is dripping with theme incorporation. If you know even a little bit of the Arthurian mythos, you will immediately get into Shadows. Yes, Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail counts in knowing Arthurian mythos. Every part of the game feels right. Saxons and Picts slowly invading, Catapult siege forces looming, the challenge of the Black Knight, questing for Excalibur and the Holy Grail, and lastly, fighting Lancelot for his armor, and a Dragon for his treasure.
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| All the Knights at Camelot The knights have won unless there's a traitor |
Learning Curve
I'd call this a medium-long learning curve. The game doesn't take long to explain, but in order to know what to do on your own, you really have to see a couple of games play out. There are a lot of cards, and knowing when to play them, how to play them effectively, and how to manage your hand, are all things that take some time to do well.
I'd call this a medium-long learning curve. The game doesn't take long to explain, but in order to know what to do on your own, you really have to see a couple of games play out. There are a lot of cards, and knowing when to play them, how to play them effectively, and how to manage your hand, are all things that take some time to do well.
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| A sampling of the white cards |
Why I like Shadows Over Camelot
Shadows has a great theme, and solid gameplay. Trying to deduce the traitor is an enjoyable challenge. The artwork is gorgeous, the rules are very well written. Shadows is a solid experience from start to finish.
Shadows has a great theme, and solid gameplay. Trying to deduce the traitor is an enjoyable challenge. The artwork is gorgeous, the rules are very well written. Shadows is a solid experience from start to finish.
Why I don't like Shadows Over Camelot
Shadows does have a predictability flaw. What I mean by that, some games are going to go one way or the other no matter what the players do. Sometimes the shuffle on the cards is completely one sided. Those games are rare, but they can happen.
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| A sampling of the evil action cards |
Replayability
I've played Shadows 33 times, 22 of which were base game only. Those plays have been spaced out over the last 3 years, the bulk coming in the summer and fall of 2010. I haven't played it much lately, but that's due to the lack of a large group. The key for me has been playing this with a lot of different people. If I played with the same group of 5 or 6, Shadows would get boring. Everyone would have their traitor tells, and the game lacks intrigue at that point. If you keep the group changing, even a little bit, Shadows is great fun.
I've played Shadows 33 times, 22 of which were base game only. Those plays have been spaced out over the last 3 years, the bulk coming in the summer and fall of 2010. I haven't played it much lately, but that's due to the lack of a large group. The key for me has been playing this with a lot of different people. If I played with the same group of 5 or 6, Shadows would get boring. Everyone would have their traitor tells, and the game lacks intrigue at that point. If you keep the group changing, even a little bit, Shadows is great fun.
Overall
Shadows is a 2 thumbs up. It's a keeper for a very long time. The theme is accessible to new players, the co-op with a traitor is a nice change. I have a few pure co-ops, a team game (BSG) and the hidden traitor maybe game in Shadows. It makes for a good blend of games, and lets me pick what the group feels like.
Shadows is a 2 thumbs up. It's a keeper for a very long time. The theme is accessible to new players, the co-op with a traitor is a nice change. I have a few pure co-ops, a team game (BSG) and the hidden traitor maybe game in Shadows. It makes for a good blend of games, and lets me pick what the group feels like.
What else is like Shadows Over Camelot?
Some similar games to look at are Battlestar Galactica and Mafia/Werewolf. In both of these games, players have hidden loyalties, and figuring out who is on your side is a key aspect of the game.
There is a Shadows Over Camelot card game coming out soon, I think by Christmas 2012, so if you like the sound of Shadows, but not the playtime, give that a look.
Want to buy Shadows Over Camelot and support BoBG?
Some similar games to look at are Battlestar Galactica and Mafia/Werewolf. In both of these games, players have hidden loyalties, and figuring out who is on your side is a key aspect of the game.
There is a Shadows Over Camelot card game coming out soon, I think by Christmas 2012, so if you like the sound of Shadows, but not the playtime, give that a look.
Want to buy Shadows Over Camelot and support BoBG?
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Top 7 Places to Play Games
Often times we focus just on the games, but this time we're going to focus on where we play games. Environment has a lot to do with the enjoyment of a game. You don't always want to play in a loud environment, or in an environment where you're afraid to make noise. What most people want is a place where they can be comfortable, make some noise, have a good time.
#7 Library
Several libraries have a place for people to get together for activities. It's generally separated from the main area so people can make some noise without disturbing the non gamers. Libraries tend to have space for people to spread out, with plenty of tables and chairs. They also have the opportunity to attract people who aren't gamers. Sometimes the hours are restrictive, but they're typically free to use, so that's a plus for a game group.
#6 On-the-Go
I'm kinda cheating here, since "On-the-Go" isn't really a place, but it's a way to play games. I enjoy having my phone and tablet to play games on long rides(when I'm not driving) or even when I'm waiting for food or a beverage. I rarely play a full game of something while waiting, but making a move in an async game is a good use of my time. I enjoy playing Forbidden Island or Small World on my tablet, since it is a lot faster way to play.
#5 Online
Again, kinda cheating, but hear me out. A lot of times you can't get together with your your friends for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they're out of town, or need to be home. This is where playing a game online can come in handy. Lately, I've been playing Dominion with a friend via Skype. It gives us a chance to use the new cards, and do something we wouldn't be able to do, since we live ~300 miles apart. There are a few different sites to play games online with people from all over the world, and I recommend hunting some down. It can be a great way to learn a new game and try it before you invest in the cardboard version.
#4 Coffee House/Bookstore
Here's another great place to get together with people. They're typically in an area with a lot around, restaurants, stores, etc. so you get a lot of foot traffic. This enables passersby to come in and see what's going on. There is also food/drink available, which is great for longer game sessions. There are typically a lot of tables around, which gives you many places to play. The atmosphere is also very casual, so some noise (not yelling and screaming) is perfectly fine.
#3 Game Store
Game stores are a mixed bag when it comes to boardgames. Many of them cater to the CCG and miniatures crowd, and don't have much time for boardgames. Other stores do have open gaming tables that people can use for whatever they want, so long as their isn't a pre-planned event. Stores with tables offer a lot for gamers. It gives people a fun environment to play, and it gives gamers a chance to meet other gamers.
#2 College Common Area
I spent 4 happy years in college playing games in the dorm lounges. There were two round tables with chairs around, though we typically only needed one table. This enabled us to get a group together without having to go far. It also gave us foot traffic, since a lot of people come in and out of the dorms on a Friday or Saturday night. We had a few people come back and play because they saw us playing and all the fun we were having.
#1 Private Home
Most of us start playing games at home. As the hobby grows for us, we find other places to play for many reasons. Sometimes it's a space issue, sometimes you just don't want to play host all the time. I've been fortunate to have a few houses to play games at. You've heard me mention my gaming family in other posts, and this is how they earned that name. They continue to invite me into their home, and it does feel like I'm part of the family.
There are many great places to play games. It really does come down to the people, but the atmosphere goes a long way towards making the gaming time enjoyable.
#7 Library
Several libraries have a place for people to get together for activities. It's generally separated from the main area so people can make some noise without disturbing the non gamers. Libraries tend to have space for people to spread out, with plenty of tables and chairs. They also have the opportunity to attract people who aren't gamers. Sometimes the hours are restrictive, but they're typically free to use, so that's a plus for a game group.
#6 On-the-Go
I'm kinda cheating here, since "On-the-Go" isn't really a place, but it's a way to play games. I enjoy having my phone and tablet to play games on long rides(when I'm not driving) or even when I'm waiting for food or a beverage. I rarely play a full game of something while waiting, but making a move in an async game is a good use of my time. I enjoy playing Forbidden Island or Small World on my tablet, since it is a lot faster way to play.
#5 Online
Again, kinda cheating, but hear me out. A lot of times you can't get together with your your friends for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they're out of town, or need to be home. This is where playing a game online can come in handy. Lately, I've been playing Dominion with a friend via Skype. It gives us a chance to use the new cards, and do something we wouldn't be able to do, since we live ~300 miles apart. There are a few different sites to play games online with people from all over the world, and I recommend hunting some down. It can be a great way to learn a new game and try it before you invest in the cardboard version.
#4 Coffee House/Bookstore
Here's another great place to get together with people. They're typically in an area with a lot around, restaurants, stores, etc. so you get a lot of foot traffic. This enables passersby to come in and see what's going on. There is also food/drink available, which is great for longer game sessions. There are typically a lot of tables around, which gives you many places to play. The atmosphere is also very casual, so some noise (not yelling and screaming) is perfectly fine.
#3 Game Store
Game stores are a mixed bag when it comes to boardgames. Many of them cater to the CCG and miniatures crowd, and don't have much time for boardgames. Other stores do have open gaming tables that people can use for whatever they want, so long as their isn't a pre-planned event. Stores with tables offer a lot for gamers. It gives people a fun environment to play, and it gives gamers a chance to meet other gamers.
#2 College Common Area
I spent 4 happy years in college playing games in the dorm lounges. There were two round tables with chairs around, though we typically only needed one table. This enabled us to get a group together without having to go far. It also gave us foot traffic, since a lot of people come in and out of the dorms on a Friday or Saturday night. We had a few people come back and play because they saw us playing and all the fun we were having.
#1 Private Home
Most of us start playing games at home. As the hobby grows for us, we find other places to play for many reasons. Sometimes it's a space issue, sometimes you just don't want to play host all the time. I've been fortunate to have a few houses to play games at. You've heard me mention my gaming family in other posts, and this is how they earned that name. They continue to invite me into their home, and it does feel like I'm part of the family.
There are many great places to play games. It really does come down to the people, but the atmosphere goes a long way towards making the gaming time enjoyable.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Collection Building: Team Games
A lot of these games fall under the co-operative banner of games, with one notable difference, someone is working against the other players. This could be as a hidden traitor, as seen in Battlestar Galactica, or Shadows Over Camelot. It could in a team versus team game, as seen in Last Night on Earth. There are also 1 v all games such as, Catacombs, and Scotland Yard.
Regardless of which style the game takes, I feel that they all have a similar feel in the play experience. Some people win, some people lose, but someone is going to win. I enjoy team games because it gives me a chance to work together with people while maintaining the competitive spirit.
But enough of my ramblings, let's talk games.
Battlestar Galactica
I did a full review of BSG very early on, so my thoughts on the game are best represented there. To summarize, BSG is a game of paranoia and deception. In a 5 player game, 2 players are cylons, and 3 are humans. Players get loyalty cards at two points during the game, the start and the middle. This means a loyal human could become a sleeper agent and switch sides mid game. The game does take awhile to play, around 3 hours, but it's a very immersive theme.
Shadows Over Camelot
I'm planning on getting a full review of this out later this week, so I'll keep my remarks short. Each player takes the role of a knight of the round table. At the start, each player is given a loyalty card. There is 1 traitor card, the rest are loyal, so it is possible to play a game with no traitor, though unlikely in a large group. Shadows offers players a bevy of quests to attempt, but there are too many for the knights to triumph in all endeavors. Ergo, something must be sacrificed while focus is placed on key quests. It takes a good balance, and a lot of trust to pull off victory. A traitor must bide their time and act at a crucial moment.
Last Night on Earth
I've only played this once, but I had fun with it. Players take on the role of either a hero or zombies. The heroes have an objective, survive n turns, reach point x, etc. The zombies are trying to kill the heroes or prevent them from achieving their objective. There are a lot of cool items and ways to do different things in the game. It's one I'd like to explore more if/when I get the chance.
Catacombs
I just reviewed this, so please read the review for more info. Catacombs is a 1 v rest game where the 1 is trying to stop the rest before the end of the game. The heroes are trying to make it to the final room and kill the boss. It's a dungeon-crawl game, but the game is all about flicking disks, and that makes for a lot of laughs.
Scotland Yard
This is one of the oldest 1 v rest games. One player takes on the role of Mr. X trying to escape detection from the other players. He has to leave clues along the way, but how useful they are depends on the skills of the investigators. Scotland Yard hasn't aged brilliantly, but it is still a solid game and worth looking at, especially if you can find it at a yard sale.
The Resistnace
A streamlined version of BSG. Players each have a secret role, and it's up to them act in their best interest. There are several rounds of players going on missions and trying not to get caught. Double agents will try to mess things up. It plays in around 30-45 minutes, so worth a look.
Price Wars
The bang for your buck choice is The Resistance, no question about that. Not having played it, it's hard for me to recommend. Personally, I'd take BSG, but that's because I have the right people to play it with. Shadows is the easiest game to get people to play, due to the theme. Arthurian Legend is familiar to most people in some form. It may be the most expensive game, but there's also a lot of game for your money in the box.
Regardless of which style the game takes, I feel that they all have a similar feel in the play experience. Some people win, some people lose, but someone is going to win. I enjoy team games because it gives me a chance to work together with people while maintaining the competitive spirit.
But enough of my ramblings, let's talk games.
Battlestar Galactica
I did a full review of BSG very early on, so my thoughts on the game are best represented there. To summarize, BSG is a game of paranoia and deception. In a 5 player game, 2 players are cylons, and 3 are humans. Players get loyalty cards at two points during the game, the start and the middle. This means a loyal human could become a sleeper agent and switch sides mid game. The game does take awhile to play, around 3 hours, but it's a very immersive theme.
Shadows Over Camelot
I'm planning on getting a full review of this out later this week, so I'll keep my remarks short. Each player takes the role of a knight of the round table. At the start, each player is given a loyalty card. There is 1 traitor card, the rest are loyal, so it is possible to play a game with no traitor, though unlikely in a large group. Shadows offers players a bevy of quests to attempt, but there are too many for the knights to triumph in all endeavors. Ergo, something must be sacrificed while focus is placed on key quests. It takes a good balance, and a lot of trust to pull off victory. A traitor must bide their time and act at a crucial moment.
Last Night on Earth
I've only played this once, but I had fun with it. Players take on the role of either a hero or zombies. The heroes have an objective, survive n turns, reach point x, etc. The zombies are trying to kill the heroes or prevent them from achieving their objective. There are a lot of cool items and ways to do different things in the game. It's one I'd like to explore more if/when I get the chance.
Catacombs
I just reviewed this, so please read the review for more info. Catacombs is a 1 v rest game where the 1 is trying to stop the rest before the end of the game. The heroes are trying to make it to the final room and kill the boss. It's a dungeon-crawl game, but the game is all about flicking disks, and that makes for a lot of laughs.
Scotland Yard
This is one of the oldest 1 v rest games. One player takes on the role of Mr. X trying to escape detection from the other players. He has to leave clues along the way, but how useful they are depends on the skills of the investigators. Scotland Yard hasn't aged brilliantly, but it is still a solid game and worth looking at, especially if you can find it at a yard sale.
The Resistnace
A streamlined version of BSG. Players each have a secret role, and it's up to them act in their best interest. There are several rounds of players going on missions and trying not to get caught. Double agents will try to mess things up. It plays in around 30-45 minutes, so worth a look.
Price Wars
The bang for your buck choice is The Resistance, no question about that. Not having played it, it's hard for me to recommend. Personally, I'd take BSG, but that's because I have the right people to play it with. Shadows is the easiest game to get people to play, due to the theme. Arthurian Legend is familiar to most people in some form. It may be the most expensive game, but there's also a lot of game for your money in the box.
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