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Just wondering about the list of best Solitaire games out there or you have played and/or on your list.


PE

Here are some that I own:

B-29 Superfortress & Hell Over Korea expansion - This is a newer B-17 Queen of the Skies, albeit against Japan in '45 (or Korea in the expansion) in a B-29.  It's not bad but after playing some other newer solitaire games that have been showing up, it tends to be more die rolling narrative with only occasional decisions to be made.  I'm kinda meh about them but sometimes I'm in the mood for something more narrative than brain-wracking.  Perhaps.

Picket Duty - Like the B-17/B-29 series, it is very narrative with some occasional decisions to be made.  I felt there were more decisions to be made if for no other reason than there being more compartments, crew, and guns to be handled on a Destroyer fighting off kamikaze attacks. 

The Hunters - Similar to the two above, but in a German U-boat.  It's the lightest of the bunch, I think.  It's also fun for short periods but it tends to get repetitive faster than the others due to it being lighter and having less turn sequences and tables to work through every turn/phase.

Silent War/ Steel Wolves - These are big wargames where you control the submarine war in a theater.  I have Silent War and really like what I've seen thus far but it will take some practice runs to make sure I have the system down and then playing a campaign will take a LONG time.  So I'll either need to plan on leaving it splayed out on the table for a long period of time or play it mostly on vassal.  Still not sure exactly what mix of the two I will use but I want to get a campaign going before long with this one.  I can see it keeping me occupied for the long term if I still have space to bust out shorter games in between sessions.

Field Commander Alexander/Napoleon/Rommel/Etc - I have FC:Alexander but I've not played it yet.  The rules don't really look too heavy or anything and the game doesn't seem to take up a lot of space or time to set up.  I just haven't got around to it yet.  Someone else who has played the series may give you a better idea about it but there are also some YouTube videos of people playing some of them.

Thunderbolt Apache Leader - I think you're familiar with this one since it's been discussed already, along with the Leader series in general.  I enjoy this one quite a bit because there are many tough decisions to be made and there is enough randomization to make each mission a bit different.

Boots on the Ground - A rather simple die and card-driven game where you take a fire team of spec ops (SEALs?) through some undisclosed middle-eastern streets to accomplish a scenario objective.  The card draws will 'spawn' insurgents and bad stuff, playing your opponent (as so many solitaire games do), along with some basic rules on how to operate said insurgents once they're on the map and shooting at you.  It looks to be really light on rules and rather inexpensive.  I've not played this one yet, either.  I picked it up for some light wargame-ish fare for when such a mood hits me.

Labyrinth - one of the "COIN" series games from Volko Ruhnke.  Some of these games have solitaire rules and AI player flow charts that will dictate how the solo player's opponent plays his options.  This one is a strategic level game of the GWOT.  As suits counter-insurgency, the rules are rather odd so it has been slow for me to get through them and learn enough to do any test runs yet.  There is an extra manual that walks you through a narrated playthrough that is reportedly really good so if I can finish skimming the rules and get that set up I should be well on my way.  Sometime.  I hear it's an absolutely wonderful game that will have you making hard decisions so that's always good.


RAF - JD has played this more than I.  I've only read the rules to the Brit side of the game.  I do prefer the card-driven mechanic for solitaire games, and this is one that has some of that.  I'm not sure how long it would hold my interest once I've begun playing, however.  That's yet to be seen as I've not started a campaign with it yet.




I think that's it for those that could be considered actual Wargames as far as Grogs are concerned.  The bulk of solitaire board games seem to be in the Adventure Board Game realm.  Here are some such games that I've had fun with which require some strategy and decision-making:

Mage Knight Board Game - This is a mix of genres but it really ends up being pretty cool.  It can also take some time to learn, time to setup, and space to play.  You essentially play as one 'mage knight' character who moves around exploring hexagon-filled terrain tiles, killing stuff, levelling up, recruiting, and learning new skills.  Sounds very RPG'ish but you don't directly roll any dice to decide whether you succeed at stuff or not.  It's mechanics are based around somewhat LCG-like card play.  In order to move, attack, recruit, etc, you must utilizie your cards towards your goals as best you can.  Along the way you can add more cards to your deck as you become more powerful so you can attack and capture large heavily defended cities by the end of the game.  Hard to explain.. once again, check out some vids on the 'Tube of people playing to get an idea.  Pretty cool and unusual game.

Arkham Horror/Eldritch Horror - For the Cthulhu fix, these are some fun card-driven adventure games that can be played solo or with a group.  They tend to take up a LOT of space and some time to play so it's more feasible to do solo.  I dig these kinds of adventure games because there are usually a lot of decisions to be made, a good deal of stuff to find via card draws and map movement, and friggin' Lovecraft man! 

A Touch of Evil - Sometimes referred to as Arkham Horror Lite, this one is another Horror adventure game that's card-driven and can be played either solo or with a few players.  It's easier to get into, set up, and all that but still fun.  While there may not be Lovecraft themes, it still has an 18th century setting to it where you'll be hunting down a Vampire/Werewolf/Headless Horseman with the base set.  I had fun with it solo, but I also think it could be quite fun with a group.  I think Flying Frog Production's zombie game (Last Night On Earth) can also be played easily with some simple extra rules too (I used some I found on The Geek but it's easy enough to figure it out yourself if need be).  However, A Touch Of Evil has it's own Solo rules so it's got them in the box.  This same company probably has other solo-capable ones too.  The game mechanics are always fun but relatively small for what they do.  I already want to pick up an expansion or two for this.. and probably Last Night On Earth too (the latter is a pretty fun group game).

Dungeons & Dragons Boardgame - Castle Ravenloft  -  I have the first (Castle Ravenloft) but there are at least two others.  Another adventure game that's mostly card-driven.  If you like dungeon crawling, then one of these are worth a look.  I chose Ravenloft as my first one because I have fond memories of the original Ravenloft AD&D scenario from long ago.  I've played this both solo and with a family group.  While it was okay playing with family, having four people each taking a turn and having to look over enemies along with spells, weapons, and ability cards each time around took a long time to get through a scenario.  So I prefer it for solo play.  As with most Cooperative board games, you don't need to learn extra rules to play solo which is nice.  I would've liked to see a bit more monster variety in this but it's sufficient, especially with the variety of stuff you can find from card draws and specific scenario rules mix up the objective of each game.


This is gonna be a long one... to be continued...

The Republic Of Rome - I got this one a few months ago but the rulebook looks downright daunting.  It's normally supposed to be a group cooperative game with a competitive side.  It looks rather difficult to get through so it's another I've not started yet.  It has special solitaire rules but I get the impression that it would probably be more fun to play in a group of people with a special enjoyment of Roman Senatorial power plays and scheming.  I'd be willing to bet that the solo game is only about amassing as much wealth and power as you can while keeping Rome free from external threats (as in the group game) but without other human players running opponent senatorial factions, it's probably missing some of the fun in solo play.   It's also mostly a card game with markers & counters.

(I think most of these last ones are primarily card games as opposed to card-driven games.)

Space Hulk: Death Angel - Got this after seeing others here mention playing it.  It's another strategy solitaire card game.  Light on rules and counters, it has little tabletop sprawl and is pretty easy to get into but will still see you making tough decisions.  It is challenging, especially if your die rolling is cursed that day.  I prefer having more than one die to roll in order to even out the odds and streaks in tabletop game systems but I can overlook the one die thing here since there is a fair bit of strategizing going on every turn.

Marvel Legendary - Another light strategy card game, this is an LCG style deck builder.  But unlike most deck builders where you put together a mix of cards before you play the game, in this one you purchase cards as you play.  This is makes it more enjoyable IMO; you spend less time creating decks and all the time playing.  You also have to make such purchasing decisions about the complimenting mix of card abilities on the fly so people can't just pick anything they want right off the bat.  This card game has group rules and a small extra bit of solitaire rules.  I had use some of the difficulty increase suggestions in the rulebook against the base game's Masterminds to get some challenge out of them but the Dark City expansion's Masterminds can be much more difficult.  Aside from playing this solo, I've also played this with a boardgame-loving family member of about seven years who did okay with it.  It's another mix of a cooperative game with competitive point scoring, to see who did best at the end, so this helped the learning process when reading card effects (pretty light stuff) and teaching the game.  It can do double duty, like some others in this list.




I have some other solitaire-capable games but they may be out of print or the solitaire side may not have impressed that much. 

There are quite a few that I don't own and have heard some good things about.   Hopefully others here can give more suggestions because I've found that playing some solitaire tabletop games a good getaway when nothing else seems all that appealing and video game burnout sets in.  I look forward to checking out some more.


EDIT:

I'd say some of my most played in that list is Thunderbolt Apache Leader, Arkham/Eldritch Horror, Mage Knight Board Game, the two Flying Frog Productions games (A Touch of Evil and Last Night On Earth), and Marvel Legendary.  I plan to do some more Picket Duty and Space Hulk Death Angel again soon along with some of the others I haven't explored much yet, such as Silent War.

In addition to the games mentioned, I would add D-Day at Omaha Beach, by Decision Games. 

Card-driven board game, no dice, medium level complexity.  Units are companies, and gameplay is all about getting off the beach and taking German strongpoints and the draws that lead off the beach.  The cards really keep the game fresh, so good replay value.  The game also plays coop with one player taking the US 1st Division, and the other taking the US 29th Division.

   

Quote from: Nefaro on February 02, 2014, 11:34:43 PM
Boots on the Ground - A rather simple die and card-driven game where you take a fire team of spec ops (SEALs?) through some undisclosed middle-eastern streets to accomplish a scenario objective.  The card draws will 'spawn' insurgents and bad stuff, playing your opponent (as so many solitaire games do), along with some basic rules on how to operate said insurgents once they're on the map and shooting at you.  It looks to be really light on rules and rather inexpensive.  I've not played this one yet, either.  I picked it up for some light wargame-ish fare for when such a mood hits me.

Let me know how this plays.  I've been eyeing it for a while, but haven't been able to pull the trigger just yet.

Quote from: Nefaro on February 02, 2014, 11:34:43 PM
Labyrinth - one of the "COIN" series games from Volko Ruhnke.  Some of these games have solitaire rules and AI player flow charts that will dictate how the solo player's opponent plays his options.  This one is a strategic level game of the GWOT.  As suits counter-insurgency, the rules are rather odd so it has been slow for me to get through them and learn enough to do any test runs yet.  There is an extra manual that walks you through a narrated playthrough that is reportedly really good so if I can finish skimming the rules and get that set up I should be well on my way.  Sometime.  I hear it's an absolutely wonderful game that will have you making hard decisions so that's always good.

This is actually not one of the COIN series games.  It predates the COIN games by a few years.  Same designer, but a different system.
The COIN games are Andean Abyss, Cuba Libre, A Distant Plain, and the upcoming Fire in the Lake.

Side note on the "AI" cards from James Sterrett - an idea I didn't even think of

Quote from: James Sterrett on January 31, 2014, 01:00:45 PM
The really great thing about the solo-play flow charts, in my experience, is that they provide a great scaffold for new players to learn the game.  I hand them the flowchart and tell them that if they follow it at first they won't necessarily make great moves, but they won't make huge mistakes, so they can follow the flowchart's recommendation until they get comfortable with the game.

he's talking about the cards from ADP, but I imagine it would apply to Labyrinth, too.

Quote from: Nefaro on February 02, 2014, 11:34:43 PM
Mage Knight Board Game - This is a mix of genres but it really ends up being pretty cool.  It can also take some time to learn, time to setup, and space to play.  You essentially play as one 'mage knight' character who moves around exploring hexagon-filled terrain tiles, killing stuff, levelling up, recruiting, and learning new skills.  Sounds very RPG'ish but you don't directly roll any dice to decide whether you succeed at stuff or not.  It's mechanics are based around somewhat LCG-like card play.  In order to move, attack, recruit, etc, you must utilizie your cards towards your goals as best you can.  Along the way you can add more cards to your deck as you become more powerful so you can attack and capture large heavily defended cities by the end of the game.  Hard to explain.. once again, check out some vids on the 'Tube of people playing to get an idea.  Pretty cool and unusual game.

I've put this on the table about 4 different times, set it up, and started to push pieces around, but the rules always seemed to get in the way.  I may take your advice and pull up a YouTube video to try to follow it.

Mage Knight is a wounder full game (imho) but the rules can be a little hard to grasp. I would follow this guy's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB7C824980F797C4A

He also have videos showing the expansions etc :)

Thanks for the feedback Nefaro and Cougar....

So far I have.

Hornet Leader
Thunderbolt Apache Leader
Field Commander Rommel
The Hunters Uboats at war
Space Hulk
LoTR CG
B-17 Queen of the Skies
B-29


I am trying to decide if want to get Phantom Leader Deluxe Board or Vassal Module....

Others now on my immediate Hit List:

Field Commander Napoleon
Boots on the Ground
Mage Knight
Labyrinth

Possibly Picket Duty, but wait and see on the rules.


PE

Quote from: Cougar_DK on February 03, 2014, 08:44:15 AM
Mage Knight is a wounder full game (imho) but the rules can be a little hard to grasp. I would follow this guy's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB7C824980F797C4A

He also have videos showing the expansions etc :)

That may be the Beginner Scenario one, which is good to start with.

He also has one using the full rules, including city attacks, that starts here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268O9ye4P3c


I've played the Beginner Scenario all the way through, and was still yearning for a full-length game afterward, so that's a good sign.  I'm in the process of watching his second series of the full-featured scenario in that link.  It helps to watch him describe the gameplay before I go finish reading the rules on the stuff I've not done yet (city attacks) so the combination of the two is a huge help.  Same goes for most any of these games - there are usually some youtube walkthroughs you can watch.

For Mage Knight BG, I definitely suggest playing the Intro Scenario first, using the solitaire rules along with it.  Once you play a couple rounds, you'll have it down.  It looks daunting at first but it's not too bad once you get going.  What's more, I can actually remember how to play it fairly well even after a few weeks.  It has little 'cheat sheet' cards to describe what the special map tile spaces do so you don't have to thumb back & forth through the manual to get a refresher on those.  I think the different location types were the only things I had to regularly look up again so those cards come in handy.

My only gripe is that the scenarios look to be mostly based on a race against time.  I tend to prefer solo games that have some teeth and can kill or cripple you so much that you can no longer win before the end of the game.  While you can definitely be crippled with Wound Cards clogging up your deck, getting rid of them can still be done and you never really die.  Some people may like this 'no death' situation more than I so it's just preference.  Probably part of the reason I like Dungeonquest so much (another solo capable game, out of print though).  It's brutal, like the tabletop equivalent of a roguelike.  You're more likely to die than succeed in that one.  Rather than trying to achieve more points or beat a deadline, it's a success just to survive after accomplishing your objective.  That's one good thing about the Dungeons & Dragons Boardgames too, although all of these still have a deadline where you will automatically lose at the end.


I have also been curious about Thunderstone Advance, which is a solo strategy card game.  It gets good reviews but looks like the base set may be a bit thin on variety.  I have the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game which is fun but the mechanics involved in beating the boss isn't all that fun since you just "close" a few card stacks and ideally corner him in the last one for a final fight.  There are also only a couple scenario packs out there so the big draw of the game, being able to continue with the same character and items between games, can only last so long.  Thunderstone looks to be somewhat similar to this.  I think there are a couple other solo games like these too, but I don't remember their names.

Quote from: bayonetbrant on February 03, 2014, 06:41:23 AM

Quote from: Nefaro on February 02, 2014, 11:34:43 PM
Boots on the Ground - A rather simple die and card-driven game where you take a fire team of spec ops (SEALs?) through some undisclosed middle-eastern streets to accomplish a scenario objective.  The card draws will 'spawn' insurgents and bad stuff, playing your opponent (as so many solitaire games do), along with some basic rules on how to operate said insurgents once they're on the map and shooting at you.  It looks to be really light on rules and rather inexpensive.  I've not played this one yet, either.  I picked it up for some light wargame-ish fare for when such a mood hits me.

Let me know how this plays.  I've been eyeing it for a while, but haven't been able to pull the trigger just yet.

I've not played it yet because it looks quite simple (maybe too much so for me) and the contents are rather cheap quality.  I can see getting a little enjoyment out of it for a short session but dunno if it's something I'd come back to regularly.  I think the card-driven side of the game is what will be the deciding factor - whether it keeps things both challenging and interesting.  I get the impression that your team is just travelling through some streets, trying to reach/accomplish an objective, while insurgents are popping up and taking shots at you in random nearby spots.  There are some other things that could make it shine, such as some civilian counters that are flipped when within a certain range to expose whether they are really civvies or insurgents waiting to pull a weapon on you. 

I'll post about it when I get to it, but it's not high on the list at the moment.

Re: Boots on the Ground...
I've played a couple of games with a borrowed set.  It should be emphasized that this game is more hollywood action / FPS shooter than a realistic MOUT sim, and the solo-play rules are a little weak.  My recommendation would be to play it a couple of times with the "default" rules, then look around on the geek for some house-rules.  Of particular note are the absence of an over-watch / opp fire actions.  So it is entirely possible for an insurgent to appear in front of a US unit, run around into a flank or even rear enfilade firing position, and then open up fire on said US units.

Again, think more along the lines of "BF2: Bad Company" instead of LnL or ASL or Firefight.

Nobody has mentioned Ambush! Great solo individual soldier WWII wargame. Little bit of RPG for your soldiers as they travel from scenario to scenario.

Quote from: Barthheart on February 03, 2014, 08:35:30 PM
Nobody has mentioned Ambush! Great solo individual soldier WWII wargame. Little bit of RPG for your soldiers as they travel from scenario to scenario.

I used to have that as well as all the expansion modules, the Pacific version (Battle Hymn?) and even Open Fire, the tank version - but Open Fire disappointed me severely, I recall, as it wasn't Ambush! with tanks. Loved Ambush! though.

Also may consider Barbarian Prince. Great game I discovered in middle school and BGG has quite a big following; a guy even redid the graphics and manuals too and put them up there for free download/print.

I plan on picking up Cruel Necessity from Victory Point Games ASAP.  It looks awesome.  I'd be surprised if nobody here has it since it's quite wargame-ish.  I know some of you have Dawn of the Zeds, which I may also get at some point, but this one looks to be the one of the series that I want to start with.

http://victorypointgames.com/details.php?prodId=253


In my further explorations for solo-able LCG style card games (not necessarily deck builders), I ran across recommendations for Sentinels of the Multiverse.  Not something I'd normally take a second look at if I saw the box, but it sounds like the gameplay is something I'd greatly enjoy due to the variety and replayability, along with the CCG/LCG style card play against a game-controlled opponent.  The artwork looks surprisingly good on those cards, too.  I never was much of a comic fan as a kid but I find the stuff interesting in a gaming setting.

This video review really sold me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyaO2DfAZA8

Hopefully the area game store will have some of the above stuff when I'm down there tomorrow (in the middle of  ten to twelve inches of Snowmageddon supposedly sweeping through).  I'll salivate over some gameplay on YouTube of them, in the meantime.

Actually, the Sentinels game and expansions were on sale with some of Amazon's shops for pretty damn cheap right now so I snatched them.  At around $26 for the base set and the same for the first two expansions as a set, that's amazingly cheap for tabletop gaming these days. Good 'ole post-Xmas sales. 

I think my local boardgame store carries some Victory Point Games stuff so hopefully they have Cruel Necessity in right now.  Pretty sure I've seen Darkest Night and Dawn of the Zeds there before, and quite probably CN too.  The place is so packed full of games, it's difficult to go through them all in one visit much less remember them all.  :D

My solitaire gaming collection continues to grow..

I know I am late to the party on board gaming, but I am having a blast with Hornet Leader.  Google Doc I created for HL and my results thus far.....

Just purchased Phantom Leader Deluxe and have a couple more on my too buy list...... wwwweeeeeee like a kid running free in a toy store!


(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flinesofcommand.com%2Fimages%2FIraq1991.png&hash=e67b01f0326f73701a3f248ed4df65e522849f4b)


PE

I'm considering Navajo Wars (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/102435/navajo-wars) after reading this review: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1059847/erics-review-of-navajo-war-from-a-solitaire-player

A couple I have to find time for are Barbarian Prince and Star Smuggler.  Good Old games.

Anyone have the Kickstarted Rebooted - The Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident?  I saw that it is out.

PE

I've got the Kickstarted version of The Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident though I've not had enough time to really mess with it. Seems as I would expect, pretty old school feeling and hard. I might try it out again today as I've been trying to think of what to put on the table.

At the moment I really like GMT's Space Empires 4X as a solo game, I've got the expansion too which apparently adds some more solo scenarios so going to try that soon. Really does a great job of 4X style gameplay on the table, though the paperwork and tracking units can be a little fiddly, though this is made easier in the solo game by not having hidden units you have to keep checking when you forget what they are.

Quote from: weateallthepies on February 05, 2014, 07:17:03 AM
At the moment I really like GMT's Space Empires 4X as a solo game, I've got the expansion too which apparently adds some more solo scenarios so going to try that soon. Really does a great job of 4X style gameplay on the table, though the paperwork and tracking units can be a little fiddly, though this is made easier in the solo game by not having hidden units you have to keep checking when you forget what they are.

I saw this in the local game store today and grabbed it.  I don't have any tabletop space strategy games so this will be something fresh.  I like what I've seen thus far after opening it.  Is the solo game pretty much the same as multi-player, but you play against some 'dummy' opponents?  I suppose those non-player opponents make some use of the dummy warships and such to keep you on your toes?  The rules look like a slow read for me so it may not hit the table just yet.


I also picked up Tales of the Arabian Nights for a big ass Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style narrative decision boardgame.  Looks like it can play solitaire just fine.  Despite the box being quite hefty, the rules don't look heavy at all.  For what was very much an impulse buy, I may have done quite well.  It was gonna be this or the Gears of War game, and I already have some tile-placing strategy solitaire games so GoW can wait.

A couple less expensive purchases rounded out my shopping spree.  I grabbed the Lord of the Rings LCG card game from Fantasy Flight while I was there.  Everyone seems to recommend it as a great solitaire strategy card game.  I also picked up the Mage Knight Lost Legion Expansion because I can see myself playing more of the MK board-card-game and this expansion looks to have some kind of evil "boss" to perhaps give me the final climactic battle I wanted in it.

Definitely need more time.  :D

The solo mechanics are pretty much the same as the multiplayer game, but there are set scenarios.

The first is the Doomsday machine scenario, where these doomsday machines move towards you across space destroying colonies whilst you build the military might to destroy them before they get to your homeworld. I've mostly been playing this as it's quicker to run, and I quite like the idea of these huge destructive machines edging their way towards you, a bit like Ogre I guess.

The second is the Alien Empire scenario where you play against several alien races who are pretty much just bent on wiping you out. There are a number of rules to govern what the aliens do on each turn so it's a bit more time consuming to play so I'm not as familiar. I don't believe there are any hidden units on the alien side, I think mostly everything is open in both solitaire scenarios. Need to try this out again though.

Both scenarios have variant levels of difficulty you can set them up with.

The game is actually a lot simpler than it looks from the rules, just start out running the basic rules with none of the optional or advanced stuff and you'll soon pick it up. There are a couple of good videos on boardgamegeek too which will help.

Quote from: weateallthepies on February 05, 2014, 07:17:03 AMAt the moment I really like GMT's Space Empires 4X as a solo game, I've got the expansion too which apparently adds some more solo scenarios so going to try that soon. Really does a great job of 4X style gameplay on the table, though the paperwork and tracking units can be a little fiddly, though this is made easier in the solo game by not having hidden units you have to keep checking when you forget what they are.

FWIW

http://grogheads.com/?p=315

Plan on breaking in Dawn of the Zeds this weekend..... so many good reviews and player feedback, hard to resist playing.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 06, 2014, 01:38:59 PM
Plan on breaking in Dawn of the Zeds this weekend..... so many good reviews and player feedback, hard to resist playing.


PE

Tempted to get this soon, but the counter and map looks a bit fiddly to me for some reason.  It also has Combat Tables, which I've come to dislike in my old age.  They don't look all that bad, though. 


Let us know how your playthroughs go.  Despite the mass of counters and such, it is card driven and I'm a sucker for the variety that offers.

I just ordered the new boxed version of Cruel Necessity (solitaire English Civil War wargame)

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70519/cruel-necessity


and their Darkest Night bundle sale package (solo/co-op RPG fantasy adventure game).  I really liked the look of the art and the cards in this one.  Plus, it was on sale.  I'm like a woman anymore with buying anything that has "SALE" plastered over it!   ;D

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128445/darkest-night


Both of which are natively solitaire capable and generally well-loved.

I should be stocked up for quite some time on solo games after these two shopping sprees.  :o


I was concerned that if I waited too long to get the boxed version of Cruel Necessity that I'd end up having to wait on another reprint or have to buy an overpriced copy while waiting.  It sounds pretty popular right now, especially since it looks to be a larger solitaire wargame and those aren't near as widespread as the fantasy and horror stuff.

Quote from: Nefaro on February 06, 2014, 03:18:47 PM

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 06, 2014, 01:38:59 PM
Plan on breaking in Dawn of the Zeds this weekend..... so many good reviews and player feedback, hard to resist playing.


PE

Tempted to get this soon, but the counter and map looks a bit fiddly to me for some reason.  It also has Combat Tables, which I've come to dislike in my old age.  They don't look all that bad, though. 


Let us know how your playthroughs go.  Despite the mass of counters and such, it is card driven and I'm a sucker for the variety that offers.

I just ordered the new boxed version of Cruel Necessity (solitaire English Civil War wargame)

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70519/cruel-necessity


and their Darkest Night bundle sale package (solo/co-op RPG fantasy adventure game).  I really liked the look of the art and the cards in this one.  Plus, it was on sale.  I'm like a woman anymore with buying anything that has "SALE" plastered over it!   ;D

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128445/darkest-night


Both of which are natively solitaire capable and generally well-loved.

I should be stocked up for quite some time on solo games after these two shopping sprees.  :o


I was concerned that if I waited too long to get the boxed version of Cruel Necessity that I'd end up having to wait on another reprint or have to buy an overpriced copy while waiting.  It sounds pretty popular right now, especially since it looks to be a larger solitaire wargame and those aren't near as widespread as the fantasy and horror stuff.

Cruel Necessity is near the top of my list and like you I am afraid of having to wait for a reprint (my gaming bill is getting pretty high).  I would be interested to hear your feedback once you get to set down and play. 

I watched several reviews of Dawn of Zeds and it received all high marks, with the game board mostly positive.  Tom Chick really liked it also.... a couple said the best complete designed solitaire game to date.... we shall see.


Purchase List

• Cruel Necessity
• Thunderbolt Apache Leader -Board (have vassal)
• Cthulhu Conflict Expansion
• The Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident
• Steel Wolves
• Picket Duty (depends on v2 rules)

PE

Quote from: Nefaro on February 06, 2014, 03:18:47 PM


I just ordered the new boxed version of Cruel Necessity (solitaire English Civil War wargame)

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70519/cruel-necessity

Damn You.... I purchased as well.  After seeing some LPs on it, it looks amazing and has interesting decisions and balance.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 08, 2014, 08:54:03 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on February 06, 2014, 03:18:47 PM


I just ordered the new boxed version of Cruel Necessity (solitaire English Civil War wargame)

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70519/cruel-necessity

Damn You.... I purchased as well.  After seeing some LPs on it, it looks amazing and has interesting decisions and balance.


PE

Exactly.  Love the historical events too. 

If I enjoy this one enough, I will probably pick up some of their other ones in the series.  Ottoman Sunset looks like it would also be fun and is reportedly pretty tough keeping the Turkish nation alive through & after World War One.   http://victorypointgames.com/details.php?prodId=130


They also have an upcoming one for the Hapsburgs set in the same time frame.   :D  I believe Cruel Necessity is the only one with the separate battle gameplay thus far, however.  Maybe the Hapsburg one will too?

If I understand properly, Victory Point Games prints their products after you order them, so they probably take awhile to get to us.  I ordered a sizable lot since I got the Darkest Night full set combo that was on sale, along with Cruel Necessity, so I don't expect to see it too soon.  Since they print on demand, I suspect they have the equipment to do it themselves there, however, so hopefully it doesn't take ages.  I also believe they just recently started selling the newer premium boxed version of Cruel Necessity so they've probably been busy with printings & orders lately.   After asking the local game store owner, who carries a few of their titles, if he had CN in stock, he told me that they just began selling the premium box version of it, that he would get it "sometime soon" but it hadn't been shipped yet.

I'll let you know how long it took them if mine happens to come in before yours. 

Tim Allen previews all those maps looking for comments from other map geeks over at ConSimWorld, too

Quote from: Nefaro on February 08, 2014, 09:53:46 PM

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 08, 2014, 08:54:03 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on February 06, 2014, 03:18:47 PM


I just ordered the new boxed version of Cruel Necessity (solitaire English Civil War wargame)

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70519/cruel-necessity

Damn You.... I purchased as well.  After seeing some LPs on it, it looks amazing and has interesting decisions and balance.


PE

Exactly.  Love the historical events too. 

If I enjoy this one enough, I will probably pick up some of their other ones in the series.  Ottoman Sunset looks like it would also be fun and is reportedly pretty tough keeping the Turkish nation alive through & after World War One.   http://victorypointgames.com/details.php?prodId=130


They also have an upcoming one for the Hapsburgs set in the same time frame.   :D  I believe Cruel Necessity is the only one with the separate battle gameplay thus far, however.  Maybe the Hapsburg one will too?

If I understand properly, Victory Point Games prints their products after you order them, so they probably take awhile to get to us.  I ordered a sizable lot since I got the Darkest Night full set combo that was on sale, along with Cruel Necessity, so I don't expect to see it too soon.  Since they print on demand, I suspect they have the equipment to do it themselves there, however, so hopefully it doesn't take ages.  I also believe they just recently started selling the newer premium boxed version of Cruel Necessity so they've probably been busy with printings & orders lately.   After asking the local game store owner, who carries a few of their titles, if he had CN in stock, he told me that they just began selling the premium box version of it, that he would get it "sometime soon" but it hadn't been shipped yet.

I'll let you know how long it took them if mine happens to come in before yours.

I have heard Nemo's War is an excellent game from Victory Point, so I will get around to looking at it.  Like you stated earlier, I found Sentinels of the Multiverse pretty cheap so I may pick that up as well.  Found both on Amazon and I have gift money left over from the Holiday's..... 

I don't expect my order of Cruel Necessity to come in this week, I was hoping week after this one.  If it does ship, I will post back.



PE

Forgot to mention I broke open Dawn of the Zeds.... good quality product, high value contents... counters etc..


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 08, 2014, 11:14:51 PM

I have heard Nemo's War is an excellent game from Victory Point, so I will get around to looking at it.  Like you stated earlier, I found Sentinels of the Multiverse pretty cheap so I may pick that up as well.  Found both on Amazon and I have gift money left over from the Holiday's..... 

I don't expect my order of Cruel Necessity to come in this week, I was hoping week after this one.  If it does ship, I will post back.

*Rant On*

I should've waited and picked my Sentinels game and the double expansion pack up at the local store, too, as they had them both in stock. 

I ordered them from Amazon when I saw the surprisingly low price on them.  It was supposed to arrive only three days after I ordered but ten inches of snow delayed the 'OOOUPS' man by a day.  And then something odd happened on the following day when it was "out for delivery".  The status changed to "Delivery delay due to conditions UPS cannot control" at around noon Friday.  Now there is no delivery day estimate listed at all.  WTF?

So I figured maybe the OOOUPS man crashed his delivery truck or something.  Called and the CS lady said they have specific notations in the system when this happens, and it wasn't showing one.  I'll wait and see if dude drops it off Monday.  AFAIK, it will have been sitting in the delivery truck in the 0 to 10 degree Fahrenheit cold for four days by the time I get it, if it even shows up Monday.  Hopefully the cards don't get all warped when they warm back up, and the adhesives holding the artwork layers don't go to shit.

I don't think there was even a FedEx option for this one.  I've had better experiences with them over the years, especially when I was running an office for awhile and dealing with both for our shipping.  For the couple years we used them, OOOOUPS was the only one that lost and damaged packages.. more than once.  So I'm a bit pessimistic when I see something out of the ordinary happen with them.

*Rant Off*


I'm glad the revised Sentinels of the Multiverse has the new modifier and health counters.  I may use 10-sided dice to track hero & villain health if I have enough spares sitting about.  Or just multiple 6s.  Judging from the many video playthroughs on the 'Tube, the constant health counter jockeying looks like it sucks up more time than it should so perhaps this will be more efficient.  I also have many extra plastic and wood counters so I'm not too concerned about tracking other stuff, if I need to bling it out some more.


Let me know how Dawn of the Zeds plays out.  I like the look of the card play but I'm unsure about the map and counter mechanics.  Specifically the zombie counters.  They look rather dullish with a single number on them but perhaps there is more 'stuff' in the mechanics regarding them.  Do you have 2nd Edition or the latest one that comes with a bonus map?

Quote from: Nefaro on February 08, 2014, 11:38:14 PM

Let me know how Dawn of the Zeds plays out.  I like the look of the card play but I'm unsure about the map and counter mechanics.  Specifically the zombie counters.  They look rather dullish with a single number on them but perhaps there is more 'stuff' in the mechanics regarding them.  Do you have 2nd Edition or the latest one that comes with a bonus map?

It is the latest one (2nd Edition), with both mounted map and fold out.  The map is better than I thought, for some reason on video it looks a lot worse than it is in person.  The mounted map is very nice and has clear and contrasting lines and text.  The counter are excellent imo, they are thick and fee durable.  The instructions, quick start guide etc... are thick and feel good.   Maybe my only complaint is that when their are counters on the board it does get a little busy, but so far not a deal breaker.

I am going through the quick play game, which is very nice and helps get you up and running quickly... this is a nice change of pace as I have just skimmed the rule book.  Overall very happy with my purchase and I was afraid after the money I spend it would not be up to par component wise, I was was wrong.   Now to jump into the gameplay.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 08, 2014, 08:54:03 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on February 06, 2014, 03:18:47 PM


I just ordered the new boxed version of Cruel Necessity (solitaire English Civil War wargame)

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70519/cruel-necessity

Damn You.... I purchased as well.  After seeing some LPs on it, it looks amazing and has interesting decisions and balance.


PE

Ok, how does the spending tracker stay at 0.00 after this?   ;D

Quote from: Toonces on February 09, 2014, 02:47:48 PM

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 08, 2014, 08:54:03 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on February 06, 2014, 03:18:47 PM


I just ordered the new boxed version of Cruel Necessity (solitaire English Civil War wargame)

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70519/cruel-necessity

Damn You.... I purchased as well.  After seeing some LPs on it, it looks amazing and has interesting decisions and balance.


PE

Ok, how does the spending tracker stay at 0.00 after this?   ;D

Well... didn't take long to blow that new year resolution up.   ;D


PE

Played the learning scenario of Dawn of the Zeds this weekend.  Interesting game with lots of choices to be made and not enough resources to keep up with the Zeds.  I have enjoyed it thus far and look forward to breaking in the full game.

I have several other games setting and waiting for me to break in.. Forlorn Hope, Ottoman Sunset, Waiting on Cruel Necessity, Sentinels of the Multiverse,  Nemo's War, HL: Cthulhu Conflict Expansion.  I just finished up my Hornet Leader Campaign and I am in the middle of a Phantom Leader Deluxe Campaign.

I have a couple others on my waiting list.  I really want The Barbarossa Campaign from Victory Point and had an offer of Empires in America for dirt cheap so I may get that.  I also had Vietnam Solitaire on my list, but at the moment I have plenty.

PE

If I were single and sans two kids making the money I'm making now, I'd find a way to blow it on ALL of this, and more. ;D

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on February 10, 2014, 09:53:38 PM
If I were single and sans two kids making the money I'm making now, I'd find a way to blow it on ALL of this, and more. ;D

Pfft...excuses.  I just had to do some 'spainin to the wife as to why I had two GMT charges in a month.  How the hell am I supposed to know that my P500 orders would be ready for shipping at the same time?  Hell I ordered them a year ago for god's sake!?!

Quote from: Bison on February 10, 2014, 10:03:35 PM

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on February 10, 2014, 09:53:38 PM
If I were single and sans two kids making the money I'm making now, I'd find a way to blow it on ALL of this, and more. ;D

Pfft...excuses.  I just had to do some 'spainin to the wife as to why I had two GMT charges in a month.  How the hell am I supposed to know that my P500 orders would be ready for shipping at the same time?  Hell I ordered them a year ago for god's sake!?!

When is the execution scheduled?


:P


I finally got Sentinels of the Multiverse in, along with the Rook City & Infernal Relics double-expansion box.  After putting card sleeves on 1,028 cards (I shit you not) I managed to get my first solo game in tonight. 

While I did miss a couple effects and had to backtrack twice to fix them, it still went pretty smoothly for my first game.  There is practically no rules to the game as the cards pretty much tell you what they can do.  It's quite refreshing. 

I also didn't really struggle with all the hit point and modifier counters.  Keeping the hit point counters separated in three small bowls made it simple.  I spent more gaming time playing than counting counters.  You realize just how much editing was done on the YouTube vids for much of the decision making, because I felt like I spent much of the game figuring out my card play strategies, prioritizing threats and drawing/reading card effects all around. 

I had a fun time playing, and I even wanted to start another one with different match-ups but it was getting late.  Used three heroes even though I think they recommend four.  Not sure which is easier, probably depends on the match-ups.  Three seemed like it gave me about the right amount of table space.   It was probably an easier villain (Baron Blade?) but my win still came down to within one or two turns before most of my heroes would've been KO'd, so it wasn't a cakewalk.   

Quite fun card game with a lot of variety and thinking involved for a solitaire-capable one.  :D


I should be getting Tomb in Wednesday but I'm most looking forward to the couple games I ordered with VPG: Cruel Necessity and the Darkest Night Set.  Who knows when those will show up, however.  *shrug*

Quote from: Bison on February 10, 2014, 10:03:35 PM

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on February 10, 2014, 09:53:38 PM
If I were single and sans two kids making the money I'm making now, I'd find a way to blow it on ALL of this, and more. ;D

Pfft...excuses.  I just had to do some 'spainin to the wife as to why I had two GMT charges in a month.  How the hell am I supposed to know that my P500 orders would be ready for shipping at the same time?  Hell I ordered them a year ago for god's sake!?!

oooo, the mock outrage angle - i havent seen that used on a Mrs for a while  :-*

Quote from: Bison on February 10, 2014, 10:03:35 PM

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on February 10, 2014, 09:53:38 PM
If I were single and sans two kids making the money I'm making now, I'd find a way to blow it on ALL of this, and more. ;D

Pfft...excuses.  I just had to do some 'spainin to the wife as to why I had two GMT charges in a month.  How the hell am I supposed to know that my P500 orders would be ready for shipping at the same time?  Hell I ordered them a year ago for god's sake!?!

Tell her that the charges were for Gay Man Times. That way she won't know it was for games.  ;D

Played through another Mission of Phantom Leader Deluxe and it is interesting how quickly a mission can change once you pull the Attack Angle chits.....  instantly the sun can come out and rainbows in the sky, or a thunderstorm filled with tornados.  I had a very good pull, however the mission before I was not so lucky.

PE

I haven't been lucky yet with Phantom Leader on the iPad. It's very unforgiving, but I go back for more every so often.  :-\

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on February 11, 2014, 03:52:41 PM
I haven't been lucky yet with Phantom Leader on the iPad. It's very unforgiving, but I go back for more every so often.  :-\

The Deluxe version gives more options to you, however can also rain down terror on you.  I have enjoyed it so far and I waited for the Deluxe to be released for I purchased.

PE

Quote
Your Order From Victory Point Games has shipped.

Squee!

They manufactured that stuff faster than I expected.   I put in the order around the 5th or 6th (last week) so it's not been very long.   :D

Quote from: Nefaro on February 11, 2014, 01:43:13 AM

I finally got Sentinels of the Multiverse in, along with the Rook City & Infernal Relics double-expansion box.  After putting card sleeves on 1,028 cards (I shit you not) I managed to get my first solo game in tonight. 

While I did miss a couple effects and had to backtrack twice to fix them, it still went pretty smoothly for my first game.  There is practically no rules to the game as the cards pretty much tell you what they can do.  It's quite refreshing. 

I also didn't really struggle with all the hit point and modifier counters.  Keeping the hit point counters separated in three small bowls made it simple.  I spent more gaming time playing than counting counters.  You realize just how much editing was done on the YouTube vids for much of the decision making, because I felt like I spent much of the game figuring out my card play strategies, prioritizing threats and drawing/reading card effects all around. 

I had a fun time playing, and I even wanted to start another one with different match-ups but it was getting late.  Used three heroes even though I think they recommend four.  Not sure which is easier, probably depends on the match-ups.  Three seemed like it gave me about the right amount of table space.   It was probably an easier villain (Baron Blade?) but my win still came down to within one or two turns before most of my heroes would've been KO'd, so it wasn't a cakewalk.   

Quite fun card game with a lot of variety and thinking involved for a solitaire-capable one.  :D


I should be getting Tomb in Wednesday but I'm most looking forward to the couple games I ordered with VPG: Cruel Necessity and the Darkest Night Set.  Who knows when those will show up, however.  *shrug*

BTW, what size sleeves did you use?

Quote from: ArizonaTank on February 11, 2014, 07:30:51 PM

BTW, what size sleeves did you use?

I've only been using the thin soft sleeve cheapies (aka "penny sleeves").  Specifically these (ftp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y4HI7A/) from Amazon, although you can find them in most local sports collectible stores.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y4HI7A/

I use those for a few reasons. 

1) They're cheap to buy in bulk.  For games that have 400-1200 cards in a box, that's a big deal.

2)  I mainly use them to make the cards more uniformly sized and/or keep them from sticking to each other.  I'm fussy about wanting my cards to be as close to the quality of a good set of poker cards and too many tabletop game cards aren't cut as uniformly or have too much wax, making them grip each other too much (such as the Flying Frog cards).  So despite having to alter my method of shuffling, it still works out okay because these penny sleeves are pretty thin and are so slick you can just drop them in side-to-side.  I prefer that to having 'chunks' of cards that don't want to separate during a normal poker shuffle because there are a few cards in the deck that are a bit larger in size.  That drives me nuts.  :o

3) Some extra protection, of course.  This is mostly an added bonus but you never know who will be handling your cards.  Sticky-fingered youngsters are a common problem, and if someone ends up tearing a sleeve they're not costly to replace since you just bought like two thousand of them (right?).  I think these will also help in some cases like the Sentinels set where the edges of the cards can catch easily on others, tearing back some of the out layer of paper.

I used the fancier CCG style card protectors years ago.  They were tougher and your deck stack a bit more stable than the bottom-thick and slick penny sleeves.  But they were also thicker and still had similar problems with tearing when using a poker shuffle so I stopped using them.  I also prefer the clear sleeves so the colored backs & such aren't my thing.

The games with the weird-sized smaller cards haven't been an issue thus far.  Most of those I own are from Fantasy Flight and their cards are high enough quality to not worry about too much.  So I've not sleeved them.

Wow.. that was the long explanation.  :)

As for Sentinels of the Multiverse, I lost my second game earlier tonight.  Still had lotsa fun, down to the wire again.

There are buttloads of user-created player aids & such at BGG so I may download and print off some HP trackers to use for Heroes and the head Villain.  I have lots of wood & plastic colored game markers for just such things so it shouldn't take much.

Funny thing happened on the way to our target........

So I decided to take on a Air Support mission and divided my flight up with 2 F-4s, 1 A-6 and one A-7.  So I draw the chits, so far so good and then the angle of attack.  Ah.. should not be an issue so I devise my plan for the flight path and load out of my planes.  There is an air presence in the area, however I feel pretty good about my chances so far so I load up the Aim-7 on the A-4s... JUST the Aim-7.


(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flinesofcommand.com%2Fimages%2FPL1%2FM1.jpg&hash=cc9c96af8b0c6dadc8d8367db30b323ad0b81070)

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flinesofcommand.com%2Fimages%2FPL1%2FM2.jpg&hash=1f831fe9044f771c24490f73603b33aadf48a2e9)


Alight, feeling good about this mission until I pull....

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flinesofcommand.com%2Fimages%2FPL1%2FM3.jpg&hash=8484e9742b644736559cc46d28bca0039a983ea3)

Visual Identification... WTF man... Over the target event I hope saves my butt.  Could you have not told us this before we armed the planes and took off.


(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flinesofcommand.com%2Fimages%2FPL1%2FM4.jpg&hash=366e0623e2ec490745068f523093de2631b6ad92)

So now I am looking at a Mig-21 in the North Approach and a Mig-19 moving in from the West Approach.  With 2 of my F-4s with the Sparrows, I will have to send in the A-6 and A-7 with the F-4s staying back in the Pre-Approach Area.  Sparrows cannot be fired in the same area as a bandit and the range limit is 1.

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flinesofcommand.com%2Fimages%2FPL1%2FM5.jpg&hash=f10460ef807a0d07323dcd37e75dd3d60fdb13f5)

Over the Target is no help....




(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flinesofcommand.com%2Fimages%2FPL1%2FM6.jpg&hash=c9caebe1a7aea093032088cf6c5b5d6a3fbea447)

Turn 5
Nothing happens during the Fast Phase and the Slow Phase.  However, the Mig-21 fires on an F-4 (random Roll) and misses and I receive AA fire that hits the A-6 for 1 Stress.  The Mig-19 moves into Northern Approach Area (random roll). 

Turn 4
Since I have visual contact with both bandits my F-4s fire and one kills the Mig-21, however I manage to miss with 2 Aim-7s on the Mig-19.... I am out of luck.  The F-4s do not have a mounted Gun so..... that Mig-19 will harasses the entire mission.


I manage to score 8 hits on the target which gives me 2 VP, however my A-7 was shot down by the Mig-19 but he was recovered.  Over all it was a fairly successful mission, however it could have been much worse and shows of things change in an instant.



PE

Quote from: Nefaro on February 11, 2014, 06:48:07 PM

Quote
Your Order From Victory Point Games has shipped.

Squee!

They manufactured that stuff faster than I expected.   I put in the order around the 5th or 6th (last week) so it's not been very long.   :D

Ditto here... on its way!  Lets the real games begin.


PE

Oh man, PzE.   ???

When it comes to using limited weight points for AtA missiles (which is always), I always put Sidewinders on first.  I consider Sparrows to be a luxury that will regularly miss anyway, so I never relied on them heavily in the Leader series.

Historically, Sparrows were crap until the 'M' model anyway.  I'm surprised their ToHit rating is a 6 on those Phantom Leader counters.  Weren't they 7 or 8+ in Hornet Leader??!  And those were later more improved models!  :o

Quote from: Nefaro on February 12, 2014, 03:15:25 PM
Oh man, PzE.   ???

When it comes to using limited weight points for AtA missiles (which is always), I always put Sidewinders on first.  I consider Sparrows to be a luxury that will regularly miss anyway, so I never relied on them heavily in the Leader series.

Historically, Sparrows were crap until the 'M' model anyway.  I'm surprised their ToHit rating is a 6 on those Phantom Leader counters.  Weren't they 7 or 8+ in Hornet Leader??!  And those were later more improved models!  :o

Let's just say I had a good run with the Sparrows so I got a little over confident with them..... and this time it bite me.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 12, 2014, 02:05:27 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on February 11, 2014, 06:48:07 PM

Quote
Your Order From Victory Point Games has shipped.

Squee!

They manufactured that stuff faster than I expected.   I put in the order around the 5th or 6th (last week) so it's not been very long.   :D

Ditto here... on its way!  Lets the real games begin.


PE

If all goes to plan I will have one or both VPG games on the table this weekend. 

Friday Friday Fridayyyy!   :D

I'm not terribly familiar with the finer details of the English Civil War.  Should be very interesting. 

Interesting tie-in: My first European ancestor to reach the New World was reportedly on the third fleet to travel to Virginia.  The one that wrecked in the Bermudas briefly before building new ships and pressing on.  During the Civil War, historians say Virginia was predominantly Royalist.  Hrmmm...  Makes me wonder how the war was perceived & handled in the small colonies at the time, a couple decades later.  ???  Not familiar with that much at all, being so early in colonial history.

Quote from: Nefaro on February 12, 2014, 05:52:46 PM
If all goes to plan I will have one or both VPG games on the table this weekend. 

Friday Friday Fridayyyy!   :D

I'm not terribly familiar with the finer details of the English Civil War.  Should be very interesting. 

Interesting tie-in: My first European ancestor to reach the New World was reportedly on the third fleet to travel to Virginia.  The one that wrecked in the Bermudas briefly before building new ships and pressing on.  During the Civil War, historians say Virginia was predominantly Royalist.  Hrmmm...  Makes me wonder how the war was perceived & handled in the small colonies at the time, a couple decades later.  ???  Not familiar with that much at all, being so early in colonial history.

Looks like Monday for me on CN.  :o  but this weekend will be breaking into Ottoman Sunset and Forlorn Hope.

I finally sat down with Nemo's War last night and I really enjoyed it.  I ended up with a score of 100 = Failure.  So Nemo ended up like this: Captain Nemo discovers nothing of importance, and his letters are rejected by scientific journals. He responds by disappearing with the Nautilus into the icy depths and is never seen again.

Nefaro how much have you played of Sentinels of the Multiverse?  I have not had a chance to play but I am really interested if the expansions are worth the price and what your experience with them are.



PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 13, 2014, 09:11:10 AM

Looks like Monday for me on CN.  :o  but this weekend will be breaking into Ottoman Sunset and Forlorn Hope.

I finally sat down with Nemo's War last night and I really enjoyed it.  I ended up with a score of 100 = Failure.  So Nemo ended up like this: Captain Nemo discovers nothing of importance, and his letters are rejected by scientific journals. He responds by disappearing with the Nautilus into the icy depths and is never seen again.

I'm also interesting in Ottoman Sunset and Nemo's War but those will have to wait.  I'm getting backed up with stuff.  A good problem to have, I suppose.

QuoteNefaro how much have you played of Sentinels of the Multiverse?  I have not had a chance to play but I am really interested if the expansions are worth the price and what your experience with them are.

PE

I've played three games of Sentinels of the Multiverse thus far.  I think it's quite wonderful.  Having only had the thing in my possession for three days, that's saying quite a lot.  Most of my new games get played once and cycled back into my 'To Play List' with others.  With this one it didn't leave the table even after these three plays.

It has all the constantly shifting game mechanics of CCG/LCG card games without the need for deck building.  You also don't need to be constantly checking your hand to play instant "gotcha" cards because the only cards that affect gameplay are those that are in play and on the table.  Since each hero/villain normally only gets to play one new card to the table every turn you have to prioritize which ones you need, in what order.  Certain cards can modify such mechanics, of course, being this type of card game. 

Each hero & villain has his or her own deck of cards, with their own unique cards and strategies.  When you pull out three or four hero decks, you know each one has it's own style and strengths.  That makes playing each hero's hand a bit different and gives a lot of variety, especially regarding the team-environment-villain makeup of each game.   While some game combinations make for more difficult or easier games, I've lost two out of my first three (using three heroes) so there is plenty of challenge to be had.  The villain decks are often challenging and keep throwing difficulties at you.  They're probably the real core of the game since those are the "AI" you're playing against.  Since the Rook City and Infernal Relics expansion comes with four more Villain decks (IIRC), I'm very happy I picked it up along with the base set.  It also has more Heroes and Environments, all of which are interesting and fit nicely into the system.

Sentinels of the Multiverse is a lot of fun solo and I imagine it can be quite fun for Co-Op too.  It also sets up very quickly, which is something I don't see often these days.  This is the card game to have for those who enjoy the regularly changing CCG-style card strategy environments but don't want to spend the time deck building (or even finding an opponent, as it turns out).   I'll surely get some Co-Op in at some point in the near future, but from what I've gathered it's just as popular to play Co-Op as solo, if not more.  I imagine that since each hero has it's own style, a group game with each person playing a single one would be more thematically enjoyable.

I downloaded some user-created hit point trackers from BGG and played my last game with a universal one and some colored wooden tokens.  I still used the hit point counters that come with the game for the smaller villain henchmen and environment stuff.   It sped up the game a bit.  I will probably just use a notepad and pencil for the same biggies in a Co-Op game to save space.  Tracking HP with the given game counters didn't bother me all that much in the first place, as long as I had the smaller denominations separated into their own little bowls.  You will have to keep track of various card effects once the game gets going and there are numerous cards on the table, but the big modifier counters can help draw your attention to the more popular situations.

Nef says, "Get it!!"

Quote from: Nefaro on February 13, 2014, 12:02:02 PM

I've played three games of Sentinels of the Multiverse thus far.  I think it's quite wonderful.  Having only had the thing in my possession for three days, that's saying quite a lot.  Most of my new games get played once and cycled back into my 'To Play List' with others.  With this one it didn't leave the table even after these three plays.

It has all the constantly shifting game mechanics of CCG/LCG card games without the need for deck building.  You also don't need to be constantly checking your hand to play instant "gotcha" cards because the only cards that affect gameplay are those that are in play and on the table.  Since each hero/villain normally only gets to play one new card to the table every turn you have to prioritize which ones you need, in what order.  Certain cards can modify such mechanics, of course, being this type of card game. 

Each hero & villain has his or her own deck of cards, with their own unique cards and strategies.  When you pull out three or four hero decks, you know each one has it's own style and strengths.  That makes playing each hero's hand a bit different and gives a lot of variety, especially regarding the team-environment-villain makeup of each game.   While some game combinations make for more difficult or easier games, I've lost two out of my first three (using three heroes) so there is plenty of challenge to be had.  The villain decks are often challenging and keep throwing difficulties at you.  They're probably the real core of the game since those are the "AI" you're playing against.  Since the Rook City and Infernal Relics expansion comes with four more Villain decks (IIRC), I'm very happy I picked it up along with the base set.  It also has more Heroes and Environments, all of which are interesting and fit nicely into the system.

Sentinels of the Multiverse is a lot of fun solo and I imagine it can be quite fun for Co-Op too.  It also sets up very quickly, which is something I don't see often these days.  This is the card game to have for those who enjoy the regularly changing CCG-style card strategy environments but don't want to spend the time deck building (or even finding an opponent, as it turns out).   I'll surely get some Co-Op in at some point in the near future, but from what I've gathered it's just as popular to play Co-Op as solo, if not more.  I imagine that since each hero has it's own style, a group game with each person playing a single one would be more thematically enjoyable.

I downloaded some user-created hit point trackers from BGG and played my last game with a universal one and some colored wooden tokens.  I still used the hit point counters that come with the game for the smaller villain henchmen and environment stuff.   It sped up the game a bit.  I will probably just use a notepad and pencil for the same biggies in a Co-Op game to save space.  Tracking HP with the given game counters didn't bother me all that much in the first place, as long as I had the smaller denominations separated into their own little bowls.  You will have to keep track of various card effects once the game gets going and there are numerous cards on the table, but the big modifier counters can help draw your attention to the more popular situations.

Nef says, "Get it!!"

I agree, great game.  Reasonably priced.  You can get the enhanced "base" game from Amazon with $27 prime (no shipping) in the US.  Really can't beat that price for a great game.  I have been playing only co-op and it is a big hit.

I'll be playing the base game this weekend, and possibly following up with another purchase of the expansions...... like I need to spend more money!!!! my gift card has run out.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 13, 2014, 02:58:42 PM
I'll be playing the base game this weekend, and possibly following up with another purchase of the expansions...... like I need to spend more money!!!! my gift card has run out.


PE

I know.  I just keep finding games I want to get but am too afraid to put it off for long else they suddenly go out of stock/print and the prices start rising on them. 

Despite my latest splurge on these three games, I just broke down and ordered some more co-op fare because Noble Knight had used near-mint copies of Ghost Stories and Bios: Megafauna in stock at good prices.  Like $32 - $35 apiece!  My past experiences with buying used games from them has been exceptional and they ship stuff super fast.  My only complaint has been finding some things on their site, as the search function there still takes a lot of digging at times.   I keep seeing some raving reviews about how fun, difficult, but relatively easy-to-learn Ghost Stories is so I figured "what the hell" after seeing a good used copy on the cheap.  If nothing else, it may get some family game time.   And Bios - Megafauna just looked so unusual but interesting for it's "building" your dinosaur species mechanics via randomized environments, mutations, etc. 

Both of these are something rather out of the ordinary for me.  Perhaps this varied plethora of new stuff will satiate my tabletop purchasing for a bit.  :P  In the meantime, it's off to play another game of Sentinels before my weekend arrivals.  :)

Quote from: Nefaro on February 13, 2014, 03:42:11 PM

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 13, 2014, 02:58:42 PM
I'll be playing the base game this weekend, and possibly following up with another purchase of the expansions...... like I need to spend more money!!!! my gift card has run out.


PE

I know.  I just keep finding games I want to get but am too afraid to put it off for long else they suddenly go out of stock/print and the prices start rising on them. 

Despite my latest splurge on these three games, I just broke down and ordered some more co-op fare because Noble Knight had used near-mint copies of Ghost Stories and Bios: Megafauna in stock at good prices.  Like $32 - $35 apiece!  My past experiences with buying used games from them has been exceptional and they ship stuff super fast.  My only complaint has been finding some things on their site, as the search function there still takes a lot of digging at times.   I keep seeing some raving reviews about how fun, difficult, but relatively easy-to-learn Ghost Stories is so I figured "what the hell" after seeing a good used copy on the cheap.  If nothing else, it may get some family game time.   And Bios - Megafauna just looked so unusual but interesting for it's "building" your dinosaur species mechanics via randomized environments, mutations, etc. 

Both of these are something rather out of the ordinary for me.  Perhaps this varied plethora of new stuff will satiate my tabletop purchasing for a bit.  :P  In the meantime, it's off to play another game of Sentinels before my weekend arrivals.  :)

I'll let you know how Ottoman Sunset is...... Nemo's War is a very fun game, I like it and got it for around 20 usd. 

I really, really, really want The Barbarossa Campaign by Victory Point..... I know they are working on a second edition and if it was a little cheaper I would purchase the current one now!  But, with that money I could buy both expansions to Sentinels.  I splurged a while back and purchased Forlorn Hope, which I heard was very good.... Space Hulk like.  Other Victory Point games I am interested in are Darkest Night, Hero of Weehawken, Empires in America (found it for cheap), and Circus Train.

DVG has several games I am interested in, however there have not been enough purchases to send it to the printers. $$$$$$


PE

Empires in America

http://grogheads.com/?p=1455

Quote from: bayonetbrant on February 13, 2014, 04:34:50 PM
Empires in America

http://grogheads.com/?p=1455

Nice.

That whole game series looks deceptively small but it sounds like the gameplay is larger than it would seem on such a first glance.

Sweet Jesus on a stick!  What the hell is going on with all my shipping lately?

'Tomb' was supposed to be here today, as the store that shipped sent it via 2-day priority mail from South Carolina.  For some dumb reason the USPS sent it to Atlanta, GA on that 2-day delivery deadline.  I live in Kansas City, MO.  Dubya Tee Eff?  Okay.. it's the postal service, so those guys screwing up isn't a rarity.  *shrug*

However, I just looked at my VPG shipment coming from CA.  Fedex has been shipping it through three cities in California for the last two days.  Like California pinball.  Double Dubya Tee Eff?!   They just changed my arrival date to Monday.  No new weekend gaming, alas!  Blast!  I was looking forward to having a good chunk of the weekend on these. >:(

Maybe this will finally convince me to stop depending on these parcel carriers so much.  They've been the Three Stooges lately.

Which company makes the game where you try to keep the Apache tribe alive & well through the ages?  That one seemed to garner some attention recently, but I can't remember the name.  I'm  pretty sure it had solitaire play available but I don't think it was VPG who publishes it.  Was tempted to pick it up when I saw it at the local game store earlier this month, but it looked rather unusual.


Sorry for the shipping rant.  I've never had so many delays all at once.  Cuuuurrrse.  They must have reverted to the 'B-Team' after the holidays.

^ There's one called "Apache," but I don't think it's what you're referring to...plus it's something like 30+ years old too.

No worries on ranting...I don't think anyone here has not had some kind of issue with shipping in the past. It's like being a kid on Christmas morning and suddenly being told they have to wait two more days to open their presents!

Found it.  It's Navajo Wars from GMT. 

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/102435/navajo-wars

Dunno why I thought it was Apache but we were close.

This one seems to be rather popular with some for it's solitaire gameplay.  Anyone played it?

That looks a bit nightmarish to learn.  :o

Ah, Ghost Stories. It isn't difficult to learn (aside for some of the language independent symbology, which gets a bit thick in this one), but that game will absolutely savage you. You won't lose, you'll be beaten, thrown to the ground and curb stomped. That game actively hates you whenever you open the box.

Great art, though.  :)

Quote from: Arctic Blast on February 14, 2014, 11:28:37 PM
Ah, Ghost Stories. It isn't difficult to learn (aside for some of the language independent symbology, which gets a bit thick in this one), but that game will absolutely savage you. You won't lose, you'll be beaten, thrown to the ground and curb stomped. That game actively hates you whenever you open the box.

Great art, though.  :)

LOL!

Thanks for the info.  I had heard it was nasty like that.  Co-Op games should definitely be difficult.  Hopefully it's not nigh impossible.  That would probably make me want to play it even more if my chances of winning were slim, but there is still a chance.  I mean.. I love to play Dungeonquest and the win-loss ratio on that can be nasty too (especially since I use a house rule that makes it more so).

I'm supposed to be getting Tomb in today.  I sometimes forget that the postal service delivers on Saturdays.  Ya know.. despite a 2-Day "Priority" shipment actually taking 5 days.  ???

I probably should've picked up the later version of it, but didn't want to miss out on the loads of stuff in the first one (cards, characters, etc) which are all different.  The newer standalone just looks to have a bit more competitive "screw you" cards in it to make the group gaming more cutthroat, so if I end up feeling the need for more of such stuff I can track it down later.  With just the first one, it should be easier to solo at least.

Played Ottoman Sunset last night and got crushed.  It is a very interesting scenario and a tough one that continually puts the squeeze on you and forces you to make tough decisions.  Overall I really enjoyed it.


PE

Quote from: Nefaro on February 15, 2014, 01:24:12 AM

Quote from: Arctic Blast on February 14, 2014, 11:28:37 PM
Ah, Ghost Stories. It isn't difficult to learn (aside for some of the language independent symbology, which gets a bit thick in this one), but that game will absolutely savage you. You won't lose, you'll be beaten, thrown to the ground and curb stomped. That game actively hates you whenever you open the box.

Great art, though.  :)

LOL!

Thanks for the info.  I had heard it was nasty like that.  Co-Op games should definitely be difficult.  Hopefully it's not nigh impossible.  That would probably make me want to play it even more if my chances of winning were slim, but there is still a chance.  I mean.. I love to play Dungeonquest and the win-loss ratio on that can be nasty too (especially since I use a house rule that makes it more so).

Yeah, it is winnable. I think we've won a grand total of twice. So we're something like 2 for...I'll ballpark it at 20? It's possible, but you really need things to break your way for it to work.

DQ is a good comparison, because they're about the same in terms of play length. So even if things go completely pear shaped, it isn't like you've sunk 4 hours into hopelessness.

The cultural aspect of Navajo seems very different and intriguing.  Is there real interaction between the tribes?  Or is it more conflict centered?
Also, does it take place during the fighting with the cavalry and Kit Carson, or is it of an earlier period? 
The different ness of this design kind of appeals to me as something totally out of the box.  Just trying to get a better grasp of it's background and tribal cultures.

Quote from: besilarius on February 15, 2014, 05:51:56 PM
The cultural aspect of Navajo seems very different and intriguing.  Is there real interaction between the tribes?  Or is it more conflict centered?
Also, does it take place during the fighting with the cavalry and Kit Carson, or is it of an earlier period? 
The different ness of this design kind of appeals to me as something totally out of the box.  Just trying to get a better grasp of it's background and tribal cultures.

GMT has a tutorial video series on Navajo Wars, on the 'Tube.

Here's the first:



I started checking it out to see if there are some examples of how it plays out.

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 15, 2014, 03:14:44 PM
Played Ottoman Sunset last night and got crushed.  It is a very interesting scenario and a tough one that continually puts the squeeze on you and forces you to make tough decisions.  Overall I really enjoyed it.


PE

I just played A Spoiled Victory: Dunkirk 1940 from White Dog games, which has a lot in common with the States of Siege games from VPG (Same designer as Dawn of the Zeds). You can definitely see the States of Siege ideas, with the Germans advancing along tracks, but it's not a single point in the middle, but a whole beach front where you are trying to evacuate units.

Really enjoying it, it's definitely a tough one to crack with a bit of a balance between holding the line and evacuating units under the threat of Luftwaffe attacks. Lots of choices, I'm going to write up a review of it I think.

Anyway, thought it might interest those reading:

http://www.whitedoggames.com/#!dunkirk/c1qjs

I'd be interested in reading that. The games listed there are relatively cheap ($38 US w/ shipping inc.) and seem to have VASSAL modules available for buyers as well.

I've been playing Soviet Dawn: The Russian Civil War: 1918-1921 from VPG off and on for the last year or so. I lose most of the time but its definitely fun for a quick solitaire gaming fix. Certainly quicker than SASL that's for sure.

I aspire to SASL one of these days. Looks difficult to learn though.

GMTs Fields of Fire would be an easy favorite for me, if not for the bungled rulebook. The shortcomings of the rulebook made it an absolute beast to learn and painful to play. I managed to piece it together well enough to play through the WWII scenarios. I enjoyed 4 or 5 games but eventually waited a little too long without playing....and it was gone. I just didn't have the stomach to start routing through the rules and numerous gaming forums required to get it going again. A complete rewrite of the rules was promised with the upcoming release of Fields of Fire Vol. II: "With The Old Breed". Oddly, I just checked the games page for Vol II on the GMT website and noticed that statement has been replaced with a reference to some living rules!?

http://www.gmtgames.com/p-432-fields-of-fire-vol-ii-with-the-old-breed.aspx

I got Cruel Necessity and Darkest Night: Necromancer's Bundle in from VPG this afternoon.  Woot!


They weren't joking about wiping the soot off the sides of these counters.  The first drag with the side of the larger ones is like a charcoal pencil.  Took me some extra time wiping the stuff off.  I cracked open Darkest Night first because it looks to be pretty easy to dive into after I watched some gameplay vids, despite it's rulebook being longer.  I think it's longer just because there are a lot of clarifications and examples in the rulebooks that came with this version (A main rulebook and a small one for the latest expansion).  From a casual glance, it looks extra thorough.  I also dig the artwork in it - not so colorful and "busy" (which can be distracting at times) but still has a nice look about it.  I can tell that this will be a fun solitaire game and probably Co-Op too since each character has it's own set of specialized 'ability' cards, making him unique.

For some reason I had thought the boxed version of Cruel Necessity came with a mounted board, but it doesn't.  I'm not too concerned since some of my mounted boards eventually warp just enough where they're not lying flat on the table, which tweaks it's nose at my OCD.   Darkest Night bundle actually came with both a mounted and a paper map.  Very refreshing to have such a small one on the table, too.  I often feel like I'm reaching to the other side to get to stuff with most games these days. 

I can already tell that these will both bring much enjoyment.  I know one or two of ya also bought Cruel Necessity so I'll give Darkest Night the first run and let you know.

Quote from: Nefaro on February 17, 2014, 07:52:34 PM
I got Cruel Necessity and Darkest Night: Necromancer's Bundle in from VPG this afternoon.  Woot!


They weren't joking about wiping the soot off the sides of these counters.  The first drag with the side of the larger ones is like a charcoal pencil.  Took me some extra time wiping the stuff off.  I cracked open Darkest Night first because it looks to be pretty easy to dive into after I watched some gameplay vids, despite it's rulebook being longer.  I think it's longer just because there are a lot of clarifications and examples in the rulebooks that came with this version (A main rulebook and a small one for the latest expansion).  From a casual glance, it looks extra thorough.  I also dig the artwork in it - not so colorful and "busy" (which can be distracting at times) but still has a nice look about it.  I can tell that this will be a fun solitaire game and probably Co-Op too since each character has it's own set of specialized 'ability' cards, making him unique.

For some reason I had thought the boxed version of Cruel Necessity came with a mounted board, but it doesn't.  I'm not too concerned since some of my mounted boards eventually warp just enough where they're not lying flat on the table, which tweaks it's nose at my OCD.   Darkest Night bundle actually came with both a mounted and a paper map.  Very refreshing to have such a small one on the table, too.  I often feel like I'm reaching to the other side to get to stuff with most games these days. 

I can already tell that these will both bring much enjoyment.  I know one or two of ya also bought Cruel Necessity so I'll give Darkest Night the first run and let you know.

Got Cruel Necessity in as well.... I have been tempted to pick up Darkest Night, however look forward to hearing feedback from you.. Going to give Cruel Necessity a run through tonight.

Was able to obtain a Strategic Stalemate with Ottoman Sunset, I really enjoy it.


PE

I've played Darkest Night twice.  It's certainly fun.  There is a lot of priorities to juggle, tough decisions to be made, and you're under pressure from a few different angles. 

The game mechanics are pretty easy.  The basics are all covered in the first three or four pages of the manual, the rest being clarifications and examples.  That doesn't mean the game isn't difficult or lacking in decision-making.  The plethora of characters in the Collection edition gives a good amount of variety, especially since each character class has ten different abilities (one per card).  You only start with three but you can discover more as you play (one of the many things to prioritize, of course).  I found the "Secrecy" point mechanics interesting because if you get them too low, the Necromancer will come after you.  However, you can also try to get your Secrecy points low on one character, to use as a decoy or to lure the bad guy into a trap when you're ready to try finishing him off for example.  The latter is how I won my second game - luring him away from his undead hordes into a less overrun area before the ambush.  :D

Got stomped the first game but pulled the second one off due to a couple different characters' complimentary class abilities, and the aforementioned ambush tactics.   Both were enjoyable and challenging.  This one will be out on the table fairly regularly.

Quote from: Nefaro on February 18, 2014, 08:46:05 PM
I've played Darkest Night twice.  It's certainly fun.  There is a lot of priorities to juggle, tough decisions to be made, and you're under pressure from a few different angles. 

The game mechanics are pretty easy.  The basics are all covered in the first three or four pages of the manual, the rest being clarifications and examples.  That doesn't mean the game isn't difficult or lacking in decision-making.  The plethora of characters in the Collection edition gives a good amount of variety, especially since each character class has ten different abilities (one per card).  You only start with three but you can discover more as you play (one of the many things to prioritize, of course).  I found the "Secrecy" point mechanics interesting because if you get them too low, the Necromancer will come after you.  However, you can also try to get your Secrecy points low on one character, to use as a decoy or to lure the bad guy into a trap when you're ready to try finishing him off for example.  The latter is how I won my second game - luring him away from his undead hordes into a less overrun area before the ambush.  :D

Got stomped the first game but pulled the second one off due to a couple different characters' complimentary class abilities, and the aforementioned ambush tactics.   Both were enjoyable and challenging.  This one will be out on the table fairly regularly.

That's good to hear because I purchased the Darkest Night bundle  :P  .... I have been having a good time with Cruel Necessity.  Very good mechanics and a real challenge of balance to the game.   I have a couple others I will get to this week... Hero of Weehaken and Robinson Crusoe... I plan to write up a small mini review on the couple of things I have been playing over the past few weeks.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 18, 2014, 10:26:55 PM

That's good to hear because I purchased the Darkest Night bundle  :P  .... I have been having a good time with Cruel Necessity.  Very good mechanics and a real challenge of balance to the game.   I have a couple others I will get to this week... Hero of Weehaken and Robinson Crusoe... I plan to write up a small mini review on the couple of things I have been playing over the past few weeks.


PE

I've tried to get interested in Robinson Crusoe but after watching a couple vids, I'm still not drawn to it.  The game looks like it would be fun but it just hasn't inspired me yet.  I've not seen a whole game of it yet, however.  May just be the theme that I'm kinda 'Meh' about.

I'm not sure whether Darkest Night's hefty price tag was warranted, as far as parts go, but I enjoyed it enough not to dwell on that question too long.

I was gonna learn Cruel Necessity next but Bios: Megafauna has been screaming out to me since it arrived.  It's a bit off my usual beaten path.

Played through the 1st Civil War of Cruel Necessity last night and managed a Minor Victory and it was close.  Had some tense battles with Cromwell, but managed a couple of victories on the battlefield and while rudimentary, it adds some fun.  Overall I like the game quit a bit and find that if further expands the State of Siege engine in the right direction with some clever mechanics.

Ottoman Sunset:
A very good game that continues to continues to build pressure on your as the War continues.  There are some tough decisions to make with several fronts and political options.  Have enjoyed it and several of the SoS games separates themselves with sprinkles of different mechanics.

Forlorn: Hope
This game reminds me of Space Hulk with some added options.  You basically have a couple of missions and setup options.  I found the components very poor and disappointing.  For the price of the game, while the unit counters where ok, the rounded counters where the worst I have ever experience in a game.  I emailed VPG about it, however they have not emailed back.  Overall, I like the game, but questionable price point for content even for VPG... but the game is a lot of fun.

Phantom Leader Deluxe:
Great gameplay mechanics over its predecessor.  The new flight path and angle of attack make the game interesting.  I played a early campaign with no sam sights, which made the game a lot easier... however, the game can get difficult real quick by one pull of the counter or event card, which i really like.  The components are good quality, and the game play is very enjoyable with variable rules.  Will be playing a lot.

HL: Cthulhu Conflict Expansion:
Just read through the rules and hope to dive into later.  Looks interesting.

Nemo's War:
Nemo's War is very thematic and has variable paths to win in which you choose (Scientific, Explorer, War....).  It is interesting mechanics and as you perform certain actions you are constantly changing the course of the game... action and reaction.  You can also choose to reinvest some of your sunken ship (VP) back into upgrading the Nautilus and giving you specific bonuses.  Overall I have really enjoyed it and can prove to be a challenge.

Lord of the Rings Card Game:
Very enjoyable card game, but can beat very challenging (thumbs up). A living card game with excellent gameplay and theme.  I am interested in expanding my set.

Sentinels of a Multiverse:
This one surprised me and is pretty fun.  However, on the down side is that there are a lot of modifiers you must keep track of and with those are various questions that are not clarified.  The book keeping in the game can be a down side to the game, however I still enjoy it even though getting through different rounds can take some time.

Dawn of the Zeds:

Still setting in waiting on the shelf:
Hero of Weehawken
Darkest Night Complete
Robinson Curusoe

In the shopping cart:
Lord of the Rings TCG Expansions
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game
Sentinels: Rook City and Infernal Relic
Sentinels: Shattered Timelines
Field Commander Napoleon
Circus Train
Empires in America
Picket Duty
A Distant Plain

Long term purchase:
The Barbarossa Campaign (Second Edition)
Huey Leader
Fleet Commander Nimitz
Steel Wolves
Several more......


PE

Learning Bios: Megafauna right now.   I was a bit intimidated when I first spied the manual and saw all the small font with big words but after watching RickRoyal's gameplay vids, it all makes easy sense to me.  I always picked up on this kind of science stuff quickly and easily, and still remember the terminology.  The gameplay isn't all that difficult either, mainly because the mechanics aren't overly bogged down in little details and make sense in relation to the topic.

So I'm gonna go mutate me some super-dinosaurs to take over the world!  (*Muahahahaaaa!*)  Errrr.. take over North America after recovering from the Permian extinction, that is.  ;)

PE, you are my hero when it comes to solitaire games. I will strive to be more like you and acquire as many of these wonderful things as possible.

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on February 19, 2014, 09:23:54 PM
PE, you are my hero when it comes to solitaire games. I will strive to be more like you and acquire as many of these wonderful things as possible.

Thanks Banzai... I will be putting together some more feedback on some of the games and ranking them.  So far I can honestly say that I have not played anything I have not liked as of yet.


PE

Has anyone played GMT's Blood & Roses yet? 

http://www.gmtgames.com/p-425-blood-roses.aspx

Looks to have pretty high solitaire capability as far as wargames go.  I've not done a tabletop medieval battle game in ages, either.   I think it just started shipping earlier this month.

Getting some great suggestions from you guys PE and Nef.  I am just a solitaire piker compared to you guys. 

BTW, any thoughts on Field Commander Rommel?

Quote from: ArizonaTank on February 21, 2014, 05:12:44 AM
Getting some great suggestions from you guys PE and Nef.  I am just a solitaire piker compared to you guys.

It has recently become a bit of an obsession for me after getting really burned out on video gaming last year.  Fortunately there are quite a few solitaire-capable tabletop games out there these days, partially due to the upswing in 'Cooperative' games over recent years.  It's great that we can get so much more use out of them since you don't have to corral some victims..errr, players... all the time. 

Quote
BTW, any thoughts on Field Commander Rommel?

I was told that FC Rommel is the best, or one of the best in the Field Commander series.  I have FC Alexander but haven't yet played it.  I can't put my finger on exactly what has made me hesitate to do so; maybe the rules just made it sound a bit too abstract and gamey or something?  Very "press your luck" type of thing, which isn't necessarily bad.  It looks fun but hasn't been high on my priority list compared to some others.

There's a lot of balancing in Field Commander Alexander. Your strategy isn't necessarily based just on conquering the enemy, but also on pursuing glory for Alexander, getting gold, and so on. Sometimes acquiring what you need means having to go into a lion's den of resistance. I haven't had a lot of time to get too deeply into it but it's quite enjoyable and I really want to check out the Rommel version sometime.

Quote from: ArizonaTank on February 21, 2014, 05:12:44 AM
Getting some great suggestions from you guys PE and Nef.  I am just a solitaire piker compared to you guys. 

BTW, any thoughts on Field Commander Rommel?

To be honest, while I think Field Commander Rommel is a good game, however it was a little too abstract for my taste.  It really is more about managing supplies than combat.  If you are into dealing with supply lines and logistics then it will work for you, however if you are looking for combat, then I would say skip it. 

To my understanding, Field Commander Napoleon it the best in the series.

I have 2 games on tap this weekend: 


Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island
Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island is an epic game from Portal. You will build a shelter, palisade, weapons, you will create tools like axes, knives, sacks, you will do everything you can to... to survive. You will have to find food, fight wild beasts, protect yourself from weather changes...

Take the role of one of four characters from the ship crew (cook, carpenter, explorer or soldier) and face the adventure. Use your determination skills to help your team mates, discuss with them your plan and put it into practice. Debate, discuss, and work on the best plan you all can make.

Search for treasures. Discover mysteries. Follow goals of six different, engaging scenarios. Start by building a big pile of wood and setting it on fire to call for help, and then start new adventures. Become an exorcist on cursed Island. Become a treasure hunter on Volcano Island. Become a rescue team for a young lady who's stuck on rock island...


Hero of Weehawken
Hero of Weehawken is a solitaire game in which the player takes the role of President Thomas Jefferson at a dangerous moment in the history of the United States. Former Vice President Aaron Burr is somewhere out west, and rumors abound that he is threatening the nation with plans for some sort of ill-advised military adventure that could bring America to war with Spain, or even a direct act of treason against the United States!

To forestall this disaster, you must first determine Burr's real plans, then find and arrest him before he executes his plan; and, finally, gather sufficient evidence to convict Burr at trial. If your agents arrest him too soon, you will not have gathered enough evidence or figured out what to charge him with. If you wait too long, however, you may be too late to stop his nefarious plans.

Do you have what it takes to gather the right information in time? Be the judge and become the Hero of Weehawken!


PE

I have a copy of Nemo, but the counters were mis-punched and I really, really need to finish cutting them out so I can play that one.

I saw a gameplay vid on Hero of Weehawken. Looked interesting.

I really want to hear impressions of Robinson Crusoe. 

The exploration side of it sounds like fun but I'm still unsure of the rest.  It seems to be a pretty popular solitaire/co-op game so it must be good.

Robinson Crusoe:
Here are my initial impressions for Robinson Crusoe after playing the initial scenario.

Let me preface this by saying I like games that are challenging and different.

The first scenario has you on an island where you have 12 rounds to build a bonfire to signal ships that will be passing, and of course stay alive.  So, I was the Explorer character with a native named Friday and my Dog.  The solo game allows you to have both the dog and Friday which gives you one extra action and the Dog an extra action however limited to Exploring and Hunting.

I managed to find a mountain range and take up residence in a cave.  I explored out and was able to build a knife.  I ran into a tile that was much needed only to draw a card and find out it had been burnt useless in a massive fire.  Eventually I found a rune, got bit by a spider, failed to find a cure and died.... the end

Robinson Crusoe is a very tough game... and I like it that way.  The game mechanics and decisions you have to make are the best I have experienced in a game.  For example, there was one card that gave me some supplies and if I took them I had to put the card back into the deck, only to have the bad effect to possibly come back to haunt me later.   The entire time I felt like each turn was a life and death struggle just to survive much less building the bonfire.  I really enjoyed my play through and can't wait to dive back in.  There are 6 scenarios that come with the game and several you can download.....like a Zombie infested island etc..  For me, this is a homerun title thus far, however if you do not like getting the crap kicked out of you, taking risk and possibly suffering horribly for them, then you may not want to visit the island.

PE

Sounds great!

Quote from: Nefaro on February 23, 2014, 06:28:45 PM
Sounds great!

I really liked the game... but it is brutal.  I eventually drew some cards that depleted a couple of my wood tiles so I could not longer gather wood from those tiles.  I also narrowly escaped a tiger when hunting..... The spider bite took me off guard and does 1 damage each night if you do not have a cure... but by then it was too late.

The mechanics of the game are spot on imho.  I almost got Friday killed several times, but he survived.  The game is as it should be, tough and unforgiving.... you are stranded on an island after all.

If you have any questions just let me know.


PE

Played a game of Hero of Weehawken last night.  The game is for sure a niche title and while I enjoyed it, I recognize will would not be for everyone.  I like it because of 1. Historical flavor and 2. It is very different.  Your main goal is to find out what Burr is up to and who is key conspirators are and what their plan is.  A lot of the game you do not get a lot of feedback from actions you are taking, however you can start to piece together possibilities.  I guess I am a little too distracted from RC right now and some of the rules for Hero of Weehawken I will have to re-read as they were not very clear.

I believe I liked the title, but will need subsequent play thoroughs.  Once thing is for sure, it is a niche title that many may not like.


PE

Ahhh.... trying to stay alive.

Right now I am also testing / learning Mage Knight in the vassal format.  I am trying to decide if that will be next on my list to purchase, although it will be a while.  So far after getting the rules down it does seem like a very good game.



PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on February 24, 2014, 05:14:41 PM
Right now I am also testing / learning Mage Knight in the vassal format.  I am trying to decide if that will be next on my list to purchase, although it will be a while.  So far after getting the rules down it does seem like a very good game.



PE

I've been tempted to play it again even though I did so the weekend before last.   Still haven't defeated the regular solitaire 'Conquer' scenario, much less attempted to take on some of the Lost Legion expansion stuff.

It's certainly a unique game.

If you're interested in seeing how a multi-player Vassal game went down, once you learn the game, check this vid series out:



The guy shares a lot of interesting comments on strategy while doing the replay.  Hopefully I'll learn to be more efficient with my map movement & attack priorities after watching.  :D

Still playing my current game so I am still undecided about it.  I know several have it at the top of their Solo games..... but I'm still working through.  It does have a lot of interesting mechanics to it, with the day/night feel and the morale feature.


PE

Quote from: Nefaro on February 21, 2014, 07:49:19 AM

Quote from: ArizonaTank on February 21, 2014, 05:12:44 AM
Getting some great suggestions from you guys PE and Nef.  I am just a solitaire piker compared to you guys.

It has recently become a bit of an obsession for me after getting really burned out on video gaming last year.  Fortunately there are quite a few solitaire-capable tabletop games out there these days, partially due to the upswing in 'Cooperative' games over recent years.  It's great that we can get so much more use out of them since you don't have to corral some victims..errr, players... all the time. 

I am there as well.  I suddenly find myself not wanting to play as many PC games...even the hardcore grog games like War in the East, are falling flat with me.  But I have been doing a lot of Vassal Boardgames recently, and really enjoying that.

I've been playing some video games again lately, but at a modest pace.

Planning on another attempt at winning a solitaire Conquest scenario in the Mage Knight boardgame with the Lost Legion expansion.  My last attempt ended in failure, which is a good thing because it's not a cakewalk.  I plan to sleeve the cards before my next play, however, so that will require some extra time being set aside.

Quote from: Nefaro on March 06, 2014, 09:50:55 AM
I've been playing some video games again lately, but at a modest pace.

Planning on another attempt at winning a solitaire Conquest scenario in the Mage Knight boardgame with the Lost Legion expansion.  My last attempt ended in failure, which is a good thing because it's not a cakewalk.  I plan to sleeve the cards before my next play, however, so that will require some extra time being set aside.

Same here, I have eased back into the video game realm.  I hope to spend time with Darkest Night + Expansions maybe this weekend... we shall see.


PE

Quote from: Nefaro on March 06, 2014, 09:50:55 AM
I've been playing some video games again lately, but at a modest pace.

Planning on another attempt at winning a solitaire Conquest scenario in the Mage Knight boardgame with the Lost Legion expansion.  My last attempt ended in failure, which is a good thing because it's not a cakewalk.  I plan to sleeve the cards before my next play, however, so that will require some extra time being set aside.

How did you find the learning curve with that game? I'm somewhat interested in it, but also somewhat terrified by the rules.  ;D

Quote from: Arctic Blast on March 06, 2014, 02:19:38 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on March 06, 2014, 09:50:55 AM
I've been playing some video games again lately, but at a modest pace.

Planning on another attempt at winning a solitaire Conquest scenario in the Mage Knight boardgame with the Lost Legion expansion.  My last attempt ended in failure, which is a good thing because it's not a cakewalk.  I plan to sleeve the cards before my next play, however, so that will require some extra time being set aside.

How did you find the learning curve with that game? I'm somewhat interested in it, but also somewhat terrified by the rules.  ;D

Arctic

Check out Ricky Royal's game walkthrough, he does a good job taking you through the various parts of the game.  Once I read through the rules and watched his video to fill in the gaps, it is pretty easy to play.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB7C824980F797C4A


PE

Quote from: Arctic Blast on March 06, 2014, 02:19:38 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on March 06, 2014, 09:50:55 AM
I've been playing some video games again lately, but at a modest pace.

Planning on another attempt at winning a solitaire Conquest scenario in the Mage Knight boardgame with the Lost Legion expansion.  My last attempt ended in failure, which is a good thing because it's not a cakewalk.  I plan to sleeve the cards before my next play, however, so that will require some extra time being set aside.

How did you find the learning curve with that game? I'm somewhat interested in it, but also somewhat terrified by the rules.  ;D

It's only daunting because it's so unique.  I found the Beginner Rulebook quite good at teaching you the game with the basic 'Recon' scenario.  I also watched an LP on YouTube after my first run, to make sure I was doing things properly (I was). 

I'd suggest reading the starter manual, which teaches all the basics, and then watching a Let's Play series to cement the flow into memory before starting your first game.  The first one or two videos are usually enough to learn the system and the other scenarios are only brief additional rules for your future games. 

After I played the first starter (Recon) scenario, it was easy to memorize.  There are informational cards in the game that describe the effects and interactions of each hex type so you end up referring to those as you play.  It cuts down on manual referencing a good deal and the only thing I look up most in those, after a couple playthroughs, is the monster ability symbols & descriptions on the back.  The game flow for solitaire play is easy to remember.  It has a relatively easy turn sequence.

Edit:  As AB linked - check out Ricky Royal's LP series. 

Sweet! I'll check out those videos and see how I feel about it. Hopefully I'll get a good idea whether I want to drop the cash to pick it up or not.

I noticed a couple of people on the Vassal server tonight are starting a MASSIVE Stalingrad campaign using Solitaire ASL (SASL) along with the Valor of the Guards historical module. Looks like they are cooperatively playing the Germans. I have no idea how they went about setting up the Soviet side for solitaire play, but would love to find out.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j4DsRmohFkg/Uxkyoz1yEGI/AAAAAAAABDE/CrVWtPNRzCM/s800/SASL_VotG.jpg)

Can't imagine solitaire gaming getting any better than this!

Trying out the GMT version of Blackbeard solitaire this weekend.  Kind of jazzed about the prospect.

Quote from: ArizonaTank on March 07, 2014, 05:11:59 AM
Trying out the GMT version of Blackbeard solitaire this weekend.  Kind of jazzed about the prospect.

Let us know how it goes, I would be interested to hear any feedback you have.


PE

Quote from: Rekim on March 06, 2014, 09:48:58 PM
I noticed a couple of people on the Vassal server tonight are starting a MASSIVE Stalingrad campaign using Solitaire ASL (SASL) along with the Valor of the Guards historical module. Looks like they are cooperatively playing the Germans. I have no idea how they went about setting up the Soviet side for solitaire play, but would love to find out.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j4DsRmohFkg/Uxkyoz1yEGI/AAAAAAAABDE/CrVWtPNRzCM/s800/SASL_VotG.jpg)

Can't imagine solitaire gaming getting any better than this!

OMG!  :o How could you ever play that!

Quote from: Arctic Blast on March 06, 2014, 02:40:46 PM
Sweet! I'll check out those videos and see how I feel about it. Hopefully I'll get a good idea whether I want to drop the cash to pick it up or not.

You may want to try out the vassal module, and while it is no substitute, it will give you a good idea of the game.


PE

Quote from: Barthheart on March 07, 2014, 10:27:20 AM

OMG!  :o How could you ever play that!

No kidding.

I just can't bring myself to playing the large hex & counter tabletop wargames anymore.  They'll just be memories of setting them up, in my youth, only to have the cat scatter them or packing it back up to make way for my next one.  I think I read the manuals and packed/unpacked those things more than playing, back then.  :D

Quote from: Nefaro on March 07, 2014, 11:16:44 AM

Quote from: Barthheart on March 07, 2014, 10:27:20 AM

OMG!  :o How could you ever play that!

No kidding.

I just can't bring myself to playing the large hex & counter tabletop wargames anymore.  They'll just be memories of setting them up, in my youth, only to have the cat scatter them or packing it back up to make way for my next one.  I think I read the manuals and packed/unpacked those things more than playing, back then.  :D

All problems solved by Vassal, of course.

I'm busting out Robinson Crusoe this weekend. The rules seem to make sense, and I'm definitely looking forward to it.

This entire thread is pretty much my birthday wishlist.

Busted out Robinson Crusoe today. The game absolutely handed me my ass.

There's a lot of good stuff going on. Several event decks make for random events and items and what not. A lot of different things play into one another and integrate, often to crush you like an insect.

Two complaints :

1. It takes a little while to become comfortable with the turn structure. Some parts of the rules are well written and clear, but others are over-written dreck that takes awhile to chew through and figure out.
2. There is a LOT of fiddly little stuff all over the place. Cubes as wound markers on the wound track for each player, the shelter/roof/palisades tracks, the weapons track, etc. Invention cards splattered on the right side of the board, with super-tiny cubes used to mark off pre-requisites for building them. A good bump on the table and you've pretty much wasted an hour.

Quote from: Arctic Blast on March 09, 2014, 07:52:09 PM

Two complaints :

1. It takes a little while to become comfortable with the turn structure. Some parts of the rules are well written and clear, but others are over-written dreck that takes awhile to chew through and figure out.
2. There is a LOT of fiddly little stuff all over the place. Cubes as wound markers on the wound track for each player, the shelter/roof/palisades tracks, the weapons track, etc. Invention cards splattered on the right side of the board, with super-tiny cubes used to mark off pre-requisites for building them. A good bump on the table and you've pretty much wasted an hour.

This sounds like my evaluation of Bios - Megafauna.  Although the game board is relatively small, which saves the game 'sprawl'.  In the mall with a pall.  Motherfuckin' Suess, bitches!  :P

Despite all the pieces and cards lying out everywhere the different stuff in play all interconnected quite a bit and made for a lot of complex strategic thinking.  Had to d/l the "living rules" though since the vanilla ones in the box had been given needed updates.  It was one of the few solitaire games I've immediately played a second time, after finished my initial game, so that's always a good sign.  I suspect Robinson Crusoe would be the same.

Quote from: Nefaro on March 10, 2014, 07:14:16 AM

Quote from: Arctic Blast on March 09, 2014, 07:52:09 PM

Two complaints :

1. It takes a little while to become comfortable with the turn structure. Some parts of the rules are well written and clear, but others are over-written dreck that takes awhile to chew through and figure out.
2. There is a LOT of fiddly little stuff all over the place. Cubes as wound markers on the wound track for each player, the shelter/roof/palisades tracks, the weapons track, etc. Invention cards splattered on the right side of the board, with super-tiny cubes used to mark off pre-requisites for building them. A good bump on the table and you've pretty much wasted an hour.

This sounds like my evaluation of Bios - Megafauna.  Although the game board is relatively small, which saves the game 'sprawl'.  In the mall with a pall.  Motherfuckin' Suess, bitches!  :P

Despite all the pieces and cards lying out everywhere the different stuff in play all interconnected quite a bit and made for a lot of complex strategic thinking.  Had to d/l the "living rules" though since the vanilla ones in the box had been given needed updates.  It was one of the few solitaire games I've immediately played a second time, after finished my initial game, so that's always a good sign.  I suspect Robinson Crusoe would be the same.

Dammit, stop tempting me with Phil Eklund games!  :)

Yep, there is a lot to like with Crusoe. And even if you stay with one scenario (there are six) for multiple plays, the adventure decks, available tools and inventions and tile draws are random.

The Adventure card draws are one of the best parts of the game. They only occur if you roll for one during a Build, Explore or Gather Resources action. A lot of them have choices to make, where you can get something good now but with the penalty of the card being shuffled into the Event deck. And when it comes up, some sort of reckoning is about to come down. Or it's just bad, and your stupid Explorer eats fruit that turns out to be poisoned and suffers enough wounds to send group Morale into a death spiral that you never recover from... >:(

I was able to spend a little time with Darkest Night base game, expansions are setting to the side for now.... and I like it over all.  I need to play through some more, but the solitaire aspect of it is perfect and the footprint is relatively small.  I wish there were a little more places on the map, however I need a proper play through instead of a ..... err can I do that.  So far though so good.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on March 10, 2014, 12:54:59 PM
I was able to spend a little time with Darkest Night base game, expansions are setting to the side for now.... and I like it over all.  I need to play through some more, but the solitaire aspect of it is perfect and the footprint is relatively small.  I wish there were a little more places on the map, however I need a proper play through instead of a ..... err can I do that.  So far though so good.


PE

Yeah, the game board initially seems rather small and limited but after you've played it for awhile, you will see that there are still plenty of difficult decisions to be made (even regarding movement).  The extra 'guerrilla war' theme, most notably represented by each character's Secrecy value, makes such movement decisions difficult quite often.  While you're out and about, it inevitably drops and your risk goes up in all facets of the game as it does so.  But raising it back up can take valuable time moving back to the safe zone and hiding there for a bit - you aren't searching for goodies and keys.  Even just avoiding the Necromancer when you've been exposed, later in the game, will burn up valuable time while moving.  The Risk vs Reward of it is pervasive and challenging.

I don't think I've quite figured out a preferred strategy for winning and my second game was won only by a slim margin.  One of my characters had actually been killed and the soft cap on the end of the time limit was coming soon.  It came down to a desperate gamble at low odds, which ended up working.  Fun stuff.   ;D

Quote from: Nefaro on March 10, 2014, 03:49:11 PM

Quote from: PanzersEast on March 10, 2014, 12:54:59 PM
I was able to spend a little time with Darkest Night base game, expansions are setting to the side for now.... and I like it over all.  I need to play through some more, but the solitaire aspect of it is perfect and the footprint is relatively small.  I wish there were a little more places on the map, however I need a proper play through instead of a ..... err can I do that.  So far though so good.


PE

Yeah, the game board initially seems rather small and limited but after you've played it for awhile, you will see that there are still plenty of difficult decisions to be made (even regarding movement).  The extra 'guerrilla war' theme, most notably represented by each character's Secrecy value, makes such movement decisions difficult quite often.  While you're out and about, it inevitably drops and your risk goes up in all facets of the game as it does so.  But raising it back up can take valuable time moving back to the safe zone and hiding there for a bit - you aren't searching for goodies and keys.  Even just avoiding the Necromancer when you've been exposed, later in the game, will burn up valuable time while moving.  The Risk vs Reward of it is pervasive and challenging.

I don't think I've quite figured out a preferred strategy for winning and my second game was won only by a slim margin.  One of my characters had actually been killed and the soft cap on the end of the time limit was coming soon.  It came down to a desperate gamble at low odds, which ended up working.  Fun stuff.   ;D

I see they are testing another expansion.... man those things are rolling out.  Overall I really like the game, very thematic as I really love the artwork.

PE

After spending some more time with Darkest Night I do not have a issue with the game board.  The game is quit interesting and fun.  So far I really enjoy it.  I have the expansions, however will give it another play-through before diving into those.  Thumbs up to VPG for this one, maybe my favorite game from them replacing Cruel Necessity.


PE

Did a play-through lastnight of Darkest Night and won the game.  Either I was very luck, or the game is somewhat easy to beat.... but in the end I won fairly comfortably.  Will have to play through again and see if it was just a fluke.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on March 13, 2014, 08:30:22 AM
Did a play-through lastnight of Darkest Night and won the game.  Either I was very luck, or the game is somewhat easy to beat.... but in the end I won fairly comfortably.  Will have to play through again and see if it was just a fluke.


PE

My first game ended in defeat and my second was a win but it was pretty shaky and down to the wire.

Perhaps you just got a good combo of ability cards or something?  I find it challenging because you tend to steadily lose 'Secrecy' while out and about and the lower that is, the more damage you take.  The card draws often steadily wear me down once that gets started, too, and I have to risk getting characters killed or sending them back to the monastery to hide & heal a few turns.  While you get to replace a dead character with a new one, you end up losing a turn or two and the new character is gimped due to lowered maximum stats. 

Then it gets even nastier once the Darkness track has advanced so much that it's penalties are being factored in more & more.  Ultimately, it's the advancing Darkness track (or whatever it's called) that really puts the hurt on, later in the game.   Between that and my characters being exposed and clinging to life at that point, it gets dicey unless I have some killer ability combo on some of them.  That's what helped me win the last game. 

For these two games, I had just picked out some classes that sounded interesting without checking out their abilities.  I think the manual says to choose randomly (?) so I'll probably do it completely randomly now that I know how some of the classes work.  This should keep the challenge up.

I may have built up enough courage to start learning The Republic Of Rome.

I had picked up the Valley Games reprint awhile back.  The components look great.  However, learning the manual looks like a real bitch.  I'm a bit familiar with the basics of how the Roman Republican senate worked, so hopefully that will make it easier.  There are some basic summaries of how the game flows so I'm priming before doing the reading.

Well.. the basic rules for The Republic Of Rome weren't a bad read, it's mostly about getting the large turn sequence and phases down.  However the Solitaire/2-player rules are what will obviously take some learning-while-doing.  It has pretty much a programmed set of "neutral" players (4 of them in solitaire) and there are a lot of calculations and comparisons in each part of the game turn to determine what they will do in any situation.  Unfortunately it doesn't have any flow charts, just the reading in the manual.  Maybe someone at the 'Geek created one I can download.  ???

I may hit the local game store tomorrow and see what's about.  I'm tempted to pick up Robinson Crusoe, although I was hoping not to spend that much.  I think that thing is about $80 isn't it?

Quote from: Nefaro on March 16, 2014, 05:59:18 PM
I may hit the local game store tomorrow and see what's about.  I'm tempted to pick up Robinson Crusoe, although I was hoping not to spend that much.  I think that thing is about $80 isn't it?

Not really sure what the MSRP of that one is. I got it in a trade.  ;D

It is a very interesting solitaire game, though. Your first session will be something of a mess, with constant checking of rulebook/cheat sheets for reminders on how things work. The entire back cover of the rules is nothing but a symbols map explaining what they all mean, and we're talking small font to go with three columns of the damn things.

Once you get a game under your belt, though, it starts to make sense and 'work'.

Quote from: Arctic Blast on March 17, 2014, 01:52:27 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on March 16, 2014, 05:59:18 PM
I may hit the local game store tomorrow and see what's about.  I'm tempted to pick up Robinson Crusoe, although I was hoping not to spend that much.  I think that thing is about $80 isn't it?

Not really sure what the MSRP of that one is. I got it in a trade.  ;D

It is a very interesting solitaire game, though. Your first session will be something of a mess, with constant checking of rulebook/cheat sheets for reminders on how things work. The entire back cover of the rules is nothing but a symbols map explaining what they all mean, and we're talking small font to go with three columns of the damn things.

Once you get a game under your belt, though, it starts to make sense and 'work'.

I'm used to such a learning process anymore.  It will still probably be less rule referencing than Republic of Rome's solitaire system.

I did end up purchasing Robinson Crusoe today.  I was also eyeing a couple others - The Walking Dead game (the one based on the cartoon), a GMT game based on some battles of the Sengoku Jidai, and Race For The Galaxy with the Gathering Storm expansion (has an interesting programmed solitaire opponent). 

I've really been in the mood for some kind of medieval/samurai grand strategy type of solitaire-friendly game.  They had some grand strategy game for The War of the Roses there but I don't think it was very solo friendly.  The game with the sengoku battles was supposed to have high solitaire suitability but I think it was just a hex & counter battlefield game.

Anyone know of a good ancient/medieval/samurai grand strategy tabletop that has a lot of historical context?  It doesn't necessarily need to be solitaire but the closer the better.

Debating picking up the new version of Blackbeard.  It looks noticeably improved over the old 90s one.

I didn't realize it has solitaire rules, and it looks like the game isn't terribly expensive in comparison to many others. 

Has one of you played the newer one?

No?

Oh well.. I managed to buy the latest version of an unpunched Blackbeard on Ebay for ten bucks.  Cost less than the shipping.  ;)

Quote from: Nefaro on March 23, 2014, 05:31:42 PM
No?

Oh well.. I managed to buy the latest version of an unpunched Blackbeard on Ebay for ten bucks.  Cost less than the shipping.  ;)

Will be interested to hear how it goes, I've been thinking about picking it up. I have the old Avalon Hill version, but I just can't face that rulebook, it's pretty mindbending compared to the GMT one.

General feeling from other sources is the older version is better for solitaire play, but it's not exactly clear why. It certainly looks like it will be easier to learn.

I don't even recall how the old game played, as I've not owned it since the 90s.  I seem to remember the original being a bit of a letdown because I had expected it to be something a bit different at the time. 

I'm sure the situation is still the same, despite the new rules, but now I know what it is so I won't go in with much in the way of predetermined expectations.  Actually, I won't even have expectations based on the original game because it's been so long since I've had it, and I never really played it much at the time anyway.

So a friend has a copy he doesn't want, so I'll have a copy soon. That was easy.

Last week I was mostly soloing:

Silent War - Trying a few patrols before starting a campaign in VASSAL I think. Rules are really quite good for this one, didn't have too much problem getting back into it since leaving it alone a few years ago.

Globul Mogul - Thinky, puzzly worker placement type game which I'm really enjoying.

Charioteer - from Two Hour Wargames. With all the Qvadriga talk, I thought I'd try some tabletop chariot racing. Going to start a campaign of this too I think.

Quote from: Nefaro on March 23, 2014, 05:31:42 PM
No?

Oh well.. I managed to buy the latest version of an unpunched Blackbeard on Ebay for ten bucks.  Cost less than the shipping.  ;)

Let us know how it is, I have seen mixed feedback on it.

Just traded  Dawn of the Zeds for Pathfinder....

PE

I believe GMT games The Hunter is getting some good reviews, it also has a new game coming out covering the Pacific as a USA submariner..

https://www.gmtgames.com/p-471-the-hunters-2nd-printing.aspx (https://www.gmtgames.com/p-471-the-hunters-2nd-printing.aspx)

https://www.gmtgames.com/p-474-silent-victory.aspx (https://www.gmtgames.com/p-474-silent-victory.aspx)

Not only is it getting good reviews, it won several of our categories in the annual Readers Choice Awards for 2013

http://grogheads.com/?p=3878

Well deserved.

Quote from: TacticalWargames on March 26, 2014, 09:02:51 PM
I believe GMT games The Hunter is getting some good reviews, it also has a new game coming out covering the Pacific as a USA submariner..

https://www.gmtgames.com/p-471-the-hunters-2nd-printing.aspx (https://www.gmtgames.com/p-471-the-hunters-2nd-printing.aspx)

https://www.gmtgames.com/p-474-silent-victory.aspx (https://www.gmtgames.com/p-474-silent-victory.aspx)

Have and recommend it.  Waiting to see what they do with the Pacific.

PE

I'm not quite as enamored of The Hunters as everyone else. 

It's fun for a short stretch but not as detailed as I had hoped, in a couple areas.  That tends to make it feel rather repetitive for me.  As a result, I can only play in short spurts before packing it back up.  Luckily it is fairly easy to resume where you left off when you break it back out.  It's not a bad game but I wanted more detail in the convoy attack part. 

After seeing the way convoys are set up in Silent War (much of which is initially hidden from view), I had hoped for something similarly detailed in this one.  Instead, you just end up deciding how many torpedoes to shoot at each of a handful and the option of a few DRMs.  Most notably missing is the unpredictability of the Escorts in your attack decisions.

I'm surprised to see this thread has gone 10 pages and so little has been said about Solitaire ASL. In addition to being a clever solitaire system, it also addresses the lack of command/control restrictions in the ASLRB. In other words, it actually makes ASL a little more realistic in addition to providing a fun solitaire experience.

Quote from: Michael Dorosh on March 27, 2014, 09:58:06 PM
I'm surprised to see this thread has gone 10 pages and so little has been said about Solitaire ASL. In addition to being a clever solitaire system, it also addresses the lack of command/control restrictions in the ASLRB. In other words, it actually makes ASL a little more realistic in addition to providing a fun solitaire experience.

I can't afford to be an ASL junky.  That's a whole new level of expenditure.  :o

Also.. got sick of gaming the WW2 setting awhile back.  Overload.

Quote from: Nefaro on March 22, 2014, 12:52:19 PM
Debating picking up the new version of Blackbeard.  It looks noticeably improved over the old 90s one.

I didn't realize it has solitaire rules, and it looks like the game isn't terribly expensive in comparison to many others. 

Has one of you played the newer one?

How did Blackbeard play out?


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on March 30, 2014, 10:08:02 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on March 22, 2014, 12:52:19 PM
Debating picking up the new version of Blackbeard.  It looks noticeably improved over the old 90s one.

I didn't realize it has solitaire rules, and it looks like the game isn't terribly expensive in comparison to many others. 

Has one of you played the newer one?

How did Blackbeard play out?


PE

Dunno.

I got The Sword of Rome at the same time.  Been figuring that one out.  I haven't been spending as much time on tabletops lately since I've got back into some of the classical wargames on the computer (Great Battles and HPS Ancient Warfare).  But having a grand strategy game out on the table at the same time compliments my current flavor.  It is very much a multiplayer game, however, since it uses similar card mechanics as Labyrinth and the others, except this one is best for 3-5 players so the dealing & backstabbery is encouraged.  I can still come up with some card draw modifications to make it somewhat soloable, but wanna learn in case I can sucker a group into it sometime or maybe for Vassal.

I also plan to finally pick up C&C Ancients sometime soon, too.  The improvised solo rules that some people use sound like they could be fun & very easy to implement for when the mood strikes and no opponent at hand.

Anyway.. I'm not sure when I'll be in Pirate Mode.  I like the general look of the Blackbeard components.  From the little I browsed on the new solitaire rules, you just play as Blackbeard.  I think that may be the prime reason the solo game is kinda "meh" since there are so many other historical pirates available to play in the game, but you are stuck with the one for the official solo game.  I'm sure there are user-created solo variants that are closer to the full the game out there, so I'll probably dig them up eventually.

And what's this that Ricky just started playing?

I've been considering buying that as well. Looks like the D&D Adventure games with more enhanced AI options and a sci-fi setting. Definitely something I'm interested in...but I just bought Level 7 : Omega Protocol. It can't be soloed, but goddamn is it good and in a very similar vein.

Decisions, decisions...

Quote from: Arctic Blast on April 02, 2014, 02:01:49 PM
I've been considering buying that as well. Looks like the D&D Adventure games with more enhanced AI options and a sci-fi setting. Definitely something I'm interested in...but I just bought Level 7 : Omega Protocol. It can't be soloed, but goddamn is it good and in a very similar vein.

Decisions, decisions...

Isn't the first Level 7 game solo-able?   (Level 7: Escape IIRC)

Then again, I've only read that the Omega Protocol version is the better system.

Quote from: Nefaro on April 02, 2014, 07:22:54 PM

Quote from: Arctic Blast on April 02, 2014, 02:01:49 PM
I've been considering buying that as well. Looks like the D&D Adventure games with more enhanced AI options and a sci-fi setting. Definitely something I'm interested in...but I just bought Level 7 : Omega Protocol. It can't be soloed, but goddamn is it good and in a very similar vein.

Decisions, decisions...

Isn't the first Level 7 game solo-able?   (Level 7: Escape IIRC)

Then again, I've only read that the Omega Protocol version is the better system.

Not too sure about the first Level 7. I picked up OP because the reviews were calling it a real Space Hulk style game. And it is. In fact, it's probably better. Lots of need tactics going on for the Marine and Overlord players.

Of course, I likely will be grabbing Galaxy Defenders when I next put in a game order...which might be tomorrow.  ;D

And Galaxy Defenders has, in fact, been ordered. Thoughts to follow once it shows up.  ::) ;D

Quote from: Arctic Blast on April 04, 2014, 10:28:56 PM
And Galaxy Defenders has, in fact, been ordered. Thoughts to follow once it shows up.  ::) ;D

How much did that beast cost?

I was drooling over pics of that new age of sail minis game from Ares , but doesn't that thing cost about $140?  :o

Quote from: Nefaro on April 04, 2014, 11:50:08 PM

Quote from: Arctic Blast on April 04, 2014, 10:28:56 PM
And Galaxy Defenders has, in fact, been ordered. Thoughts to follow once it shows up.  ::) ;D

How much did that beast cost?

I was drooling over pics of that new age of sail minis game from Ares , but doesn't that thing cost about $140?  :o

Was part of a bigger order, but it and the Elite Alien Army expansion ended up costing about $95.

Sails of Glory looks neat, but it's also going to prohibitively expensive to get into. Probably way beyond what I'm willing to pay for it.

Quote from: Michael Dorosh on March 27, 2014, 09:58:06 PM
I'm surprised to see this thread has gone 10 pages and so little has been said about Solitaire ASL. In addition to being a clever solitaire system, it also addresses the lack of command/control restrictions in the ASLRB. In other words, it actually makes ASL a little more realistic in addition to providing a fun solitaire experience.

Mike, did you use a resource to grok the rules for SASL?  I've tried a few times to get through those rules and I just can't wrap my brain around it for some reason.  Maybe there's some detailed VASL logs for SASL that goes through and explains what, how and why things are happening?  Any other suggestions?

holy cow!  A Gary sighting!  :)

Quote from: bayonetbrant on April 08, 2014, 10:45:41 AM
holy cow!  A Gary sighting!  :)

Well... he does have -4234 posts.   

Takes a lot of disappearing work to get that far into the red.

After the math, it still comes out negative.  :P

Gary! Good to see you back on the Grid!

Gary - it's too bad Jay Richardson hasn't sunk his teeth into SASL. A primer on SASL similar to the treatment that he gave to various ASLSK topics is exactly what we need.

Volume 31 Issue 3 of The General has a good ~20 page article introducing SASL, including a detailed AAR. Can lend you a copy if you like.

Thanks guys...I'm working myself back in to the fold.  I actually set up an ASL game and have been playing with my son as the wargaming bug his bit once again.  I don't have tons of free time but I'd love to continue with our TS game if everybody is still interested in doing so.
As for SASL - a Jay Richardson "primer" would be ideal.  I'll look for that issue of the General (I have the online resources to download it).  I even asked Charlie Kibler once to help me with it and he said "hell if I remember".  lol

Quote from: GJK on April 09, 2014, 08:24:15 AM
Thanks guys...I'm working myself back in to the fold.  I actually set up an ASL game and have been playing with my son as the wargaming bug his bit once again.  I don't have tons of free time but I'd love to continue with our TS game if everybody is still interested in doing so.
As for SASL - a Jay Richardson "primer" would be ideal.  I'll look for that issue of the General (I have the online resources to download it).  I even asked Charlie Kibler once to help me with it and he said "hell if I remember".  lol

Gary, I'm sure all would love to continue out TS game... if you have the time. Whenever you can is fine by us. Welcome back.  :)

Probably do some C&C: Ancients solo this weekend, now that I've finished the long task of affixing stickers.

Will try the "Draw 2 cards and play best activation for the opponent every turn" suggestion since that should give the other side twice as many draws in the long run. 



Been kinda yearning to pull out Sentinels of the Multiverse again.   Fun card game.

Didn't a big new expansion just come out too?  Ahh.. I think this is it: 
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/134398/sentinels-of-the-multiverse-vengeance

May have to get that one sometime too.

Quote from: Barthheart on April 09, 2014, 09:52:45 AM

Quote from: GJK on April 09, 2014, 08:24:15 AM
Thanks guys...I'm working myself back in to the fold.  I actually set up an ASL game and have been playing with my son as the wargaming bug his bit once again.  I don't have tons of free time but I'd love to continue with our TS game if everybody is still interested in doing so.
As for SASL - a Jay Richardson "primer" would be ideal.  I'll look for that issue of the General (I have the online resources to download it).  I even asked Charlie Kibler once to help me with it and he said "hell if I remember".  lol

Gary, I'm sure all would love to continue out TS game... if you have the time. Whenever you can is fine by us. Welcome back.  :)

I say what he said. He just said it first.  :D

Quote from: weateallthepies on March 23, 2014, 06:16:41 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on March 23, 2014, 05:31:42 PM
No?

Oh well.. I managed to buy the latest version of an unpunched Blackbeard on Ebay for ten bucks.  Cost less than the shipping.  ;)

Will be interested to hear how it goes, I've been thinking about picking it up. I have the old Avalon Hill version, but I just can't face that rulebook, it's pretty mindbending compared to the GMT one.

General feeling from other sources is the older version is better for solitaire play, but it's not exactly clear why. It certainly looks like it will be easier to learn.

I played the old version a LOT, back in the early 90's. It was hard as hell to win, once the military ships got on your tail.

Here's an old solitaire game that I haven't seen mentioned. It's an old Avalon Hill title, Source of the Nile.

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1577/source-of-the-nile

I would love to get a copy of this..I lost mine, God knows where, probably 30 years ago.

Invariably, your explorer would lose a battle with the natives, his askari's would desert him, and he would be left, wandering alone in the jungle. Not usually a good outcome!!

Quote from: DennisS on April 12, 2014, 09:05:06 PM
Here's an old solitaire game that I haven't seen mentioned. It's an old Avalon Hill title, Source of the Nile.

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1577/source-of-the-nile

I would love to get a copy of this..I lost mine, God knows where, probably 30 years ago.

Invariably, your explorer would lose a battle with the natives, his askari's would desert him, and he would be left, wandering alone in the jungle. Not usually a good outcome!!

Maybe someone will create or reproduce a similar exploration game sometime soon.   That looks like one I'd enjoy. 

Picked up Robinson Crusoe last month, but I dunno if it's my thing.  It's a quality game but I would really like to find something more oriented toward exploration, such as this.

Quote from: Nefaro on April 13, 2014, 06:00:46 AM

Quote from: DennisS on April 12, 2014, 09:05:06 PM
Here's an old solitaire game that I haven't seen mentioned. It's an old Avalon Hill title, Source of the Nile.

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1577/source-of-the-nile

I would love to get a copy of this..I lost mine, God knows where, probably 30 years ago.

Invariably, your explorer would lose a battle with the natives, his askari's would desert him, and he would be left, wandering alone in the jungle. Not usually a good outcome!!

Maybe someone will create or reproduce a similar exploration game sometime soon.   That looks like one I'd enjoy. 

Picked up Robinson Crusoe last month, but I dunno if it's my thing.  It's a quality game but I would really like to find something more oriented toward exploration, such as this.

You absolutely get the feel of being there, when you are traveling up a river, and move into a blank (unexplored) hex and get ... "river continues." You are still in veldt, or mountain, and you grab your crayons and mark in the terrain, and then roll for encounters. It can be very intense, and a fully explored map is a think of beauty, an alternate Africa.

I would imagine there has to be something newer with somewhat similar exploration-focused gameplay.  I just haven't seen any myself, although I seem to recall seeing a vid review shortcut to some exploration game that used a bunch of hex tiles or something.

I cannot believe I just purchased ANOTHER game today.

This one is Firefly, by Joss Wheedon. I just got done watching the boardgame geek videos, and it looks pretty darned excellent.

About ready to do the unboxing on this puppy...cover me, I'm going in!

Quote from: DennisS on April 13, 2014, 05:30:07 PM
I cannot believe I just purchased ANOTHER game today.

This one is Firefly, by Joss Wheedon. I just got done watching the boardgame geek videos, and it looks pretty darned excellent.

About ready to do the unboxing on this puppy...cover me, I'm going in!

It's a pretty good game, but man does it devour table space. The small box masks just how much room that monster needs once everything is set up.

I agree on the space needed. I have a card table set up, permanently, in my office for my latest board game. This thing is chock a block full, and I am using a window ledge for five more decks of cards!!

First game in my memory that doesn't fit on a ten square foot table.

OK...I have to ask...how is Pandemic, as far as solitaire play?

I'm debating whether to pre order Fields of Fire 2nd edition or the new FoF due out covering the Marines. I like the sound of the new urban combat..but no fighting Germans (would love to haver seen a German side game covering the Russian front).

I'll prob go for the newer game involving Marines.

I finally had the chance to try Galaxy Defenders this weekend. I may do a more detailed post later, but it seems quite good.

It's also bloody hard. Trust me, you don't need to buy the Elite Alien Army pack. Just get the game.

The rule book rambles on and on, but the gameplay is going to be familiar if you've played any of the D&D Adventure games. After each player goes, you draw a card to run the alien AI. The aliens have similar commands to the monsters in the D&D games, but more detailed and with more options. Also, assigning aliens to players seems somewhat pointless, since each player's aliens don't trigger once that player goes. It's a general 'draw behavior card that determines which aliens activate' system. Because of this, the pre-game setup is a bit more involved. You'll custom build decks of Event cards, Alien cards and Behavior cards prior to playing the game.

After every player has taken their turn in a round, the first player draws an Event card. This can change the weather (affecting piece movement or interactions similar to weather changes in Arkham Horror), spawn aliens, help the players, or trigger scenario events. When aliens spawn, they appear at different teleport points which are rolled for, so you don't know where they're going to appear ahead of time.

Attacks consist of rolling a number of dice which differs depending on the weapon. Results can trigger Hits, Jams, Ammo loss and Lightning Bolts (which cause different effects depending on the weapon). Then the defender rolls one blue die for each hit against them, with energy shields coming off first. Other actions consist of tactical shifts (sort of a move and a half), disengaging from melee opponents, setting mines (if you have them), un-jamming weapons, bashing down locked doors, activating drone turrets, and so on.

As well, players can roll for GD Wings during campaigns, which is a fancy way of saying 'promotions'. Get one (you roll dice) and you add abilities to your player board. Instead of managing a pile of cards and tokens on a player board, the board itself grows out by adding new hexes to it. You can also obtain upgraded weapons and alien weapons during the game by snagging artifacts and calling for reinforcement (it's actually resupply. Why they called it reinforcement is a mystery), but if you don't have alien knowledge, your lack of familiarity will affect your ability to handle alien weapons.

The rules are a bit over-written and annoying, and some of the game terms are needlessly confusing (such as reinforcement), but the game seems pretty good. It's also maliciously difficult at times.

But can you play it solitaire?

Quote from: Staggerwing on April 21, 2014, 07:38:59 PM
But can you play it solitaire?

I'm pretty sure it's a Co-Op game, which means absolutely YES.  ;)

My only hesitation would be the price point.  I think Stagger mentioned it earlier but it's something close to $100 IIRC.

Quote from: Staggerwing on April 21, 2014, 07:38:59 PM
But can you play it solitaire?

Absolutely.

It is pricey, but you can likely find it for something similar to $65 or so online.

Maybe I will find time to finally learn to play Pathfinder and play the expansions to Darkest Night.   ::) 


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on May 09, 2014, 10:37:41 AM
Maybe I will find time to finally learn to play Pathfinder and play the expansions to Darkest Night.   ::) 


PE

I still have a number of different classes to try out in Darkest Night, too.  The priority may be more on Sentinels of the Multiverse, however, because I have yet to check out numerous heroes, locations, etc and they're still releasing expansions (which I will probably want)!

I finally got around to playing RAF this weekend.  Started the Lion full Battle Of Britain campaign.

While I had previously read the rules for Lion, I had only set the game up but cleared it off the table before beginning.  However, I recently started watching a couple RAF "LPs" on the 'Tube and it really solidified the game flow after seeing someone else doing it.  After watching only a couple raid days worth of vids, I set it up and started playing quite easily. 

Been enjoying it quite a bit despite a brutal first day of bombing and aircraft/pilot losses I'm still trying to recover from.  At least it won't be a pushover.  :)


After I finish this one, I may start up a Silent War campaign, or maybe Patton's Best.  Although one reason I'm enjoying RAF is the card-driven unpredictability which still allows for some believable situations being thrown at you.  I don't quite get the same feeling by just rolling random stuff on tables, like many other solitaire strategy games.  Pretty sure I have more of these card-driven ones yet to play, too, so they may win out.

I've been playing B-29 Superfortress which is much the same as B-17 though there is more focus on just keeping the thing flying and with enough fuel to complete the mission, and less on the combat. A fun game, but still more a narrative creation tool like B-17 than a game.

Besides that I've really been enjoying my first foray into the COIN system with Cuba Libre. This is completely the other end of the spectrum, lots of choices, assymentrical sides, multiple use cards that drive the play forward. So far I've just been playing all sides but I might try out the AI flowcharts soon. Really like the system though, and I'll definitely be picking up the Vietnam game when it comes out.

Got around to playing a game of Darkest Night with the 1st expansion.  So far either I got off to a bad start, or just unlucky as this round feel like a difficult start.  I start with The Prince, The Wizard, The Rogue, and The Acolyte..... The Prince is Necromancer bait for sure.... The Prince can be used to move the N around the board away from the others.... but corned he won't last long.


I have spent a brief time with B-29, but have yet to run a full campaign.  I also setup to start a run though of Pathfinder with 3 adventures for a full campaign run though after I just play tested a couple of scenarios.



PE

I bought the Korea expansion for B-29, as that looks to address the navigation & combat imbalance.  Likely deadlier too.  One thing I didn't like about the original B-29 was the multiple rolls & tables that are further combined into the navigation roll(s).  That should've been much more streamlined, so I started using a much simplified homebrew to cut down on that mess.  Still haven't played the Korea expansion, though.

I'll probably end up revisiting Picket Duty before B-29 Korea.  Despite a couple hazy rules questions it seemed to flow more fluidly, with a steady stream of action.


Also have yet to play these other awaiting solitaire games (in no particular order):

Field Commander: Alexander
Cruel Necessity
Labyrinth
Blackbeard
Space Empires
Boots on the Ground
Patton's Best
Republic Of Rome

Silent War (campaign.. only played patrols thus far)
B-29: Hell Over Korea

*There are probably more I forgot to list.

At times I find myself doing the same indecisive dance that I do with PC games.  Worrying about which I want to play next so much that I can't make up my mind.

Quote from: Arctic Blast on April 23, 2014, 11:38:13 AM

Quote from: Staggerwing on April 21, 2014, 07:38:59 PM
But can you play it solitaire?

Absolutely.

It is pricey, but you can likely find it for something similar to $65 or so online.

If you have an iPad, you can buy it as an app. I've got it but haven't played it much - but it does have you vs. computer opponents, and I think there's an online component as well.

Quote from: Nefaro on May 19, 2014, 06:49:32 PM
I bought the Korea expansion for B-29, as that looks to address the navigation & combat imbalance.  Likely deadlier too.  One thing I didn't like about the original B-29 was the multiple rolls & tables that are further combined into the navigation roll(s).  That should've been much more streamlined, so I started using a much simplified homebrew to cut down on that mess.  Still haven't played the Korea expansion, though.

I'll probably end up revisiting Picket Duty before B-29 Korea.  Despite a couple hazy rules questions it seemed to flow more fluidly, with a steady stream of action.


Also have yet to play these other awaiting solitaire games (in no particular order):

Field Commander: Alexander
Cruel Necessity
Labyrinth
Blackbeard
Space Empires
Boots on the Ground
Patton's Best
Republic Of Rome

Silent War (campaign.. only played patrols thus far)
B-29: Hell Over Korea

*There are probably more I forgot to list.

At times I find myself doing the same indecisive dance that I do with PC games.  Worrying about which I want to play next so much that I can't make up my mind.

I have version 2 of Picket Duty rules... don't know if these are final version or not.  I also had a hard time with the multiple tables with B-29..... I will revisit and have Hell over Korea but have not delved in.

Cruel Necessity I have played several times and it is a great solitaire game, really have enjoyed it.

Blackbeard I have read the rules, have yet to play one turn.



PE

PE - where did you get the V2.0 rules of Picket Duty? BGG?

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on May 20, 2014, 08:04:22 AM
PE - where did you get the V2.0 rules of Picket Duty? BGG?

A BGG forum link:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/1172568/rules-2-0-finalized-version

I played enough with the original rules to enjoy it, although it was a bit too easy.  Not really looking forward to printing out all the revised stuff so hopefully the changes aren't extensive.  All it needed was a few clarifications and some extra damage threats.

Thanks. I figured it was on BGG but don't want to push my luck accessing it from work today.

Quote from: Nefaro on May 19, 2014, 06:49:32 PM
I bought the Korea expansion for B-29, as that looks to address the navigation & combat imbalance.  Likely deadlier too.  One thing I didn't like about the original B-29 was the multiple rolls & tables that are further combined into the navigation roll(s).  That should've been much more streamlined, so I started using a much simplified homebrew to cut down on that mess.  Still haven't played the Korea expansion, though.

I'll probably end up revisiting Picket Duty before B-29 Korea.  Despite a couple hazy rules questions it seemed to flow more fluidly, with a steady stream of action.


Also have yet to play these other awaiting solitaire games (in no particular order):

Field Commander: Alexander
Cruel Necessity
Labyrinth
Blackbeard
Space Empires
Boots on the Ground
Patton's Best
Republic Of Rome

Silent War (campaign.. only played patrols thus far)
B-29: Hell Over Korea

*There are probably more I forgot to list.

At times I find myself doing the same indecisive dance that I do with PC games.  Worrying about which I want to play next so much that I can't make up my mind.

Yeah I picked up a copy of Hell over Korea recently, so was just trying to get used to the rules again. The chart book is definitely a bit of a pain though.

Ha, I definitely do the procrastinating thing, I am determined to start playing more and worrying about what to play less. Have a few hours tonight though and I can't decide.  :)

Good list to choose from, there are a few there I might get and a few I have.

Played through another Darkest Night.... having to switch to the adjusted play as the game it too easy for me.  I also have Picket Duty setup and ready for v2 play though so I will see how it goes.  I have just glanced through most of the rules, but will just learn as I go.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on May 22, 2014, 01:45:58 PM
Played through another Darkest Night.... having to switch to the adjusted play as the game it too easy for me. 

Really? 

I'm beginning to think the difficulty is directly related to which combination of characters you take.  The two games I had played (with the expansions mixed in) both came down to the wire.  The last even came down to a single very desperate die roll attempt at a 5 or 6 which succeeded.  And that only due to a synergistic ability combo between two specific characters I was using that game.  Otherwise the already high Darkness value would've advanced to a practically unwinnable end game defeat.  IIRC, my first game was a loss, again due to the Darkness track advances. 

The main difficulty comes from my Secrecy values being steadily drained so that my characters are regularly exposed to increasingly difficult fights and the Darkness track steadily going upward to my increased DRM penalty and doom.  When I send characters back to the monastery to regain Secrecy and Life, I feel like I can't leave them there for long or the limited time afforded from the advancing darkness/doom track will crush my hopes for victory. 

Secrecy value just bleeds off so quickly.  Then the event card draws get much deadlier and combined with the increasing amount of monsters on the board becoming more difficult to deal with (along with pushing up the darkness/doom thing faster) it can start snowballing from bad to worse if you get behind.   So it's a big balancing act.. one that has provided me with a good struggle thus far.  Perhaps my random character picks weren't providing synergy as well as others, giving my first two games the extra difficulty?

Quote from: Nefaro on May 24, 2014, 08:48:07 PM

Quote from: PanzersEast on May 22, 2014, 01:45:58 PM
Played through another Darkest Night.... having to switch to the adjusted play as the game it too easy for me. 

Really? 

I'm beginning to think the difficulty is directly related to which combination of characters you take.  The two games I had played (with the expansions mixed in) both came down to the wire.  The last even came down to a single very desperate die roll attempt at a 5 or 6 which succeeded.  And that only due to a synergistic ability combo between two specific characters I was using that game.  Otherwise the already high Darkness value would've advanced to a practically unwinnable end game defeat.  IIRC, my first game was a loss, again due to the Darkness track advances. 

The main difficulty comes from my Secrecy values being steadily drained so that my characters are regularly exposed to increasingly difficult fights and the Darkness track steadily going upward to my increased DRM penalty and doom.  When I send characters back to the monastery to regain Secrecy and Life, I feel like I can't leave them there for long or the limited time afforded from the advancing darkness/doom track will crush my hopes for victory. 

Secrecy value just bleeds off so quickly.  Then the event card draws get much deadlier and combined with the increasing amount of monsters on the board becoming more difficult to deal with (along with pushing up the darkness/doom thing faster) it can start snowballing from bad to worse if you get behind.   So it's a big balancing act.. one that has provided me with a good struggle thus far.  Perhaps my random character picks weren't providing synergy as well as others, giving my first two games the extra difficulty?

This could be the case, I will mix more. It appears some compliment more than others.......... for example the Rogue and Wizard together feel overpowered. I am starting a new play through with the 2nd expansion and the characters only so we will see were it leads and post back.

PE

Lost my first game last night playing the 2nd expansion characters.  Near the end the Ranger was the only one left and I could have retreated to the monastery, however I pressed my luck on a die roll and lost.   I had some roles that did not help as the Necromancer had some rolls where he did not move early on so the blights begin to pile on.  I had 2 in the monastery at the end of the game.... So I was scrambling around the board at that point, plus with the Wayfarer, Ranger, Scout, and WindDancer aren't offensive juggernauts .

I also thought the decay blight was pretty interesting, I pulled it near the end and nullified my relic, so a twist....


PE

Maybe some of the expansion characters aren't as able as the originals?  I got that impression from a couple of them, but not all. 

@Nefaro
It appears that could be the case with the characters..... from now on I will choose 1 and then randomize the rest when playing. 

Next up for me is Mage Knight, time to dig down in the game because I have not given it a very proper play though. 

I am also finishing up my Napoleon 1796 Italian Campaign which is coming together nicely.

I have just struck a Nuclear factory in my Hornet Leader 2014 campaign and while doing so drew a Political card where I could not fire on site in the approach regions... I had a Hawkeye, however I do not discard events that are not tied to actual events on the battlefield so I took some pretty bad stress as the attack cost +2 stress and the site itself cost an additional +3 stress...... ECM pod saved my butt on several rolls.... but, I destroyed the target for 5 VP.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on May 28, 2014, 12:19:03 PM
@Nefaro
It appears that could be the case with the characters..... from now on I will choose 1 and then randomize the rest when playing. 

Next up for me is Mage Knight, time to dig down in the game because I have not given it a very proper play though. 

I am also finishing up my Napoleon 1796 Italian Campaign which is coming together nicely.

I have just struck a Nuclear factory in my Hornet Leader 2014 campaign and while doing so drew a Political card where I could not fire on site in the approach regions... I had a Hawkeye, however I do not discard events that are not tied to actual events on the battlefield so I took some pretty bad stress as the attack cost +2 stress and the site itself cost an additional +3 stress...... ECM pod saved my butt on several rolls.... but, I destroyed the target for 5 VP.


PE

I just brought back out Mage Knight, and am in the process of watching Ricky Royal's youtube videos. Terrific stuff!

Quote from: DennisS on May 28, 2014, 08:22:51 PM
I just brought back out Mage Knight, and am in the process of watching Ricky Royal's youtube videos. Terrific stuff!

He does a great job on his LPs in explaining the mechanics and his actions.... I watched his LP for the expansion to Mage Knight to see if I wanted to purchase.


PE

So...Ottoman Sunset or In Magnificent Style? Anyone have either/both?

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on May 29, 2014, 01:46:31 PM
So...Ottoman Sunset or In Magnificent Style? Anyone have either/both?

I have Ottoman Sunset and is a game I enjoy.... I initially was unsure of the States of Siege engine, but I really liked Ottoman Sunset and the decisions you are pressed with... you feel the strain to keep the old Ottoman Empire glued together.... however Cruel Necessity is my favorite.

I have not played Magnificent Style.

PE

Interesting. I looked at Cruel Necessity too, having followed some of the discussion here, but it looks like Ottoman Sunset might be more appealing...although CN looks bloody tougher, which is appealing in and of itself too.

Magnificent Style is pretty focused and not nearly as strategic as either of those, but it's yet another Victory Points game release, so it's bound to be decent (it has two 4-star reviews on Amazon's US site now). It is a game that simulates Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. VP has too many cool products.

I have a $50 Amazon card burnin' a hole in my pocket, but i should probably be responsible and adult-ish and apply it to the prescription mask and fins i need for vacation instead.

I have a couple on my to-buy list:

• Victoria Cross II
• Operation Barbarossa (2nd Edition)
• Infection: Humanity's Last Gasp
• Field Commander Nimitz
• Level 7 [Omega Protocol]


• Labyrinth: The War on Terror (still not sure about solo-play)

PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on May 29, 2014, 03:44:43 PM

• Labyrinth: The War on Terror (still not sure about solo-play)

At some point, I'll get around to playing this solitaire.  For some reason I've been avoiding learning the thing.  May just need to be in the mood for the theme, which hasn't been the case. 

The programmed 'AI' flowchart looks like a mess at first glance but I'm sure it will feel intuitive once it's familiar and may even provide an interesting style of solitaire play if it's decent.  The main learning curve for the game is probably memorizing all the rules terminology.

I looked at Hapsburg Eclipse also, and noted that BGG says it is a sister game to Ottoman Sunset, and that they can both be combined together into one "Combined Game."

I dunno. The more I look at Cruel Necessity the more I like it, but I can either get that one game or I can get two others...the pull of more is always stronger.

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on May 30, 2014, 06:42:10 AM
I looked at Hapsburg Eclipse also, and noted that BGG says it is a sister game to Ottoman Sunset, and that they can both be combined together into one "Combined Game."

I dunno. The more I look at Cruel Necessity the more I like it, but I can either get that one game or I can get two others...the pull of more is always stronger.

I think either way you cannot go wrong.... Those are the only 2 States of Siege games I own, but enjoy both and for right now those two satisfy me for the engine style of play.


PE

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on May 30, 2014, 06:42:10 AM
I looked at Hapsburg Eclipse also, and noted that BGG says it is a sister game to Ottoman Sunset, and that they can both be combined together into one "Combined Game."

I dunno. The more I look at Cruel Necessity the more I like it, but I can either get that one game or I can get two others...the pull of more is always stronger.

I chose Cruel Necessity over the others simply because it had some kind of battle resolution gameplay.  Frankly, the rest of the system (other than the card driven events) is just a matter of spending actions to move a few counters up and down tracks.  Which isn't all that interesting when you stop to think about it.  The card-driven stuff is what keeps it interesting, of course, but the battles were what pushed me out of the fence-sitting on the series.

The side battles are what's interesting to me for this particular game. Every other State of Siege game is pretty much the same thing, in different wrappers, but adding this element (and reading some of the session reports on BGG) helps add color to the game. I will probably go with Cruel Necessity...

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on May 30, 2014, 12:25:54 PM
The side battles are what's interesting to me for this particular game. Every other State of Siege game is pretty much the same thing, in different wrappers, but adding this element (and reading some of the session reports on BGG) helps add color to the game. I will probably go with Cruel Necessity...

I think you are making the best choice.... Ottoman Sunset is the only other SoS game I own, but I feel like the engine has evolved  with Cruel Necessity.....  After watching LPs on the other SoS games I decided against picking any of them up... and Ottoman Sunset was the best in the series until Cruel Necessity was released.  I think you will be very happy with your purchase and was in Ricky's Top 10 solo games at 6 and plays it below.

Thanks, PE. I'll check that vid out now.

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on May 30, 2014, 12:47:21 PM
Thanks, PE. I'll check that vid out now.

Ricky has a lot of great LPs. 

I practically learned how to play the Mage Knight Boardgame from his YouTube series, and got some great primers on other titles too.  O0

If publishers were smart, they'd offer him a free copy of their games in the hopes that he'd do a YouTube series on them.  Not only interesting to see how they play out, but he does a good job of quickly explaining the rules as he goes.  Makes starting your own first game far easier after watching.

That's definitely passion with that guy. The whole time I'm watching, I'm thinking how long it takes to do those cut shots, the different angles, how many times he had to change the camera's position and zoom, and ultimately, how smooth his transitions were between shots and the sound. I would love to do something like that if I had time.

Anyway, I just ordered Cruel Necessity and In Magnificent Style through Amazon and the healthy goals gift cards I got. I got the last copy of Cruel Necessity, I think...it was funny, I've been looking at it all week in anticipation of ordering and slowly but surely the number of copies left kept dwindling...lol. It still says "1 left in stock" so hopefully it wasn't lying to me. I might get a game in before we go on vacation...that's IF I finish my other reviews first...ahem.

Well I forgot I had left over giftcard funds from the holiday's as well.... so here are the list of potential purchases and feedback would for sure help.  Well to be honest.... it would pay for 3/4 anyway.  The game I had really been looking at for solo play was Asgard's Chosen, however I have heard mixed things about the solo play.  Infection: Humanity's Last Gasp was another one near the top of my list for something different and a fast play and another VPG game.

• Asgard's Chosen
• Infection: Humanity's Last Gasp
• Level 7 [Omega Protocol]
• Mage Knight Lost Legion Expansion

PE

I showed my son-in-law Mage Knight, and he didn't seem real interested. Surprisingly, as he has been a D&D GM for about 15 years, and knows more about fantasy gaming than anyone I know.

My daughter told me this last Saturday that she caught him watching Ricky Royal's videos on Mage Knight...and all of a sudden, he quietly asked if this was possible for Father's Day! Sure enough, they came over Sunday, and he and I played a solid four hours in a co-op game. GREAT fun. Just enough complexity, and with solid mechanics and challenges.

Quote from: DennisS on June 02, 2014, 09:27:27 PM
I showed my son-in-law Mage Knight, and he didn't seem real interested. Surprisingly, as he has been a D&D GM for about 15 years, and knows more about fantasy gaming than anyone I know.

My daughter told me this last Saturday that she caught him watching Ricky Royal's videos on Mage Knight...and all of a sudden, he quietly asked if this was possible for Father's Day! Sure enough, they came over Sunday, and he and I played a solid four hours in a co-op game. GREAT fun. Just enough complexity, and with solid mechanics and challenges.

That is good to hear.... I think Mage Knight is one of the best solo games available.   The mechanics are solid and the gameplay is quit fun and provides some interesting decisions.  The Lost Legion is suppose to be hear today so I am interested to see how the game changes. 

Rickey does a great job breaking down games and giving you that feel of actually playing the game.....


PE

The Lost Legion expansion mostly adds a small bit to everything, and provides a few revised cards to replace the originals.  The big thing is the new scenario modes utilizing the Lost Legion.  In most of the new scenarios, it is like a basic programmed solitaire opponent with some variability. 

I've not played against the new piece yet but it looks to break the "conquer these cities" scenario mold by adding a mobile opponent as opposition in your solo games, which is pretty cool. 

I believe Ricky also has a vid of a basic Lost Legion scenario playthrough on the 'tube.

I've now played a couple of solo games of Asgard's Chosen and will write up some thoughts.  First game I lost by have 2 gods left to appease, however the next game I won..... may have been just a luck of the draw.


PE

Cruel Necessity and In Magnificent Style both arrived late Friday. I was expecting CN to be a smaller game, but was happy to see it was in a much bigger box than 'normal' VP Games products. Sadly I have not had time to play either and probably won't for a few weeks. :(

Just won the 1800 Italian campaign with a Historical victory..... I almost lost Milan and Savona in the end but hung on.  The ai was uncanny in the end, so kudos to Dan and DVG.


PE

@ Nefaro
Did you ever sink any time into The Republic of Rome?  I was curious about your feedback of the game.

Also, I have been interested in picking up RAF, however I heard the game was a little too easy.... but was wondering about others feedback who have played the game if that is the case.


PE

Trying to learn this game through the uuuhhh arrrggghhhh original rules and the living rules by playing the Vassal module.  I am trying to decide if it is something I feel is worth picking up as it is right down my ally, however I am primarily a solo wargamer so.....  The rules are tough to swallow right now and I am still working through the Forum phase and how and why to manage my personal revenue.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on June 13, 2014, 11:08:17 AM
@ Nefaro
Did you ever sink any time into The Republic of Rome?  I was curious about your feedback of the game.

I read the rules and punched it but never quite got to playing it.  It's obvious that the game is meant to be played with a group of fellow gamers into the theme, and that's where it could really shine.  But the solitaire rules basically consist of simple programmed opponent factions that are pretty static in their behavior and I think the fun of this game system is predicated on some unpredictability.  There are better solitaire games out there so I don't think I'd recommend Republic of Rome for solitaire. 

The plotting and backstabbing, while still being forced to work together for the greater good, could be a wonderful time with the right group.  I will still get around to playing solo sometime, but some facets of the game aren't going to be present.  I'm not sure if what's left will be challenging and fun or if it just ends up being a "see how high you can get your score" kind of thing.

Quote
Also, I have been interested in picking up RAF, however I heard the game was a little too easy.... but was wondering about others feedback who have played the game if that is the case.

I played RAF: Lion last month. 

While the repeated Luftwaffe attacks became a bit repetitive after awhile, I still managed to finish a full campaign and enjoyed it quite a bit.  I can't speak to how difficult the German campaign is but the British one wasn't terribly difficult.  I was slightly worried at a point or two with taking excessive bombing hits while running out of available squadrons to intercept that specific day, but I ended up winning handily in the end.  The early game started off a bit behind but it slowly went the other direction so that near the last third I knew I was going to have a major victory. 

So yes, it may be a bit too easy on the Lion side.  I'm hoping the Eagle side will be more difficult.  I did enjoy my Lion game and it managed to suck me in for the numerous hours it took to finish.  But due to my victory, I may not play the Lion side again anytime soon.  When I do, I will probably make a house rule that I can't buy extra squadron reinforcements, or something along those lines, and see how tough it is.

picked up Congo Merc from Decision here at the show - I'll try to get in half a game or so while I'm here and let folks know what I think

I've been playing a user made Falklands 82 scenario for Hornet Leader.  It's been pretty interesting thus far as the weight limit and limited choice of weapons without using SO points make it harder.


PE

Does the game already include the units needed?

In the middle of another game of Darkest Night. 

Some of the expansion stuff make it a bit more difficult, such as Quests and those damn Desecration blights.  The latter of which I started the game with one in play and another soon followed.  When you're getting +1 and +2 Darkness per turn, it will ramp things up quickly.  Those red-colored blights that affect the whole board are definitely being felt.

Pretty sure I had forgotten to add/subtract Secrecy for certain actions in past games, such as when you move or when you attack.  Dunno how much that affected the difficulty in those games for me.  This one seems to be a bit easier going thus far, although I'm still concerned about the Darkness modifiers increasing again soon. 

Fortunately there are some extra difficulty options to add if it ends up being too easy but I'll wait until I have a few more games in (and properly played) before I evaluate that.  Fun game!

Quote from: Staggerwing on June 15, 2014, 02:22:48 PM
Does the game already include the units needed?

Yes, he uses the Harriers from from the original game and makes concessions on the weapons to mimic the armaments available at the time.  You will also remove certain A/C from the game and all bandits attack from range 0.  The only A/A weapon available is the Aim-9 and used with SO points.  You can ignore certain SAM sites as well.   You are good to go, just download the sheet from BGG and print..... I did so on card stock and looks good.  There are several others on there from the author as well that I want to give a go, but this was very unique from the rest.

PE

Finished my third (?) game of Darkest Night this weekend. It was my second loss.

I swear those expansion additions can be brutal.  It was mainly those red blights with the board-wide effects that kept beating me down when I got ahead.  I had started with the one that added +1 Darkness right from the start and a second one showed up only a few turns in so I had to get rid of them ASAP, but their effects were definitely felt.   

Oh.. and a specific Event card that teleported my character, who was just getting ready to destroy the Necromancer for the win about 2/3rds through, into a different location thus tossing a wrench in my best chance.  After that I would get the red blight (from an expansion) which prevents the use of items globally (including the Holy Relic required to defeat the 'Mancer).  By that time I had passed the dreaded 25 on the Darkness track, the blights were thick, and my characters had to retreat to the monastery for another rest.  At the end, I had been at 30 Darkness for a few turns, with two different Item Use Prevention blights in play, and three blights were added to the Monastery during the Necromancer's turn.  I couldn't clear all the blights from a space in order to lure the Necromancer in for a final ambush once it got passed 25 Darkness because I kept rolling 1s and 2s so he would create two blights instead of one.  Couldn't keep up with his rapid summoning.  Thus it ended in defeat once more.

Which is a good thing.  I probably need to adjust my overall strategies a bit but I had been doing better than my previous loss, for much of the game.  It may be easier once I'm more familiar with how each character's abilities work although their focus is usually obvious from their beginning ones.  Perhaps I should stop trying to be so careful and take more risks in the early part of the game?  I dunno..  I was soooo close but managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  ;D

It really makes me want to play again.  The unique character card abilities mixed with the open turn order and some unpredictability from the opposition makes Darkest Night one of my favorite solitaire games.  I feel like I'm constantly strategizing instead of going through a bunch of automated motions, charts, or constantly counting long lists of DRMs.  Such a smooth but engaging system.

I just set up the Southwest Pacific-only campaign scenario for Silent War on the table. 

It's been awhile since I played only a couple of Patrol scenarios.  Instead of doing another to reacquaint myself, I'll just start this one up and relearn as I go. 

I figured the SWPac campaign should help since it cuts the useable map zones down to a fraction of the full campaign along with fewer subs to run and having set times for torpedo quality and war phases.  The only drawback is having to sort through multiple years' reinforcements to find the proper ones as specified in the scenario because some are just transfers from Pearl.  In other words, the dates on the counters aren't as much of a help.  I need to dig up an alphabetical list of subs that also has the reinforce dates to narrow down my searches if the game advances far.  But that would still be a very long game.

Quote from: Nefaro on June 21, 2014, 01:35:21 PM
I just set up the Southwest Pacific-only campaign scenario for Silent War on the table. 

It's been awhile since I played only a couple of Patrol scenarios.  Instead of doing another to reacquaint myself, I'll just start this one up and relearn as I go. 

I figured the SWPac campaign should help since it cuts the useable map zones down to a fraction of the full campaign along with fewer subs to run and having set times for torpedo quality and war phases.  The only drawback is having to sort through multiple years' reinforcements to find the proper ones as specified in the scenario because some are just transfers from Pearl.  In other words, the dates on the counters aren't as much of a help.  I need to dig up an alphabetical list of subs that also has the reinforce dates to narrow down my searches if the game advances far.  But that would still be a very long game.

The Allied Sub OB spreadsheet I mentioned has the subs sorted alphabetically and includes the entry dates

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/file/download/6l837muhsr/Silent_War_Submarine_Roster.xls

Quote from: Rekim on June 21, 2014, 09:36:32 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on June 21, 2014, 01:35:21 PM
I just set up the Southwest Pacific-only campaign scenario for Silent War on the table. 

It's been awhile since I played only a couple of Patrol scenarios.  Instead of doing another to reacquaint myself, I'll just start this one up and relearn as I go. 

I figured the SWPac campaign should help since it cuts the useable map zones down to a fraction of the full campaign along with fewer subs to run and having set times for torpedo quality and war phases.  The only drawback is having to sort through multiple years' reinforcements to find the proper ones as specified in the scenario because some are just transfers from Pearl.  In other words, the dates on the counters aren't as much of a help.  I need to dig up an alphabetical list of subs that also has the reinforce dates to narrow down my searches if the game advances far.  But that would still be a very long game.

The Allied Sub OB spreadsheet I mentioned has the subs sorted alphabetically and includes the entry dates

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/file/download/6l837muhsr/Silent_War_Submarine_Roster.xls

Thanks!

I thought that was probably the one.  I just need to sort it as I want & print it out.

Sooo.. thinking of picking up a new Co-Op/Solo themed game.

Gears Of War board game?  Or maybe Zombicide? 

I'm not really sure.  There are probably a few more that would fit into that category.  I think a couple people suggested the Gears of War game awhile back as something with tile-based variable "maps", and variety in general, along with some card-driven facet.  I suppose Level 7: Escape also qualifies as the type although I've heard mixed views on that one.

Nobody played Gears Of War Boardgame or Zombicide to compare?

It's a tough decision.  I'm leaning towards GOW just because it has more cardplay & hand management.  But Zombicide would be a bit better game for varied age groups, so the young gamers in the family would be able to learn that one much easier. 

It may come down to price in the end, since Zombicide is more costly.  However, I never played Gears of War and I'm not sure if the theme appeals to me beyond the usual sci-fi stuff.  Then again, I'm not a Zombie superfan either.  *shrug*

That's a tough call. GOW looks good and is highly rated on BGG. Zombicide, strangely enough, has been out since 2012 and has zero ratings on BGG. There has to be some play videos on YouTube somewhere, but I don't see any linked on the BGG page.

Quote from: Nefaro on June 26, 2014, 09:03:01 PM
Nobody played Gears Of War Boardgame or Zombicide to compare?

It's a tough decision.  I'm leaning towards GOW just because it has more cardplay & hand management.  But Zombicide would be a bit better game for varied age groups, so the young gamers in the family would be able to learn that one much easier. 

It may come down to price in the end, since Zombicide is more costly.  However, I never played Gears of War and I'm not sure if the theme appeals to me beyond the usual sci-fi stuff.  Then again, I'm not a Zombie superfan either.  *shrug*

I looked into GOW then thought Galaxy Defenders may be a better long term experience or possibly Omega 7.   I have Forlorn Hope and is a ok game as well.... There was another game Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident that was kickstarted and released, but hard to find.


I'm really, really enjoying Labyrinth right now although I am totally just trying to learn, but a great game imho.




PE

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on June 27, 2014, 06:32:10 AM
That's a tough call. GOW looks good and is highly rated on BGG. Zombicide, strangely enough, has been out since 2012 and has zero ratings on BGG. There has to be some play videos on YouTube somewhere, but I don't see any linked on the BGG page.

??

Zombicide has been pretty popular.  The expansions probably more so.  There are also a good amount of Lets Plays on the 'Tube.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/113924/zombicide

It seems to have been pretty popular since it's release.  I was a bit hesitant about the cost involved with it but I'll probably have to at least get one of the base games at some point. 

Quote from: PanzersEast on June 27, 2014, 07:53:32 AM

I looked into GOW then thought Galaxy Defenders may be a better long term experience or possibly Omega 7.   I have Forlorn Hope and is a ok game as well.... There was another game Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident that was kickstarted and released, but hard to find.

I'm really, really enjoying Labyrinth right now although I am totally just trying to learn, but a great game imho.

PE

I was unsure of Galaxy Defenders.  At first glance it looks interesting but I'm unsure whether I'd like some of the game system.  I'll probably put that off for awhile until I've seen more vids. 

Dunno anything about Last Frontier but Level 7: Omega Protocol seems to be well-loved.  However, it's not a purely Cooperative game and I'm looking more for a Dual-Purpose one right now (Co-Op & Solitaire) and I'm not sure how easily solo-able it is.  Level 7: Escape fits that bill but that earlier one in the series has received a little criticism about some mechanics.  I'd definitely like to pick up one of the Level 7 games, however. 

What saddens me is that I've had Dark, Darker, Darkest sitting around unplayed since it was released.  There was a Revised Manual released a short time ago, and a quick glance shows it to be much improved.  I'm still rather 'Meh' about some of the AI opponent stuff and the AI difficulty being so heavily die-roll focused.  I think cardplay is generally a better way for a programmed opponent to be unpredictable yet still have some control over the difficulty scaling, as opposed to pure luck of the dice zerging you.

Thanks for the replies guys.  If you have any other suggestions, input, or thoughts I'd be happy to hear them.

That's REALLY weird. I just looked up Zombicide this morning, and it had no ratings on it. Maybe my work filter blocked some of the content? Sorry about that.

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on June 27, 2014, 09:42:10 AM
That's REALLY weird. I just looked up Zombicide this morning, and it had no ratings on it. Maybe my work filter blocked some of the content? Sorry about that.

You probably clicked on a future version that hasn't been released yet. 

Now PE also got me thinking of Galaxy Defenders in this mix.  Hrmm.  I think my hesitation with that one is due to the predictable AI opponent behavior.  The mechanics are okay, it's just that they're displayed right out in the open and do not change from turn-to-turn as with a card-driven style.  I wonder if the other card play in GD mixes things up enough to overcome this?

Thoughts on all the games to be mentioned thus far (that I've played) :

1. Zombicide - I've got the base set, the big Prison Outbreak set and the Toxic City Mall expansion. They can be fun, BUT I snagged both of the big, expensive boxes in trades. Had I paid out the money needed for all 3 boxes, I would likely not be quite so charitable. The rules are something of a mess for such a simple game, but it isn't hard to houserule things and create a game that works for what it should be : a big, dumb shoot-a-thon. Think Left 4 Dead : The Boardgame, and you've pretty much got it. For that reason, it's a thousand times better with lots of people than it is alone. The publisher has yet another season Kickstarter coming, but it looks like they're bolting a bunch of minutia and complexity onto a system that only works because it's simple.

2. Galaxy Defenders - On initial plays, I loved this. I've since traded it away with zero regrets. The basic game works fine...it's basically one of the recent D&D adventure games, but with more complexity and options for the board AI aliens. The thing is, it's one of those games with a bunch of fiddly little side rules. The setup ends up being a bear because you need to build custom alien spawn, alien action and event decks specific for each scenario. The combat system can be really annoying, since you roll a defense die for each hit scored. That leads to a lot of rounds of "I got 4 hits...and the target got 3 shields and has 1 power armor, so nothing happens." And since the aliens don't have ammo limits, and you do...yeah. A lot of the difficulty really stems from the combat mechanics being a bit askew. And it really doesn't seem to scale well whatsoever, so you pretty much have to control multiple characters. Match that with a Zombicide-esque price point, and I would recommend doing A LOT of research into this before diving in. It isn't bad, but it sure as Hell isn't great.

3. Level 7 : Omega Protocol - This really wouldn't work that well as a solo game, simply because the Overlord player gets to seed the board with event decks for each room (that you build beforehand out of a selection of cards) that can add alien hunting parties, jammed doors, tile flips and the like. It is a fantastic game, though. The way that Adrenaline controls how much players can do, and the amount of Adrenaline they spend then transfers to the Overlord and controls how much he has to spend, really balances the whole game out very well. Lots of options for both sides. And none of that 'you'll find better guns inside' stupidity - you go in packing the big heat. It won't work well for solo, but this game is every bit as good as Space Hulk (and better in some ways). Everyone I've introduced it to loves it.

4. Gears of War - One of those rare games that I really regret trading. This is perhaps the best solo action game available. Your hand of cards not only controls your abilities, but also represents your health points. So burning through cards to do cool things and 'follow' onto actions by your fellow marines keeps you active, but also makes you vulnerable. The rules are simple, but the game just works. The downside : Setup. Lots of custom decks and board building and all of that jazz does make setup prohibitive. This game is also difficult, but it feels more 'fair' than Galaxy Defenders does.

Thanks for the quick & dirty rundown AB!  That was superb!

It also backs up the impressions I've had from watching some vids of the games in action.  Gears Of War has been my fore-runner if for no other reason than it has some interesting hand management and card-driven mechanics to keep things from getting too predictable.  Some at The Geek likened it a bit to the Mage Knight game, which is good praise.

The setup time doesn't really bother me for solitaire games, and isn't bad with a little pre-planning with a group, so it will likely be Gears Of War at the top of my shopping list on Monday.   ;) 

Maybe I'll get lucky and the game store will also have the Eldritch Horror expansion although I wouldn't be surprised if I showed up between shipments after they've been sold out there but it's a great store and deserves a first pass on my business.

Oh... and I just started watching an LP on Level 7: Escape, the Co-op/Solo one.  Some people panned it a bit, especially after Omega Protocol came out, but maybe that has as much to do with it's components not being as fancy as Omega rather than the mechanics?  The LP looked a bit interesting thus far.  I may keep that on my future Want List too.

Finished my first play through of Labyrinth this weekend.  I when through the entire deck and I nor the Jihadist ai reached our instant win thresholds so it to the numbers at the end..... I won the game because I doubled up my Good Resources to his Jihadist resources..... it was a back and forth game, but I believe as the game progressed I got better.  There where times where I was not sure what the best decision was to make.  I believe I probably screwed up on some rules early on, but feel good and will do another play through.  Overall a very well designed game and a enjoyable experience.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on June 30, 2014, 10:08:29 AM
Finished my first play through of Labyrinth this weekend.  I when through the entire deck and I nor the Jihadist ai reached our instant win thresholds so it to the numbers at the end..... I won the game because I doubled up my Good Resources to his Jihadist resources..... it was a back and forth game, but I believe as the game progressed I got better.  There where times where I was not sure what the best decision was to make.  I believe I probably screwed up on some rules early on, but feel good and will do another play through.  Overall a very well designed game and a enjoyable experience.


PE

Did the programmed opponent's flow chart start to become second nature after awhile?

Quote from: Nefaro on June 30, 2014, 10:23:41 AM

Quote from: PanzersEast on June 30, 2014, 10:08:29 AM
Finished my first play through of Labyrinth this weekend.  I when through the entire deck and I nor the Jihadist ai reached our instant win thresholds so it to the numbers at the end..... I won the game because I doubled up my Good Resources to his Jihadist resources..... it was a back and forth game, but I believe as the game progressed I got better.  There where times where I was not sure what the best decision was to make.  I believe I probably screwed up on some rules early on, but feel good and will do another play through.  Overall a very well designed game and a enjoyable experience.


PE

Did the programmed opponent's flow chart start to become second nature after awhile?

By the end it did.... for the most part I knew what Events would play, and what actions the Jihadist player would take.  I did have to look at the chart some by the end, however I could breeze through it as I knew what would play and what would not.  So by the end of the game I referenced the chart far less than I did before and even then I was more aware of the actions that could be taken.

PE

I took time out of my unfortunately working weekend to play one round of In Magnificent Style, which is a solitaire game that simulates Pickett's Charge on the third day of the Gettysburg battle.

My feelings are somewhat mixed. For one, it is a very interesting microcosm of gaming, focusing on just one aspect of the battle (and arguably the one that pretty much marked the end of Southern offensive operations and was the high water mark of the Confederacy), so all of that drew me to it.

What gives me mixed feelings is, I had some substantially spectacular rolls when moving my Confederate brigades across the open ground, making it feel a hell of a lot easier than it felt while reading the rules. I thought it would be a slaughter, as it was historically, and it was for one of the three divisions. Pickett's Division, on the far right, got the furthest the fastest. Pickett himself was killed mere steps from the Union line, but his Division carried on and was first to secure positions in the Union line.

Now, I can't recall if Pettigrew's division was on the far left, or if it was Trimball's - I think it was Pettigrew's. Trimball's division, the one in the middle, also captured all of the Union positions in front of it, with more losses than Pickett's Division, but still plenty of strength to carry their lines.

Pettigrew's Division, on the far left, got hammered. Only one of its three Brigades made it to the Union lines, and this, oddly enough, was the Brigade that directly faced 'The Angle' in the Union's stone wall line. The other two Brigades were slaughtered to a man; one of them I couldn't even get halfway across the field; it routed twice and on the third try, it was mowed down by artillery.

As I took 7 of the 9 Union positions, I had a 'Decisive Victory' which is one step below whatever they call a total victory. What scares me is playing it again and getting my ass kicked, which is what I think should have happened. The rules are very easy to follow; the only thing that slowed me down was looking up the Event chits.

I will try it again sometime, certainly. It was fun but the whole time my two Divisions crossed the field and easily pimp-slapped the Union troops out of their line, I was thinking what happened to Pettigrew's poor Division on the far left is probably what should have happened to everyone...but my rolls were phenomenal, something that never happens normally.  :coolsmiley:

B-29 is on my table at the moment waiting to take off.....

Anyone played the expansion for B-29 -  Hell Over Korea?  Any thoughts on it or is it worth it?

Also, has anyone else played the 2.0 version of the rules for Picket Duty and what are others opinion of the game?

I have the following in the cart:  Cards of Cthulhu and Warfighter (Base Game).  .....And a couple of unboxing pics I have been needing to upload of some games.


PE

Cards of Cthulhu is a fun light game. Easy to play. Good solo. Haven't played it co-op, my guess is it would be harder as the evils will appear faster....

Quote from: PanzersEast on June 30, 2014, 03:57:43 PM
B-29 is on my table at the moment waiting to take off.....

Anyone played the expansion for B-29 -  Hell Over Korea?  Any thoughts on it or is it worth it?

Also, has anyone else played the 2.0 version of the rules for Picket Duty and what are others opinion of the game?

I have the following in the cart:  Cards of Cthulhu and Warfighter (Base Game).  .....And a couple of unboxing pics I have been needing to upload of some games.


PE

B-29, as compared to B-17, is like watching paint dry. Seriously not fun, just one roll after another for weather, or navigation error.

Quote from: PanzersEast on June 30, 2014, 03:57:43 PM
B-29 is on my table at the moment waiting to take off.....

Anyone played the expansion for B-29 -  Hell Over Korea?  Any thoughts on it or is it worth it?

I have the Hell Over Korea expansion.  Not played it yet.  I grabbed it because I wanted less navigational worries and more enemy aircraft worries.  It still looks mostly the same, with some small additions, but the biggest change looks to be different style of mission and their length.  The Korean ones aren't as long range but they look like they can be more deadly considering they're more precision-oriented strikes, probably from lower altitudes more often.  And the freakin MiG-15s of course - they may also have a higher amount of Vet/Ace pilots in them too IIRC.  I believe it differentiates between Russkie and NK pilot encounters with the MiGs (there are also NK Yak-9s).  That would make sense since there were Russian WW2 vets flying them.

I can't really say if it's "worth it" since I've not played it yet.  But I decided to pick it up at the same time I got the original B-29 Superfortress game because it's the more interesting theater to me.  I recall it seeming a bit pricey for an expansion although it still has the high quality components similar to the original and Picket Duty.

QuoteAlso, has anyone else played the 2.0 version of the rules for Picket Duty and what are others opinion of the game?

Nope, not yet.  I've printed them off and read through part but haven't busted it out yet.  I've been in more of a sci-fi/fantasy mood recently.  Was gonna bust out Mage Knight again soon but picked up some new stuff today, so the historical stuff is down the list a bit.

QuoteI have the following in the cart:  Cards of Cthulhu and Warfighter (Base Game).  .....And a couple of unboxing pics I have been needing to upload of some games.


PE

I'll waffle on Warfighter for a long time but I definitely want to get Cards of Cthulhu soon.  Hopefully the DVG run doesn't sell out too quickly, as seems to happen with some of their stuff. 

Quote from: DennisS on June 30, 2014, 09:09:22 PM

B-29, as compared to B-17, is like watching paint dry. Seriously not fun, just one roll after another for weather, or navigation error.

I played a bit of the vanilla B-29 and my big complaint was the excessive amount of Navigation rolls.  I mean.. you figure DRMs and roll on three different tables, THEN combine the results into another DRM reckoning and associated table.  And again, again.  That's just too much. 

I intended to create a much more compressed homemade replacement version of that mess which only requires one roll.  But that would take some work & time to get somewhat similar results.  Hopefully that got cut down some in the expansion, but I haven't looked yet. 

Reportedly the Hell Over Korea expansion was made to specifically move the focus away from navigational error and other such conerns and back to the fun explode-y stuff.  Dunno how well that was accomplished yet but I'll let you guys know when I get there.

Oh.. I did pick up Gears Of War boardgame today.  Good 'ole Fantasy Flight quality stuff in there.  :)  That's definitely gonna be out and running ASAP.

I was also gonna pick up Zombicide (the original "season 1") while I was there, but they had sold out of them.  It's certainly still quite popular.  They said they sold two copies out recently, along with some of the others in the series.  I'm really just getting it for a crowd pleaser rather than solitaire.  It seems to be pretty popular even with casual gamers and easy enough for youngsters to get into.  There are gamers of varying tastes in my small extended family, and this is obviously one that will be a hit for all of them.   Maybe I'll just order a copy from the 'net for next week.

Quote from: DennisS on June 30, 2014, 09:09:22 PM
B-29, as compared to B-17, is like watching paint dry. Seriously not fun, just one roll after another for weather, or navigation error.

There is no doubt the game is well designed and thought out... however, while being a historically accurate game, the game suffers a little flatness.  I have read that buying the Hell Over Korea add-on helps this, but simply modifying the encounter tables and the amount of planes you face helps this game out a lot.  I have started modifying the encounters and the number of encounters.  The idea is that the Japanese have  started targeting bombers for more Ramming and swarm attacks at bombers..... and in greater numbers.  I think mixing in a lot of Green pilots to reflect the lack of training, but just a swarm of them being thrown at you and as the missions progress it reflects the desperate measures helps......


PE

I as well have 2.0 of Picket Duty printed, including log sheets and everything ready to go...I just need to spread it out on the dining room table and try it out. Hopefully this weekend.

By contrast, Picket Duty is all about the shooting.  And maybe the occasional damage control team or officer placement.

Quote from: Barthheart on June 30, 2014, 06:58:54 PM
Cards of Cthulhu is a fun light game. Easy to play. Good solo. Haven't played it co-op, my guess is it would be harder as the evils will appear faster....

I've been on the fence about and think I will hold off.  I am interested more in Warfighter when it releases.  I can see myself having more longevity in that game then CoC, although it appears that CoC is not a bad game.


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on July 01, 2014, 10:23:21 AM

Quote from: Barthheart on June 30, 2014, 06:58:54 PM
Cards of Cthulhu is a fun light game. Easy to play. Good solo. Haven't played it co-op, my guess is it would be harder as the evils will appear faster....

I've been on the fence about and think I will hold off.  I am interested more in Warfighter when it releases.  I can see myself having more longevity in that game then CoC, although it appears that CoC is not a bad game.


PE

Truthfully, I wish I'd backed Warfighter instead of Cards of Cthulhu. WF came out just after I had backed CoC and I didn't have the cash to do both.
cards is a good game but, like you, I think I'd get more play out of WF.

QuoteI can see myself having more longevity in that game then CoC, although it appears that CoC is not a bad game.

No, it's not a bad game, quite the contrary. We are currently deep in the game sessions for preparing the HFC review. Very promising impressions so far and the game definitely is an interesting combination of very simple mechanics and the need to avoid mistakes in how you play it, a wrong decision can bring doom on your gaming table quickly ;)

Quote from: Grimnirsson on July 01, 2014, 11:13:35 AM

QuoteI can see myself having more longevity in that game then CoC, although it appears that CoC is not a bad game.

No, it's not a bad game, quite the contrary. We are currently deep in the game sessions for preparing the HFC review. Very promising impressions so far and the game definitely is an interesting combination of very simple mechanics and the need to avoid mistakes in how you play it, a wrong decision can bring doom on your gaming table quickly ;)

Marco put up a video review of Cards of Cthulhu about a week ago:

Also.. I've been pleasantly surprised with the Gears of War boardgame. 

I already knew the gameplay was fun, from watching the videos, but what I was surprised about was just how quickly and smoothly it plays out.  I played the first mission using two characters in an hour or less - on my first game.  I didn't expect that!  Granted, it wasn't the longest mission but it wasn't "fidgety" at all.

I also got my ass kicked at the very end, which is good.  Glad it's got some challenge too.  O0

Quote from: Nefaro on July 01, 2014, 10:06:42 PM
Also.. I've been pleasantly surprised with the Gears of War boardgame. 

I already knew the gameplay was fun, from watching the videos, but what I was surprised about was just how quickly and smoothly it plays out.  I played the first mission using two characters in an hour or less - on my first game.  I didn't expect that!  Granted, it wasn't the longest mission but it wasn't "fidgety" at all.

I also got my ass kicked at the very end, which is good.  Glad it's got some challenge too.  O0

Interesting.... I am looking to hear more as I have thought it would not offer much.

I have started learning Andean Abyss and Next War: Korea.....


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on July 01, 2014, 10:47:48 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on July 01, 2014, 10:06:42 PM
Also.. I've been pleasantly surprised with the Gears of War boardgame. 

I already knew the gameplay was fun, from watching the videos, but what I was surprised about was just how quickly and smoothly it plays out.  I played the first mission using two characters in an hour or less - on my first game.  I didn't expect that!  Granted, it wasn't the longest mission but it wasn't "fidgety" at all.

I also got my ass kicked at the very end, which is good.  Glad it's got some challenge too.  O0

Interesting.... I am looking to hear more as I have thought it would not offer much.

I have started learning Andean Abyss and Next War: Korea.....


PE

Gears of War really isn't complicated regarding rules and such.  Like I said, it seems like there is almost no little fidgety crap to remember or deal with.  A character's turn just consists of drawing 2 action cards, choosing and playing one to use it's actions in order as listed, and then drawing an AI card and following it's programmed If>Then>Or instructions to perform the AI's turn.  You can also spend extra cards from your hand during the AI part, using their reaction abilities, although doing so will weaken your character.  There are more details to it of course, but it's not rules heavy and I didn't have to refer back to the manual at all after a couple turns. 

I believe it only comes with six (?) scenarios, however.  But the way you set up the map tiles means the layout is a bit different every time and the AI spawns & such are randomized with cards as you play too. There is also a cheap mission card expansion available for it but I dunno if I'll need it unless I play the snot out of the game.

It kinda reminds me of the D&D Boardgames but with more decisions to be made regarding character activations, due to the action card play & hand management (your hand is also used as your health).  The way the AI plays out is more unpredictable, which is great.  The artwork is also better, although my first complaint about GOW is how red and/or dark everything is.  It's nice that the game has that grittiness but some of the artwork can be tough to make out and the overall dark red & black colors of pretty much all the components doesn't make it "pop" when you have it on the table (not a big issue for me).  So it's not for those who want bright-colored components.  ;D 

My first impression is that it's a light but challenging "dungeon crawler" with some game mechanics that I usually prefer -  card-based actions, hand management, map tile/enemy/loot randomization.  Or maybe a Mage Knight Lite, even.  Let it be known that I never played the Gears of War games, and had no specific interest in them, so the theme wasn't a hook for me.  It obviously doesn't have the wide range of general "stuff" to be found, such as those you might find in games like Arkham Horror, but it also plays much more quickly with steady action and decisions to be made throughout.

I promptly set up another game of that same first scenario, after having been beaten by the AI.  So maybe that's a good indicator of the replayability?  The map definitely came out differently and I have a feeling it won't be a cakewalk this time, either.

One last thing.. After playing my first game I thought to myself, "Why didn't they use this game system with a WH:40K theme?"  It would fit the bill perfectly.  I bet others had already came to this conclusion as it's pretty obvious.  Maybe it would blow away the Space Hulk thing too much.  Emperor forbid they ever give 40K stuff better game mechanics.   ???

It is a really good game...one that I'm in the process of re-acquiring.  O0 My only complaint is that 3 of the 4 COG minis look REALLY similar.

With regards to 40K board games, I suspect that Horus Heresy was a bit of a test. Had that done well, then perhaps other reprints of older GW 40K strategy games would also have appeared (Battle for Armageddon, for example). But HH pretty much bombed (largely thanks to a needlessly over the top production in a pointless coffin box), and that was that.

QuoteBut HH pretty much bombed (largely thanks to a needlessly over the top production in a pointless coffin box),

I suppose it pretty much bombed for the horridly done figures...and the fact that the large board had these far too small 3D terrain parts where the figures didn't fit. The game itself is great.

Quote from: Grimnirsson on July 02, 2014, 01:49:31 PM

QuoteBut HH pretty much bombed (largely thanks to a needlessly over the top production in a pointless coffin box),

I suppose it pretty much bombed for the horridly done figures...and the fact that the large board had these far too small 3D terrain parts where the figures didn't fit. The game itself is great.

Yup.

The look of the components turned me away when I saw them.  It looked like a bit of a mess, despite FF's usual high quality.

The miniatures are definitely not of high quality...and from what I heard that was part of the deal with GW...'you get the license but don't make the miniatures too pretty...you know we make a living from selling these little pricey dudes...'

That was probably the point, wasn't it? To create crappy minis so you go out and buy minis and buy paint from the same company and build your own figures?

Of course, I've not known many companies to be that blatant about it.

Also I'd never heard of the HH boardgame, so I checked it out on BGG...it has over 7 stars in rating, which indicates a decent game. But the overwhelming opinion here is that it sucks. Very interesting. I would listen to the few opinions here and abide by them before I'd listen to the Internet, though, so at least I have that going for me.

No it does definitely not suck, we gave it an 8 out of 10 in our review:
http://wargamecenter.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/review-horus-heresy-ffg/ (http://wargamecenter.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/review-horus-heresy-ffg/)
It's just fiddly with the crowded 3D terrain and breaks the immersion a bit if you are constantly annoyed by the ugly miniatures. But overall the game is really cool, you can trust the internet this time ;)

Horus Heresy was in the Fantasy Flight Xmas sale.  I teetered on the fence regarding picking it up at the time, and almost fell off, but there was so much other stuff on sale that I also wanted (and didn't look so odd).

The problems with HH are 100% with the physical components...the game is actually solid. The minis are awful. The blow molded fortresses not only feel flimsy, they're actually a detriment to play. You cannot fit the numbers of units into them that you need to without bizarre piles of units or dudes cascading out over the walls. But the biggest problem with the game physically is the publishing of it as a coffin box. All they needed to do was make the board a 6 panel design (would have worked out the same as the Arkham Horror board, for comparison) and the entire game EASILY could have fit into a standard box. Instead, it's a coffin box that's 80% full of air. And because it's a coffin box, it released with a $75 online price point. Stupid, stupid, stupid decision. Not only did it bomb, it also helped destroy the entire idea of massive box games (for good and for bad).

The upside is that you can find cheap copies out there pretty much anywhere, and it is a good game (though the rulebook makes everything seem 1000 times more complex than it actually is). The downside is that even after buying a cheap copy, you're stuck storing that monstrosity.

It looks interesting, but if it's got issues components-wise, I'm out. I've still got a copy of World of Warcraft: The Boardgame, in the famous coffin box, that I got for free at Origins or GenCon eight or so years ago...and I've yet to play the bloody thing. (I think I posted something here many months ago stating how stupid I felt because I found the damn thing sitting on top of my hutch, after years of wondering where the hell it went). I still haven't broken it out to play it yet.

Gears of War does look interesting. I have a b-day coming up next month...maybe. I find that all my purchases, as few as they are nowadays, are of solitaire games exclusively.

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on July 03, 2014, 02:36:10 PM
It looks interesting, but if it's got issues components-wise, I'm out. I've still got a copy of World of Warcraft: The Boardgame, in the famous coffin box, that I got for free at Origins or GenCon eight or so years ago...and I've yet to play the bloody thing. (I think I posted something here many months ago stating how stupid I felt because I found the damn thing sitting on top of my hutch, after years of wondering where the hell it went). I still haven't broken it out to play it yet.

Gears of War does look interesting. I have a b-day coming up next month...maybe. I find that all my purchases, as few as they are nowadays, are of solitaire games exclusively.

Now, WoW the Boardgame is an example of a coffin box game that really did not that massive container. Big board, tons of plastic, tons of cards, player boards, and so on. There is no way that would ever have fit into a standard game box. And the coffin boxes in general were loaded with contents...until HH and the original edition of Runewars.

GoW is really good. Get it.  :)

You don't think that Runewars warranted a coffin box? I don't know how I'd manage if I was stuck with the 2nd edition smaller box. The big one is actually perfectly sized for me. I have a Plano box inside the box that holds all the little cardboard bits.

Since I'm painting the minis, I don't even keep the painted ones in the box any more. With paint on them I can't just throw them in bags so I bought a separate army case from GW (the double sized one that runs about $100), which will be about perfectly sized when all the minis are painted. Right now they're half done and the GW case is about half full.

Even with half the minis not in the box, it's still pretty full.

Quote from: Ubercat on July 04, 2014, 10:04:09 PM
You don't think that Runewars warranted a coffin box? I don't know how I'd manage if I was stuck with the 2nd edition smaller box. The big one is actually perfectly sized for me. I have a Plano box inside the box that holds all the little cardboard bits.

Since I'm painting the minis, I don't even keep the painted ones in the box any more. With paint on them I can't just throw them in bags so I bought a separate army case from GW (the double sized one that runs about $100), which will be about perfectly sized when all the minis are painted. Right now they're half done and the GW case is about half full.

Even with half the minis not in the box, it's still pretty full.

I have the 2nd Edition.  It's a tight fit but all is fine. 

Then again, I haven't felt the need to squeeze a tacklebox inside of it.  ;D

Quote from: Ubercat on July 04, 2014, 10:04:09 PM
You don't think that Runewars warranted a coffin box? I don't know how I'd manage if I was stuck with the 2nd edition smaller box. The big one is actually perfectly sized for me. I have a Plano box inside the box that holds all the little cardboard bits.

Since I'm painting the minis, I don't even keep the painted ones in the box any more. With paint on them I can't just throw them in bags so I bought a separate army case from GW (the double sized one that runs about $100), which will be about perfectly sized when all the minis are painted. Right now they're half done and the GW case is about half full.

Even with half the minis not in the box, it's still pretty full.

I'd say that the Revised Edition coming out in a smaller box pretty much proves that it was an unnecessary format for that game. Aside for that one board tile (which was simply split in two in the reprint), nothing in there needed the coffin box.

Hell, the reprint even has one of those typical Fantasy Flight cardboard inserts that takes up some of the box space for little gain.

If I were smart, I'd stock up on some more of those inexpensive plastic hobby "bead boxes" that can fit into them, for holding components.   I took the inserts out of Mage Knight, Arkham- and Eldritch Horror and put the pieces into them.  Makes it a cinch to just pull it out, open that up, and grab the tokens & such straight from the box while playing.  Even fits into the smaller FF boxes with some room left for cards & the rest.  I think there are around 19 spaces in each one and I cut up and put in some foam to hold the Mage Knight monster tokens in a tight stack, since they get shuffled and pulled from. 

Was around 2 bucks apiece at Hobby Lobby IIRC.

Quote from: Nefaro on July 05, 2014, 09:12:57 PM
Hell, the reprint even has one of those typical Fantasy Flight cardboard inserts that takes up some of the box space for little gain.

The only reason for those to exist is to hold contents in place during shipping. That's it. Personally, I ditch 95% of box inserts anyway. Even supposedly useful ones often end up being so fiddly that they aren't worth keeping.

I have put so many game components into Plano boxes that people must think I'm the most prolific fisherman of all time.  ;D

I ordered the Eldritch Horror: Forsaken Lore expansion. 

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/154842/eldritch-horror-forsaken-lore

It looks to address my complaint with Eldritch Horror - needing more cards all-around.  The original was a bit thin on that content, and this expansion adds another ~75%.   O0

I've debated picking up some Arkham Horror expansions in the past, but put it off while waiting to see if Eldritch Horror had been streamlined better.  It certainly was.  Takes up less space, less "fidgety" stuff like the stat sliders that was just an annoyance.  I was happy with Eldritch but the card variety wasn't as good as even the base Arkham set.  Hopefully this fills it out, as it should've been.

I played Darkest Night and I am playing with a couple of personal modifications.... these are a work in progress, but the key per location rule made it very difficult and I lost.

1 Key Per Location:
You can only find 1 Key per location and once you find a key, I make the location with a key.  This way there is no key spamming at a location while the Necromancer is occupied.

Necromancer's Apprentice:
If you play with the Acolyte there are several additional rules I place in.  If the Acolyte is every occupying the same location as the Necromancer and his secrecy is 1 or less, there is a influence check to see if the Necromancer has influenced the Acolyte to evil.  If so, then you must defeat both.  Also, if the Acolyte is the one battling the Necromancer in the end and he defeats him, there is a check to see if the Acolyte assumes the Necromancers place and you now have to face the Acolyte with roughly the same rule set.



PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on July 08, 2014, 08:27:01 AM
I played Darkest Night and I am playing with a couple of personal modifications.... these are a work in progress, but the key per location rule made it very difficult and I lost.

1 Key Per Location:
You can only find 1 Key per location and once you find a key, I make the location with a key.  This way there is no key spamming at a location while the Necromancer is occupied.

Necromancer's Apprentice:
If you play with the Acolyte there are several additional rules I place in.  If the Acolyte is every occupying the same location as the Necromancer and his secrecy is 1 or less, there is a influence check to see if the Necromancer has influenced the Acolyte to evil.  If so, then you must defeat both.  Also, if the Acolyte is the one battling the Necromancer in the end and he defeats him, there is a check to see if the Acolyte assumes the Necromancers place and you now have to face the Acolyte with roughly the same rule set.



PE

Do you reset the key-location thing once the Necromancer arrives there, or do you reset it once all heroes have moved out?

Perhaps I wasn't doing it as efficiently as I should have been, but it seemed like if I dallied around in the same spot for very long, the Necromancer would usually show up and start draining my Secrecy & Grace much more quickly.  For those other than the stealthier character classes, anyway.  So I usually didn't end up searching more than once or twice in a location before having to scoot with a character, otherwise risking having to lay them up at the Monastery for numerous turns doing nothing.

Quote from: Nefaro on July 08, 2014, 01:56:01 PM

Quote from: PanzersEast on July 08, 2014, 08:27:01 AM
I played Darkest Night and I am playing with a couple of personal modifications.... these are a work in progress, but the key per location rule made it very difficult and I lost.

1 Key Per Location:
You can only find 1 Key per location and once you find a key, I make the location with a key.  This way there is no key spamming at a location while the Necromancer is occupied.

Necromancer's Apprentice:
If you play with the Acolyte there are several additional rules I place in.  If the Acolyte is every occupying the same location as the Necromancer and his secrecy is 1 or less, there is a influence check to see if the Necromancer has influenced the Acolyte to evil.  If so, then you must defeat both.  Also, if the Acolyte is the one battling the Necromancer in the end and he defeats him, there is a check to see if the Acolyte assumes the Necromancers place and you now have to face the Acolyte with roughly the same rule set.



PE

Do you reset the key-location thing once the Necromancer arrives there, or do you reset it once all heroes have moved out?

Perhaps I wasn't doing it as efficiently as I should have been, but it seemed like if I dallied around in the same spot for very long, the Necromancer would usually show up and start draining my Secrecy & Grace much more quickly.  For those other than the stealthier character classes, anyway.  So I usually didn't end up searching more than once or twice in a location before having to scoot with a character, otherwise risking having to lay them up at the Monastery for numerous turns doing nothing.

Once a key is found at a location, no other keys can be obtained from that location.  If I search a location that has already produced a key, I draw a new map card until a key is not listed in the search results.  I have found that if you have someone with search skill they can spam a spot while the others are out attacking blights and doing the occasional search.  The mountains I believe is a easier spot to hit for search spamming because it is located the furthest from the Necromancers starting spot....



PE

Quote from: weateallthepies on February 05, 2014, 07:17:03 AM
At the moment I really like GMT's Space Empires 4X as a solo game, I've got the expansion too which apparently adds some more solo scenarios so going to try that soon. Really does a great job of 4X style gameplay on the table, though the paperwork and tracking units can be a little fiddly, though this is made easier in the solo game by not having hidden units you have to keep checking when you forget what they are.

I recently picked this and the expansion up as well.  Looking forward to it.  I find the rules to be an fairly easy read... compared to what I am used to anyway.

Quote from: ArizonaTank on July 08, 2014, 07:31:49 PM

Quote from: weateallthepies on February 05, 2014, 07:17:03 AM
At the moment I really like GMT's Space Empires 4X as a solo game, I've got the expansion too which apparently adds some more solo scenarios so going to try that soon. Really does a great job of 4X style gameplay on the table, though the paperwork and tracking units can be a little fiddly, though this is made easier in the solo game by not having hidden units you have to keep checking when you forget what they are.

I recently picked this and the expansion up as well.  Looking forward to it.  I find the rules to be an fairly easy read... compared to what I am used to anyway.

Aww damn.  I forgot about that one.  I have yet to do anything with the Space Empires 4x base game yet.  Along with some other GMT stuff.  For some reason I tend to put those off more than others.  I must be a component whore because the ones with fancy artwork and minis get fast-tracked to the table ahead of these.   :))

Quote from: Nefaro on July 07, 2014, 07:09:21 PM
I ordered the Eldritch Horror: Forsaken Lore expansion. 

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/154842/eldritch-horror-forsaken-lore

It looks to address my complaint with Eldritch Horror - needing more cards all-around.  The original was a bit thin on that content, and this expansion adds another ~75%.   O0

I've debated picking up some Arkham Horror expansions in the past, but put it off while waiting to see if Eldritch Horror had been streamlined better.  It certainly was.  Takes up less space, less "fidgety" stuff like the stat sliders that was just an annoyance.  I was happy with Eldritch but the card variety wasn't as good as even the base Arkham set.  Hopefully this fills it out, as it should've been.

It's a great little expansion. The variety of cards added to every clue encounter deck alone is worth the purchase.

Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 09, 2014, 02:30:40 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on July 07, 2014, 07:09:21 PM
I ordered the Eldritch Horror: Forsaken Lore expansion. 

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/154842/eldritch-horror-forsaken-lore

It looks to address my complaint with Eldritch Horror - needing more cards all-around.  The original was a bit thin on that content, and this expansion adds another ~75%.   O0

I've debated picking up some Arkham Horror expansions in the past, but put it off while waiting to see if Eldritch Horror had been streamlined better.  It certainly was.  Takes up less space, less "fidgety" stuff like the stat sliders that was just an annoyance.  I was happy with Eldritch but the card variety wasn't as good as even the base Arkham set.  Hopefully this fills it out, as it should've been.

It's a great little expansion. The variety of cards added to every clue encounter deck alone is worth the purchase.

Good to hear.  I meant to watch for it to arrive, after playing a couple games of the original and thinking it was thin on card variety. 

It managed to slip past my radar when it came out almost two months ago.  ;D

I posted this in the RPG & Adventure Gaming section, but it's capable of solitaire so..

Shadowrun: Crossfire!

Why didn't I hear about this?  So much coming out lately, it's hard to keep up.


http://www.phdgames.com/shadowrun-crossfire-runners-wanted-2/

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/135382/shadowrun-crossfire



I think it's supposed to be out in the next couple months late this month.

Sounds like a mix of the Pathfinder card game and Thunderstone in a Shadowrun setting.  The last point being enough to make me do a Gus squeal.

I'm curious about that one as well. But the comparisons being made to the Pathfinder game have me wary and certainly willing to wait for reviews and impressions to begin rolling in.

Quote from: Arctic Blast on August 01, 2014, 01:54:41 PM
I'm curious about that one as well. But the comparisons being made to the Pathfinder game have me wary and certainly willing to wait for reviews and impressions to begin rolling in.

I linked the Dice Tower YouTube review in the RPG/Adventure Game section's topic for it.  Check it out!  http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10804.0    They're not even familiar with Shadowrun and liked it quite a bit.


I pre-ordered the Shadowrun: Crossfire game while at the local game shop today. 


I also went on a buying spree while I was there and picked up:

Cards Of Cthulhu, Galactic Strike Force, Ancient & Terrible Things, and Thunderstone Advance: Towers Of Ruin. 

Whew.  Lotsa card playing to be had.

Quote from: Nefaro on August 01, 2014, 02:50:49 PM

Quote from: Arctic Blast on August 01, 2014, 01:54:41 PM
I'm curious about that one as well. But the comparisons being made to the Pathfinder game have me wary and certainly willing to wait for reviews and impressions to begin rolling in.

I linked the Dice Tower YouTube review in the RPG/Adventure Game section's topic for it.  Check it out!  http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10804.0    They're not even familiar with Shadowrun and liked it quite a bit.


I pre-ordered the Shadowrun: Crossfire game while at the local game shop today. 


I also went on a buying spree while I was there and picked up:

Cards Of Cthulhu, Galactic Strike Force, Ancient & Terrible Things, and Thunderstone Advance: Towers Of Ruin. 

Whew.  Lotsa card playing to be had.

Interested to hear your thoughts on Cards of Cthulhu and Galactic Strike Force...

I am playing Mage Knight: Lost Legion expansion right now and loving it!


PE

Quote from: PanzersEast on August 01, 2014, 03:43:29 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on August 01, 2014, 02:50:49 PM


I linked the Dice Tower YouTube review in the RPG/Adventure Game section's topic for it.  Check it out!  http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10804.0    They're not even familiar with Shadowrun and liked it quite a bit.


I pre-ordered the Shadowrun: Crossfire game while at the local game shop today. 


I also went on a buying spree while I was there and picked up:

Cards Of Cthulhu, Galactic Strike Force, Ancient & Terrible Things, and Thunderstone Advance: Towers Of Ruin. 

Whew.  Lotsa card playing to be had.

Interested to hear your thoughts on Cards of Cthulhu and Galactic Strike Force...

Will do.  Oddly enough, my impulse purchase (Ancient Terrible Things) will probably hit the table first as a group game over the weekend.  I wasn't sure when I first saw some vids on it awhile back, but the more I check it out the more interested I become in the whole Yahtzee-ish dice roll mechanics mixed with token collection, spending, and card play.  Plus the theme, of course.

Galactic Strike Force caught my attention because it's from the same people who do Sentinels of the Multiverse.  Although not necessarily playing similarly, you can tell it has some similar cool things (like each ship having it's own play style in the form of unique starter decks).  I also grabbed the expansion while I was there since it was pretty small & inexpensive (and I got a discount on something else).  Some say they like the look of the cards but I don't think they look all that good, including the artwork.  But hopefully the gameplay is pretty bitchin.

Quote
I am playing Mage Knight: Lost Legion expansion right now and loving it!

It's awesome for solitaire, and I've barely scratched the surface on MK & Lost Legion.  It takes a lot space & a bit of time to set up and get going.  I stuck most of the monster tokens and other such stuff into a hobby "bead" kit so they can be both drawn and stored from it without having to do more than shuffle the monsters.  Definitely saves some time!  Now if only every game box had enough space to fit one of those...

Quote from: Nefaro on August 01, 2014, 02:50:49 PM

Quote from: Arctic Blast on August 01, 2014, 01:54:41 PM
I'm curious about that one as well. But the comparisons being made to the Pathfinder game have me wary and certainly willing to wait for reviews and impressions to begin rolling in.

I linked the Dice Tower YouTube review in the RPG/Adventure Game section's topic for it.  Check it out!  http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10804.0    They're not even familiar with Shadowrun and liked it quite a bit.


I pre-ordered the Shadowrun: Crossfire game while at the local game shop today. 


I also went on a buying spree while I was there and picked up:

Cards Of Cthulhu, Galactic Strike Force, Ancient & Terrible Things, and Thunderstone Advance: Towers Of Ruin. 

Whew.  Lotsa card playing to be had.

The instant I saw stickers used to permanently alter units and give new abilities, my interest went through the roof. I am totally on board for permanence in design... and I enjoy the ridiculous pain it causes the whining collector types on BGG.  >:D

Quote from: Arctic Blast on August 02, 2014, 05:31:18 PM

The instant I saw stickers used to permanently alter units and give new abilities, my interest went through the roof. I am totally on board for permanence in design... and I enjoy the ridiculous pain it causes the whining collector types on BGG.  >:D

LOL!

I'm not all that crazed about it but it doesn't bother me.  I'll either use them as intended or just mount them on some card stock.  My biggest concern would be cases where, intending to play years later, I needed to pick up extra character kits and stocks are running low while being Out-Of-Print.  That crap happens pretty regularly as it is.

Note:  These are some impressions of two games:

Got a short playthrough in with Cards of Cthulhu (CoC) yesterday.

It's pretty light fare with the core consisting of rolling dice to defeat Minions and Horrors, along with spending 'experience' tokens gained while doing that on some helpful options.  The card play is mostly just turning 4+ over every turn and placing them where they go (or buying if it's one of the few helpful cards).

The artwork for the monsters is nice.  That of the characters is passable.  I was a bit surprised at how little was in the box at first,  a couple stacks of cards, some dice, and a set of metal experience tokens.  Unlike most of my games, CoC only has one big draw deck instead of numerous smaller ones.  However, it's still pretty sizable for a single draw deck and getting through it is a requisite for winning.  After one game I can tell that it can be a difficult endeavor.

Unfortunately I had played Ancient Terrible Things (ATT) the day before.  The two games' mechanics and premise are quite similar. While ATT doesn't have a solitaire variant, I still enjoyed it more.  This was mainly due to the depth of the dice rolling strategy and ATT having a bit more variability in each turn's play.  While both have some Yahtzee rolling involved, Cards of Cthulhu's often consisted of just totalling up one or more dice to equal or exceed the number on a Minion card.  On more rare occasions you'll have to make a straight or set of two to four dice (you roll three by default) and are often hard-pressed in how to spend your Experience tokens to boost such rolls, buying insta-use "spells", etc.  In Ancient Terrible Things each monster card has it's own type of combo you need to achieve to beat it but you can, and should, also make other combos to produce the four types of tokens you can spend on various things.  Not only is it more intricate on the base level, but having so many possible dice combos, with varied but limited manipulation options, makes for a much wider and more difficult range of allotment decisions to be made. 

Ancient Terrible Things also has an Item Offer (aka "Swag") so there is always some perks available in ATT if you have the scratch.  Whereas the small amount of beneficial items & allies in CoC are all mixed into the single deck.  Having everything mixed into a single deck can cause large swings in difficulty from moment to moment.  This doesn't necessarily turn me away, but I felt less at the mercy of the deck draw with ATT.  Combine that with a much wider range of options in ATT's dice-rolling mechanics and the latter wins my preference.  I'm not sure if there are solo variants for ATT available right now, but I'd expect some before long if it isn't the case.  That's where CoC has an edge, although I still enjoyed solo'ing a 2-player game of ATT. 

I'm not saying Cards of Cthulhu is bad.  It's just a single-deck delver with a light dice mechanic.  Doesn't take long to pick up, learn, and play.  However, it doesn't have a set difficulty progression so that can vary wildly as you're playing.  The luck of the draw can be brutal at times along with dice rolling to a lesser extent.  I had the feeling that the game could've been filled out some more, like having separate item and spell decks perhaps.  Such extra additions would probably help the fun factor and help regulate the luck factor. You can get into it pretty quickly, however, and it moves along at a fast pace. 

Up next: Galactic Strike Force.   

So I'm stuck in New Iberia, Louisiana for most of this week to observe a class I put together and make sure everything goes smoothly during the pilot. I will have a lot of down time in the evenings at the hotel so I brought Death Angel, Cruel Necessity, and A Blood Red Banner. I just got the last one in the mail, and the others I've had for a bit of a time now but haven't had a chance to play.

Galactic Strike Force's manual certainly isn't as clear & concise as I'd prefer. 

I suppose the one in Sentinels of the Multiverse didn't give them a lot of experience since that game didn't really have much in the way of rules at all.  The cards pretty much ran the game other than the turn summary.  ;D

This one has a bit more to the ruleset than SotM and the rulebook regularly raised rules questions for me while I was reading it.  So I ended up having to re-read some parts and still scratched my head at the lack of clarification for others.  I'm sure some of this will be more obvious when I get some playtime in, but I think the rules could've been more concise with some things. 

I posted gameplay info and initial impressions on Galactic Strike Force here, in the "Other Games" section:

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10837.new#new

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on August 03, 2014, 06:39:53 PM
So I'm stuck in New Iberia, Louisiana for most of this week to observe a class I put together and make sure everything goes smoothly during the pilot. I will have a lot of down time in the evenings at the hotel so I brought Death Angel, Cruel Necessity, and A Blood Red Banner. I just got the last one in the mail, and the others I've had for a bit of a time now but haven't had a chance to play.

That's my girlfriend/fiance/ex-girlfriend/ex-fiance/current girlfriends home town! (New Iberia)!

Let me know how A Blood Red Banner plays, ANY game covering the Alamo immediately has my interest.

Quote from: GJK on August 09, 2014, 07:46:07 PM

That's my girlfriend/fiance/ex-girlfriend/ex-fiance/current girlfriends home town! (New Iberia)!

Sounds like you either dated half the town's wimminfolk or have a girlfriend with multiple personality disorder.

Either way, I'll bet that 'boring' is one adjective that does not cover your romantic situation(s)....  :))

Quote from: Staggerwing on August 09, 2014, 09:15:31 PM

Quote from: GJK on August 09, 2014, 07:46:07 PM

That's my girlfriend/fiance/ex-girlfriend/ex-fiance/current girlfriends home town! (New Iberia)!

Sounds like you either dated half the town's wimminfolk or have a girlfriend with multiple personality disorder.

Either way, I'll bet that 'boring' is one adjective that does not cover your romantic situation(s)....  :))

It would take a few pints to give you all the details....  :o

Quote from: GJK on August 09, 2014, 07:46:07 PM

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on August 03, 2014, 06:39:53 PM
So I'm stuck in New Iberia, Louisiana for most of this week to observe a class I put together and make sure everything goes smoothly during the pilot. I will have a lot of down time in the evenings at the hotel so I brought Death Angel, Cruel Necessity, and A Blood Red Banner. I just got the last one in the mail, and the others I've had for a bit of a time now but haven't had a chance to play.

That's my girlfriend/fiance/ex-girlfriend/ex-fiance/current girlfriends home town! (New Iberia)!

Let me know how A Blood Red Banner plays, ANY game covering the Alamo immediately has my interest.

It's a quick and vicious game. I really enjoyed it, enough that I wrote up a review for Brant to store away for a rainy review day.

Well, looks like I was able to treat myself to a copy of both Ottoman Sunset and B-29 Superfortress: Bombers Over Japan 1944-45 (by Legion, so it's the 2nd edition, not the 1st by Khyber Pass Games, IIRC).

I also grabbed a Borg cube for my Star Trek Attack Wing game and a Plano organizer for both my Star Wars and Star Trek games so I can finally organize that crap.

Really looking forward to B-29. Ottoman Sunset as well!

I picked up the Krang expansion for Mage Knight Board Game last week for ten bucks.  The box was a bit damaged, but everything inside was fine (and I store everything in the core box). 

While it's only a single character in the expansion, I was impressed with how cool the Orc dude's mini looks.  Far better than the stock ones.  I hope his available skills are good because who doesn't like playing an Orc Shaman!?   >:D

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on August 03, 2014, 06:39:53 PM
So I'm stuck in New Iberia, Louisiana for most of this week to observe a class I put together and make sure everything goes smoothly during the pilot. I will have a lot of down time in the evenings at the hotel so I brought Death Angel, Cruel Necessity, and A Blood Red Banner. I just got the last one in the mail, and the others I've had for a bit of a time now but haven't had a chance to play.

This is funny! YEARS ago, I was at Command Staff and Air War College, and to pass the time between classes, brought along B-17: QoTS, Blackbeard, Source of the Nile, and a few others.

We had a surprise visit from a two-star, and when he came into the room I was in, I was busy bombing the snot out of Bremerhaven. He ended up being HIGHLY entertained by this...he joined the US Army Air Corp in 1944..took a five year break after the war, rejoined the US Air Force in time for Korea, and was ready to retire by the early '80's. He was a B-29 pilot, based in the Pacific.

Right now I have:

- The 3rd Expansion of Darkest Night on the way
- Preorder of Warfighter Deluxe // Fleet Cmdr. Nimitz // Silent Victory // Bear's Claw
- Looking at Villainous Vikings 2nd Ed.

Looking at what I want to pick up this fall and what I want to play through as well.  There are several I have an eye on and hope are published soon.... what are you guys playing/purchasing this Winter?


PE

I've got a pair of Kickstarters that should be on the way soon, and I've got some DG "commando" series games I still want to play some more of.

Beyond that, there's a lot of design work to do on other games :)

Quote from: PanzersEast on October 06, 2014, 10:46:44 AM


Looking at what I want to pick up this fall and what I want to play through as well.  There are several I have an eye on and hope are published soon.... what are you guys playing/purchasing this Winter?


PE

I have these on pre-order or Kickstarter, coming in the next few months:

Shadows of Brimstone (Both core sets!) - Lovecraftian Old West setting with persistent characters advancement.  Likened a bit to the old Warhammer Quest although these sets look to have a lot more to them than that did.  I didn't Kickstart it so my pre-orders probably won't show up until November at the earliest.  There is also some assembly required on the minis but from the vids I've seen this will be an awesome co-op/solo dungeon crawler.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146791/shadows-brimstone-city-ancients
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150997/shadows-brimstone-swamps-death

Agents of SMERSH 2nd Edition - Kickstarted the new edition and added the expansion.  I had planned on picking up this Cold War spy game in the past but they had sold out.  Jumped on the discounted 2nd edition Kickstarter set.  This reportedly has some similarities to Eldritch Horror but it has a big storybook that also gives you a lot of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style narrative encounters, which sounds really cool.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/111105/agents-smersh


Debating these lately, if they're not sold out yet:

Machina Arcana
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144743/machina-arcana

Dead Of Winter ("Meta-Cooperative")
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150376/dead-winter-crossroads-game

Shadows Of Malice
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/154510/shadows-malice






Picked up in recent months:

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck-Builder
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146652/legendary-encounters-alien-deck-building-game

Heroes Wanted
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/153097/heroes-wanted

Galaxy Defenders
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/138431/galaxy-defenders

Shadowrift
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/112092/shadowrift

Bloody April
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/69136/bloody-april-1917-air-war-over-arras-france

Legends of Andor
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127398/legends-andor





Watching these upcoming ones:

Assault On Doomrock
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/149241/assault-doomrock

Secrets of the Lost Tomb
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150484/secrets-lost-tomb



There are likely others that should be in the "Watching" category, but those are the ones that came to mind.  I'd like to hear of any other good solo/co-op games out there, or coming soon, that may be worth a look.

I'm all over co-op/solitaire games like these.  I get far more use out of them than adversarial ones.

Quote from: DennisS on August 22, 2014, 12:45:08 PM

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on August 03, 2014, 06:39:53 PM
So I'm stuck in New Iberia, Louisiana for most of this week to observe a class I put together and make sure everything goes smoothly during the pilot. I will have a lot of down time in the evenings at the hotel so I brought Death Angel, Cruel Necessity, and A Blood Red Banner. I just got the last one in the mail, and the others I've had for a bit of a time now but haven't had a chance to play.

This is funny! YEARS ago, I was at Command Staff and Air War College, and to pass the time between classes, brought along B-17: QoTS, Blackbeard, Source of the Nile, and a few others.

We had a surprise visit from a two-star, and when he came into the room I was in, I was busy bombing the snot out of Bremerhaven. He ended up being HIGHLY entertained by this...he joined the US Army Air Corp in 1944..took a five year break after the war, rejoined the US Air Force in time for Korea, and was ready to retire by the early '80's. He was a B-29 pilot, based in the Pacific.

That's pretty awesome!   O0

Just received the 3rd Expansion to Darkest Night - From the Abyss in the mail.  Going to setup a play through and see how it goes.  The new Darkness cards appears to me what was missing from the previous expansions.  This puts some pressure on the player and makes the game more intense.  There are also some new Events and Artifact cards included as well.....

Quote

DARKNESS CARDS
Darkness cards are a new game mechanic introduced in this expansion. They work similarly to hero power cards, except they benefit the Necromancer rather than the heroes. Note that the Monastery does not protect against the effects of any darkness cards.

[27.1] Modified Set Up:
When setting up the play area (see 3.1), shuffle all the darkness cards together to form the Darkness Deck and set it in reach of all players.

In the rare event (requiring multiple optional rules) that you draw a darkness card during set up that causes you to immediately lose the game, draw a different card and shuffle the original card back into the Darkness Deck.

Drawing Darkness Cards:
Darkness cards are drawn when the darkness track (see 9.0) reaches certain thresholds; place the card face-up in view of all players. Once drawn, they remain in play for the rest of the game, and the instructions on the cards apply whenever relevant.

Darkest Night Expansion 3: From the Abyss Rules v1.0
The number of darkness cards used can be varied to adjust the difficulty of the game, but here are three suggested options:
Standard: Draw one darkness card the first time you reach 10 on the darkness track, and another the first time you reach 20. Ignore the normal effects for 10+ darkness and 20+ darkness; the cards replace them. The usual effects
for 25+ and 30 darkness still apply as normal. (This should be roughly as hard as using the standard darkness track effects with no darkness cards.)

Twilight: Draw darkness cards when the darkness track reaches 5, 10, 15, and 20, for a total of 4 darkness cards (if you are playing on Expert Mode (14.1), this means you will start with one darkness card already in play). As above, ignore the normal effects for 10+ and 20+ darkness, but apply the effects for 25+ and 30 as normal.
Midnight: As Twilight, but apply all the normal effects on the darkness track in addition to the 4 darkness cards.

[27.3] Activating Darkness Cards:
Some darkness cards can be activated; this works just like activating power cards (6.1).

Quote from: PanzersEast on October 15, 2014, 09:41:44 AM
Just received the 3rd Expansion to Darkest Night - From the Abyss in the mail.  Going to setup a play through and see how it goes.  The new Darkness cards appears to me what was missing from the previous expansions.  This puts some pressure on the player and makes the game more intense.  There are also some new Events and Artifact cards included as well.....

Hory Crap!  It got even more difficult?

The couple times I won was by the skin of my teeth.  The red monster/threat counters in one of the previous expansions usually puts the Doom track screws to me at some point.  I usually get the ones that advance the doom track and extra space coming out steadily, sometimes two on the board at a time.  Things turn brutal when those show up in the same space as other threats that prevent you from killing it first or that have a lot of high-end attacks at the end of every turn you're there working on it.  Brutal, I say!

:)

Looks like Shadows Of Brimstone just showed up at CSI.  So it's hitting FLGS shelves.  O0


My pre-order is being processed.  So I should have far too much mini assembly and painting to do soon.  It could make me lose some Sanity Points by the end.

I have the following waiting on the table:

- Enemy Coast Ahead: The Dambuster Raid
- Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident
- A Victory Denied
- Operation Afghanistan
- Hunters Over Korea
- Forlorn Hope


PE

"Shadows of Brimstone"?  Is that some kind of pu$$y eurogame?  Let me go see what BGG says about that damn meeple and card game; I'll start with the pictures first because I'll be able to tell what a POS game it is just by looking at the graphics...

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcf.geekdo-images.com%2Fimages%2Fpic2230858_md.jpg&hash=9339940f1c97cc6855a55a8c495961546db83cbe)

Woah...that got my attention.  Ok, I'll look a little deeper now...

QuoteShadows of Brimstone: City of the Ancients is a fast-paced, fully cooperative, dungeon-crawl board game set in the Old West, with a heavy dose of unspeakable horror! Players create characters, taking on the role of a classic Western Hero Archetype, such as the Law Man, Gunslinger, or Saloon Girl. Forming an adventuring posse, the Heroes venture down into the dark mines, overrun with all manner of ancient demons and foul creatures from another world. With tactical gameplay, lots of dice, and a robust card-driven exploration system, no two games are ever the same as the heroes explore the mines finding new enemies to fight, new loot to collect, and new dangers to overcome. Players can even find portals to other worlds, stepping through to continue their adventures on the other side!

Well hell, that sounds pretty feckin' cool actually! 

Quote from: GJK on December 03, 2014, 04:21:37 PM
"Shadows of Brimstone"?  Is that some kind of pu$$y eurogame?  Let me go see what BGG says about that damn meeple and card game; I'll start with the pictures first because I'll be able to tell what a POS game it is just by looking at the graphics...

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcf.geekdo-images.com%2Fimages%2Fpic2230858_md.jpg&hash=9339940f1c97cc6855a55a8c495961546db83cbe)

Woah...that got my attention.  Ok, I'll look a little deeper now...

QuoteShadows of Brimstone: City of the Ancients is a fast-paced, fully cooperative, dungeon-crawl board game set in the Old West, with a heavy dose of unspeakable horror! Players create characters, taking on the role of a classic Western Hero Archetype, such as the Law Man, Gunslinger, or Saloon Girl. Forming an adventuring posse, the Heroes venture down into the dark mines, overrun with all manner of ancient demons and foul creatures from another world. With tactical gameplay, lots of dice, and a robust card-driven exploration system, no two games are ever the same as the heroes explore the mines finding new enemies to fight, new loot to collect, and new dangers to overcome. Players can even find portals to other worlds, stepping through to continue their adventures on the other side!

Well hell, that sounds pretty feckin' cool actually!

LOL

I threw up my hands in surrender when I found out it was Lovecraftian Horror in the Wild West.  And co-op/soliatire to boot. 

Only problem is all the damn gluing needed for the hordes of minis.  A bit labor intensive up front. 

Tiger Leader is looking like a must have. That and one of the Field of Fire 2nd edition games are on my wish list as far as boardgames go.

Quote from: TacticalWargames on December 03, 2014, 05:48:11 PM
Tiger Leader is looking like a must have. That and one of the Field of Fire 2nd edition games are on my wish list as far as boardgames go.

I wanted Tiger Leader when I heard it used similar hex tile map setups as those in Thunderbolt Apache Leader, which is great.  But I've been kinda icy about it since seeing the component art.  Not sure if like.  Plus.. I tend to avoid WW2 stuff more often than not these days. 

I saw their YouTube video on Tiger Leader...pre-production components to be sure, but still fairly decent-looking. Can't wait to see the final result.

I got in on the Tiger Leader kickstarter right at the end. Can't wait fer March.

I don't know if it's a "best" game, but here's a 1-minute solitaire Bulge game

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1279538/one-minute-bulge-print-play-solitaire-ardennes-cam

Quote from: bayonetbrant on December 04, 2014, 08:59:54 AM
I don't know if it's a "best" game, but here's a 1-minute solitaire Bulge game

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1279538/one-minute-bulge-print-play-solitaire-ardennes-cam

One minute?  Is that even a game?

If it were sex, I wouldn't be sure if I just had it at that rate.

:P

Quote from: Nefaro on December 04, 2014, 10:17:46 AM

Quote from: bayonetbrant on December 04, 2014, 08:59:54 AM
I don't know if it's a "best" game, but here's a 1-minute solitaire Bulge game

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1279538/one-minute-bulge-print-play-solitaire-ardennes-cam (http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1279538/one-minute-bulge-print-play-solitaire-ardennes-cam)

One minute?  Is that even a game?

If it were sex, I wouldn't be sure if I just had it at that rate.

:P

I guess that would depend on which Bulge you were talking about....

My Shadows of Brimstone stuff arrived.   Now to see how quickly I can prepare it for painting & initial solitaire play.

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10999.0

I ordered Darkest Night today. Just the base game. I'll have to wait for expansions. You guys like the base game alone?

Quote from: Banzai_Cat on December 12, 2014, 06:33:18 PM
I ordered Darkest Night today. Just the base game. I'll have to wait for expansions. You guys like the base game alone?

Yes. 

I love Darkest Night for solitaire play.  Some people say they like A Touch Of Evil more, as they are vaguely similar (maybe in theme?  I don't see too many similarities), but I've played much more DN.  The varied player class powers are an immensely fun mechanic, making the play style different for each one and each class can even get different upgrades between different games.  The rules also aren't terribly heavy and it's pretty easy to break it back out months later and get started fairly quickly.  Despite the rules being light, there is still lots of strategic decisions to be made, which puts this game into one of my gaming sweet spots.  O0   

Seeing other people play it on YouTube doesn't give it justice as the ones I've seen don't point out the various strategies that can be acted upon each turn, usually deliberating off camera.

You can get by just fine with the base set.  Actually, I think it's easier to win with the base set because the expansions add more stuff for the bad guy (the red enemy counters can be downright brutal in numbers) and the Quests have a countdown where you get penalized if you fail to compete them by the turn limit on each. 

I'm not sure if the base game is too easy - it may be.  But you can definitely see if you enjoy the gameplay and purchase from there if you want to raise it to eleven.

Thanks, Nefaro.

My daughter had heard of this game and I thought it would be fun to try to play with her. I like that it's solitaire capable but she can jump in if she wants to.

I've actually had Darkest Night and all four of it's expansions on my table the past day or two, waiting for yet another play.

It's just so easy to break out and get started, with almost no prep time now that I sorted all the blight counters into a DVG deep dish counter tray.  O0 

I have many great solitaire games but this one has been my most played in the past year.  Other favorites, like Mage Knight Boardgame, Sentinels of the Multiverse, Thunderbolt Apache Leader, and Eldritch Horror require more setup or fiddly bits & table sprawl that can dissuade me, considering how much time I want to spend.  Prep and breakdown time is more of a factor to me than I expected in the past.

For those of us who enjoy the popular solitaire play in Mage Knight Board Game, there is a new series coming out based upon it's mechanics.  And it's Star Trek:


Star Trek: Frontiers

http://wizkids.com/star-trek-frontiers/

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/182340/star-trek-frontiers


Definitely one to watch for next year.

I can see how the hex-tile exploration and all the other mechanics in MKBG could fit an ST theme of exploring & fighting in a single starship.   :)

Quote from: Nefaro on August 15, 2015, 08:02:21 PM
For those of us who enjoy the popular solitaire play in Mage Knight Board Game, there is a new series coming out based upon it's mechanics.  And it's Star Trek:


Star Trek: Frontiers

http://wizkids.com/star-trek-frontiers/

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/182340/star-trek-frontiers


Definitely one to watch for next year.

I can see how the hex-tile exploration and all the other mechanics in MKBG could fit an ST theme of exploring & fighting in a single starship.   :)

Nice, I'm watching this one now as well. Thanks for posting that!