Legion Of Honor

Arctic Blast · January 21, 2015, 03:11:04 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on January 20, 2015, 12:43:33 PM

I should be getting Dead Of Winter in today and Legion of Honor around Thursday. My tabletop gaming overload resembles my PC one. I need to start thinking about selling or trading off a few of my less played ones.

Welcome to the club! ;D

PanzersEast · January 22, 2015, 10:17:27 AM

Shadows of Malice is a very good game. I like some of the innovative mechanics in the game like the creature generator. I put this game right up there near Mage Knight, the minimalistic graphics are fine and the components are good quality. Overall, this game has really surprised me..... alas, I am going to have to break away and start my Legion of Honor AAR.... these late nights are starting to get to me as it is the only time I have to play.

PE

Nefaro · January 22, 2015, 10:47:37 AM

Quote from: PanzersEast on January 22, 2015, 10:17:27 AM
Shadows of Malice is a very good game. I like some of the innovative mechanics in the game like the creature generator. I put this game right up there near Mage Knight, the minimalistic graphics are fine and the components are good quality. Overall, this game has really surprised me..... alas, I am going to have to break away and start my Legion of Honor AAR.... these late nights are starting to get to me as it is the only time I have to play.

PE

My first game of Shadows Of Malice was fun but not as much as some other solitaire games I've played in the past year or two.

One thing that bothered me were all the different lower numbered die rolls in combat that required you to divide various d6s in different ways. Had to add extra dice with different colors for it too. I had rolls where I was tossing 2d* (0-1 from a d6), 1d2, 1d3, and the 2d6 for the group combat roll, along with a -1d*, and 1d6+2 for the monster attack that round. Then I'd have to recalculate all those different die bonuses & penalties if the monster switched targets when fighting more than one of my characters banded together.

If ever there was a game that desperately needed custom dice, it's this one. I'm guessing they used the fractional dice to keep the math from becoming burdensome but it just creates a different kind.

The random monsters were kinda cool, but I don't think it's due to the generation tables as many people propose. It's due to the variety of special Ability cards each one can get. That's what really adds the flavor to the randomized monsters IMO. Other games should do something similar. Even if they have set monster types, the varied abilities is quite nice and keeps them from getting too repetitive.

SoM's a good game. Not in the highest ranks of my favorite co-op games but it's worthwhile. Maybe it will move up after a second play?

PanzersEast · January 22, 2015, 12:10:45 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on January 22, 2015, 10:47:37 AM
My first game of Shadows Of Malice was fun but not as much as some other solitaire games I've played in the past year or two.

One thing that bothered me were all the different lower numbered die rolls in combat that required you to divide various d6s in different ways. Had to add extra dice with different colors for it too. I had rolls where I was tossing 2d* (0-1 from a d6), 1d2, 1d3, and the 2d6 for the group combat roll, along with a -1d*, and 1d6+2 for the monster attack that round. Then I'd have to recalculate all those different die bonuses & penalties if the monster switched targets when fighting more than one of my characters banded together.

If ever there was a game that desperately needed custom dice, it's this one. I'm guessing they used the fractional dice to keep the math from becoming burdensome but it just creates a different kind.

The random monsters were kinda cool, but I don't think it's due to the generation tables as many people propose. It's due to the variety of special Ability cards each one can get. That's what really adds the flavor to the randomized monsters IMO. Other games should do something similar. Even if they have set monster types, the varied abilities is quite nice and keeps them from getting too repetitive.

SoM's a good game. Not in the highest ranks of my favorite co-op games but it's worthwhile. Maybe it will move up after a second play?

I'm going to go back and play through but I thought the system to be refreshing. One thing that I did not like is the player avatar tokens.... I thought it could have been a mini or a stand up.... but minor. I also agree that custom dice would have benefited for this game far more, however the large with smaller dice was a very good idea (although multicolored dice would have been nice). I see on BGG that someone has already made custom dice stickers for the game, so maybe in an expansion we will see this?

The manual is very well done and explained in pretty good detail and is concise (Hello DVG, please take note looking forward). I guess for me I thought the system is refreshing, with the imagination when playing and the minimal style I like and thought it worked well wit this theme.... being a light entity. Will play some more, but my first impression has been positive.... don't get me wrong, this is not Mage Knight..... but is up there imho.

PE

Nefaro · January 22, 2015, 01:24:38 PM

It's still not as "fiddly" as all the tokens in Sentinels or having massive amounts of DRMs to pour through. I just thought the later combats became a messy affair due to all the various versions of d6s. I would rather they have just gone with the plain 'ole d6 dice pool (aka buckets o' dice) than have you divide various sized (and colored in my case because the pairs of size & colors wasn't enough to include negative ones) by two or three and all that jazz.

Like I said.. still better than huge DRM lists to check every time.

I saw the dice sticker print-offs on BGG. If I expected to play SofM often, I'd go that route. But I think it'll only be an occasional foray. Stuff like Darkest Night and Mage Knight BG will still get higher priority. I may use some colored wooden tokens or something similar for the avatars, though. I didn't get mine mixed up but I only used two characters and was extra careful to get them right because the counters looked so similar.

PanzersEast · January 26, 2015, 12:43:19 PM

Played a couple of Campaign seasons with Legion of Honor this weekend.... rule book is not too bad, however could have benefited from a more detailed turn by turn reference.... overall I was wounded in my second campaign season leading a counter attack.

PE

Cyrano · January 29, 2015, 09:19:23 PM

I just want to make sure this game gets the credit it deserves for taking aesthetic risks.

Of course there's this thing:

Which, I gather, is the bit that gets the "mature audiences only" disclaimer at the front, but then there's this:

Complete sucker for LaSalle in the world of Napoleonics, but, then, this:

An utterly pointless bit of ephemera that, my wife correctly points out, should be in French, but I will find a place for on my wall.

This thing plays as well as it looks and feels, I'm pleased. Yes, some of the graphic design, especially in the rulebook, tripped me up a bit, but it's a trade I'll make every time.

Best,

Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)

Nefaro · January 29, 2015, 11:21:20 PM

I began reading the rules but it's not been progressing very quickly with all the other stuff I've been juggling.

At first glance, the game doesn't look to have many cards. But I think they're just pretty thin. I haven't taken them out of the shrink yet so I have no idea. Probably going to sleeve them all if they're as thin and chip-prone as they look.

PanzersEast · February 09, 2015, 09:16:29 AM

The components are pretty nice, however the cards are extremely thin. After a couple of play throughs I can say it is a unique experience, however for a solo game it is very boring. I found myself losing interest in the game about half way in because it was a simple turn card adjust sliders.... turn card adjust sliders...... I think in a group setting this game would be a lot more fun, solo this game is not very good and is just a turn card and adjust sliders with very little input from the player.....

PE

Nefaro · February 09, 2015, 11:28:03 AM

The amount of decisions to be made is a concern for me, after briefly glancing at the rules.

PanzersEast · February 09, 2015, 11:51:44 AM

Quote from: Nefaro on February 09, 2015, 11:28:03 AM
The amount of decisions to be made is a concern for me, after briefly glancing at the rules.

To be honest there basically are none.... it is a just draw the card and adjust the counters. For example, you can draw a card that has you doing an action in battle, you can do that action at a risk of injury or wound, however you could choose avoid with a possible disgrace.... that is it. I simply found it boring and uninteresting to the point where I did not care what happened to my character. The art work and thematic aspect was very good, just the mechanics and solo game play I found lacking and traded my copy away for Across 5 Aprils.

PE

Nefaro · February 09, 2015, 06:37:00 PM

I can perhaps see how the Push Your Luck race might be okay in a group but it does sound like the solo game would be lacking without such competition.

I have many other unplayed games lined up before it so I probably won't see it in action anytime soon. Because the rulebook reading was going at a glacial pace so it was bumped down for the moment.