What's on your table right now?

[Nefaro]

Sorting the 700+ cards in Legendary Encounters: Predator into their sub-decks. 




Took me almost two hours to sort (two layers worth), count mini-deck numbers for completion, and stick them in the box w/ dividers.  Still more enjoyable than punching & clipping counters.  :P

Still has co-op/solo play, as in the Aliens version, but I'm curious about how the new competitive rules turned out (competing predator players).

[panzerde]

Welcome l'amour! I started really getting into GBOH games a few weeks ago myself. Very interested to read about your games.

[BanzaiCat]

Still has co-op/solo play, as in the Aliens version, but I'm curious about how the new competitive rules turned out (competing predator players).

The Aliens version is a lot of fun. Even though I got chestbursted and everyone else died one step from victory when the ship blew up around their ears.

[l'amour]

Welcome l'amour! I started really getting into GBOH games a few weeks ago myself. Very interested to read about your games.

Thanks! I've really been enjoying SPQR. Which titles have you been playing? I was thinking about picking up Ran next but I love the Romans so maybe Caesar in Gaul..

[panzerde]

Thanks! I've really been enjoying SPQR. Which titles have you been playing? I was thinking about picking up Ran next but I love the Romans so maybe Caesar in Gaul..

I've mostly been playing Hoplite. I also have SPQR, Alexander and Ran. I have to admit that Ran looks really interesting, though I have yet to get it on the table.

[BanzaiCat]

I finally got Darkest Night to the table tonight. The rules were really simple to get into but it took me several referrals to it before I got the hang of it.

It was a close-run game. I was getting my butt kicked early on - couldn't complete a Search worth a damn so I couldn't get any Keys, which meant no Artifact to fight the Necromancer with. I chose the Rogue, Knight, Priest, and Druid during this play through and though everyone kind of sucked, the Rogue was an exception and kept finding Treasure Chests to up his Power. He got really lucky and found a lot of Keys, unlocking an Artifact, and he managed to attract the attention of the Necromancer too. With all the Power cards I had I got to roll several dice and got lucky with one '6' which killed the bad guy and won the game. The Darkness track was only about halfway done. Funny how the Rogue managed to pull off some excellent rolls but everyone else kept having a hard time (the Knight finally started clearing out some Blights, thanks to one of her Oaths, but that made her very visible to the Necromancer; I was fortunate he ignored her for the Rogue near the end of the game).

[Nefaro]

Are you using just the base set B_C?

[BanzaiCat]

Are you using just the base set B_C?

Yup, that's all I have is the base set. What are there, three expansions now? Do you have them all, Nef?

[Nefaro]

Are you using just the base set B_C?

Yup, that's all I have is the base set. What are there, three expansions now? Do you have them all, Nef?

Four expansions.  And... yes.

I picked up the Necromancer bundle when I got the core set.  So it came with the first two.  I think the first two expansions raise the difficulty with the added Quests (new deck) and the Blights with the global effects (red framed ones) to a good solitaire level.  The core game, by itself, may be a bit too easy (dunno - started playing with first two exps.)

The third expansion randomizes the bad darkness track effects with a new deck of cards, haven't tried that yet.  I got this one more for the extra characters but I'll give the new darkness deck a shot soon.

The fourth, which just came out, features a new deck which provides random requirements for finding keys.  Kinda like quests, but you have to do varied things to unlock keys, so the key search is more interesting.  This was much needed IMO, because you could get some easier wins by luck of the dice & card draws for them which would spread the difficulty out a bit too much from game to game. 

The latest two extra decks (Darkness and Key Search thing) have extra suggestions in their rules for adjusting difficulty.  So they can also help ramp up the challenge, as needed. 


If I were to skip one of the expansions, it would've been the third one that has the extra Darkness deck.  I think most people recommend the first one which has the Quest deck, but the second one has the Red Blights which can really make you rethink your plans when they come out.  The latest Key Finding one I couldn't turn down;  the key searching was one of the core game's weaknesses IMO and that's what it's supposed to address, although I've not played the default levels with it enough yet.

They all come with new character classes, and each one having their own custom deck & abilities is what makes this game so enjoyable solitaire.  The unique player powers, and figuring out how to use them all in concert to achieve your goals, is much fun.  Same reason I enjoy Sentinels of the Multiverse.

[panzerde]

Today's arrival:



Gary if you want to play something Napoleonic with a familiar system, try this. NBS is derived from the CWBS rules. Even though I bought this from MMP, this has to be old remaining inventory from when they bought The Gamers. It says so all over the box, map, manual and charts.

[GJK]

Today's arrival:



Gary if you want to play something Napoleonic with a familiar system, try this. NBS is derived from the CWBS rules. Even though I bought this from MMP, this has to be old remaining inventory from when they bought The Gamers. It says so all over the box, map, manual and charts.

Ah yes, I'm familiar with the NBS series of games and yes, that would definitely fit the bill.  I'll have to start shopping around for some of those.  I'm currently still getting through my ACW fix but did find that I had a copy of "The Seven Days of 1809" laying around.  Never played it and have barely looked at it but it looks to be a good one (I see Simonitch's name on it so that is a big plus in my book).  Knowing me, what I'll do is start to read up on Napoleon's campaigns (as I know next to nothing about it, shamefully) and then that bug will bite and I'll start out with 1809 while shopping for some NBS stuff.  Thanks for reminding me of that series!

[panzerde]

Ah yes, I'm familiar with the NBS series of games and yes, that would definitely fit the bill.  I'll have to start shopping around for some of those.  I'm currently still getting through my ACW fix but did find that I had a copy of "The Seven Days of 1809" laying around.  Never played it and have barely looked at it but it looks to be a good one (I see Simonitch's name on it so that is a big plus in my book).  Knowing me, what I'll do is start to read up on Napoleon's campaigns (as I know next to nothing about it, shamefully) and then that bug will bite and I'll start out with 1809 while shopping for some NBS stuff.  Thanks for reminding me of that series!

If you are thinking of starting out with Seven Days of 1809, then let me recommend John Gill's books on the campaign as a great read along. I'm reading through the "Thunder on the Danube" trilogy of his right now, the first two of which cover what that game covers. Hands down, one of the best campaign histories I've read, with good maps.


I just pulled out my 20+ year old copy of In Their Quiet Fields. Might have to give that a go after I play Marengo.

[GJK]

Thanks, I'll look for Gill's book on my next trip to Half Price Books.

ITQFII is great fun.  I really enjoy gaming the Antietam campaign.  As you likely know, it's really 3 large battles within the whole; the cornfield, the sunken road and Burnside's bridge.  Should of would of been an easy Union crush but for McClellan's indecisiveness.  That's modeled quite well in the game with the "McClellan Points" system.  Poor guy can only do so much at a time.

If you don't have the table space, you can play it via VASSAL.  I did the VASSAL module for it some years ago.  I completely redrew the map ("fixing" those GOD awful colors in the original) and also redrew all the pieces for clarity.  It's a nice, clean module that I've pbem'd a number of times.

[GJK]

Screenshot of the VASSAL module:

[panzerde]

MUCH nicer. I'll have to grab the VASSAL module. I looked at that original map and about ran shrieking from the room, particularly compared to the Marengo map.


I have the table space for it, I just don't have the space for it, Marengo, and whatever OSG title I'm going to play next all at the same time!