All posts by Darren

How many sidekicks does a hero need?

dice masters, tabletop

Just how many sidekick and basic action dice do you need?

The photo above doesn't include the dice I have in my dice bag for playing. These are the spares from all the four Dicemasters starter sets so far (if I remember correctly I bought two of the Uncanny X-Men set). Plus this will grow a little bit more when the DC one ordered arrives.
Plus I'm getting a nice little stock of the awful waxy dice bags they give in the starter set.

 

Intensity Factor 11

star realms

I played my first “three minute” game of Star Realms today. Why did I leave it so long before doing this? it was intense!

So let me step back and explain what I'm talking about for those not familiar with Star Realms and specifically the Star Realms app.

With Star Realms the app there is an online play option that allows you to play against a specific player (if you know their ID) or you can rely on pot luck and let the Star Realms servers pick a suitable opponent for you.

Naturally when setting up a game you can choose to play with the Gambit expansion or not, plus choose between being given upto forty eight hours for a turn. Which is brilliant for allowing life to happen during a game. And this is how I've been playing the online side of things since that fateful day earlier in the year to test my mettle against other Star Realms players.

However the second turn time I hadn't tried, which was the three minute turn.

I'd seen comments on the Facebook page about people losing games because their app hadn't refreshed in time. Which hadn't really endeared me to trying this faster version of the online game. Yes you can play the other turn time just as fast but there isn't that pressure to do so.

So today I decided to throw caution to the wind and give the three minute turn a go.

Wow! What an intense experience. That time pressure makes such a big difference. No switching between multiple games. You need to remain focused on that single game. As I pointed out above people have lost games because the timer ran out due to lack of refreshing in time.

I was determined not to have that as an issue, and with the iPad version of the app it wasn't.

Three minutes may seem like a long time to take a turn. But let me tell you it isn't. During that brief down time when you are waiting for your opponent to take their turn, you are working through scenarios of what to buy in the trade row, working out how to best play your cards. Then throwing it all to the wind because they have just bought the cards you wanted and they have been replaced with cards you don't want. Yes this all happens in the normal game but it's more compressed.

How best to describe this for none players? Well you have seen the chess players with their little chess clocks and their timed games? Three minute turns in Star Realms is like that but fun!

Oh and for the record I won the game!

 

Five Tribes Politically Correct Expansion

tabletop

In previous posts I have mentioned that I had ordered this expansion from Board Game Geeks store. I think I also mentioned also about the fuss that a certain card had caused. In new printings of the game that controversial card has been replaced. However for those that have one of the earlier printings (I'm assuming there have been more than one to meet demand for the game) you can get this expansion to replace the card that can't be named.

The expansion isn't expensive five dollars if I remember correctly plus a dollar shipping. So a bargain really. Plus to sweeten the deal you also get a djinn card to add to the game too.
So here is that controversial card (on the right) plus the new card (on the left). I can see both sides of the argument that of the designer and those that find it offensive. For the record I am against slavery (heck Wisbech is the home of Thomas Clarkson a key figure in the abolition of slavery).
Now I'm sitting on the fence here on whether the card should be played with in the game. However I think when I play Five Tribes with friends and others then I think I need to be able to take the other players opinions into account. So by having both versions I can do that.
However if they do find the card offensive, sadly they will have to put up with the card being referred to in the playing instructions and player reference cards as the slave card. I assume that in the reprinting this too will be replaced with the new cards name.
Will the djinn card included in this expansion be included in the reprinting? I don't know. I would be surprised. As I hinted at the top of the post this djinn card is a sweetener to make having to buy the replacement cards more palettable. So if I was to bet money on this I'd be placing my hard earned cash on that it wouldn't be included.
So is it worth getting? For me yes for the reason given above. Yes if you are a completionist and must have everything for a game.
Remember it's not essential to the game, which can still be enjoyed without it.
 

 

TGOC 2015 Al’s Last Dance Part 3

Uncategorized

Thought I would share with the wider world than a Facebook page the photo Alan posted of Lord Elpus and the start of their ascent up one of the lesser mountains on the way to amount Skullzfire.

Last night I am happy to report Al and Lord Elpus ate a hearty fish supper. As our latest instalment of their most epic of crossings shows.

 

TGOC 2015 Al’s Last Dance Part 2

Uncategorized

This morning our intrepid heroes had a minor catastrophe. Luckily it was captured for all to enjoy.

Sadly I don't think Al has packed enough whisky or wine to erase this sight from his mind!

Continuing with the ultra light ethos that Al and Lord Elpus have been for championing on this crossing, the pizza delivery boy delivered a deep crust meat feast to them just as the porters had made camp and brewed them a cup of joe.

 

TGOC 2015 Al’s Last Dance Part 1

lego minifigs

Just in over the interweb from Alan Sloman and Lord Elpus who last Friday started out on the West coast of Scotland walking towards Montrose on the East coast, a photo of their first morning camp has arrived.

As can be seen in the photo Alan and Lord Elpus are following the ultra lite philosophy of backpacking. They are utilising porters and the odd food delivery service along the way. As you can see it's not just porters but baristas they have employed, so over breakfast and a great mug of java they can discuss that days daunder, and meal options.
You can read Alan's own words from the crossing at his blog.

 

Coffee Addiction

tabletop

I don't think it's any secret about how I feel about coffee. I love it.

Yes I buy from those tax avoiding establishments like Costa and Starbucks. It's only been the last couple of years that we have seen the corporate tentacles of these giants reach out and strike Wisbech.

Wisbech isn't big enough to support a hip and trendy artisan coffee shop like those that can be found all over that cesspit London. These corporate behemoths are the closest we get in the town. Oh we have coffee shops but you couldn't describe them as an artisan coffee shop. One or two have really nice cakes to have with your tea or coffee but this does not make a coffee shop.

I'm loathe to call the staff at these local establishments baristas, although technically they are. However if you asked for a flat white they would be clueless about what one is, and even more lost in trying to make one. They can make a passable coffee. But there is no technique or true artistry involved. Coffee isn't their passion. That for me is what separates a “coffee” shop from a coffee shop. And to be fair to these local pervayers of beverages Starbucks and Costa are no better.

So what do I make my coffee with at home? I use an Aeropress, I just love the coffee that this inexpensive device makes. Plus it's quick to clean up afterwards too.

I have a moka pot which I use when I want to make espresso in a large quantity. I got one of these after I had an espresso machine. But that sadly was a costly mistake. It just didn't make enough coffee in one go. When I drank large mugs of coffee, I needed more than the one cup that the machine made in use. So I ended up getting a moka pot to make enough espresso in one go.

I do take my coffee seriously but I haven't reached the hipster heights yet of roasting and grinding my own beans yet (that is a whole new level of expertise for me). I've also not made the jump to having a kettle I can get the exact temperature of boiling water I need for making the perfect brew.

So you can see why the theme of the game VivaJava the coffee game the dice game appealed to me. You have guessed the theme from the title haven't you?

If you haven't guessed it's about finding coffee beans, and making that perfect blend for the coffee company you are working for. All this by rolling dice!

Wait coffee and dice? Wow this game was made just for me wasn't it?

I love the box, the artwork, the whole look and feel of the packaging. Open up and the look and feel is continued inside, even down to a burlap storage bag!

I did find it easier getting to grips with the rules for the game watching the really excellent video that Dice Hate Me produced on their website.

One of the reasons I got this game is that it plays solo. Which is great for me.

I know you can download and print addition score sheets free from the Dice Hate Me website but it would be nice to buy new pads as well. I think Dice Hate Me are also missing a trick not selling the Dice Hate Me mug that you see in the box cover art. It would be really cool to be drinking a beverage(coffee preferably) from a Dice Hate Me mug while playing the VivaJava the coffee game the dice game.

The dream scenario for me with this game is to be playing it at a coffee shop with friends while enjoying a hot beverage and cake. But I'll settle with playing with friends on a game night.

Don't forget that there is also an expansion for this game that if you can get them means getting hold of the the Dice Hate Me Angry Dice although you can just use normal six sided dice. Apparently the Angry face side of the Angry Dice is normally where the three is.

Anyway all this talk of coffee has got me craving for a coffee…

 

Little bits and pieces

new arrivals, tabletop
Ok my liking of Love Letter is becoming more of an obsession! Officially this is my fifth version of the game. This version of the game is the Kanai Factory Limited Edition.
This uses the art work from the original Japanese release of the game.
I actually like this art work a lot. I can see how the art may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I do like the cartoony look, along with the pastel colours. Another thing I like about this version is that there are also two promo cards that allow you to change the gender of the princess, ie use a prince and also an alt art version of the princess.

Epic Spell Wars

After watching the season Tabletop episode where they play this game I had a look for it. Strangely enough it was not to be found anywhere, or if you could it was the usually Amazon stupid amount from a third party. However I believe this scarcity was there before the Tabletop episode aired.
But then again it could be due to Tabletop and that people snapped it up when they saw it on the list of games to be played in season 3 that was released before season three started airing. It's what I did with Marvel Legendary. I had been undecided about buying the game over the Summer. I'd watched reviews, and game play videos. Knew I was going to buy it, and had placed it high on my to buy list. But hadn't got to that point that I was going to buy it. Then in September Wil Wheaton put up the list of games for season three of Tabletop. I knew then that as soon as that episode aired I'd want to buy it, and the Tabletop phenomenon of games getting hard to buy after being on the show, would just upset and frustrate me as it would be sold out. So I went and bought it there and then (not regretted it once) before supply dried up.
From the art work, to the title of the game, this game has a look and feel of eighties rock bands, or Jack Black and Tennacious D. I'm really looking forward to playing this one with my friends, with big hair eighties pomp rock blasting in the background.
Look Wil Wheaton is a geek God ok. How could I not pick up the Wil Wheaton promo card for Five Tribes? It had to be done. I just need to track down the other promos from this years International Tabletop Day that I want. Well the Ms Day Dead of Winter promo would be nice for starters.
What is it about promos that I like? Well they aren't necessary to enjoy a game, so not needed. However for me I like them because it's like personalising the game. Ok technically there will be other people out there with the same promo in their game. But it makes the game feel to me like it is mine.
It may if the people have played the game before and not seen the promo add a small bit of variety to the game, a “oh I've not seen that before” moment.
What I don't like about promos is when companies only hand them out at certain events, or limit them to kickstarter only. I side with Tom Vassel here and that I don't mind a time window of exclusivity, however they should be made available to everyone to get easily after that period has expired. White Wizard games I think have (hopefully) got the approach spot on. Next year they will be releasing a 2014/2015 promos card expansion that will be all the promos from the kickstarter, OP events etc from those two years. I'll be buying this to get the only promo I'm missing the Star Market.
Making these promos easily accessible to fans of the game (it's community) shows that the publisher cares about the games fans and doesn't want to see them fleeced having to pay heavily inflated prices on eBay to get the promo that a lot of the time was FREE!
Sadly this is not the case with a lot of the publishers.
The Ticket to Ride 1910 expansion has been on my list for a long time. Finally I've crumbled and bought it.
The Game of the Year expansions for VivaJava the coffee game the dice game also arrived. There are a couple of mats that are purely decorative as the Lord of the Beans one (as shown above) illustrates. The thing is with kickstarter this expansion came with some dice called Angry Dice. This is a separate mini game Dice Hate Me sell, however they are also used in the Angry Dice expansion that adds an aggro element to the game. However this expansion doesn't come with these dice and therefore you have to buy the dice separately. Like most things these aren't available in the UK, and I've tried looking very hard using my extensive Google ninja skills. Ordering the dice from the Dice Hate Me store sees a whopping $60 shipping fee for a $15 order ($5 for Angry Dice and $10 for a card version of a Brewing game they do), madness. I've actually had to resort to asking a big favour from a friend in the US if he could order the game for me. Even then they charged him $15 for shipping.