Category Archives: tabletop

Toe to Toe

lego minifigs, netrunner, star realms, tabletop

New Stuff

Another day another data pack filling in the holes in the ice security to protect my servers from those cursed runners! Oh wait the Android:Netrunner world isn't real. What I meant to say is another one of the suggested data packs for those starting out in the game.

You will also notice that the photo has a picture of a minifig in it. The Where's My Pants guy from the Lego Movie arrived. Normally I wouldn't of bothered with this figure but my next project which I will start documenting this week with the initial post requires the lower half of this figure!

I joined the A Star Realms Fan Created Community page on Facebook today. This group has weekly online competitions/league play, and is covered regularly on the Megahaulin podcast. So I introduced myself and said I was up for playing online with folks.

Since that introduction and invite to play games four people have challenged me to games.

I get so much enjoyment playing this game. I don't care about winning or losing, I'm having a blast playing. Mind you winning is nice. I get this sort of enjoyment while playing DiceMasters, well any game really. As long as I'm having an enjoyable experience playing, that is the important thing for me.

I've introduced Freddy to the game and he has become as addicted to it as myself. I lost count how many games we played over the weekend. Being in America Freddy has an advantage over me. He is able to get the Gambit expansion, playmats, and storage box, which aren't available over here in the UK yet. So I'm very jealous of that. Having said that tomorrow the Gambit expansion becomes available within the app. So at least I will be able to play with that expansion, and get used to playing with it. The Gambit expansion in physical form comes with some cards that allow you to play solo games of Star Realms. I'm very interested in seeing how that works. I may do a video of for that once I get the expansion.

Freddy and I have had some very intense games. It is just that sort of game. Sometimes the cards fall for you. The trade row has cards you want to buy. Your hand draws cards that combo up, draw extra cards and force your opponent to discard cards. Your opponent is unable to do any real damage. Everything just goes smoothly. Then there are the games that are like two boxers standing toe to toe just trading blows. They are the really intense games. You take your best shot, they go down. You think they are down for the count. But they get back up and take their shot. They hit you with a belter. Your chin feels like glass, you fall to your knees. That was a hard knock you've just taken. Your head is swimming, but you dig deep, and somehow find the strength to struggle back on to two feet. How much more can this wary body take? Neither of you have much energy left for this fight. You've got to muster one more punch. Hoping you can summon enough from your flagging reserves to finish them off this time. You know you can't survive another punch like you somehow just got back up from.

Those are such great games. The game can go either way depending on how kind the cards are too you. Will you get lucky and draw the cards you need?

I love it. Who cares if you win? With that sort of excitement its kind of irrelevant, you are having a blast, you are on tender hooks with every card drawn.

I love playing Freddy, we have so much fun. But playing a wide variety of people helps to improve your own game. I'm looking forward to seeing what tactics Freddy picks up playing others. And I'm looking forward to seeing other styles of play, and seeing how I compare.

There are weaknesses to my game that I am trying to correct. But sometimes the cards just don't fall for you. When that happens just buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

 

Some of my favourite cards in Star Realms Part 1

star realms, tabletop

I play a lot of Star Realms especially using the amazing app of the core game (expansions coming later in the year) in both AI mode (the hard AI plays a reasonable game) and online with friends. I think I'm an average player, and need to start playing against a wider pool of players. I'd love to think I'm competitive enough to do a credible showing in any store/regional/national competition. But I don't think I'm expert enough yet to talk tactics. So what I'd like to do is look at some of my favourite cards in the game from the core game.

First up I'll look at three of the Star Faction cards I like (photo above). The Corvette, Survey Ship and Imperial Frigate are great early cards to get. I like them because they are cheap, allow me to draw extra cards, and in the case of the Imperial Frigate reduce the hand of the opposing player for their next turn. Plus when I decide to scrap either the Imperial Frigate and Survey Ship not only do I reduce my deck size (allowing quicker play through of my deck) but I get to once again either force my opponent to discard a card from their hand or draw a card.
In the photo above I have two Machine Cult cards Patrol Mech and Stealth Needle, plus a Blob ship Ram. I'll start with the Blobs Ram. This for me is another early purchase that gives me a bit of fire power to reduce the other players authority (life for non players). Plus if I'm short of credits to buy a ship I can always scrap this card to get three extra coins to buy the ship I want. But I only tend to do this if I'm replacing the Ram with something more powerful. I like the Patrol Mech because it can be either coins or damage I can choose depending which is my greater need at the time of playing the card. Plus it allows me to scrap a card from my hand or discard pile. Scraping cards is an important tactic within the game, because it allows you to get rid of unwanted cards (like the starting cards) and increase the odds of drawing the cards you want, and allow you to get through you deck quicker. I love the Stealth Needle, it's a great mid game card. So I hate it when it appears early. It's power is in the ability to copy another card in your hand. That means all the other cards abilities, faction. So it will kick off any faction abilities of the copied card. Which means it can start off a nice combo with the right cards. It's fairly pointless early on when all you can copy in your hand is the starter cards.
Finally I have three cards from the Trade Federation. Two cheap buys in the form of Cutter and Embassy Yacht and the expensive Command Ship. I like these because they increase your authority when played plus either give you more coins to spend or allow more damage. For its two cost the Cutter has to be my top buy. I hate buying a card and having a Cutter appear which I can't buy. The Command Ship may be expensive but Authority and damage PLUS draw two extra cards with the faction ability to destroy an opposing base. I think it's a bargain at that cost!
Well I hope you have enjoyed this post about my favourite Star Realms cards. I'll do the second part later in the week.

 

You’re making me laugh, tell me your killing joke

lego minifigs, netrunner, new arrivals, tabletop

So the edition of Death of the Family that I wanted arrived. It was the edition with the Joker mask. Now I have the quandary do I leave it unopened or do I open it. But I know if I open it up I will be drawn to trying the mask on. Then who knows what will happen. I'm afraid that the mask will take me over and I will become lost in some nether world while the Joker takes over my flesh and go on some insane killing spree. Who knows where it would end with no Batman to stop my Joker possessed carcass.

At least I don't have to worry about being taken over with this following Joker. All I have to worry about is some sort of Chucky thing happening. Waking up with a miniature Heath Ledger Joker standing over me is just marginally more scarey than waking up with the apex predator Nico the attack chihuahua next to me.

This rather cool Lego Research Institute arrived also. It's got a frickin dinosaur!

Finally the second Android:Netrunner core set arrived. Thanks to attending the rather Raspberry Pi Third Birthday Party celebrations today, I've not had time to start organising the cards. But free pizza, cake and odd freebie override a day of card organising and making lego.

 

Hack the planet!

netrunner, tabletop

Oh yes using the call to arms from the movie Hackers. Somehow I thought it would be an apt post title for today.

Today saw a visit to the FLGS The Rift to purchase the living card game Android:Netrunner with a data pack or two.

I ended up leaving The Rift with a base set and the following data packs. A second core set is also winging its way to me so that I can build decks that can use three of the core set cards instead of being limited to two.
The data pack 'What Lies Ahead' is on its way from elsewhere. When that arrives it will mean I will have all the data packs that make up the first cycle for Android:Netrunner the Genesis Cycle. While 'Up and Over' and 'All that remains' are from the third cycle Lunar.

So now I have some cards to organise, learn about building decks for Android:Netrunner, build some decks and test them out in games. I'm really looking forward to this.

Adding to my unintended collection of dice games (well who doesn't enjoy rolling dice?) Age of War arrived.

It's a game by the prolific game designer Reiner Knizia. I love his two player card game Lost Cities, which I play regularly using the iPhone app (which is a rather good implementation of the game, I think I have a 56% win rate, which I'm happy with). I also have his book of dice games. Oh oh just remembered that he did the micro game Shoot Out, that was included with the film Going Cardboard. Which is a fun little two player game that for me amazingly manages to capture the atmosphere of an old west gunfight. So I'm looking forward to playing this dice game.

 

Hey hey have you heard the news?

lego minifigs, tabletop, trip report

Thunderbirds are go!!!

Yes you have guessed it the Kickstarter for the cooperative board game designed by Matt Leacock based on the beloved children's TV classic (despite Holywoods attempt to ruin the memory with that aweful live action movie) Thunderbirds, has gone live today.

Be quick as the top tier will be locked once the game has reached £70,000. The top tier is awesome as it gets you the game, expansions and stretch goals PLUS your name in the credits!!! OH YES! I think it will hit this target easily, although I guess it won't raise as much as the Ghostbusters boardgame. It will be interesting to see what both of these franchises manage to raise via Kickstarter when they reach the end of their funding periods. And I'm sure when both have closed on Kickstarter I'll write some fluff piece comparing how the campaigns went and commenting on the totals raised. I may even try to make myself sound intellectual and know what I'm talking about (I know that will be amazingly hard).

click here to go back the game

Lego Minifig Stuff

Had some new arrivals today. First up straight from the U.S. some cowboy hats, a couple of flat caps, a couple of trilbes, and some six shooters.

The flat caps and the trilbe are for the hipster figure I'm creating. I have one more cap coming before I decide which is the one I like best for completing the figure. Once that arrives I'll write a third and final post on the hipster figure.
Next up I was able to source off eBay the parts I wanted from a particular Indiana Jones lego set that I need for another project which you will see the fruits of in May.

Remember my post about Android:Netrunner from the weekend? I used my Hacktivist figure for that post. Well I want to be able to depict the conflict between runner and corporation, so I've sourced some business minifigs to represent the corporation side of the Android:Netrunner. Can you guess which minifig is on its way that is the ultimate representation of a corporation?

Finally today also from eBay came a vintage Lego minifig astronaut. I think this was one of the first minifigs I played with as a kid/teenager.
Mum got me a series 13 minifig today, but I'd already got the Egyptian guard/warrior so it was kept for the parts. I don't mind doubles when it comes to minifigs as I do as I have here and use them to build up my spare parts to make other figures with.
I also got the latest copy of Blocks, a magazine about Lego. I particularly want to read the building a Star Wars arm article.

 

A Couple of Recorded Star Realms Games

star realms, tabletop

I don't have Lego minfig pic yet for when playing Star Realms YET! Anyway I think by now it's clear on this blog exactly how I feel about this game. However if there is any doubt I LOVE IT.

And confession time I'm not exactly subtle about pushing the game at friends. I'm a total fanboy for this game. I'll bore you another day with a post about what it is exactly about the game I like. I'd imagine the post will be along the lines of yesterday's that I wrote on Android:Netrunner.

So I managed to wear down a good friend of mine in the US of A, Freddy. Freddy since buying the app has been playing Star Realms with me, and doing rather well at it. Anyway Freddy recorded a couple of our games from today and put the video up on YouTube.

I've embedded the video below, give it a watch Freddy does a really great job on the commentary.

It's funny really because last night I was looking at using twitch on my Mac to record a game or two of Star Realms. The great thing is buy the game once (and it's not that expensive) and you get it across all platforms. So PC, Mac, iOS, and Android.

It's great to see a friend love a game so much, and I can't wait to see what Freddy thinks of the promo cards and the expansions. I think they will blow him away with how awesome one or two of them are.

 

Early Netrunner Thoughts

netrunner, tabletop

As I mentioned in an earlier post in the week I tried Android:Netrunner and I liked it! (Where is the song about that Katy Perry?) For those that can remember back to the start of the year you will remember one of my gaming aims for 2015 was to try and learn Android:Netrunner. This week means I've met this one, and so early in the year. I'm glad it has ended up this way because it means I have the rest of the year to look forward to playing it. I think if this had been left to the end of the year I'd of regretted leaving it so late.

I think I've played four games now, mostly as a runner and one as a corporation. My Amazon basket is all lined up ready for payday but I will come back to that later in the post. In the meantime I've been doing a little “light” reading. My friends daughters fiancé Todd plays Android:Netrunner a lot, and pointed me in the direction of an article on Reddit that covers what to buy expansion wise after getting the base starter set. I've found a couple of articles on deck building. So I've printed these off to read along with the official rule book and FAQ.
Now I've played both runner and corporation I have to say that I do enjoy playing the runner. I didn't get on with the corporation however that is mainly I think I didn't really understand how to play it properly. But I will and I'm sure my enjoyment of playing corporation will improve.
But what is it about playing the runner that I enjoy?
I've been a fan of cyberpunk for decades now, I came across it while at polytechnic. Like many my first introduction to cyberpunk was through the writings of William Gibson. I burned through his books like Burning Chrome, Neuromancer etc. I came across the Shadowrun series of books, that combined cyberpunk with fantasy. I loved those books. Of course in these books the hacker, the anti corporate types are the heroes or anti-heroes of the story. They were cool and I loved it. Deep down wanting to be like them. I had fallen for the romantic idea of the hacker against the big corporate entity.
But even earlier than that during the home computing boom in the 80s Hollywood released the film War Games. A teenage hacker manages to hack the pentagon, come close to starting world war three, save the day and get the girl! A teenage geeks dream. In the nineties hacking got the Hollywood treatment again in the movie Hackers. Once again made to look sexy and cool, and the hacker and his friends save the day, and he gets the girl (a teenage Angelina Jolie who played an independent elite hacker in the movie).
But Hollywood was not only depicting hackers on TV they were also depicting a cyber world inside of the computer, whether it was with people being physical drawn into a virtual world in Tron or once the term had been defined virtual reality with The Lawnmower Man (this was long before I had heard of or read Flowers for Algernon). This virtual world was another element of the cyberpunk equation.
In the real world during this time viruses where becoming big news and despite the antiquated methods compared to today's everything connected to the net world, were spreading like wildfire. During the late eighties a book caused an uproar when it was printed called The Little Blackbook of Viruses. It wasn't available in the UK, but this book was a how to write viruses book. Which I managed to get a copy of, and is a highlight of my library of computing books. I wanted the book a) because of its exclusivity b) I wanted to understand what I was up against in these new programs that were out to attack my computer and wipe my data.
Hollywood was either on TV or in the movies still depicting hackers as the anti social loner. That image suited me. It was me! In the noughties the film Swordfish came out with Hugh Jackman playing a hacker. Thenfilm is only memorial because of two things, the rather interesting interview technique Hugh's character had to go through and Halle Berry topless in one scene. Otherwise it was a watchable pass the time movie. But it showed a more mature hacker, more in line with my age at the time. Hollywood hackers were growing up with me. However in Swordfish this wasn't the hacker against the big corporate entity this was hacking for criminal ends.
From there Hollywood progressed to depicting hackers as criminals or cyber terrorists in films such as Die Hard 4. With the odd “good” hacker that the action hero could call on to help defeat the evil criminal hacker.
This isn't meant to be an authoritive history of hacking and cyber punk in Hollywood. I've just picked the odd highlight that I remember.
In recent years we have seen the emergence of Anonymous and their attacks on the corporate world. The face of Anonymous is usually represented by the mask of V from the graphic novel/movie V for Vendetta, which is a mask of Guy Fawkes. Their attacks seemed to show some sort of social justice for the downtrodden, victims of corporations and a corrupt political system. This appealed to me and the cyberpunk world I had grown up enjoying. Of course the reality of the group after watching documentaries and reading a book on them showed a darker side that I find repulsive.
However the distopian corporate run world depicted by cyberpunk authors somehow feels like it is is nearly here. Corporations lobby and buy politicians to get laws passed to protect their interests, and to make them unaccountable (look into the TTIP if you don't believe me, or the copyright laws that get passed, how many bankers have been prosecuted for the 2008 collapses, or the other banking scandals that have happened since?), politicians pass laws to allow greater survalience, while not prosecuting those that are entrusted with protecting us when they break the law.
Into this bleak world view and and romantic view of hackers of mine the world of corporations combating against runners in the cyberpunk world of Android:Netrunner really does appeal to me. It's this romanticism that draws me to the runners. I am that hacker fighting against the evil corporations, standing up for the little guy with no voice, bringing down the corrupt system.
I will need to learn to play as the evil corrupt corporation so that I can better learn their tactics. But when I do my heart will be with the runner, secretly cheering them on to win.
Earlier in this post I said my Amazon basket is prepped for payday with Android:Netrunner stuff to get me started on the road to playing and deck building. So what is sitting in the basket?
There are two copies of the base starter set. This will give me the ability to have three copies of the cards. Having one copy does not do this!
The starter set is accompanied with the following expansions:
  • Future Proof
  • True Colours (I refuse to use the American spelling – which is WRONG)
  • What Lies AHead
  • Cyber Exodus

The above is the recommendation the Reddit beginners buyer guide. But we all know over the coming months I will be adding further expansions to the game and building up my card pool. It's just in my DNA that I've got to do it! Sometimes hate this character flaw of mine.

Well I hope you've enjoyed this post. It's not a great example of it, but it's along the lines of writing about games I like to read. I will improve (hopefully) as I write more along these lines. And hopefully you will stay for the journey and find it interesting. Until the next post happy gaming.
 

 

Neeeew Arrivals End of Feb

new arrivals, pandemic, star realms, tabletop

Wish Amazon had got this in stock in time for the Pandemic Party, but hey a month late is better than never. I'm looking forward to playing Pandemic with this expansion, which for the friends I play with is essential as it adds a fifth player to the game, so all five of us can play it.

The holy grail arrives

Finally! Finally! The Crisis expansion is in my hands!!!! After what seems like an age since the Crisis expansion for Star Realms was released (apparently it was released or due to have been released just before Christmas). I'm looking forward to adding the cards from these four expansion packs that make up the Crisis expansion to the Star Realms deck. I warned the student I played against this week that next time we play the game will have new elements. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Heroes and Events cards effect the game.
In the meantime in the app version of the game my friend in the US of A Freddy is kicking my butt in the game. I can try and convince myself that the cards were against me. But the truth is Freddy is a more skilful player than me. In one game I know the exact point I lost, and it's was me not having faith in my cards. I could of taken Freddy down to one authority by scrapping a couple of cards but didn't, thinking I could finish Freddy off next go. But that wasn't the case, Freddy rallied and defeated me two rounds later.
The screenshot below shows me drawing even with another friend in games with my biggest winning margin. Now why can't I play like this against Freddy? Although what helped me was a tactical error by my opponent that left The Hive base in play allowing me to get faction combos working with all my blob faction cards. In fact the exact same tactical error the student I played did earlier in the week.
I love playing Star Realms either using the app or the cards. But for me the cards still feel different when playing. It will feel even more different with the expansions in until the expansions get added to the app. Which they will be at some point this year.
Finally as the photo shows the green ten sided dice also arrived. These as stated in a previous post this week will be used to track authority within the card version of the game.

 

Star Realms an obvious idea

star realms, tabletop

 

So played another game of this today but with a student. It was a comfortable win but when the student usually plays with a friend instead of the authority cards to keep track of authority they use two ten sided dice. One to represent tens and another to represent units.

Why hadn't I thought of that? The cards work, but it is fiddly almost awkward keeping track using them. This is a much simpler and easier option. However it doesn't store in the small box that the game comes in, which the cards do.

So I really really want to get the Star Realms storage box, it will hold the cards and and four dice easily. I've not seen the storage box on sale in the UK yet. But then again I've not come across the play mats either. I'm hoping we get these in the UK soon along with the Gambit expansion.

In the meantime, in the game they use the colour green to represent authority. This got me thinking, how about using green ten sided dice with the game? So now I've got some green ten sided dice on their way, along with the Crisis expansion packs. I think the green dice will be cool with the game. And I'm so excited about adding the new cards to the game.

An update on my games with the Games Quest guys, we seem evenly matched, I win a game, they win a game, then I win a game and so on. Some how I need to improve my game to break the deadlock. I know one or two of my weaknesses, but more studying of tactics etc is in order.

 

 

Great Start To The Week

lego minifigs, netrunner, star realms, tabletop

So the cape for Bane arrived today which I got through eBay, it looks really cool and finished off the minifig for me. The added bonus was a surprise free black cape. That was pretty cool, and now being so easily bribed heck when I need to get some ponchos guess where I'll be looking first for them?

Then this evening from The Entertainment Centre at the heart of the capital of the universe Wisbech I got a great deal on the Western Emmet from The Lego Movie. Which looks, wait for it… AWESOME!
They also got in a Jason Vorhees Pop! figure which now joins the Black Widow and Lady Sif I have. I had promised myself I wouldn't become that guy who buys these sort of things (oh hark look at the minifig collector getting high and mighty). Sadly that pusher of such things Bouncy at The Entertainment Centre has hooked me in, and turned me into that guy! Mind you I had seen Jason in a Facebook feed Friday, thought it looked pretty cool, low and behold Bouncy the Walter White of Videogames and merchandise in Wisbech goes and gets it in! He's evil I tell you.

A couple of firsts happened today, I finally got to play Star Realms using the physical cards. I also played with the cards from the event packs mixed in. Good grief the Megahaulin card is powerful. It seemed a little weird playing with cards, less random. The cards also felt better distrubuted when being dealt into the trade row. It was fun, and I'm not just saying that because I won.

Finally thanks to a friend I had my first game of Netrunner using a learning deck created by my friend. I was playing a hacker deck. I won, but did really enjoy the game. I can sadly seeing myself getting into this game big time. Curses another game for the collection. I'm looking forward to my next game, and learning the game better. I can see myself tending towards playing hackers over the corporate side.