Micro Costa Saturday

Fenland Gamers, tabletop

Debbie and Jo kindly joined me at Costa in Wsbech to have a coffee (actually no coffee was consumed! The girls had hot chocolate, while I had my usual chai latte) and play some games.

While we drank our hot beverages, we played our first game Age of War. I like Age of War, it's a nice push your luck dice game. A step up from Roll For It, but not as complicated as Elder Sign.

I like the fact that you are able to steal scoring cards from other players. It's a nice, simple, easy to teach dice game. Jo walked away with an easy win. Sadly for Debbie the dice were not in her favour for this game, and it didn't help when Jo stole her only completed card at the time. Debbie did manage to score another card so that she did have some points on the door at the end of the game.

Our second game was our first play of Deep Sea Adventure. This is a really nice push your luck game from Japan. You are divers diving for treasure. As soon as anyone picks up a treasure the air supply timer starts to count down. Fail to get back to the surface before the air runs out and you have to drop the treasure you are carrying so you can get to the surface and score nothing.

The thing is carrying treasure slows you down! So not only is the air running out but you are not moving as fast either. I like that touch. I also like the fact any dropped treasure falls to the bottom of the sea and and gets added at the bottom of the path you have created for the game.

I really did like this game, it's a really nice. And I'm not saying this just because I won. I was losing until the third and final round.

We finished off with a game of Harbour. I'd played Harbour once before (a few months ago now) so I was semi familiar with the rules. Don't think I did a good job explaining them (that seems to be a thing of mine). One of the things I like about Harbour is the changing market place, which apparently is the thing that Tom Vassel from The Dice Tower doesn't like. It means that while you are trying to get goods to sell to buy a building based on them being worth one rate, that rate instantly changes if some-one else in the meantime buys a building. Which scuppers your plans temporarily. I like that, being able to influence what the other players plans are.

In this game we had a couple of buildings out that for their action allows you to manipulate the market place without buying a building. Which I thought made this game a bit more accessible for first timers, because you could manipulate the market to match the goods you had.

I was on the receiving end of one of these actions near the end of the game. I had six stone, which I was expecting to sell at the top price of five dollars, to allow me to buy the fourth and final building I needed. But Jo went and used one of those manipulate the market buildings and dropped the stone price to be the least possible. This only delayed things for me. I had to wait to Jo to leave that building on her next go, and hope Debbie didn't then use that building. Luckily things went to plan, I was able to put the stone back to the price I needed, and buy my fourth building to trigger the end of the game.

The game was not a hit with the girls. Jo didn't like the game at all, while Debbie was undecided and would need another play to make a decision.

However I'm still the Harbour Master (I did win that first game ages ago too)

A great couple of hours micro gaming girls, thank you.

 

Trains and Bombs

Fenland Gamers

Last night saw another evening of gaming with the Fenland Gamers.

First up to the table was Colt Express. This was a new game to all of us. The game looks fun and attention grabbing with its 3D train and carriages for the play area. Sadly Gavin (owner of the game) didn't set up the scenery for the game as well to complete the illusion that we were bandits raiding a train. Mind you it doesn't actual have any affect on the game play.

With characters selected we set off to rob the train blind. You control your character by programming it by playing a certain number of cards from your hand that is determined by the round card. You get six cards in your hand at the start of each turn, that are dealt from your characters deck. So a round card may say that each player first plays one card from their hand face up (all cards played are placed in the middle on top of each other), the second time round they then play a card face down (to simulate going through a tunnel), followed finally by playing a third card face up.

These cards are then played in turn, with the action selected by the player being acted out with their bandit Meeple on the train.

So basically each player has programmed their bandit, however the action may not be successful or have the intended outcome because another players action before yours is played changes things.

I really like this mechanic, the programming and the enacting them in sequence. You may start the turn thinking you will play a certain three cards, but end up playing different ones because you have seen the ones played by the other players and alter your selection to try and counteract them.

You really do need to be paying attention to what the other players are laying down for their Meeple. Oh and not forget where the sheriff is. That can ruin even the best laid plans before they even start, as my experience in the last round taught me.

The sheriff is another cool mechanic I like. It provides another hazard, one that can be controlled by the players using one of their cards. A carefully timed move of the sheriff can throw a spanner in the works of the other players.

This is a really cool looking game, and it won't be long before it will be in the collection. However I know there are some promos I will want. For example the playmat! Or the Back to the Future Delorean that was available at this years Essen show.

Having robbed trains, it was time for us to become Dr Oppenheimer and build bombs for the arms race in the Manhattan Project.

Luckily for me, Gav had watched the videos of how to play and did a better job of explaining the game than my poor attempt.

For a good portion of the game I thought I was going to win. But then all of a sudden Johnathan and Gav started making bombs. My countries ability allowed me to use the other players buildings just like a spy, so I used that to good effect to get resources I needed. Which tended to frustrate Gav, well he did have what I needed! Plus during the game Deb according to Johnathan had become psychic and was taking actions just before he was going to do them, and thus blocking him.

I really did enjoy playing the game, which is lucky really because it was mine! I'm not sure if the girls enjoyed it, but Gav and Jonathan did.

The little Nations mini expansion I thought worked well. And didn't over complicate the game for us beginners.

Oh Gav won the game.

So another great evening gaming with great company.

 

Current Stuff I’m Backing

Uncategorized

Thought I'd just share with folks the projects I'm currently backing on Kickstarter. As you can see a couple are just about to come to the end of their funding round.

From about March next year I think the delivery schedules of these projects if they hit their predicted target dates for delivery will see one will give me nice little “love” packages to myself most months. I've just reread that sentence and it just sounds so wrong and sleazy.

With The Others and 7th Continent already funded, I think I've backed some interesting games for next year.

I'm not suggesting or telling you to back these games. I'm just letting you know of some games that caught my eye. For all I know the games I've backed are not the type of game you are interested in. Which is cool, I'd love to know what Kickstarter projects you are backing, and why.

 

Everything is awful

first look, tabletop

Last night I got a chance to play Gloom for the first time. In Gloom you have to inflict as much misery as possible onto the family you selected to play from the four families available, whilst inflicting happy wondrous things onto the opposing families. Eventually your family members will have suffered enough tragedy in their poor miserable lives that they meet an unpleasant untimely death.

The game ends with the first person who has all their family members die on them. Everyone then scores all their dead family members. The person with the lowest score is the winner!

I enjoyed my first play through of Gloom, despite the less than perfect lighting at the venue which made reading the cards hard.

I really love the transparent cards and layering them on top of a family member to affect the score. I enjoyed coming up with mini stories to explain the playing of the bit of bad luck that was about to befall the chosen family member. Or explaining just how fortunate the other players family members are with their unexpected bit of good luck.

I think Gloom will go down well with the students and the Fenland Gamers. I'm looking forward to playing it with more players.

 

Great Customer Care

expansions, new arrivals

I have to say I'm very very impressed with Portal Games. I had ordered a mini expansion for Imperial Settlers from them and the very awesome t-shirt they sell called “Imperial Settler”. I just love that tee on so many levels. When they came up with this design it was a stroke of genius.

The mini expansion for Imperial Settlers makes passing in the game a tactical decision! It's going to be interesting to see how this impacts game play. Sometimes mini expansions can be just as hard hitting as larger expansions. And I think this along with the one I got below for another game fall into that category.

But it's the little things that impressed me with the order, like a Portal Games sweet, a promo card for one of their games (which I don't have), a nice little Tides of Time card I can use as a book mark.
Plus although I know it's a generic boiler plate letter they enclose with all orders, the included letter was still a nice touch. I liked the wording, love the fact they name the person who dealt with the shipment. It gives a nice personal touch that helps build that relationship between the customer (me) and Portal Games. Heck if I don't come over with warm thoughts when I think of Portal Games, Tides of Time, and Imperial Settlers now.

Although I haven't got the physical game of The Manhattan Project to the table yet (soon I'm sure), I have been playing the app version to get to grips with the game. Anyway there is a mini expansion for it called Nations that just arrived.

This expansion adds seven new cards to the game! These new cards are dealt out one to each player at the start of the game, and give a nationality and a unique ability to that player to use through out the game.

The cards will make the game even more thematic! Plus in the first full expansion they add even more nationalities apparently.

 

Down the rabbit hole

magic

So I've not managed to play a game yet, but this gift box that just came out this week, looked too tempting not to get.

For a noob to Magic like me this is a nice little pack to get. Gives me a storage box, plastic dividers, holds upto two thousand cards, five booster packs, land cards. In fact I wish it was possible to get a nice storage solution like this for Android Netrunner.

I also got a nice deck storage box that is nearly like the Ultra Pro one I have my eyes on and can't find for life be or money. The thing I like about this style of box is that you have the space for dice/counters as well as your deck. I think compared to the Ultra Pro box I like this one has a smaller dice/counter compartment, and no little card holder on the flip out door. So my Grail deck holder is the Ultra Pro version, but as a close second place this is a nice one.

Now I just need to find a friendly welcoming Magic group to help a noob play the game. I don't think a Friday Night Magic is that place to try, it's my understanding that they are pretty competitive.

So my hunt for local LCG/CCG players continues

 

Explosive Fun

new arrivals, tabletop

I wonder how many gamers will be playing Hanabi tonight as part of their fireworks celebrations?

If I was feeling better I'd be using today as an excuse to get Hanabi to the table. There aren't that many games about fireworks, and even fewer in my collection (just this one).

Oh look what arrived today also…

Just need to get the game to the table (so ashamed of this fact).

 

Dead of Winter Companion App Out

tabletop, tech

Finally the Dead of Winter iOS app came out on the App Store. Last night to be precise about it.

For 79p of the realm or 99c of that funny money Americans use, you can buy this companion app for the hidden traitor, survival horror game Dead of Winter.

The companion app can be used instead of the crossroads deck of cards in the game. Crossroad cards are events that get triggered if the current player fulfills the cards criteria. However the current player doesn't know what those criteria are, only the player on the right of the current player who drew the card knows them. So the event may or may not get triggered.

The nice thing about the app is that it only presents the information as and when it's needed, which naturally the cards can't do. The place this is a great benefit is when it comes to deciding between the two options available. Players have to make a decision without knowing what the ramifications are. Which is cool, it makes the decision more authentic.

The other great thing about the app is that Eric Summerer from The Dice Tower reads all the flavour text. Eric has this incredibly rich voice that is made for radio and audiobooks, and is a delight to listen to. So your gaming group can be spared the poor attempts at amateur dramatics as the player reads out the flavour text of the crossroads card, trying to should like a Shakespearean actor.

For me this is how apps should be used with board games. If you remember I didn't like the fact that part of the X-Com game relied completely on having the app, no app, no game basically. Where as no Dead of Winter companion app, you can still play the game using the crossroads cards in the game. Having the app will just add to the experience of playing.

So a pretty cool addition for playing Dead of Winter, a must get really I would say.

Oh and for those misguided enough to own an Android device the app for your platform came out last weekend on Halloween.