On the weekend I played...

[General Soreness]

Got the opportunity to play Scythe. Steep learning curve. I always thought that a lot of games I play would be prohibitively complex for non-wargamers, but I think I stand happily corrected.

I was struck by the fact that none of the (admittedly few) reviews and play-throughs I found pointed out that the game intends to show something of the relationship between agriculture and warfare. I'm not sure how well it did that in my first game, but there should be more brain space for reflection in a future game. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Andre]

Got the opportunity to play Scythe. Steep learning curve. I always thought that a lot of games I play would be prohibitively complex for non-wargamers, but I think I stand happily corrected.

I was struck by the fact that none of the (admittedly few) reviews and play-throughs I found pointed out that the game intends to show something of the relationship between agriculture and warfare. I'm not sure how well it did that in my first game, but there should be more brain space for reflection in a future game. I'm looking forward to it.

Yes, you don’t end up with fights in every game, due to the mechanic of losing popularity if there’s villagers there. I’ve played two player mostly and in our few games, mechs / player battle only happens about half the time.

 

[General Soreness]

Yes, you don’t end up with fights in every game, due to the mechanic of losing popularity if there’s villagers there. I’ve played two player mostly and in our few games, mechs / player battle only happens about half the time.

Yes, there are so many other ways to get stars - you really have to be a flat-track bully to want to use it a lot. And in any case, the game is surprising static - not as much movement as I expected - so going about looking for trouble is pretty hard.The lack of combat works nicely for the game as it increases the attention on the effects of a faction's increasing productivity: the final move of the game was like a Roman candle of activity.

 

[Andre]

Well, finally passed Scenario 1 in Gloomhaven. We tried more than once at the default scenario level, but kept falling short. My wife and I with two characters apiece (her Brute and Mindthief, me with Cragheart and Spellweaver). We admitted defeat there, wound it back to easy and managed to do. The Brute and Spellweaver died just before the end, but finally success! Next weekend onto a new scenario.

 

[General Soreness]

About to start a game that simulates the Russo-Polish War of 1920. The map is too large (107cmx86cm) for one-table play. It's going to take too long for there to be multiple tables in my small place, so I'm pleased to have found someone who wants to play on the VASSAL platform which enables play-by-email and real-time play.

I'm playing the Poles, and to begin with we're playing a short scenario that covers the 10 days of the defence of Warsaw. After that we'll hit the full 25 day campaign game. The game contains a lot of units that I'm not used to seeing like armored trains and flotillas. There's even counters representing both the Polish Women's Regiment and the Priest's Regiment. Establishing supply for units in this game might be a bit of a challenge. Normally if you can trace supply you can supply everyone, but in Red Star White Eagle each supply point can only supply a limited number of units. For the Russian player a challenge is that their forces are divided across two fronts and units of one front have a limited ability to work with units of the other front.

A nice touch in the game is in the darker rail lines down the middle of the board: they represent railways that were damaged in WWI, but still haven' been completely repaired. Movement along those lines is not as efficient as movement across the repaired lines to the east and west of them.

The Russian player is yet to set up their pieces.

 

[The Mongrel Punt]

Well, finally passed Scenario 1 in Gloomhaven. We tried more than once at the default scenario level, but kept falling short. My wife and I with two characters apiece (her Brute and Mindthief, me with Cragheart and Spellweaver). We admitted defeat there, wound it back to easy and managed to do. The Brute and Spellweaver died just before the end, but finally success! Next weekend onto a new scenario.

View attachment 507422

Sooooo how complicated is this? Looks like the type of game I would get completely lost in... in every sense.

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[General Soreness]

A big Sunday afternoon, evening and night saw multiple games of 'The Grizzled', 'Camel Cup', a single game of the Battle of Maldon 997AD, (from the Swords and Shields II set, 'The Great Heathen Army'), and to cap it all off a single game of Scythe. The Maldon game proved to be a big hit. It was the first time these friends had ever tried a war game and they found themselves more invested than they, or I, expected: they currently have my printed copies of the rules and historical notes.

Really neat to get four different kinds of game (co-operative, war, gambling/race, efficiency puzzle) played in one day, each of the first three games were new to at least one of us, and Scythe - for my second game - still felt very new to me.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Played Codenames with some friends on Sunday - was playing it for the first time and we ended up playing about 4 games. Definitely found that partners and siblings shouldn't be on the same team due to their ability to be on the same wave lengths with abstract thoughts.

Finished off with a game of ticket to ride (rail and sails?) - the one with boats and trains. I came second of 5 players so was reasonably happy. (Was just aiming to not come last).

 

[Andre]

Sooooo how complicated is this? Looks like the type of game I would get completely lost in... in every sense

It takes awhile to set it up (the box is huge and filled with goodies). Once set up the mechanics are fairly straight forward - pick two cards, use top action from one, bottom from the other, see what order it goes in (players, monsters etc), then resolve for a round. Discard cards in some fashion, repeat until finish, dead or run out of rounds (12). The challenge is figuring out the right combination of cards in the right order, to maximise both what your character can do and to help your fellow party members (no point all selecting cards to target the opponent next to you almost dead, whilst there’s a bunch in melee range as well for instance). Far from an expert, but it’s that planning that’s the only hard part not the rest.

 

[Goodo73]

Had our 2nd session playing the Lost Mine of Phandelver (adventure from D&D 5E starter set). Good fun. Knocked off the four Redbrand thugs who came to visit. Gave a good beating to their leader but another almost took me out (was down to 2HP).

 

[EnolaGay]

Played Jamaica and Mansions of Madness 2nd Ed on the weekend, both for the first time. I enjoyed them and looking forward to more MoM.

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[Andre]

It took longer then wanted to get back to Gloomhaven, but onto the Toxic Moor yesterday (we decided to try before doing scenario 2). Below setting up all the beasties. Success was had and the major healing potions and gold for new items will come in handy for scenario 2, hopefully next weekend.

 

[General Soreness]

It took longer then wanted to get back to Gloomhaven, but onto the Toxic Moor yesterday (we decided to try before doing scenario 2). Below setting up all the beasties. Success was had and the major healing potions and gold for new items will come in handy for scenario 2, hopefully next weekend.

View attachment 521038

That's got to be the smallest map I've seen for this game. I had the impression that the maps were all pretty extensive.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Finally played Photosynthesis, great game.
Followed it up with Super fight which was quite enjoyable when half tanked.

 

[General Soreness]

Finally played Photosynthesis, great game.
Followed it up with Super fight which was quite enjoyable when half tanked.

Good contrast there!

 

[Andre]

We ran through a couple more scenario's of Gloomhaven on the weekend (81, unlocked as a reward and 5). And discovered afterwards, having now done 7 scenario's have been making it MUCH harder for ourselves then needs to be, with most scenario's NOT having turn limits. ******* hell, took it as needing to finish it in 12 turns for all. We were always hell for leather scrambling to meet objectives and not getting to loot half the stuff (or more). No wonder it took us a few tries to get most of them. Bloody surprised we got any with an unnecessary hand behind the back. *kicks wall*


Scenario 81 firstly below. With the end boss about to kick the bucket.



Finished, checks time. 9.30, time for another scenario before bed Saturday night after a short break.

Onto Scenario 5, knocked off first try on normal level, even with the incorrect turn limiting mentioned above. End time - 1am. Ooops.

 

[Downhill Skier]

Love this game but still have not managed to assasinate Hitler

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Finally got around to playing catan cities and knights. Excellent extension of the original. So many more layers.

 

[EnolaGay]

Love this game but still have not managed to assasinate HitlerView attachment 547243

Single player?


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[Downhill Skier]

Single player?


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Yeah that is correct. I play single player but use 3 Characters

 

[Andre]

After a couple of weeks of no games, working on the house ready for sale, we have flooring and considered it in a fit state to invite our Pandemic Legacy teammates over.

September of Season 2 was a success the second time around. October the first time, one of those frustrating 'missed it by that much' moments. The next person was set to build the third supply centre, but up came the cards for too many plagues. Urgh.

Onto our favourite game of the moment - Gloomhaven.

Scenario 14 this time.

Spoiler: The layout and outcome

Finally I think I've got most of the rules down! A couple of tries, but I really wanted to get this one done, to get 'The Power of Enhancement'. Next trip to town I'll be adding at least one for the Spellweaver. My Cragheart I'm hanging out for 150 gold so I can do the recommended adding Curse to Dirt Tornado and enjoy monsters repeatedly missing hitting us.

 

[Jack Richards]

I played Guild Ball the other day using the Ratcatchers that my mate gave me. Here are my thoughts on it:
- Plays similar to Warmachine and Hordes with the set amount of influence/Stamina that each player can hold.
- Take turns in movement is great.
- Simple rules, but a ton of dice (10 to use max)
- Games can go quick. One game I played was 2hours and another went for 4 hours.
- Love the soccer element
- Very simple squads (no more than 8players per side on the field.

The Rats were great. The disease element was brilliant. Just spam the disease and use the Piper to bring up players and push and dodge. Certainly a fan. The squads are relatively cheap compared to the like of Warhammer/Warmachine and hold their value. $80 for a team and then you need to buy dice and mats, but compared to the likes of those mentioned earlier it's minimal.

Highly recommend.

 

[EnolaGay]

Played another sessions of Western Legends with my usual BGG on Friday night. It was good to have a larger group and explore the various strategies to victory. It's a sandbox style game with lots of freedom and pathways to play.

Lesson learnt from Friday night is to keep the "Wanted" players in check or they can run away with a victory.

Game components are good, artwork excellent, and overall quite thematic. I added some western background music, some sipping bourbon and beef jerky to build on the theme.

Overall rated really highly from the group.

Next session in a few weeks will be Lords of Hellas (first time play for this group).


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[Andre]

Lots of Gloomhaven in the last 3 weeks. Both my wife and I have retired our starting 2 characters. My new Classes Sun and Music Note (the non-spoiler names), she's taken Scoundrel and Triforce. Arggh on the Scoundrel (a starting class, so not spoiling anything here). Her getting more of the coins with Mindthief was annoying, the Scoundrel is taking that to a new level. I want to kill that damn character as much as the monsters. We are up to Prosperity 4, but chose to start our characters level 2, as we want to run from near the start.

My Cragheart retired last (Tuesday night), so yet to play Sun yet. The others we timed it so the three would retire at the same time and have done two scenarios (the Craghearts final two to meet his retirement goal) so far. Music Note is a support class doing

Spoiler

lots of curses, disarms, plus being able to play Songs - like Shield +1 all allies whilst in play or Allies add +1 to one attack each turn. Not much damage output, at least at low level. Sun I'll be playing as a tank, so my two classes will synergise nicely.

Below my Craghearts moment of glory. Foes vanquished and retirement beckons.

 

[Cheesewheel]

Lots of Gloomhaven in the last 3 weeks. Both my wife and I have retired our starting 2 characters. My new Classes Sun and Music Note (the non-spoiler names), she's taken Scoundrel and Triforce. Arggh on the Scoundrel (a starting class, so not spoiling anything here). Her getting more of the coins with Mindthief was annoying, the Scoundrel is taking that to a new level. I want to kill that damn character as much as the monsters. We are up to Prosperity 4, but chose to start our characters level 2, as we want to run from near the start.

Aah the loot 2 money vacuum card.
Always goes down a treat with the other players