What did you play this week? (2/6/2023)
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nwrex Moderator Level 141 days ago
It was a good week of games:
#Clank! In! Space!: Apocalypse! - solo, two-handed; first time with the Apocalypse expansion (which I bought last summer). I enjoyed it and scored 153-147
#The Castles of Burgundy: 20th Anniversary Edition - solo, two-handed; first play in a very long time. Scored 145-128
My wife asked on Sunday afternoon if we could play games and she wanted to start out with #Skip-Bo, a game she played with some friends on Friday night and one can't remember the last time I played it. I won both games, much to her disappointment.
We then played two games of #Wingspan: European Expansion, the second game was her first without one of the swift-start pack boards. She won that one 84-65. I won the first game 77-66. She would like to play this more often so she remembers it better. (Yes!)
R0land1199 Premium User43 days ago
Another fairly normal week of gaming. No in person games this week due to life getting in the way darn it!
- #Yokohama
- #Julius Caesar: Another block game with @marcnelsonjr on Rally the Troops! This one is pretty good but I am defintely getting my butt kicked.
- #Frosthaven x3: Still rolling along. I keep the game setup on my spare table so it's easier to roll in to the next game. Definitely enjoying this one and being able to play games frequently and get in to the story is a real bonus to going solo!
- #Ultimate Railroads
- #Tigris & Euphrates
- #Wingspan
- #Cacao: Playing this one two player definitely changes it up! I didn't pay attention to the temples much to my regret...
4tsawicki Moderator Level 142 days ago
I really dislike online boardgame playing so all are in person, and with my Immediate family (Wife, Younger Son, Mother) and also my Older Son and Daughter in law when they visit every few months; then we always have a multi-day gaming marathon :) . Also on a few ocassions a year we have guests join us.
This week All games played at 2 players with my wife, or at 3 players with my wife and younger Son. My mother hasn't been able to sit comfortably at a table long enough to play recently.
#Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar x 2 at 2 and 3 players My wife won 2, I won 1. Definitely better at 3 players than 2, You can actually get more done because the extra blocking lets you start on higher spaces more frequently (as opposed to the 2 player dummy blocking that just doesnt simulate a person)
#Otys x3 at 2 players My wife won 2, I won 1. This is an excellemt 2 player game, probably the best player count as you can plan for boonuses a bit better than at 3 when they change too often. We hadn't played this in quite a while, and found it so much easier and faster this time around. My wife really loved it, but was only ok with it the last time we played. The benefit of board game variety experience.
#Aquatica x3 at 2 players My wife won 2, I won 1. We've always liked this one, but my wife was sooooo hard to beat this time. As much as she grumbles about learning new games, she keeps getting better and better at alll games.
#Wingspan x2 at 2 players My Wife won 1, I won 1. We really enjoyed the new 2 player mode from the Asia expansion. We always play a slight variant where we use both trays and always have 6 birds on display instead of just three. We like the wider choice, especially as we also use all the bird decks when we play (I think 1 more expansion might fit into the 2 bird card trays, but not 2). I hope South America is next.
#Rajas of the Ganges x3 at 2 and 3 My wife won 1, I won 2. Another game my wife enjoyed far more this time than the last time we played. We played the third game because she couldn't stand that I won the first 2.
I forgot #Smash Up, x3 at 2 and 3. My wife won 2, I won 1. Definitely better at higher player counts. I always try to dissuade my wife from playing at two players, but she insists. 2 players just eliminates so many more interesting choices, especially as its a pretty mean game and you just go after each other. It is a heavier game than most people think though, at least to play well while truly maximizing the combo/special power/special actions possibilities.
My younger son isn't into playing board games as much as we are (he's into computer games), or as my older son is (Truthordata here on BGA), he only ocassionally makes a real effort, and so he only wins ocassionally. He mostly plays once or twice on the weekend to spend time with mom and dad. He did ask for two board games though; Deep Rock Galactic, which should be here soon I hope (the slowest fulfillmet center I've ever experienced) and Monster Hunter World (later this spring). I hope those will get him more into the hobby.
Ohioboardgamer 43 days ago
Games Played at Columbus Area Boardgaming Society (CABS) Friday 2/3 -- 100+ attendees to our weekly meeting.
Zorronin 43 days ago
Lots of smaller games this week:
#Century: Spice Road @4p - Had never played this version before, always just #Century: Golem Edition. It's practically the same game just with different components. Always a fun, quick little game. I won.
#Caper @2p - First play and interesting little dueling game. I didn't really get it until about the end of the game when we started scoring and realized that I completely neglected various scoring methods. We played another game and it ended in a tie with me losing the tiebreaker.
#Horrified @4p - I taught to the whole table and they really enjoyed it. We played the first recommended setup (Dracula + Creature from the Black Lagoon) and managed to beat Dracula almost instantly. The Creature took some effort and eventually lost us 3 villagers but it too eventually fell.
#Deep Sea Adventure @4p - I've made my opinions of this game very clear here in the past so against my best judgement we played it. It went better than most other times with a grand total of 3 resurfacings over 3 rounds. I finished in second.
#The Crew: Mission Deep Sea @4p - We had played a cooperative game, then a diving themed game, so obvious our next game needed to be a combination of both. We played two random scenarios and completed the first but failed the second one.
#Scythe @4p - I taught a brief rules refresher then got Saxony (the fighting faction). I didn't find a good way to consistently bolster my troops so I focused on scoring stars in other ways. Ended up in 2nd place.
#Innovation @4p - This had been on my wishlist a while back and I finally got to play it. It was... interesting. I won the first game in record time with only 2 cards (one of which seemed EXTREMELY overpowered, so much so that we had to look up if we were playing it wrong only to find out we were not). On the second game, it was a bit more even and saw the game's full potential but it was still a bit more mean than I'm used to so I think I'll refrain from picking this up.
#Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion @4p - Finished the 5th scenario. We took massive damage about 2 turns in and had to be a lot more cautious. Eventually we got to the "big room" and one of our party members became exhausted. The rest of us easily managed to dispatch the objective though.
#Among the Stars @4p - Taught to the table and they surprisingly liked it (I've had trouble getting this group into drafting games in the past). I managed to win by a single point.
4tsawicki Moderator Level 142 days ago
I need to get Scythe back to the table! We also own and enjoy Among the Stars.
Zorronin 42 days ago
Among the Stars is a more recent addition to my library and it's honestly been a great purchase. As a drafting game, it's not as thinky as #It's a Wonderful World and has more decisions to make than #7 Wonders so it's appealed to more people. It fits a nice middle ground.
I enjoyed my first few plays of it so much that I went out of my way to find all the major expansions. My wallet now regrets my initial $20 purchase because it has quickly ballooned to a $100 purchase.
I just wish it wasn't such a table hog but that's it's only real problem.
4tsawicki Moderator Level 142 days ago
Ive got a few promos for it, but no expansions. Scythe is the game Ive bought (for me) the most individual expansions/upgrades/promos for one at a time. Also printed upgraded components. I'm just missing 2 battle dials, but havent seen them cheap enough to justify. For my wife we have bought almost everything not Marvel or Disney for Smash Up!, so that definitely has the most actual expansions in total in our collection.
Zorronin 42 days ago
I have all of the expansions and promos for Scythe but none of the upgrades. I might get them in the future but I'm in no hurry.
As far as large purchases, I don't know exactly which game has cost me the most after calculating in all the expansions/upgrades but it would probably be #Mansions of Madness: Second Edition. I don't even have the first edition components that have been reintegrated but just getting all of the expansions cost me quite a bit. It even takes up the most shelf space.
4tsawicki Moderator Level 142 days ago
I got my promos before Stonemaier started offering them as a complete package on their website :(
cbrady748 Moderator Level 143 days ago
I had a similar experience with #Innovation. Such a mean game haha.
Zorronin 43 days ago
It's a bit more palatable in that it's not targeted meanness and the effects happen to the entire table unless they can defend against it. But even so, it's not something I'd be okay with owning.
theDL Moderator Level 143 days ago
In-person:
- #Dune: Imperium w/ #Dune: Imperium – Rise of Ix @ 3p - unfortunately we ran out of time to finish this game, but it was fun as always
- #War of the Ring: The Card Game @ 4p - this was a game pretty highly anticipated by me and my wife and the couple we game with most often. The husband in that couple is my War of the Ring opponent, and we were very excited at the possibility of being able to play a simpler version at 4 players with our wives (they had little to no interest in the massive and long board game version). I think I'll make a separate post with my first impressions, something I haven't done in a while. The short version is that I really liked it, and so did 3 of the 4 of us, with the 4th being unsure about it. It is DEFINITELY simpler and more streamlined, so teaching it was not too difficult. I can't wait to play it again!
Online:
- #7 Wonders Duel w/ #7 Wonders Duel: Pantheon & #7 Wonders Duel: Agora - this was the first time I played with the Agora expansion, and I liked it more than I expected to. I don't know if it adds quite as much as Pantheon does in terms of improving the game, but it adds some neat interactions, including some light area majority in the form of the Senate, which adds just another area to press your opponent, akin to the military track in the base game.
- #Tapestry @ 3p - liking this one quite a bit
cbrady748 Moderator Level 143 days ago
So I realize you've mentioned #Dune: Imperium ad nauseam, but because of my lack of knowledge of the Dune universe, I've never looked into it. It was on everyone's list in the Dice Tower top 100 and comments that have been made about it made me FINALLY check it out. Needless to say it's now on my wishlist lol. Anyways, does your wife like it?
theDL Moderator Level 143 days ago
She's actually never played it, lol. I'm not sure whether she would or not. It's not quite as solitary as she tends to favor, with the Conflict each round and direct competition for a few other things on the board. She's said she'd be down to learn it, but I haven't gotten around to teaching her because I think there are other games she'd like more.
Side note: if you like sci-fi (and reading), you owe it to yourself to read Dune!
cbrady748 Moderator Level 143 days ago
Haha, I specifically waited for the explanation of the conflict phase during the rules video I watched before deciding to put it on my wishlist. Utimately it boiled down to it being more of a quick area majority check vs actively battling other players for that majority if that makes sense. It didn't feel like there are many (if any) "take that" card effects. As for the WP competition for spots, I think Sarah could get over that lol.
Sarah is the reader between the two of us. I do too, but not nearly as much as she does. If I do read, it's mostly thrillers and mysteries. She's big into sci-fi but to my knowledge hasn't read Dune.
theDL Moderator Level 143 days ago
Well there are definitely cards that can screw over other players, specifically the Intrigue cards, but there are also cards in the main deck that can hurt other players as well, but not a ton. The Intrigue cards do come into play during combat, as there's a phase during combat where players can play them, and there can certainly be some "surprises", but most of those mean adding more strength to the combat.
Still, it's not so direct that I think Sarah would hate it (from what I've read from you), but my wife seems a bit more sensitive to that. I do still want to teach her some time, though.
nwrex Moderator Level 141 days ago
Does Sarah like anything by Brandon Sanderson? He's one of my favorite authors. I'm waiting for my first book from his kickstarter last year to arrive. I can get it digitally, but am waiting for the hardcopy.
cbrady748 Moderator Level 136 days ago
I think she's read a couple of books of his, but she's not a fan to the level of backing a KS of his books haha. I remember seeing that awhile back and asked her if she wanted to back it and she had said no. I'd have to ask her again why that was.
nwrex Moderator Level 134 days ago
His publisher is releasing both hardback and paperback retail versions of his KS books, one each quarter starting in April. In case she's interested in picking one of them up for a normal price.
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4tsawicki Moderator Level 142 days ago
I think my older son plans on getting Dune Imperium, if he does I'll gladly play it.
7 Wonders dual is another I need to get back to the table
cbrady748 Moderator Level 143 days ago
Online
#Eriantys x 1 - mentioned this in last week's post as well. I always log online plays on the day they finish and think of "weeks" for these posts as Monday-Sunday since they generate on Mondays. Still didn't like this as much as I thought I would despite winning lol.
#Ulm x 1 - similar situation here, wrapped up a game this past Tuesday with @theDL on Yucata. It was my second time playing and I did better this time around. I don't think it will end up in my all time favorites, but I could see it entering into a top 50 or something.
#Ticket to Ride x 1 - on BGA with my coworkers again. I still don't like playing at a full 5 player count because it feels like too much can happen between my turns. I'll keep playing it though as I do like the game and they seem to have fun too.
#Wingspan x 1 - my one tech FINALLY beat me at a game of Wingspan, though it wasn't the one I thought it would be (someone I work with is ultra competitive when it comes to board games). I continue to love this game and need to try and get it played in person with them sometime.
#Regicide x 1 - as usual with this game, I play it when I have a few minutes to spare. I won, which is rare for me in this game.
#Cat Café x 1 - after crushing my coworkers in #The Castles of Burgundy one too many times, one of the other pharmacists I work with invited us to play this due to the cat theme. I had never heard of it before. It's a roll and write which I generally speaking hate. It didn't do anything to change my mind.
In Person
#The Field of the Cloth of Gold x 1 - my friend who has been impossible to hang out with for a few months was shockingly available to play games last Thursday. We met up at a game store and played 4 back to back games. I took the opportunity to play some stuff I had played for the first time last year that I was eager to get to again. As usual, he beat me in most of them, this one included. Strange as this game is, I actually like the decisions it provides. I wish the box were smaller as there's literally nothing to it component wise.
#Portobello Market x 1 - I was really happy to get this played again. My friend really liked it, going so far as to say if I ever decide to sell it, let him know first lol.
#Caylus x 1 - probably not the best experience playing with just 2 players, but still a fun one. I mentioned during the teach how mean this game is. By the end of it, neither of us really did anything mean to each other so I looked like a liar haha. In retrospect, I probably should have moved the provost around a little more so as not to lose as bad as I did.
#Llamaland x 1 - the only game I had brought with me that I technically didn't play properly the first time around. When I tried this before, it was two handed solo. That was..okay. This time around was much better though I'm not sure it beats out something like #Barenpark for me. We nearly tied which led me to wonder if every Phil Walker-Harding game is designed with the intention of being close score wise at the end. That's been my experience with most of his games.
#Qwixx x 2 - as part of my not purchasing games contest, the person running it has created weekly "challenges" as a way to keep everyone active in the group and start some comradery. Last week, he asked us to "pick a game from our collection." That was it; no indication of what we were to do with it. I picked this thinking if I were to be forced to do something nefarious with it, at least it's a game I can reacquire easily should I want to. Turns out, all we had to do was play it haha.