The Thread Where We Are Board Game Geeks

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Congrats Sean!

his cartoon heart expands, then he relaxes by smoking crack (stevie), Monday, 28 November 2022 19:05 (one year ago) link

Sean, that's great!!

My recent plays are all pretty regular stuff -- Ticket To Ride and Guillotine with the family on thanksgiving, Azul: Summer Pavillion w/ the wife & friends.

I haven't done as much solo gaming since I started running RPGs twice weekly, but I'm hoping to spend time with The Great Battles Of Julius Caesar (GMT) over my winter week off. Also in wargame world, I love "With It Or On It" by Hollandspiele; a very simple system about collapsing lines of hoplites. There's a slightly more complicated but similar game by the same designer (Amabel Holland) called "The Grass Crown" but since my boardgaming time has dropped so much, I'm not sure it's sensible for me to pick up rn.

Next time we have friends over for game afternoon, I'm hoping to run through a Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective case. (can also be played solo.)

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 20:43 (one year ago) link

Going to repeat my suggestion for Sprawlopolis - it's a tiny portable little game but is really engaging and gets the mind chugging, trying to optimize your roadworks based on the varying victory conditions.

i collect early 80s roleplaying games and $50 is pretty much the going rate for a good condition box set by TSR or FASA or GDW or chaosium

Woof, some of the Call of Cthulhu box sets I'm looking for would be a STEAL at $50.

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 20:47 (one year ago) link

well done! never got the gloomhaven bug but excited to read that

actually played eldritch horror for first time in a long time over last week's vacation. it was very fun. finally did the thing i've been meaning to do where i pulled out all the expansion cards (six boxes worth) and sorted them into sets (by expansion). playing with only the base cards made things way faster and simpler

i have been looking at root, its expansions and oath quite a bit. the art is irresistible. i already have too many games i don't play, though

the late great, Monday, 28 November 2022 20:49 (one year ago) link

I think the cost of the original CoC box rocketed after Chaosium's new old box.

I paid about $50 for a Top Secret box about 10 years ago, think they're routinely double that now. I've got a fairly pristine 1st Edn Gangbusters and the first two (?) modules from when they came out.

Hello I'm shitty gatsworth (aldo), Monday, 28 November 2022 20:56 (one year ago) link

xp inflation is a thing. that was definitely a "pre pandemic stimulus check" post!

but prices seem to be are creeping back down. i've been looking at car wars box sets, for example (the deluxe cardboard one with cat # sjg1301, not the little plastic boxes which are being reprinted) and if you're willing to live with punched counters and bent corners you can find them for $30-50

the good news about call of cthulhu is that moving forward or backward between different editions is generally pretty easy. the 1st edition stuff with the endearingly goofy artwork is super spendy, but if you're willing to grab kinda ugly 4th or 5th ed stuff it's a lot cheaper. i actually have the 5th ed softcover (iirc 4th ed softcover was the first one i got, in high school) so that works out ok for me

for example if you can deal with an early 90s copy of masks of nyarlathotep vs an 80s one the going rate on ebay goes from $100-200 to around $50-70. orient express bit harder to find but one just went on ebay for $70!

the late great, Monday, 28 November 2022 20:58 (one year ago) link

i would say like any collectibles (discogs, rpgs on ebay) you have to learn to ignore whatever the current general asking price is and focus on the sold prices. i find that on ebay saved searches + alerts are my friend. like i am currently shopping for dungeoneer's survival guide 1st ed (not sure why, aside from map of the underdark it's even more useless than the wilderness survival guide, because i'm collecting i guess) and while there's always copies going up for $75 a fine looking copy for $30 shows up about once a month.

and hey at least we're collecting crappy 80s rpgs and not magic cards. i don't have any interest in mtg but am constantly seeing 1st wave stuff i owned going for $1000 or more!

the late great, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:03 (one year ago) link

I've got one of the 90s reprintings of Masks in book form, and the recent reprint of orient express, so I'm not particularly concerned about getting those as original boxed sets. Thinking more along the lines of Dreamlands, Gaslight, some of the old campaigns like Spawn of Azathoth.

xpost, god don't remind me of the MTG cards I had when I was a youth.....

I got my dungeoneers survival guide out of an urge to just have all the the core AD&D hardcovers; this would have been a few years ago, it was $25.

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:05 (one year ago) link

Sorry, I don't want to de-rail this thread into an RPG thread.

I haven't played Eldritch Horror in ages. I like it, but my wife does not so much.

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:07 (one year ago) link

xpost -- I know a guy in the bay area who has a copy of car wars for sale i think. He always picks games up at the Alameda flea if they're cheap.

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:14 (one year ago) link

I want to say my box is 2nd Edn because I'm sure it's got the award winning decal but I could be wrong.

I have no idea why I bought the 40tg Anniversary 2" box but there you go.

Hello I'm shitty gatsworth (aldo), Monday, 28 November 2022 21:14 (one year ago) link

lol I bought the reprinted 1" AND 2" boxes. The 2" has a bunch of the early supplements, which I like to read even if as adventures they are a bit old fashioned. The 1" box remains shrink wrapped; I think I thought I was gonna give it as a gift to my cousin but ended up getting her the current starter set instead.

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:17 (one year ago) link

i will derail it for you by agreeing that the campaign sets can be pretty expensive. the dreamlands stories might be some of my favorite lovecraft so that's one i was interested in awhile back and sort of gave up on

i've always been interested in chaosium's elrich and hawkmoon games (stormbringer is the umbrella name, i think?) which are fairly generic 80s percentile dice crap with some nice maps. not super different from rolemaster / merp products, without the amazing crit tables. and those are just always expensive too. idk what it is about them.

i always thought chaosium was an american company (mailing address in berkeley?) but also a lot of these games seem a lot easier to find on uk ebay, more press coverage in uk mags like white dwarf vs. dragon. did they move from uk to usa at some point? feel like this would be easy to look up, but i'm home sick from work today so feeling especially lazy

the late great, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:19 (one year ago) link

They are still based in the US but a lot of the current development team is based in the UK iirc.

I think the Elric & Hawkmoon games are expensive because of Moorcock superfandom.

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:20 (one year ago) link

as someone who's thought about writing a jerry cornelius rpg, i can relate to moorcock superfandom.

also there doesn't seem to be a good default ttrpg thread. maybe the "incredible austerity" one?

i can certainly understand not liking eldritch horror. it took me a long time to figure out to figure out the theory of it (well, develop my own, which may or may not be right) and figure out a workable strategy for it. and even with that you're always getting senselessly punished by attrition, for no real reason other than getting punished by attrition is how mythos horror works!

the late great, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:24 (one year ago) link

has anyone played Tapestry? my old Iron Crown friends were raving about it last time we hung out

also really enjoying Code Words when we can get 4 people together

sleeve, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:28 (one year ago) link

Code Names (i think that's the actual title?) is fun; there's a 2-player version that we picked up and it's just not as fun as the 4 player version imo. But we rarely have another couple to play with. Not aware of Tapestry!

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:29 (one year ago) link

It gets mentioned upthread, but I'm interested in playing Eclipse. I like the 4x style of interstellar exploration. There's also the GMT Space Empires game but i think it's between printings rn.

ian, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:35 (one year ago) link

Code Names! yes. I can't imagine how that would work with only two players, the 4-person dynamic is so fun

sleeve, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:42 (one year ago) link

Role Playing Games: Search/Destroy

This is the generic rpg thread but a long time since anyone posted there

Role-Playing Games crush of shame poll

Why did you stop playing Role Playing Games?

Other candidates

There was one for indie/non fantasy RPGs that was in use a couple of years ago but I can't find it

But yes, the austerity one is the most up to date I guess

Hello I'm shitty gatsworth (aldo), Monday, 28 November 2022 22:41 (one year ago) link

eclipse is super fun! but i haven't played in AGES. i also love Arkham Horror (the original bgg, not the card game) for some of the reasons you describe re Eldritch Horror above. but no one ever wants to play with me. it's so long (which is maybe why i love it)

sean gramophone, Monday, 28 November 2022 22:44 (one year ago) link

Tabletop RPGs/story-building games - beyond D&D

Found it, this is the most alive RPG thread

Hello I'm shitty gatsworth (aldo), Monday, 28 November 2022 22:58 (one year ago) link

there is a noise board dnd thread that - in classic old meets new fashion - starts with like 800 gigantic images, all of which are now dead links

the late great, Monday, 28 November 2022 23:04 (one year ago) link

aldo, see here:

The incredible austerity of D&D in 1980

sleeve, Monday, 28 November 2022 23:12 (one year ago) link

that's the most active RPG thread in my memory, I tell stories from the 80s

sleeve, Monday, 28 November 2022 23:12 (one year ago) link

(and 70s)

sleeve, Monday, 28 November 2022 23:13 (one year ago) link

the new yorker article is great

symsymsym, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 03:01 (one year ago) link

two weeks pass...

Any recommendations for a game for an 11 year old boy, to play with the family? I've found quite a few hippy nature ones, I think I want to go a bit cooler, space themed if possible.

ledge, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 10:38 (one year ago) link

Galaxy Trucker. You each have to put together a spaceship from loads of pieces, like a competetive puzzle. Then you have to fly that spaceship to its destination, and hope the hodgepodge of elements will see off the asteroids, pirates, slavers and other misfortune that might come your way.

his cartoon heart expands, then he relaxes by smoking crack (stevie), Tuesday, 13 December 2022 12:48 (one year ago) link

That was in my long list so I'll go for it, thanks!

ledge, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 13:43 (one year ago) link

I love it, am always playing it with my 8yo, but very much with training wheels on, so I reckon it should keep an 11yo involved, but also not scare off the rest of the family.

his cartoon heart expands, then he relaxes by smoking crack (stevie), Tuesday, 13 December 2022 13:46 (one year ago) link

Yeah my first thought was Galaxy Trucker but there are guns etc (although purely defensive) if that isn't what you're after. (Solely based on "hippy nature" as a prompt.)

Tiny Epic Galaxies, Chimera Station, Asking For Trobils all good but don't know how in print the last two are which would probably be my recs. I'd also say Loop Inc but I think it's too complicated.

Hello I'm shitty gatsworth (aldo), Tuesday, 13 December 2022 14:12 (one year ago) link

if you think they could handle a worker placement / tile laying game, i have black angel and think it is pretty cool. i think a sharp 11 year old could swing it.

the late great, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 14:31 (one year ago) link

on the other hand might be a bit too much, give the 2-3 hr play time, plus i think shifting victory conditions could be especially confusing for some kids

the late great, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 14:34 (one year ago) link

Yeah 2-3 hours is a bit long. Thanks for all the suggestions, I've bought Galaxy Trucker.

ledge, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 15:26 (one year ago) link

Galaxy Trucker is one of the few games I can think of that uses dexterity and a fun theme but is surprisingly strategic. Great choice for an 11yo I think!

Vinnie, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 15:43 (one year ago) link

galaxy trucker is classic, also you just unburied a memory of a different game i played like a decade ago that was a space 4x strategy game except movement around the board was done by finger flicking your wooden disk spaceship crokinole-style

ciderpress, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 15:47 (one year ago) link

I wasn't sure whether Galaxy Trucker truly counts as dexterity but I would be very bad at the game you describe, regardless of how strategic it is

Vinnie, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 15:55 (one year ago) link

you just unburied a memory of a different game i played like a decade ago that was a space 4x strategy game except movement around the board was done by finger flicking your wooden disk spaceship crokinole-style

this sounds very fun! if you remember the title...

his cartoon heart expands, then he relaxes by smoking crack (stevie), Tuesday, 13 December 2022 16:11 (one year ago) link

Ascending Empires was the title, looks like it's actually getting a new edition next year

ciderpress, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 16:20 (one year ago) link

Thank you!

his cartoon heart expands, then he relaxes by smoking crack (stevie), Tuesday, 13 December 2022 16:33 (one year ago) link

seven months pass...

Does anyone else here play on https://boardgamearena.com/? My game night crew have been having a lot of fun with Decrypto (which is a twist on Codenames).

Albert Canoe (Leee), Friday, 28 July 2023 17:34 (nine months ago) link


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