Board Games

Arbitrary · Dec 31, 2013

One option you have is Vassal. It is a piece of software that allows you to play many different board games on your computer. I'm not sure how to explain it.

So say I wanted to play Eclipse. On BoardGameGeek's page for the game (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/72125/eclipse) I see it has Vassal play so I click on that (VASSAL | Wiki | BoardGameGeek).

That gives you links to the Vassal website and links to all existing modules for it.

The amount of automation varies from game to game but for something like Eclipse it requires the player to move all the shit they would have to move and do all the things they would have to do if there were sitting there physically. I've used that particular module and it works absolutely fine. I don't know if your crew is nerdy enough for that kind of thing.

Golgotha_sl · Dec 31, 2013

I do remember that now that you mention it. But no, atleast 1, if not more of the people involved would be very inexperienced board game players. So looking for a much more refined experience. Thanks for the input though.

Antagonist_sl · Jan 1, 2014

piggvomit_sl said:
anyone played this yet? its one of the few christmas presents I know about

Just skimmed this thread so far, but didnt really see much love for the Game of Thrones board game. Definitely a staple of our gaming group. It does a really good job of capturing the atmosphere of the books. You really need to be able to manipulate and maneuver your fellow players since combat can be a little random and lost units may not get replaced every turn. Our games always last 3+ hours

Running Dog_sl · Jan 2, 2014

Szlia_sl said:
We played a game ofRex: Final Days of an Empirethe other day, which is a re-skinning in the Twilight Imperium universe of the classicDuneboard game. The meat of the game is different factions trying to control a number of key zones on a map through movement and combat. Nothing very special here, but each player has special abilities, some have personal victory conditions and some have specificities regarding core mechanisms (for instance, the money spent to deploy some troops or to bid on combat cards does not go to a bank but to some players instead). The combat is also particular as the number of troop you commit, the leader you pick and the equipment you use are decided in secret and then revealed simultaneously. Add some racial abilities and some traitors and there is a lot of mind games going on.

A fun element of the original game (or not so fun if there are poor players around the table) is that from the get go some people are close to victory and will win if the others don't do anything about it. Our game of Rex really reproduced this frantic feeling of urgency... because our host wrongly remembered the winning condition! In this extremely fun custom version of Rex we played, any of the 6 players had to control 2 (instead of 3) out of the 5 key zones to win and three players start with one... We still managed to last until the 5th round (out of a maximum of 8) and 4 players had a shot at winning before the resolution of the combat phase! Custom Rex was a great success, but I suspect regular Rex might be fun too!

Dune is one of my favourites. The designers did a great job with all the factions from the book getting appropriate powers, e.g. playing as Bene Gesserit you can freak out the other players because if you correctly predict who will win and when, you win instead of them.

Szlia · Jan 2, 2014

That's one problem we had with game: we used all the Dune names! Maybe it might be different for those more familiar with Twilight Imperium than Dune (and that's not even sure because the names of the races are not that memorable in TI). Anyway, the final battle of our game was the emperor against the baron at the end of the fifth turn. I tried to keep my poker face because I was the Bene Gesserit and had the emperor in the fifth round! The damn Harkonen managed to win

Another climax of my game was fighting the emperor in round three because he was about to win waaaay too early and it resulted in the most unlikely of all outcome: double traitors, everybody dies!

Noodleface · Jan 8, 2014

Guys I'm thinking about testing out D&D with friends. We aren't interested in going to an open table as we'd like to be pretty inclusive to just our group as well as learning together (and messing up together). Is there a decent "starter pack" type of thing for us to try out? Something basic, moderately challenging would be good. There will be 4-6 of us (one will be DM).

Any ideas?

Edit: Should say, none of us have ever played before.

Vaclav · Jan 8, 2014

I'd wait for D&D Next if you're gonna do D&D proper (mid 2014 I think it's looking?) - Pathfinder if you want to do something now.

Hatorade · Jan 8, 2014

Noodleface_sl said:
Guys I'm thinking about testing out D&D with friends. We aren't interested in going to an open table as we'd like to be pretty inclusive to just our group as well as learning together (and messing up together). Is there a decent "starter pack" type of thing for us to try out? Something basic, moderately challenging would be good. There will be 4-6 of us (one will be DM).

Any ideas?

Edit: Should say, none of us have ever played before.

I second Pathfinders, lots of free module out there and a ton of flexibility. That or New World of Darkness (NWoD) if you don't like keeping track of who rolls D6 vs D10 etc.

Noodleface · Jan 9, 2014

I'll check out Pathfinder, any recommendations on what exactly I need to buy to get started? I'll l ook through this thread if it's already been posted before. I'm a noob to board games.

Astral Projection_sl · Jan 9, 2014

Ehh I dunno, Pathfinder for newbies to D&D, none of which have ever played, might not be such a great idea. How about the starter edition red box?

Dungeons Dragons Roleplaying Game : Red Box

That way you can all get an idea of what the game is like and only 1 person has to shell out $20 bucks. If I'm not mistaken, the minimum to play Pathfinder would be 1 Player Handbook, 1 DM Guide, 1 Monster Manual, and an adventure or two. That would easily be $100+ depending where you buy?

edit: oh wait, Pathfinder has a beginner box too:

paizo.com - Store / Paizo Publishing, LLC / Pathfinder® / Pathfinder Roleplaying Game / Products / Beginner Box

Noodleface · Jan 9, 2014

Red Box looks good for $20 too. Might grab both!

Hatorade · Jan 9, 2014

There are lots of PDF versions around of both as well. Don't forget dice, need enough so everyone can have a set. I recommend theAmazon.com: Pound-O-Dice: Toys Gamesif no one has any, you can easily build up from there.

Szlia · Jan 9, 2014

Noodleface, I feel myself forced to play the part of the smug euro player: when you think D&D, are you interested in the co-op tactical fantasy combat or by the multiplayer interactive storytelling? I am asking because D&D is dangerously close to a (bloated and not very good) board game, so if storytelling is your main goal there are games with lighter combat systems that are easier to pick-up.

Tea_sl · Jan 9, 2014

Szlia_sl said:
Noodleface, I feel myself forced to play the part of the smug euro player: when you think D&D, are you interested in the co-op tactical fantasy combat or by the multiplayer interactive storytelling? I am asking because D&D is dangerously close to a (bloated and not very good) board game, so if storytelling is your main goal there are games with lighter combat systems that are easier to pick-up.

As an avid Ameritrash fan, I concur.

Noodleface · Jan 9, 2014

Szlia_sl said:
Noodleface, I feel myself forced to play the part of the smug euro player: when you think D&D, are you interested in the co-op tactical fantasy combat or by the multiplayer interactive storytelling? I am asking because D&D is dangerously close to a (bloated and not very good) board game, so if storytelling is your main goal there are games with lighter combat systems that are easier to pick-up.

co-op tactical fantasy combat

Apostolos · Jan 9, 2014

Talisman was a great board game for the weekend crew I played with down at the baseball card shop on weekends way back when.. It has a basic box you can play, and if you like it, there are a metric ton of add on boards you can incorporate as you go.

Noodleface · Jan 9, 2014

After reading a whole bunch of reviews online, I think I'm going to give Pathfinder a try. It sounds really good. Hopefully they all like it, otherwise I will go by myself to some open tables.

Lemmiwinks_sl · Jan 9, 2014

Noodleface_sl said:
After reading a whole bunch of reviews online, I think I'm going to give Pathfinder a try. It sounds really good. Hopefully they all like it, otherwise I will go by myself to some open tables.

My uncle owns a nearby comic book/table top gaming store and he got me the pathfinder starter kit for christmas. I gathered up 2 buds, we rolled a character each and we ran through the newbie dungeon that comes with the kit. We all had a great time, even my brother whose never played D&D before. I was the DM though so I never got to play my character. The intro-rulebooks they give you in the kit are very well done and easy to understand, and the starting dungeon was pretty cool too.

I would suggest getting more dice as well. It was slightly annoying that we all had to share the same set of dice. My next step is picking up the core rulebook and the bestiary 1-3. And maybe some of the adventure packs they sell too.

icarr757_sl · Jan 9, 2014

Best tactical fantasy co-op is D&d 4e, hands down. Get the Player Handbook, Gm guide. Skip Monster manual 1 and get the Monster Vault box. Math in monster manual 1 was off, leading to many long boring fights.

Now, 4e D&d is not your dads D&d, there are key differences between 4e and any other you have played...
-Classes have "jobs" on the battlefield and they do them very well
-No one "has to play a cleric" now. Cleric and Warlord are the base support classes and they are pretty amazing.
-Saving throws are now active defenses, like AC, now.
-Everyone can heal THEMSELVES now. In combat, this is VERY limited. Out of combat, much easier. Support class does not have to hoard spells for healing...
-All classes have "powers" now, and all classes have a LARGE varienty of powers to choose from. For melees, call them combat manuvers, or tricks. For casters, they are spells. No longer is 1/2 the book devoted to just spells for a few classes.

Honestly, the only thing, imho, the game lacks is some "powers" for noncombat game play. But if you want a solid, well balanced grid running, tactical fantasy combat, 4e is the best out there. If you are a fan of OSR, or 3.5/Pathfinder, you will hate it. 13th Age is a pretty good "lite" version of 4e tactical combat, and you can get most everything in one book.

Have fun storming the castle!

Astral Projection_sl · Jan 9, 2014

Another option for tactical fantasy gaming would be Descent 2nd edition. It is kinda like D&D-lite as well:

Fantasy Flight Games [Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition]

One box includes all the dice, maps, and minis you will need for a while. Check the reviews section on BoardGameGeek to get a good idea of the game (or any game really):

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1...second-edition

This guy wrote one of the best board game reviews I've seen:

RPG in a box (An extremely long-winded review of my #1 game) | Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) | BoardGameGeek

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