I know I've written about it before, but my introduction to both miniature games and D&D came via Heroquest. It really was the best game ever made. Don't believe me? Check out Bardic Broadcasts' unboxing to find out why, and what the best part of the game was.
Showing posts with label board games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label board games. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Review: Firefly the Game
Firefly the Game:
Just opening the box, this is an intimidating game, and I had about 10 minutes with the rules before I was supposed to help everyone learn how to play. And it wasn’t even my game!
The first thing you’ll notice is that there are a LOT of pieces. How many other games can you think of that use 12 different decks of cards?? You’re going to want a BIG table to play this on.
Luckily the rulebook does a fairly good job of walking you through the game, and even suggests the best way to play your first game. The scenario suggested, and the one we played, was to steal the crown jewels of old England. To do this, you need cash, so off we went, picking up jobs and stuff, fumbling our way through the first couple of rounds.
There are a number of planets on the board, but only 5 of them sell stuff, and 5 have contacts who give jobs. There’s some overlap, but you’ll be moving around the board a lot. If you stick to Alliance space the jobs are generally less well paying. Boarderland jobs, even if they take you into the Alliance territory pay better, but are much higher risk.
One downside to the game is that there isn’t a whole lot of player interaction. No real team work, and the only way you can really hurt anyone is by sicking the Alliance Cruiser or the Reavers on someone, but that isn’t easy either. Turns can take a long time too, especially if there’s shopping for stuff or jobs going on, especially at the beginning with new players.
I do recommend starting on a planet that both sells stuff and has jobs. If the other players claimed them for their first turn, pick one that offers one or the other. Don’t worry too much about the scenario right away either. Chances are you aren’t going to be able to start it very quickly. Also, be very careful with your crew. If you let them get unhappy, other players can buy them off of you if they’re in the same place on the board. That’s how I lost both Simon and River Tam ( a great combo if you can get it), not to mention my other crew members.
If you’re a fan of Firefly, and of games like Ticket to Ride and Monopoly, and you have a few hours (or an afternoon) to kill, this is a good one to get. It isn’t fast. In the 4 or so hours we played, 2 players succeeded in getting ⅔ goals, one got ⅓ and one was on her way to the first goal. This was a scenario that the card suggested would take 2 hours.
Just opening the box, this is an intimidating game, and I had about 10 minutes with the rules before I was supposed to help everyone learn how to play. And it wasn’t even my game!
The first thing you’ll notice is that there are a LOT of pieces. How many other games can you think of that use 12 different decks of cards?? You’re going to want a BIG table to play this on.
Luckily the rulebook does a fairly good job of walking you through the game, and even suggests the best way to play your first game. The scenario suggested, and the one we played, was to steal the crown jewels of old England. To do this, you need cash, so off we went, picking up jobs and stuff, fumbling our way through the first couple of rounds.
There are a number of planets on the board, but only 5 of them sell stuff, and 5 have contacts who give jobs. There’s some overlap, but you’ll be moving around the board a lot. If you stick to Alliance space the jobs are generally less well paying. Boarderland jobs, even if they take you into the Alliance territory pay better, but are much higher risk.
One downside to the game is that there isn’t a whole lot of player interaction. No real team work, and the only way you can really hurt anyone is by sicking the Alliance Cruiser or the Reavers on someone, but that isn’t easy either. Turns can take a long time too, especially if there’s shopping for stuff or jobs going on, especially at the beginning with new players.
I do recommend starting on a planet that both sells stuff and has jobs. If the other players claimed them for their first turn, pick one that offers one or the other. Don’t worry too much about the scenario right away either. Chances are you aren’t going to be able to start it very quickly. Also, be very careful with your crew. If you let them get unhappy, other players can buy them off of you if they’re in the same place on the board. That’s how I lost both Simon and River Tam ( a great combo if you can get it), not to mention my other crew members.
If you’re a fan of Firefly, and of games like Ticket to Ride and Monopoly, and you have a few hours (or an afternoon) to kill, this is a good one to get. It isn’t fast. In the 4 or so hours we played, 2 players succeeded in getting ⅔ goals, one got ⅓ and one was on her way to the first goal. This was a scenario that the card suggested would take 2 hours.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Playing Pathfinder... Muchkin Pathfinder
Following up on Betrayal at House on the Hill, we invited some friends over to enjoy some Chinese food and some Munchkin. Having picked up Munchkin Pathfinder, we mixed it in with the base set, and started kicking down doors.
If you've never played, there are 2 decks: the door deck, and the treasure deck. At the start of every turn you kick in a door. There might be a monster, or a curse, or something else. If there's a monster you have to either fight it or run away. If you win, you get as many treasure cards as the monster card says. If you lose, you run with varying levels of bad things that happen to you if you don't get away. If there's something else you either play it, or add it to your hand to maybe play later.
It's a fast game, and we managed to play through 5 games or so. Just about everyone had a good time (except for the person who hates Munchkin), and I can't wait to break out the decks again. The big question is what expansion we should add next?
Any suggestions?
If you've never played, there are 2 decks: the door deck, and the treasure deck. At the start of every turn you kick in a door. There might be a monster, or a curse, or something else. If there's a monster you have to either fight it or run away. If you win, you get as many treasure cards as the monster card says. If you lose, you run with varying levels of bad things that happen to you if you don't get away. If there's something else you either play it, or add it to your hand to maybe play later.
It's a fast game, and we managed to play through 5 games or so. Just about everyone had a good time (except for the person who hates Munchkin), and I can't wait to break out the decks again. The big question is what expansion we should add next?
Any suggestions?
Friday, November 15, 2013
Betrayal at House on the Hill
While I haven't gotten in any RPing lately, I have gotten to game far more often than I usually do. A couple of weeks ago I got to play Betrayal at House on the Hill (which I keep wanting to call Betrayal at the House on Haunted Hill). This is a fantastic game where you build a haunted house as you play, until the betrayal happens, and the game completely changes. Now this first part of the game is great, because the house is never the same. It's built room by room from a deck of possible rooms. Each room has it's own special rules, encounter, item, or omen. When the omens are pulled, it causes a haunt roll, which will eventually reveal the betrayer.
Depending on when and where the haunt happens determines which of the 50 possible scenarios occurs. That's some serious replay potential.
In the 3 games we played we beat back demons and closed a hellmouth, aliens abducted everyone, and we defeated a dragon.
The second game we played (with the aliens) the haunt happened really quickly, and because of that the house wasn't very explored, and no one had any good equipment to try to stop the aliens. Needless to say, it did not go well.
This is a great game, and I can not recommend it highly enough.
If you'd like to see how the session runs, check out these episodes of Table Top.
Depending on when and where the haunt happens determines which of the 50 possible scenarios occurs. That's some serious replay potential.
In the 3 games we played we beat back demons and closed a hellmouth, aliens abducted everyone, and we defeated a dragon.
The second game we played (with the aliens) the haunt happened really quickly, and because of that the house wasn't very explored, and no one had any good equipment to try to stop the aliens. Needless to say, it did not go well.
This is a great game, and I can not recommend it highly enough.
If you'd like to see how the session runs, check out these episodes of Table Top.
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