2011.04.07
Posted in Board Games at 10:04 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
This past Monday, my Monday group played Steam with the America map by Ted Alspach. Because Ted Alspach designed the maps originally for Age of Steam, the rules posted for the maps assume you’re playing the Standard rules for Steam, something the group hadn’t done before.
Once I realized that Steam with the Basic rules wasn’t going to work given how the map was balanced, we quickly respun into a set of rules that worked for everyone. We played Steam with the Standard rules, with 2 exceptions:
- You could borrow money at will during the turn, and so there weren’t severe penalties for running out of money.
- During the Maintenance phase, you had to pay if you were in the negative on the income track, and got money if you were positive.
The America map has a special rule where you don’t pay maintenance on your locomotive, so basically we just “imported” these two rules from the Basic game, and otherwise played the Standard rules.
This actually worked out quite well, I think. None of us really had a sense of how much money we should bid in the auctions or borrow for the turn, so allowing players to borrow at will worked out OK, and the interest penalties kept the borrowing in check. It was a nice stepping stone game in that sense, from basic rules to standard rules. I don’t think we’re quite ready for the brutal standard rules yet, but I think we’ll try the same thing at least once more.
I really thought the auctions worked well, and I think we underestimated the importance of the “first player” action in Steam (which morphs into “1 free pass in the auction next turn” in the Standard rules. I was allowed to choose it in the penultimate turn, which I think clinched my victory. I liked the fact that the urbanization action was free (after the auction), since it’s not always worth the $6 that the basic rules assume. Sometimes it’s worth $10, and sometimes more like $2, and the auctions help to sort that out. I also liked that players didn’t always jump on the “build more track” or “ship first” actions. If you were paying $10 in the auction you wanted something pretty badly and so didn’t screw around when it came time for action selection. I’m sure the map’s rules had a role in this too, but overall I really liked the dynamic.
I also finally understand why the Standard rules and Age of Steam are preferred by some gamers to the Basic rules of Steam. It’s definitely a “level up”, and one I really enjoy, but I get the sense that it’s kind of like Puerto Rico in that playing with mixed skill levels is a recipe for failure.
I emerged victorious in the end, but America was a tough map, and we all wound up fighting over the last few precious goods in the final turn. It was a slim victory, to say the least.
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2011.03.06
Posted in Board Games at 8:15 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve managed to try out both of the #1 and #2 games from BoardGameGeek for the first time.
Puerto Rico was thoroughly enjoyable. For my first attempt at the game, I focused on generating points through buildings, although I made a few mistakes along the way and didn’t generate as much money as I could have at a couple of times. It was the first game for all at the table, which meant nobody had a huge advantage (and nobody got frustrated with anyone else).
Twilight Struggle was a very intense game, more intense than I expected. Jason and I gave this a go on a Saturday evening, and it took a lot of mental energy from both of us. In the end, I managed to eke out a razor-thin victory for the USA, although I nearly blew it on the very final card play of the game.
Having now played both of them, I can say they’re both excellent games, and one thing they have in common is that they are probably best when the players have roughly the same experience / skill level with the game. I can see them becoming very unbalanced with differing experience levels.
If you haven’t tried Puerto Rico and you enjoy Eurogames, just stop what you’re doing right now and track down a copy at your local game store. Really. It’s that good. If you’re looking for a 2-player game with a lot of tension and depth, and enjoy area-control type mechanics, then Twilight Struggle is well worth the investment.
As for the rest of the top ten on BoardGameGeek, there are a few I haven’t tried yet. Perhaps I should track them down.
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2011.02.18
Posted in Board Games at 11:16 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
Tom and Eric have been talking up Puzzle Strike recently, and I noticed My Friendly Local Game Store had exactly 1 copy in stock, so I went over after work today and bought it.
The one line summary: This is Dominion with the settings changed from Euro to Ameritrash.
Puzzle Strike is a game where you:
- Draw 5 or so chips every turn, at random, from your own personal draw bag.
- Use those chips to attack the other players, defend against attacks, and buy more chips to add to your draw bag.
- Talk lots of smack (maybe even call the fashion police).
- Win by being the last player standing (knocking out your opponents, or possibly just hanging on longer than they do).
I’m curious to see how this fares in actual gaming (so far I’ve just done dry-runs). It appears to be a good option for people who like the premise behind Dominon but who would rather have more direct conflict than Dominion generally offers. The components are of fantastic quality, and justify the purchase price, although the choice of chips over cards may prove to be too much for some people to digest. Additionally, the last-man-standing mechanic is far more Ameritrash than even I usually would enjoy, but the game moves so fast that I doubt you’ll have much downtime after you’re eliminated and the next game begins. For me, it fills a gap in my collection and I’m sure it will get a fair bit of playtime.
Perhaps one of the really interesting things is that Puzzle Strike is loosely based on an arcade game called Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and was in fact designed by David Sirlin who was responsible for balancing a more recent re-release of that game and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo poked light-hearted fun at Super Street Fighter II Turbo (both were published by Capcom) in several ways, including the name of the game. And hence, the title of this post.
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2011.02.12
Posted in Board Games at 6:36 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I tried out First Train to Nuremburg earlier this week. It’s an interesting take on a network building game where you have to balance building out your network with selling off parts of it to remain profitable.
The parts of the game all fit well together, but overall I found the game to be somewhat fiddly, similarly to how Steam is fiddly. The problem is that First Train to Nuremburg doesn’t have the same rewarding depth of strategy that Steam has. As a result, I’d much rather play Steam if I want to play a Martin Wallace train game. First Train isn’t a bad game, but it’s just not as good as Stream given the “fiddly” cost.
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2011.01.12
Posted in Board Games at 11:29 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
… is new again.
I spent a bit of time getting some ringtones on my phone. Let’s see if any of my coworkers watched Electric Circus when they were growing up.
Aside: the song is from the 90s. People born in the 90s can legally buy alcohol in Alberta. Why do I suddenly feel old?
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2011.01.04
Posted in Board Games at 8:16 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
On New Year’s Eve Dominant Species finally hit the table. The inaugural journey was a 4-player affair, with Craig ultimately being the victor. Jason was certain there was no way anyone could catch me (I was an early leader), but I was gobbling up points precisely because I had poor position for final scoring where Craig and Rafael both managed to pass me. Actually Rafael and I tied but he was higher on the food chain.
I was playing the insects, destined to lose all ties, and I didn’t take proper advantage of my speciation ability. I also over-speciated and nearly ran out of species the final turn (of all of the players, I had far and away the most extinct species at the end too).
I won’t make the over-speciation mistake next time, and I’ll pay more attention to board position for final scoring and also try to figure out a way to mitigate the food chain disadvantage (which will be a problem any game where I don’t play the mammals).
I guess we’ll see how things go the next time around. I really don’t have a good grip on the strategy at this point, although I did notice that Adaptation was more important than I gave it credit for, and Glaciation can ruin your day if you aren’t careful.
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2010.12.30
Posted in Board Games at 12:37 am by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
Among other things, Santa brought me a copy of Twilight Struggle, a game I’ve had my eye on for some time. Currently ranked at #1 on The Geek, it managed to dethrone the venerable Puerto Rico, and after going over the rules, playing some sample rounds, and reading reviews and other material online, I can see why.
My only regret is that I haven’t played the game for real yet.
If you haven’t heard of this game, do yourself a favor and check it out. Better yet, read Mateo Jurasic’s review of Twilight Struggle.
My favorite line from the review:
“Even as I type this review, I want to play again in order to beat the tar out of all those dirty red bastards on wargameroom and teach them to play real freedom loving games like [...] Monopoly, which teaches about the virtues of capitalism and beauty pageants while warning against giving money to the poor.”
Classic.
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2010.11.06
Posted in Board Games at 12:31 am by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
Although I haven’t gotten Dominant Species to the table for a full game yet, I did another dry run this evening. Part of the reason was to figure out how to teach the game since inevitably I’ll be the one teaching it to my game group.
I think I figured out how to teach the game, but one thing really stood out as I played a mock three-player game. This game is a lot like Caylus, but with fangs. Sharp fangs; the kind that actually cause you to wind up in the hospital cursing your attacker.
There’s a lot going on in Dominant Species. It’s almost certainly too much to take in the first time you play, but I think I’ve found a reasonable way of teaching the game, given that my group has played Caylus numerous times before.
Here’s the strategy I think I’ll try:
- Explain that the game is like Caylus, in that everyone places their action pawns, then they are resolved in a specific order. Explain that also like Caylus, action selection is important, and that players have to make the best of limited actions each turn.
- Set up the board with a very fake setup, but as though we’re on turn 3 instead of turn 1. Meanwhile, go through some of the critical terminology (animal, species, element, element type, dominant species, etc.). Be sure to seed all of the actions with elements such as they might appear in turn 3 (put some tokens in Regression, Wasteland, and Depletion).
- Place the action pawns more or less randomly, ensuring there is at least one in each row, and at least 2 in Glaciation. Try to place them in a way such that you can demonstrate the actions meaningfully, which may also require some fiddling with elements on the board and dropping a few on player sheets, etc. Explain to the players that this is the part of the turn where the action pawns are placed, and explain the initiative track. Make sure to actually put 5 Dominance cards out, 3 Migration tiles, etc.
- Refer the players to their reference sheets, and have them follow along while you resolve the actions in turn.
- Resolve every action, explaining what is happening and why. Connect each action with the theme. For example, “Adaptation allows you to improve your ability to survive in various habitats on Earth.”
- When Glaciation happens, explain what the term “bonus scoring” means, and why it’s so important.
- When speciation happens, explain that this is the usual way of putting new species on the board, but also that it’s important to not run out of species since you have a limited supply.
- When Dominance happens, take a pause. Explain that Dominance is a very central part of the game and that it’s one of the primary scoring engines in the game. Explain carefully the related concepts (majority of species, scoring a tile, the food chain, dominant species, the dominance cards). Explain that it’s important to keep an eye on the Dominance cards.
- Go through extinction. Ensure at least one species goes extinct. Reiterate the permanence of death in this game, and the need to manage species carefully.
- Explain survival, and reiterate the bonus scoring mechanic.
- Show what happens during Reseed, and reiterate how actions on turn x affect turn x+1 and x+2.
- Explain the end-game. Do an extra Dominance as though the Ice Age card was selected. Resolve that card, and go through final scoring. Explain how the Ice Age card is the 26th card in the pile, and that the game generally lasts 6 to 7 turns. Again reiterate the importance of the Dominance action.
- Reset the game for the start of the game. Remind each player of their special ability.
- Begin.
- If turn 1 goes really sour for one or more players, start over.
There are also a few things that I think are key to success during the first game:
- At the start of each turn, read all 5 Dominance cards aloud, even the ones that may have carried forward from the previous turns. Explain fully each card, giving an example where applicable.
- For the first few turns, take a look at the actions that have elements which move forward. Remind the other players of how that mechanic works, to help them plan.
- Be liberal with rules clarifications and advice. If you see a player making an obvious blunder, speak up. Otherwise, offer suggestions and clarifications only when asked.
- Pause after the third turn, and ask the players if anyone has questions or wants clarifications. Remind players of the final scoring mechanic and the Ice Age card.
While it’s true that Dominant Species might favour players who know the Dominance cards better than others, I honestly believe that can be mitigated by explaining the dominance cards at the beginning of each turn. Players will see pretty quickly the value of the cards, and will understand the choice that needs to be made between choosing a card that benefits them the most, and choosing a card that may not benefit them much but which prevents an opponent from using the same card.
It’s worth noting that I’ve tailored this advice to my group in several important ways:
- They have all played Caylus enough to understand the worker-placement mechanic with little explanation.
- My group probably won’t be happy with “let’s just play the first turn” without discussion of the carry-over into future turns and understanding the end game which are both pretty key in Dominant Species. Otherwise, I’d go for a more “explain as you go” approach.
- My group is comfortable with rules complexity. I fully expect to be able to run through the sample turn in about 15 minutes before we start. And I know they’re OK with an explanation that takes that long.
As another observation while I write this: if my group wasn’t familiar with Caylus, I would teach them that game first. Dominant Species really is like Caylus with fangs.
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2010.10.29
Posted in Board Games at 7:16 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I picked up two more board games recently: Hansa Teutonica and Dominant Species. Which has created an even larger problem with lack of shelf space in my apartment (I now have 5 games that won’t fit). But on with the games themselves:
Hansa Teutonica is an interesting game that reminds me partly of Maharaja, partly of Blue Moon City, and partly of Yspahan although it’s quite unique on its own. The game centers on a fight for control over cities on the board, but there’s also a strong incentive to upgrade your abilities and pursue other secondary goals as well. It’s quite interesting in that there is a fairly wide variety of ways to score points in the endgame. Although I’ve only played it a few times, it seems to me that the way to win this game is to focus on gaining points in a way different from the other players. Less contention for the goals you’re pursuing would seem to lead to more points, although this is something I have to test out over a number of plays. There are a lot of options that could work well as strategies, although the short game length means some strategies will be more difficult to pull off than others (if they take longer). I’m curious how the game plays with more than 3 players, and looking forward to trying it a few more times.
Dominant Species is a very unusual (and unfortunately somewhat expensive) game. It’s a Eurogame in terms of basic mechanics, but it’s published by a wargame company (GMT) and so it has a decided mean streak in it. Each round of dominant species is somewhat similar to Caylus in that first the players all place their action pawns, and then the actions are all resolved in a pre-defined sequence. But the game plays out very differently. Your figures represent a single type of animal (for instance, lizards) and you have to evolve, adapt, and yes even kill off other species in order to survive. There are two types of area control that you’re working for simultaneously: majority of species in an area, and dominant species in an area. You score points based on the majority of species (with second, third, etc. place scoring less points in turn), but to gain access to a potentially powerful dominance card, you also have to be the dominant (most well-adapted) species. I have yet to play a game of this, but from a few practice rounds I know I’m going to thoroughly enjoy the game. The mechanics are complex and the strategy is rich and nuanced. I think what I like most about the game is that the mechanics fit the theme well for the most part. But remember: nobody said evolution was a friendly affair. Your species have to fight to survive, and some will almost certainly be lost along the way.
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2010.10.11
Posted in Board Games at 8:22 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
This autumn I’ve played a variety of games including Snow Tails and Metropolys. Snow Tails can be compared with RoboRally but there’s more opportunity to take calculated risks in Snow Tails given the rules simplicity and the hand management mechanic. Still it’s a fun game and you can crank up the difficulty easily enough with the right group. Maybe it’s time to bust out RoboRally again soon.
Metropolys is a deceptively simple game with a lot of depth lurking just beneath the covers. Now that I’ve played with the full compliment of 4 players and tried the expansion from the Ystari Box, I can say that I’m a bit surprised at how much game is there. I was expecting more of a light filler, but it’s actually a medium-weight game with a lot going on. The curious combination of secret goals, area control, and bidding means that deciding to pass during your turn is seldom an easy decision.
In the future, I hope to get one or more of the Steam expansion maps to the table, maybe some RoboRally, and I’m definitely due for another go at Power Grid…
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