What Board Game Are You Currently Playing?

[IAmBatman]

Scythe looks like a cool one for sure. I look forward to session reports.

I've been playing a lot of XCom: The Board Game with various groups. The app makes learning to play really easy and the game is fast, furious, and a lot of high pressure coop fun. The dice are cruel, though! Definitely worth a play if you ever have the chance.

I'm also doing a lot of research into a future coop Dungeon Crawler purchase. Descent 2.0 wasn't my speed, so I sold that off. My three front runners are currently Shadows Over Brimstone, Sword & Sorcery, and Gloomhaven. Wish I had the cash for all three (and I might end up eschewing other possible purchases to get two of three), but choosing is so hard! I know only one of them is even out yet, but any thoughts or analysis could be helpful. In the meantime, I plan to watch lots of videos and break down the elements of each game to try to predict which my group and I will like the best.

[OEAO]

Gloomhaven is easily the best value for your buck, but again it is coming out in September. I really wanted to get it for this summer but I'll be in college by the time I'd get it.

Shadows Over Brimstone looks cool in my opinion, but it also requires miniature assembly... Not something I want to do at this point in time.

Haven't looked too much into Sword and Sorcery.

[IAmBatman]

Yeah, Gloomhaven does look pretty sweet, though $100 before shipping is quite a chunk of change to throw at a single game. Part of me thinks that I'll be able to get it for less once it's more widely available. But what if that doesn't come to fruition? Decisions, decisions.

[Hahma]

I backed Gloomhaven and it was $79 with the hero minis and included shipping. The version with hero standees was $64 with shipping. All the monsters in both versions are standees. This game is a persistent campaign legacy style game. Everyone who gets the game will start with the same scenario, but from there, the paths people choose will differ. After each scenario you choose where to go next so to speak. So decisions you make early in the campaign will affect where you are at several scenarios down the road. It only plays up to 4 players, and only 4 characters are available at the start. Characters will have short term goals and retirement goals and are different from each other and may be secret (not sure). Achieving certain goals will get you xps and getting enough to fulfill your retirement goal will have you retire that character and likely open an envelope that tells you who your new character is, as well as unlocking certain things that character adds to the game/world. There are over 70 scenarios I believe, though you won't hit them all due to choices/paths you take. Each game should take about 1/2 hour per player. You will be putting stickers on the map to mark where you have been, as well as marking cards to indicate what upgrade it has. There are some workarounds likely available for people that don't want to permanently alter the map and cards.


One of my buddies backed Sword and Sorcery and I can't wait to play that one too. It's by the same company that did Galaxy Defenders , which my buddy has, and seems like a dungeon crawl version of that and maybe more refined. Galaxy Defenders is a campaign style co-op game with an AI that controls the enemies. I played through the base game campaign last year in a 5 player group and enjoyed it a lot. He has the expansion with another campaign, but it takes coordination to get everyone to get goin with that, as there are Imperial Assault campaigns going on as well and some of us involved with GD are also trying to work through GMT's COIN series of games that are lengthy. But back to Sword and Sorcery, it seems like it will be really fun.

Oye (as Bats like to say), that just reminded me of how much we have on our plates. Not to mention the new game Mare Nostrum Empires that several of us just got and after playing it on Monday, it's sure to demand more attention. Then several of us are getting Scythe, which will demand attention fir sure. Then after GenCon, well have a couple groups involved with the Seafall legacy campaign game that is highly anticipated.

I'm glad Gloomhaven is running late in delivery, as even when I do get it, it may have to wait in the on deck cicle for awhile.

[chas]

Mare Nostrum Empires Game Log

Interestingly, each game was won by a different nation, using each one of the four possible victory conditions. All six players involved love this new game, and want to play it again! The first game went long due to unfamiliarity with the rules.

Game 1: 3 Player 3 Hr 45 Min (7 Turns)
Winner: Rome (Build 5 Heroes/Wonders)

Game 2: Alternate 3 Player 1 Hr 45 Min (4 Turns)
Winner: Babylon (Control 4 Capital/Legendary Cities)

Game 3: 2 Player 1 Hr 11 Min (4 Turns)
Winner: Carthage (Gain All Three Leaderships)

Game 4: 5 Player 1 Hr 49 Min (5 Turns)
Winner: Greece (Build Pyramids)

[IAmBatman]

Yeah, not helping me narrow the field here, Hambone! I guess one thing is that having the ability to play with 5 is pretty appealing. But then doing any sort of legacy style thing is probably going to be easier to do consistently with 4.

But I also really like the "ghost" mechanic on Sword & Sorcery where you can still be relevant to the game after you die .... Oye. I have such analysis paralysis on this one.

[Hahma]

Originally Posted by chas

Mare Nostrum Empires Game Log

Interestingly, each game was won by a different nation, using each one of the four possible victory conditions. All six players involved love this new game, and want to play it again! The first game went long due to unfamiliarity with the rules.

Game 1: 3 Player 3 Hr 45 Min (7 Turns)
Winner: Rome (Build 5 Heroes/Wonders)

Game 2: Alternate 3 Player 1 Hr 45 Min (4 Turns)
Winner: Babylon (Control 4 Capital/Legendary Cities)

Game 3: 2 Player 1 Hr 11 Min (4 Turns)
Winner: Carthage (Gain All Three Leaderships)

Game 4: 5 Player 1 Hr 49 Min (5 Turns)
Winner: Greece (Build Pyramids)

Good stuff Chas! Glad to see various winning and in different ways.

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

Yeah, not helping me narrow the field here, Hambone! I guess one thing is that having the ability to play with 5 is pretty appealing. But then doing any sort of legacy style thing is probably going to be easier to do consistently with 4.

But I also really like the "ghost" mechanic on Sword & Sorcery where you can still be relevant to the game after you die .... Oye. I have such analysis paralysis on this one.

Both is always an option

Though neither have been released yet, so unless you have a way to get a kickstarter pledge somehow, it'll be a while until you have to make the tough choice.

[IAmBatman]

Gloomhaven is still letting folks get in after the fact as a preorder. Not so much for Sword & Sorcery. So I do definitely have a chance to blow some cash right now if I like.

[Hahma]

Blow some cash now on Gloomhaven and then start saving cash again to get Swords and Sorcery when it becomes available

[IAmBatman]

Heh. I have a newborn and a new car. The $250 I have around now is unlikely to get replenished any time soon. But I'm leaning heavily towards Gloomhaven being worth it. I just need to try to find the time and space to watch a couple more videos on it to reassure myself first.

[spidysox]

I didn't back sword and sorcery so I can't speak to it.

I own both of the core sets in Shadows of Brimstone. I personally really love the game. It has one of the best leveling systems in a board game and lots of great choices to customize your character. The weird west setting is also great. The biggest drawback in the game is that it has a lot (and I mean a lot) to manage and is an absolute dice fest. But if you don't mind that, you'll love the game.

I highly recommend picking up the town expansion if you can. Adds a whole lot to an already cool feature.

I backed Gloomhaven at the $64 level and am anxiously awaiting it (looks like a September arrival). I'm really looking forward to the legacy aspect of the game and uncovering many of its secrets. It really looks like it will be a steal at its price. The game comes with an insane amount of stuff.

[IAmBatman]

Yeah, I dropped $99 on Gloomhaven just now (broke down - just seemed like good value. First time doing anything resembling a Kickstarter - I know it's not a real Kickstarter backing since it's already gone through, but, still). So I guess I'll be getting that one in September.

I really think my play group would like Shadows of Brimstone. And, yeah, I've heard that about the Town expansion too. I do worry that the combat might not be interesting enough tactically, though, or that the replayability might not be high enough for the price point. I like the theme a lot and what I've heard about the leveling.

Shadows and Swords & Sorcery will have to fight it out a bit to see if I buy either of them with my last shreds of cash. Doesn't help that I really want the last Sentinels of the Multiverse set when it comes out (and still want to grab a couple of the small expansions). I'm also tempted to grab a vs. game instead, like Blood Rage or Star Wars: Rebellion, but my group tends to gravitate towards coops, so I think they might get more play.