26
Other Games / Presentation: Designing a Legacy Game
« on: April 21, 2014, 05:41:05 pm »
Found this excellent presentation by the designer of Risk: Legacy. Apparently he also worked on Betrayal at House on the Hill.
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27
Variants and Fan Cards / Location Cards game variant
« on: April 07, 2014, 10:24:29 pm »
There's recently been some more discussion on "in games using this" effects, where a card's very presence in the game adds a global effect (e.g. Duchess).
There has also been a similar idea for Environment cards that go into play immediately when gained (replacing the previous Environment) and add a "while in play" effect for all players.
A similar idea that I like a lot (and almost certainly isn't new) is just to have cards with global effects outside of the supply... sort of like the goal cards that are chosen at the start of numerous board games, except these may just be minor rule changes rather than just bonus VP.
Basic Mode: as part of game setup, randomly select one Location. This card belongs to nobody but affects all players. It's just a setup thing that changes some aspect of the game. As a design goal, the changes should have some impact on strategy, but not so wild as to completely destroy the balance of the official cards.
Asymmetric Mode: as part of game setup, reveal one Location card plus one more for each player. Each player simultaneously bids any number of VP which will be counted against them. In bid order from highest to lowest, each player takes one Location that only counts for themselves.
Note: asymmetric mode is supposed to allow for variable player powers without having crazy balance issues (the power of each one depends on the kingdom). There are probably better ways to implement an auction mechanic for the selection of individual Location cards.
So here is a Treasure Chest implementation of such cards. None have been playtested. More could certainly be made. This would also be a very easy concept to do as print-and-play because there are very few cards (only need one of each) and they don't go into the deck so they don't have to be proxied in sleeves or anything special. Also, of the ones below, only the Guilds card requires tokens (coin tokens). The rest can be used no matter what sets you own.
Tell me what you think! Are any of these broken as they are? Would any of these be un-fun? I think the most dangerous cards for balance are Circus (potentially big VP swing), Monastery (heavy game acceleration especially with more than 2 players, and also could make Rogue and Graverobber too amazing) and Soup Kitchen (makes opening hands far more variable).
Countryside (Base)
At the end of the game, you get +3VP.
Clarification: In basic mode, this effectively does nothing. This is so that there is always a chance of playing the regular game with no special rules when randomly choosing a Location.
Tavern (Intrigue)
When you empty a Supply pile, you choose whether the game ends or continues if at least 3 Supply piles are empty.
When the game ends due to 3 or more Supply piles being empty at the end of your turn, you choose whether the game ends or continues.
Clarification: if the game ends due to the Province or Colony pile being empty, you cannot continue the game.
Harbor (Seaside)
At the start of your clean-up phase, you may put one card from your hand on top of your deck.
Archives (Alchemy)
At the start of your turn, you may put a card on the bottom of your deck. If you do, +1 Action.
Note: This bottom-decks instead of discards to keep Tunnel in check.
Emporium (Prosperity)
At the start of your Buy phase, +1 Buy. The second card you buy each turn costs $1 less (but not less than $0).
Circus (Cornucopia)
At the end of the game, +5VP if you have the most differently named cards in your deck.
Clarification: if there is a tie in basic mode, they all get the VP.
Frontier (Hinterlands)
When you gain a Victory card, +1 Card.
Clarification: you can't play cards that you draw due to buying a victory card. You can play a Treasure card that is drawn by gaining a victory card from Horn of Plenty though. This bonus is not always a good thing as it may trigger unwanted reshuffles or draw cards dead.
Monastery (Dark Ages)
At the end of your turn, choose aSupply Kingdom card pile with more than 3 cards. Trash a copy of that card from the Supply. Move a copy of that card from the Supply into the Trash.
Clarification: moving the card does not count as trashing it, so you do not reap any on-trash benefits.
Soup Kitchen (Guilds)
At the end of your turn, take a Coin token if youdo not have any. did not buy any cards this turn.
There has also been a similar idea for Environment cards that go into play immediately when gained (replacing the previous Environment) and add a "while in play" effect for all players.
A similar idea that I like a lot (and almost certainly isn't new) is just to have cards with global effects outside of the supply... sort of like the goal cards that are chosen at the start of numerous board games, except these may just be minor rule changes rather than just bonus VP.
Basic Mode: as part of game setup, randomly select one Location. This card belongs to nobody but affects all players. It's just a setup thing that changes some aspect of the game. As a design goal, the changes should have some impact on strategy, but not so wild as to completely destroy the balance of the official cards.
Asymmetric Mode: as part of game setup, reveal one Location card plus one more for each player. Each player simultaneously bids any number of VP which will be counted against them. In bid order from highest to lowest, each player takes one Location that only counts for themselves.
Note: asymmetric mode is supposed to allow for variable player powers without having crazy balance issues (the power of each one depends on the kingdom). There are probably better ways to implement an auction mechanic for the selection of individual Location cards.
So here is a Treasure Chest implementation of such cards. None have been playtested. More could certainly be made. This would also be a very easy concept to do as print-and-play because there are very few cards (only need one of each) and they don't go into the deck so they don't have to be proxied in sleeves or anything special. Also, of the ones below, only the Guilds card requires tokens (coin tokens). The rest can be used no matter what sets you own.
Tell me what you think! Are any of these broken as they are? Would any of these be un-fun? I think the most dangerous cards for balance are Circus (potentially big VP swing), Monastery (heavy game acceleration especially with more than 2 players, and also could make Rogue and Graverobber too amazing) and Soup Kitchen (makes opening hands far more variable).
Countryside (Base)
At the end of the game, you get +3VP.
Clarification: In basic mode, this effectively does nothing. This is so that there is always a chance of playing the regular game with no special rules when randomly choosing a Location.
Tavern (Intrigue)
When the game ends due to 3 or more Supply piles being empty at the end of your turn, you choose whether the game ends or continues.
Clarification: if the game ends due to the Province or Colony pile being empty, you cannot continue the game.
Harbor (Seaside)
At the start of your clean-up phase, you may put one card from your hand on top of your deck.
Archives (Alchemy)
At the start of your turn, you may put a card on the bottom of your deck. If you do, +1 Action.
Note: This bottom-decks instead of discards to keep Tunnel in check.
Emporium (Prosperity)
At the start of your Buy phase, +1 Buy. The second card you buy each turn costs $1 less (but not less than $0).
Circus (Cornucopia)
At the end of the game, +5VP if you have the most differently named cards in your deck.
Clarification: if there is a tie in basic mode, they all get the VP.
Frontier (Hinterlands)
When you gain a Victory card, +1 Card.
Clarification: you can't play cards that you draw due to buying a victory card. You can play a Treasure card that is drawn by gaining a victory card from Horn of Plenty though. This bonus is not always a good thing as it may trigger unwanted reshuffles or draw cards dead.
Monastery (Dark Ages)
At the end of your turn, choose a
Clarification: moving the card does not count as trashing it, so you do not reap any on-trash benefits.
Soup Kitchen (Guilds)
At the end of your turn, take a Coin token if you
28
Other Games / Betrayal at House on the Hill
« on: March 16, 2014, 03:55:51 am »
So today I got to go to a recently opened board game cafe with some friends. For those not familiar with it, the basic premise is that the players are exploring a haunted house. As you come upon new rooms, they will happen upon events, items and omens. Events are mostly bad things. Items are self-explanatory. Omens are also bad things, except the notch up a counter. After each omen is drawn, the player must roll a bunch of dice (which only number 0-3). If they roll lower than the number of omens uncovered so far, the Haunt begins.
This is the real fun of the game. There are 50 Haunt scenarios in the game and they depend on the omen that triggered the haunt an the specific room where it happened. Depending on the scenario, one of the players becomes a traitor. At this point, the traitor and all the rest will get a special scenario book which tells them their win condition and various special powers/minions. Many of these details are secret.
One of the games we ended up trying was Betrayal at House on the Hill. We played two games and I ended up the traitor both times. The first game, the other FIVE players ended up very close to exactly where they needed to be and there was pretty much nothing I could do to stop them (had I even known how to stop them). The second game was much closer, though the heroes weren't aware at the time. If I had only rolled a 4 on my last turn, I would have succeeded...
Anyway, it was a blast. Very fun game, not too long especially given that we were playing with 6 people. I'm very interested in purchasing it. I was wondering if any others have experience with the game and if they any thoughts to offer on it. Are there any other games that offer a similar, but better experience? If you haven't heard of it before, I highly recommend checking it out. There really isn't much strategy to it, but it's quite the experience.
This is the real fun of the game. There are 50 Haunt scenarios in the game and they depend on the omen that triggered the haunt an the specific room where it happened. Depending on the scenario, one of the players becomes a traitor. At this point, the traitor and all the rest will get a special scenario book which tells them their win condition and various special powers/minions. Many of these details are secret.
One of the games we ended up trying was Betrayal at House on the Hill. We played two games and I ended up the traitor both times. The first game, the other FIVE players ended up very close to exactly where they needed to be and there was pretty much nothing I could do to stop them (had I even known how to stop them). The second game was much closer, though the heroes weren't aware at the time. If I had only rolled a 4 on my last turn, I would have succeeded...
Anyway, it was a blast. Very fun game, not too long especially given that we were playing with 6 people. I'm very interested in purchasing it. I was wondering if any others have experience with the game and if they any thoughts to offer on it. Are there any other games that offer a similar, but better experience? If you haven't heard of it before, I highly recommend checking it out. There really isn't much strategy to it, but it's quite the experience.
29
Other Games / Caverna vs. Agricola
« on: March 05, 2014, 10:14:37 pm »
So I started looking up interesting new games that I missed during a period of not checking board gaming news at all. Apparently Caverna is a hot new title, like Agricola 2.0?
Has anybody has experience with this game? Is it much better than Agricola? Is it different enough or good enough to warrant getting it even if you already have Agricola? Does the lack of special player powers (present in Agricola via occupations and minor improvements) limit the game, or do games still play out differently each time despite the same initial start?
Has anybody has experience with this game? Is it much better than Agricola? Is it different enough or good enough to warrant getting it even if you already have Agricola? Does the lack of special player powers (present in Agricola via occupations and minor improvements) limit the game, or do games still play out differently each time despite the same initial start?
30
Other Games / Kickstarter games
« on: February 17, 2014, 03:56:43 am »
EDIT: Maybe this thread could be the thread to link to new kickstarter games. I no longer check BGG so regularly, so it would be nice for there to be a place where I hear about new games.
So, Lagoon: Land of Druids. It is currently up on Kickstarter. I have not looked too much into it yet but I was wondering if others have any thoughts on it. All I know is that it looks gorgeous and the theme grabs me. It might actually be too deep in fantasy for my taste, but I'll figure that out later. Have you guys seen anything about it?
And a broader question -- are there any hot new games? I have not really kept up with board gaming news in the last several months. I checked BGG to investigate promos for Among the Stars and ended up stumbling across Lagoon. Anything neat that I may have missed out on hearing about?
So, Lagoon: Land of Druids. It is currently up on Kickstarter. I have not looked too much into it yet but I was wondering if others have any thoughts on it. All I know is that it looks gorgeous and the theme grabs me. It might actually be too deep in fantasy for my taste, but I'll figure that out later. Have you guys seen anything about it?
And a broader question -- are there any hot new games? I have not really kept up with board gaming news in the last several months. I checked BGG to investigate promos for Among the Stars and ended up stumbling across Lagoon. Anything neat that I may have missed out on hearing about?
31
General Discussion / Attack on Titan
« on: July 24, 2013, 07:25:07 pm »
Has anybody watched the anime or read the manga? I started recently and have caught up. I like it.
Plot summary for prospective watchers/readers:
100 years ago, giant creatures (generally ranging up to ~15m tall) known as "Titans" appeared and wiped out most of humanity. They appear to be mindless creatures with the sole purpose of devouring people, and they have regenerative capabilities that render conventional weaponry ineffective.
The surviving humans somehow built 50m high walls to create just one (large-ish country-sized?) territory that was safe from Titan invasion. There are actually 3 walls in concentric circles, with the poorest people living in the outer ring of course.
The story mainly follows a trio (and their peers) as humans continue to unravel the mystery of the titans.
As the series begins, an enormous titan taller than 50m appears and kicks a whole in the outer wall, allowing other titans to invade and just wreck things everywhere. Tragedy strikes the main characters. Fast forward a few years and they have trained to become titan-killing soldiers.
Plot summary for prospective watchers/readers:
100 years ago, giant creatures (generally ranging up to ~15m tall) known as "Titans" appeared and wiped out most of humanity. They appear to be mindless creatures with the sole purpose of devouring people, and they have regenerative capabilities that render conventional weaponry ineffective.
The surviving humans somehow built 50m high walls to create just one (large-ish country-sized?) territory that was safe from Titan invasion. There are actually 3 walls in concentric circles, with the poorest people living in the outer ring of course.
The story mainly follows a trio (and their peers) as humans continue to unravel the mystery of the titans.
As the series begins, an enormous titan taller than 50m appears and kicks a whole in the outer wall, allowing other titans to invade and just wreck things everywhere. Tragedy strikes the main characters. Fast forward a few years and they have trained to become titan-killing soldiers.
32
Variants and Fan Cards / Artisans Guild
« on: July 24, 2013, 07:00:24 pm »
Artisans Guild
$4 - Action
+1 Buy
+$1
Move your Artisan token to any other Supply pile.
-----
Setup: At the beginning of the game, each player places their Artisan token on the Curse pile. When a card is bought, any player with their Artisan token on that pile takes a coin token.
Each player has their own Artisan token. They would have to be different colours or something.
Vanilla bonuses don't really matter. +Buy synergizes, and giving coin makes sense. These are the same bonuses as Merchant Guild though, which may or may not be a good thing. The main idea is the coin token gaining, anyway.
The idea is to put your token on a card you think will be bought often, which can discourage your opponent from buying it (and benefiting you) while also giving you a bonus for buying it yourself. This is sort of variation on the old idea of increasing the cost of cards. Instead of directly increasing the cost of a card, you can make it so that players who buy that card make it "cheaper" for you to buy something later.
As currently worded, you always have to move the token when you play it. A buff to the card would be to make the moving optional.
A variation could give each player 2 Artisan tokens instead of one, probably with the restriction that you can't put both of your own Artisans on the same pile.
Thoughts? I priced it at $4 because the coin token gaining is comparable to Merchant Guild. This should be weaker because it doesn't stack at all. It does make for some interesting player interaction.
$4 - Action
+1 Buy
+$1
Move your Artisan token to any other Supply pile.
-----
Setup: At the beginning of the game, each player places their Artisan token on the Curse pile. When a card is bought, any player with their Artisan token on that pile takes a coin token.
Each player has their own Artisan token. They would have to be different colours or something.
Vanilla bonuses don't really matter. +Buy synergizes, and giving coin makes sense. These are the same bonuses as Merchant Guild though, which may or may not be a good thing. The main idea is the coin token gaining, anyway.
The idea is to put your token on a card you think will be bought often, which can discourage your opponent from buying it (and benefiting you) while also giving you a bonus for buying it yourself. This is sort of variation on the old idea of increasing the cost of cards. Instead of directly increasing the cost of a card, you can make it so that players who buy that card make it "cheaper" for you to buy something later.
As currently worded, you always have to move the token when you play it. A buff to the card would be to make the moving optional.
A variation could give each player 2 Artisan tokens instead of one, probably with the restriction that you can't put both of your own Artisans on the same pile.
Thoughts? I priced it at $4 because the coin token gaining is comparable to Merchant Guild. This should be weaker because it doesn't stack at all. It does make for some interesting player interaction.
33
Other Games / Among the Stars: The Ambassadors on Kickstarter
« on: June 04, 2013, 12:44:37 am »
Has anyone checked out this game? It's a drafting game like 7 Wonders, mixed with a bit of tile laying, sort of. The KS campaign is for the first expansion. It's highly praised by the Dice Tower, and it seems like it would be a good pick for anyone who enjoys 7 Wonders. I went ahead and made it the first KS I've ever backed. I am currently considering dropping in the extra $12 for the minis...
34
General Discussion / New Laptop Recommendations?
« on: April 16, 2013, 12:13:39 pm »
My current laptop is having tremendous difficulties. I think it's time to get a new one. Any recommendations?
Gaming need is low - sometimes I play League of Legends, but that's about it. I am online a lot.
Gaming need is low - sometimes I play League of Legends, but that's about it. I am online a lot.
35
Mafia Game Threads / BMIX: Conspiracy Theories, London Edition (Game Over, Conspiracy Theorists Win?)
« on: March 25, 2013, 11:15:51 pm »
Welcome to BMIX: Conspiracy Theories.
I am not posting thorough rules here. Please use common sense.
Ask me if you must, but the rules here will be pretty much the standard rules. Here are some call outs:
And on that note, here is the opening flavour:
In the sleepy little town of London (which is not in England nor in Ontario, it just happens to have the same name as those more famous cities, get over it), whispers are being whispered. Rumours are being rumoured. Troubles arebeing troubled getting troubling. They say that there are monsters living here, possibly even masquerading as regular old townies! Horror of horrors!
Note: the rumours are not clear if these "monsters" are just monstrous human criminals, or creatures of fang or claw or shuffling or ray gun or really, really foul-smelling cheese. There is some debate.
Now, the town of London cannot allow this. We have a reputation to uphold! If our homes are filled with monsters (either literal or metaphorical), then how will we ever make it onto a real map (and one day: the Atlas)? Our booming tourism industry will suffer terribly!
And so you are gathered, citizens of London, to suss out the riffraff and put them down. Gently. Fatally.
Players in alphabetical order:
Day 1 Start
Day 2 Start
Day 3 Start
Day 4 Start
Day 5 Start
Day 6 Start
Game End
I am not posting thorough rules here. Please use common sense.
Ask me if you must, but the rules here will be pretty much the standard rules. Here are some call outs:
- No quoting your role PM. This is just to make it easier with regards to my writing style. You may claim, you may paraphrase, but you may not quote.
- No talking after death. It's BM, but please don't troll the thread after you die. If you have a QT, don't post in it after you die. You will get access to a spectator's thread. If I forget to send it to you, remind me!
- Bankable deadlines. We'll say 2 weeks plus 1 week per game day, for now.
- Public flips. When you die, your alignment and role name will be revealed.
- Flavour doesn't matter. I am going to be posting very little of it... I am putting some together for the start, but any additional flavour will likely be short and sweet. And I haven't hidden any clues in the flavour, that's for sure. No clues at all. None.
And on that note, here is the opening flavour:
In the sleepy little town of London (which is not in England nor in Ontario, it just happens to have the same name as those more famous cities, get over it), whispers are being whispered. Rumours are being rumoured. Troubles are
Note: the rumours are not clear if these "monsters" are just monstrous human criminals, or creatures of fang or claw or shuffling or ray gun or really, really foul-smelling cheese. There is some debate.
Now, the town of London cannot allow this. We have a reputation to uphold! If our homes are filled with monsters (either literal or metaphorical), then how will we ever make it onto a real map (and one day: the Atlas)? Our booming tourism industry will suffer terribly!
And so you are gathered, citizens of London, to suss out the riffraff and put them down. Gently. Fatally.
Players in alphabetical order:
- Archetype - Werewolf Lover killed night 3
- ashersky - Vengeful Werewolf Rolecop lynched day 4
- Axxle - Conspiracy Theorist died night 6
- Axxle2 - Town Conspiracy Theorist killed night 1
- Dsell - Werewolf Dick Cheney last one standing!
- Eevee - Werewolf Lover killed night 3
- Galzria - Werewolf Alarmist Doctor killed night 4
- Jorbles - Werewolf Lover lynched day 2 and survived, killed night 2
- jotheonah - Town Conspiracy Theorist lynched day 3
- liopoil - Town Watcher killed day 6
- mail-mi - Town Voyeur lynched day 6
- mcmcsalot - Bulletproof Werewolf Lover lynched day 5
- Morgrim7/Jorgrim - lynched day 1, revived day 2 (mod-replaced day 4 by Jorbles, now called Jorgrim), died day 5 as Unlynchable Werewolf Lover
- Razzishi - Zombie Conspiracy Theorist Lover killed night 3
- Robz888 - Werewolf Tracker killed day 4, revived night 4 as Zombie Conspiracy Theorist, killed night 5
- spiritbears - Zombie Conspiracy Theorist killed night 4
Day 1 Start
Day 2 Start
Day 3 Start
Day 4 Start
Day 5 Start
Day 6 Start
Game End
36
Other Games / Stefan Feld games
« on: March 24, 2013, 10:06:51 pm »
I've been watching "rahdo runs through" of a bunch of Feld games. I've watched:
- Castles of Burgundy
- Bora Bora
- In the Year of the Dragon
- Macao
- Notre Dame
- Trajan
Still have to watch Roma and Luna. Looking on BGG, other games of his are:
- Amerigo
- Brugge
- It Happens
- The Name of the Rose
- The Pillars of the Earth: Builders duel
- Rialto
- Rum & Pirates
- The Speicherstadt
- Strausbourg
Not sure if these have run-through videos. I hear Rum & Pirates is very different from his usual, and It Happens looks a bit lighter as well. I know how Speicherstadt works and I'm not super interested in it, though it is neat.
Of the ones I've watched, Bora Bora looks neat but seems super busy. Watching the playthrough though, it is simpler than it first seems.
ItYotD is neat too. I'm not sure how much I like that you are just scoring points ALL THE TIME.
Trajan is like that too! I really, really like the concept of using the mancala. That is awesome. But the theme doesn't really do it for me.
I wasn't so fond of Macao, though the way the dice are used looks fun.
I like Notre Dame. Seems rather different than others I've seen.
Judging purely from the playthrough videos, I think CoB is my favourite. But that might be influenced from having just played through a game of it on Boite a Jeux.
What do people here think of Feld's games? I know there are plenty of threads about this on BGG and elsewhere, but I'm interested in your opinions. How do they compare in terms of fiddliness of rules and components? Game length? Complexity?
- Castles of Burgundy
- Bora Bora
- In the Year of the Dragon
- Macao
- Notre Dame
- Trajan
Still have to watch Roma and Luna. Looking on BGG, other games of his are:
- Amerigo
- Brugge
- It Happens
- The Name of the Rose
- The Pillars of the Earth: Builders duel
- Rialto
- Rum & Pirates
- The Speicherstadt
- Strausbourg
Not sure if these have run-through videos. I hear Rum & Pirates is very different from his usual, and It Happens looks a bit lighter as well. I know how Speicherstadt works and I'm not super interested in it, though it is neat.
Of the ones I've watched, Bora Bora looks neat but seems super busy. Watching the playthrough though, it is simpler than it first seems.
ItYotD is neat too. I'm not sure how much I like that you are just scoring points ALL THE TIME.
Trajan is like that too! I really, really like the concept of using the mancala. That is awesome. But the theme doesn't really do it for me.
I wasn't so fond of Macao, though the way the dice are used looks fun.
I like Notre Dame. Seems rather different than others I've seen.
Judging purely from the playthrough videos, I think CoB is my favourite. But that might be influenced from having just played through a game of it on Boite a Jeux.
What do people here think of Feld's games? I know there are plenty of threads about this on BGG and elsewhere, but I'm interested in your opinions. How do they compare in terms of fiddliness of rules and components? Game length? Complexity?
37
Other Games / For the Crown: Dominion mixed with Chess
« on: March 12, 2013, 02:38:37 am »
Dice Tower review here:
It looks pretty interesting. Maybe not particularly innovative (Chess variants are dime a dozen, and it totally does seem like Dominion) but there might be some people here who would appreciate the combination.
It looks pretty interesting. Maybe not particularly innovative (Chess variants are dime a dozen, and it totally does seem like Dominion) but there might be some people here who would appreciate the combination.
38
Variants and Fan Cards / Another Copper-junker
« on: March 07, 2013, 05:01:01 pm »
Archbishop
$5 - Action-Attack
+$2
+1 Buy
Each other player may trash a Treasure or Action card from his hand. If he does not, he gains 2 Copper.
This was inspired by WilsonWriter's Pied Piper, here.
It is a mix of several different attack types. It is a trashing handsize reducer or a junker. Although it distributes Copper, it is tempered in that it helps opponents get rid of Copper as well, especially early on.
The name was chosen because it lets other players trash, like Bishop, but may also give out "alms" to them. Sort of. An alternative name might be "Cardinal".
I am not sure of the vanilla bonuses. It definitely should be terminal. Any suggestions on different vanilla bonuses with good reason for it? Thoughts on the attack strength? I'm not sure how strong it would be. It is generally a benefit to opponents early on, unless there is strong trashing. It might feel as torturous as Torturer, deciding between keeping that card so you can afford an important card or to take on TWO Coppers, which is quite a lot. I expect Mountebank would still be much stronger, but the choice here feels worse than just discarding a Curse.
$5 - Action-Attack
+$2
+1 Buy
Each other player may trash a Treasure or Action card from his hand. If he does not, he gains 2 Copper.
This was inspired by WilsonWriter's Pied Piper, here.
It is a mix of several different attack types. It is a trashing handsize reducer or a junker. Although it distributes Copper, it is tempered in that it helps opponents get rid of Copper as well, especially early on.
The name was chosen because it lets other players trash, like Bishop, but may also give out "alms" to them. Sort of. An alternative name might be "Cardinal".
I am not sure of the vanilla bonuses. It definitely should be terminal. Any suggestions on different vanilla bonuses with good reason for it? Thoughts on the attack strength? I'm not sure how strong it would be. It is generally a benefit to opponents early on, unless there is strong trashing. It might feel as torturous as Torturer, deciding between keeping that card so you can afford an important card or to take on TWO Coppers, which is quite a lot. I expect Mountebank would still be much stronger, but the choice here feels worse than just discarding a Curse.
39
Other Games / Board Game Collection
« on: February 15, 2013, 08:08:45 pm »
So I am hoping to expand my board game collection in the future. I'm hoping to get a diverse collection -- something for every type of player. I do want to stay away from games that take hours upon hours (e.g. Twilight Imperium, so I've heard) and I would tend towards simpler, easy-to-teach/learn games. I was hoping for some thoughts on things I should/should not plan to pick up, etc.
My current collection:
- Settlers of Catan + Cities and Knights expansion
This was my first "euro" game and I honestly don't even remember when or how I got it. Most people know the series. Without C+K it is simple to teach, and even with the expansion it's not so bad. With the expansion it becomes a long-ish game, but I like the added depth.
- Dominion: Intrigue
I received this as a gift from my friends, and it's whatdestroyed any free time I ever had brought me to this wonderful community. I really enjoy Dominion but I rarely get to play it IRL with my friends, partially because I've learned a lot more of the strategy than they have so they usually get crushed when we do play. I expect that one day I will go and buy all the Dominion sets. But not now.
- 7 Wonders + Leaders expansion + Cities expansion
My favourite game right now. Simple, tactical, and intuitive enough that newbies absolutely stand a chance against pros (especially with a bit of luck on their side). It's also a big plus that it can serve up to 7 players and still have a relatively short play time.
- Agricola
I picked this up as part of a big combined order, partially to save on shipping. It is intended to fill the "Worker Placement" genre in my collection. I still have had no chance to play it so I have no insight into ease of play, game length or even whether I'd enjoy it. I sure hope I do though!
- Hive
Quick-ish, portable 2-player game. Abstract game. It doesn't actually see much play, though I like it a lot.
Friends' collections
Since my friends already have these games, I probably wouldn't pick them up.
- Power Grid
- Puerto Rico
- Tigris and Euphrates (which I have not actually tried yet)
Future purchases?
- Suburbia
This kind of fills the slot of "tile laying"... and sort of fills the slot of "auction"? I can't quite remember. I do know that it looked really fun, not too difficult to learn, and it is also quite different from the other things I have, thematically.
- Kemet
This has elements of worker placement but it is a game of war and conquest. I think the theme looks great... plus it was highly praised by Tom Vasel.
- Bonanza
Filler game. I don't have enough filler games. This one is really simple, pretty fast, fun and inexpensive.
- Cosmic Encounter
Sci-fi themed and super political? All I really know about it is "LOTS OF ALIENS". It looks good!
- Ricochet Robots
Inexpensive filler-ish puzzle game that can fit many, many people. Though maybe the new take on it, Mutant Meeples, might be better.
Also looking for thoughts on...
- Keyflower
It looks nice? I actually don't know much about this one because dice tower doesn't have a review up. It looks like... auction, tile laying AND worker placement? Thoughts
- CO2
It looks interesting. I hear that the theme flows well and it is actually simple. I am just wondering how fun it is and whether it really is simple. Ryan Metzler did a review for dice tower and it is twice the length of the usual reviews, so that's a little scary.
What are your thoughts on the above games? What types of games should I consider? Co-op games, probably. Any specific games I need to look into?
Thanks for your thoughts!
My current collection:
- Settlers of Catan + Cities and Knights expansion
This was my first "euro" game and I honestly don't even remember when or how I got it. Most people know the series. Without C+K it is simple to teach, and even with the expansion it's not so bad. With the expansion it becomes a long-ish game, but I like the added depth.
- Dominion: Intrigue
I received this as a gift from my friends, and it's what
- 7 Wonders + Leaders expansion + Cities expansion
My favourite game right now. Simple, tactical, and intuitive enough that newbies absolutely stand a chance against pros (especially with a bit of luck on their side). It's also a big plus that it can serve up to 7 players and still have a relatively short play time.
- Agricola
I picked this up as part of a big combined order, partially to save on shipping. It is intended to fill the "Worker Placement" genre in my collection. I still have had no chance to play it so I have no insight into ease of play, game length or even whether I'd enjoy it. I sure hope I do though!
- Hive
Quick-ish, portable 2-player game. Abstract game. It doesn't actually see much play, though I like it a lot.
Friends' collections
Since my friends already have these games, I probably wouldn't pick them up.
- Power Grid
- Puerto Rico
- Tigris and Euphrates (which I have not actually tried yet)
Future purchases?
- Suburbia
This kind of fills the slot of "tile laying"... and sort of fills the slot of "auction"? I can't quite remember. I do know that it looked really fun, not too difficult to learn, and it is also quite different from the other things I have, thematically.
- Kemet
This has elements of worker placement but it is a game of war and conquest. I think the theme looks great... plus it was highly praised by Tom Vasel.
- Bonanza
Filler game. I don't have enough filler games. This one is really simple, pretty fast, fun and inexpensive.
- Cosmic Encounter
Sci-fi themed and super political? All I really know about it is "LOTS OF ALIENS". It looks good!
- Ricochet Robots
Inexpensive filler-ish puzzle game that can fit many, many people. Though maybe the new take on it, Mutant Meeples, might be better.
Also looking for thoughts on...
- Keyflower
It looks nice? I actually don't know much about this one because dice tower doesn't have a review up. It looks like... auction, tile laying AND worker placement? Thoughts
- CO2
It looks interesting. I hear that the theme flows well and it is actually simple. I am just wondering how fun it is and whether it really is simple. Ryan Metzler did a review for dice tower and it is twice the length of the usual reviews, so that's a little scary.
What are your thoughts on the above games? What types of games should I consider? Co-op games, probably. Any specific games I need to look into?
Thanks for your thoughts!
40
Puzzles and Challenges / Missing Missing Missing
« on: January 31, 2013, 01:27:14 pm »
What is missing?
Apothecary
Bazaar
Gardens
Haven
Laboratory
Library
Mine
Stables
University
Vineyard
Workshop
Honourable Mentions:
Caravan
Market
Pawn
Trading Post
Workshop -- yes, it is both on the main list and an honourable mention
Apothecary
Bazaar
Gardens
Haven
Laboratory
Library
Mine
Stables
University
Vineyard
Workshop
Honourable Mentions:
Caravan
Market
Pawn
Trading Post
Workshop -- yes, it is both on the main list and an honourable mention
41
Other Games / RoboTroc
« on: January 25, 2013, 07:52:35 pm »
I'm planning on making a purchase from the BGG store and was just looking at what else I might want to pick up. Found this filler game and I thought it looked interesting. Has anyone placed it before? Opinions on it?
42
Forum Games / BMIX - Conspiracy Theories! Open for Sign-Up
« on: January 16, 2013, 11:52:15 pm »
Post to be updated tonight or tomorrow with rules and whatnot. Sign-ups open now anyway. Apologies to BMX, but IX comes before X. 
This is a game for 17 players. Is it possible to muster that many right now? We'll find out!
Everyone will have a power role. The roles will generally be simple, like those found in regular Mafia games.
Subject to change, I will probably use short, bankable deadlines. Comment below if you have suggestions. I am thinking an initial length of 2-3 weeks with each night adding like 3-5 days.
The game setup will be quite different than the usual. This is the main reason why I am qualifying it as Bastard. But it will still be as playable as a regular game. The point is not to confuse or overwhelm you with zany events and effects.
IF YOU WISH TO SIGN UP then post an /in message here and PM me with a suggestion of what power and alignment you want in this game. There are no guarantees that you will get it because I have the setup laid out already. There is some flexibility, but not much. And again, the roles available are all simple. If you request a ridiculous overpowered role, you will not get it.
Any takers?
In no particular order:
1. Eevee
2. Archetype
3. ashersky
4. Dsell
5. jotheonah
6. Galzria
8. sparky5856
7. mcmcsalot
9. Jorbles
10. liopoil
11. Axxle
12. Axxle2
13. Razzishi
14. Morgrim7
15. spiritbears
16. Robz888
17. Ozle (tentative)
This is a game for 17 players. Is it possible to muster that many right now? We'll find out!
Everyone will have a power role. The roles will generally be simple, like those found in regular Mafia games.
Subject to change, I will probably use short, bankable deadlines. Comment below if you have suggestions. I am thinking an initial length of 2-3 weeks with each night adding like 3-5 days.
The game setup will be quite different than the usual. This is the main reason why I am qualifying it as Bastard. But it will still be as playable as a regular game. The point is not to confuse or overwhelm you with zany events and effects.
IF YOU WISH TO SIGN UP then post an /in message here and PM me with a suggestion of what power and alignment you want in this game. There are no guarantees that you will get it because I have the setup laid out already. There is some flexibility, but not much. And again, the roles available are all simple. If you request a ridiculous overpowered role, you will not get it.
Any takers?
In no particular order:
1. Eevee
2. Archetype
3. ashersky
4. Dsell
5. jotheonah
6. Galzria
8. sparky5856
7. mcmcsalot
9. Jorbles
10. liopoil
11. Axxle
12. Axxle2
13. Razzishi
14. Morgrim7
15. spiritbears
16. Robz888
17. Ozle (tentative)
43
Power Grid General Discussion / Power Grid strategy
« on: December 27, 2012, 03:07:57 pm »
I played Power Grid for the first time last night. It was pretty fun.
We were somewhat forced to play outside of the rules a bit -- we started with 5 players (blocking off the pink territory) but our fifth had to leave early and we didn't want to restart even though we were all at only 1-2 cities at that point. So we took him off the board and did not block off another territory. We did adjust the other things -- restock numbers and number of cities to trigger end game.
I think the loss of the fifth player gave a large advantage to two of us. We were on the German map. Two players were in the west and south respectively. I was central/east (first city was one that has a free connection to a second city) and another player was north, where there are many cheap connections. This player and myself were in the lead most of the game. The player who left was in the northeast; if he had stuck around then the three of us would probably have competed more directly for key cities.
In retrospect, it seems that a general "good" strategy would be staying relatively behind (for better turn order) until you are ready to race forward to a win. But in the game, the two of us who were leading kept a commanding hold despite always going last on resource purchases and building.
The key purchase for me were a few relatively efficient oil plants. There was very little competition for oil. The key purchase for the north player was an early 3-city eco-plant at cost (when we were still all around 2 cities and he had lower numbered plants) which let him save a lot of money. The cheap connections in his area were good for him as well.
In the end, I managed to win handily. I managed to secure enough plants to power 13 cities (all middle tier plants -- 1 oil/coal for 4 cities, 2 garbage for 4 cities, 2 oil for 5 cities) while the player to the north could only power 12. A third player who was behind most of the game managed to purchase a new 6 city coal plant that would let him power 13 as well. However, I was now expanding into the north (on the 15-cost cities, but cheap connections) and on my last turn (right after the step 3 card was flipped too -- we never got to a step 3 auction) I bought up 4 cities in one fell swoop to trigger the end game. I won on money.
It was odd because we got stuck behind a wall of low tier plants. The 6 city coal plant was the biggest one anybody got, and it was purchased just before step 3 began. Was our game unusually fast? Was it due to the loss of the fifth player/bigger map area? If we had moved on to auction in step 3, we would have been competing for bigger plants for sure. But I managed to squeak through with just a capacity of 13.
I'm still puzzling over strategy, but I really enjoyed it.
We were somewhat forced to play outside of the rules a bit -- we started with 5 players (blocking off the pink territory) but our fifth had to leave early and we didn't want to restart even though we were all at only 1-2 cities at that point. So we took him off the board and did not block off another territory. We did adjust the other things -- restock numbers and number of cities to trigger end game.
I think the loss of the fifth player gave a large advantage to two of us. We were on the German map. Two players were in the west and south respectively. I was central/east (first city was one that has a free connection to a second city) and another player was north, where there are many cheap connections. This player and myself were in the lead most of the game. The player who left was in the northeast; if he had stuck around then the three of us would probably have competed more directly for key cities.
In retrospect, it seems that a general "good" strategy would be staying relatively behind (for better turn order) until you are ready to race forward to a win. But in the game, the two of us who were leading kept a commanding hold despite always going last on resource purchases and building.
The key purchase for me were a few relatively efficient oil plants. There was very little competition for oil. The key purchase for the north player was an early 3-city eco-plant at cost (when we were still all around 2 cities and he had lower numbered plants) which let him save a lot of money. The cheap connections in his area were good for him as well.
In the end, I managed to win handily. I managed to secure enough plants to power 13 cities (all middle tier plants -- 1 oil/coal for 4 cities, 2 garbage for 4 cities, 2 oil for 5 cities) while the player to the north could only power 12. A third player who was behind most of the game managed to purchase a new 6 city coal plant that would let him power 13 as well. However, I was now expanding into the north (on the 15-cost cities, but cheap connections) and on my last turn (right after the step 3 card was flipped too -- we never got to a step 3 auction) I bought up 4 cities in one fell swoop to trigger the end game. I won on money.
It was odd because we got stuck behind a wall of low tier plants. The 6 city coal plant was the biggest one anybody got, and it was purchased just before step 3 began. Was our game unusually fast? Was it due to the loss of the fifth player/bigger map area? If we had moved on to auction in step 3, we would have been competing for bigger plants for sure. But I managed to squeak through with just a capacity of 13.
I'm still puzzling over strategy, but I really enjoyed it.
44
Dominion General Discussion / Talisman + Feodum
« on: December 20, 2012, 12:26:31 am »
Talisman is actually a pretty decent way to gain a whole bunch of Silver. Open Talisman, buy Talisman or Silver with your Talisman hand, then keep hitting Silver and Feodum. Works better with +Buy and card draw to play Talisman more often. As a Feodum enabler, how do you guys think it compares to Silver gainers like Bureaucrat, JoaT and Explorer?
Related, but separate -- is Talisman a good enabler for Duke? Seems like it would be pretty good for loading up on Silver to get you through heavy greening.
Related, but separate -- is Talisman a good enabler for Duke? Seems like it would be pretty good for loading up on Silver to get you through heavy greening.
45
Dominion General Discussion / Forager + Mine
« on: December 10, 2012, 07:07:00 pm »
Is this a good combo?
I was playing on Androminion and stumbled across this. It seemed to work pretty well, but it was helped a lot by the presence of two alt treasures, IGG and Loan.
Mine is a decent way to trash non-Copper treasure. Since it also gains the new treasure into your hand, you can trash the new one with Forager (if you have +actions). There was a neat turn where I played Necropolis, Mine Copper->Loan, Forager on Loan. Later on I did the same thing with IGG->Gold. +$5 Forager is pretty great.
Thoughts?
I was playing on Androminion and stumbled across this. It seemed to work pretty well, but it was helped a lot by the presence of two alt treasures, IGG and Loan.
Mine is a decent way to trash non-Copper treasure. Since it also gains the new treasure into your hand, you can trash the new one with Forager (if you have +actions). There was a neat turn where I played Necropolis, Mine Copper->Loan, Forager on Loan. Later on I did the same thing with IGG->Gold. +$5 Forager is pretty great.
Thoughts?
46
Mafia Game Threads / RMM3: Read The Freaking Flavour (Game Over, Evil Wins!)
« on: September 14, 2012, 07:21:59 pm »
Welcome to RMM3: Read The Freaking Flavour
If you would like a link to the Spectator's QuickTopic, please send me a PM. There will be a no-pressure Spectator's mini-game!
Sign-Ups are CLOSED!
Join the Spectator's QT for fun times!
Players Signed Up (in alphabetical order):
Day Start Links:
Mafia Ruleset (stolen and modified from Volt's Mafia VII intro post)
Game Rules:
General Gameplay and Etiquette:
1. You may not quote private Moderator-supplied information (either real or fabricated) of any kind. Paraphrasing (for role claims, etc.) is acceptable. My definition of "quote" means quoting the PM with author name, timestamp, and link intact. You may claim that something is taken word-for-word from your role PM and you may use quote tags so long as the verifying info is omitted from the tag.
2. There is to be NO personal communication outside of the forum postings unless your role PM specifically allows it. Mafia members may communicate at night and during the confirmation stage.
3. If you have a role with a Night action (basically everyone) your choices are due to me by the posted deadline (generally 48 hours from Night start). If I do not receive your choice via PM by the posted deadline you will forfeit your actions. If you have a compulsive role, it will be randomized. In case of multiple submissions, the last valid one before the deadline will be used.
4. Roles with Night actions will not be able to submit an action on Night 0 (i.e. during the confirmation stage) unless otherwise specified.
5. Any player with a Night action may instead submit a “No Action” PM to let the Mod know that you do not want to perform your expected action that Night phase unless your action is compulsive.
6. As a general rule you should aim for one post every 48 hours, minimum, to keep the game moving.
Voting, Deadlines, and Player Death:
1. A simple majority (rounded up) of all living members must agree on one person for a lynch to occur prior to deadline. This may be affected by certain powers.
2. Once you have reached a simple majority no further unvoting will change someone’s fate. Further votes will also be ignored. Unless you have a special power, of course.
3. Once a player is lynched the game enters twilight until I post a death scene; all players including the one who was lynched may continue to post during twilight.
4. Please submit votes as: Vote: PlayerName. Votes will NOT be counted if they are not bold or do not follow this syntax! Obvious abbreviations or nicknames will be counted so long as they are unambiguous.
5. Please submit vote revocations as either Unvote: PlayerName or Unvote. Unvotes are not necessary before changing votes.
6. You may Vote: No Lynch - a simple majority of these vote types are required to send the game to Night phase without a lynch.
7. This game will generally have 2 week deadlines. If a player or No Lynch does not have a simple majority at deadline, no lynch will occur, and the game will go into night.
8. Once you are killed (either via lynch or night kill) you may no longer post. This means that you do not even get a “Bah” post. The dead in this game are silent. Mostly.
9. Do not edit or delete posts. We don't want some players having more information than others. If you want to clarify posts, feel free to double post.
Miscellaneous/Mechanics:
1. Bold, blue text is reserved for the Mod. No invisible/small text is allowed, nor is cryptography.
2. If you have an issue/problem with the game, please PM the Mod privately. Do not post issues/complaints in the game thread.
3. The Mod may make mistakes - please point out any mistakes gently. Mistakes will be corrected where possible, but sometimes mistakes are made that cannot be reversed. These will stand as final to be commiserated over after the game.
4. Please bold all requests to the Mod so that they don’t get missed.
5. Prods of missing players will NOT be issued automatically. It is your responsibility to watch out for lurkers. A prod will be issued upon request after 48 hours of no activity. A prodded player has 48 hours to respond or risks replacement. A player who has been prodded 3 times is subject to replacement without further notice.
6. Rule violations will be dealt with according to their severity, up to and including a Modkill.
7. If you anticipate being unavailable for more than a 48-hour period please post a notice to that effect in the thread. Treat this game as a commitment. Be considerate – don’t leave us hanging.
The Golden Rule:
Please remember that this is a game and your main objective is to have fun! Be considerate of each other, don’t get personal, and enjoy the game.
Helpful Links:
Game Setup
Game Setup information:
Every player will be provided with four pieces of information:
Flavour name: This is your name. It influences the result returned to flavour cops. An example might be Sherlock Holmes. A flavour cop might learn that this player wears a hat. A different flavour cop might learn that this player is fictional.
Role name: This is your role (or a close approximation) in “official” Mafia parlance. If I cannot find an official role name that matches, it will be something that at least sounds official. It may be the result returned to role cops. "Role Cop" is an example of a role name.
Alignment: This is your alignment.
Abilities: This is what you can do.
The game will have a simpler set up -- No cults, no alignment flipping at all. No post restrictions!
Dead Mafia cannot post in their Mafia QT. Players will get access to the Dead Player QT when they die.
On death, flavour name and alignment will be revealed.
I say again that flavour is important. Think carefully before roleclaiming, because some players may be able to put that info to good (or bad) use.
TO CLARIFY, I AM NOT A MODERATOR OF F.DS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS GAME, I AM MODERATING THAT THE RULES ARE FOLLOWED AND HIDDEN ACTIONS ARE COMPLETED PROPERLY.
If you would like a link to the Spectator's QuickTopic, please send me a PM. There will be a no-pressure Spectator's mini-game!
Sign-Ups are CLOSED!
Join the Spectator's QT for fun times!
Players Signed Up (in alphabetical order):
- Archetype - town-aligned Chocolate Townie, lynched day 1
- ashersky - town-aligned Motivational Speaker Bot, lynched day 7
- Captain_Frisk - Evil League of Evil-aligned Jackknife of all Trades, lynched day 4
- cayvie - Serial Killer Red Herring, lynched day 6
- Dsell - town-aligned External Hard Drive, killed night 5
- Eevee - Evil League of Evil-aligned Sartorial Cyborg, lynched day 5
- ftl - town-aligned Major General Stanley, killed night 6
- Galzria - town-aligned Spiritual Medium, killed night 2
- Insomniac - town-aligned Electric Shepherd, killed night 1
- Jorbles - town-aligned Strawberry Townie, killed night 2
- jotheonah - town-aligned Vanilla Townie, killed night 4
- Robz888 - town-aligned KELPtomaniac, lynched day 2
- shraeye - Evil League of Evil-aligned Ancient Oak Tree, last standing!
VoltaireLekkit - town-aligned Insane Doctor, died day 5- Watno - town-aligned CMYK War Machine 3000, lynched day 2
Day Start Links:
Mafia Ruleset (stolen and modified from Volt's Mafia VII intro post)
Game Rules:
General Gameplay and Etiquette:
1. You may not quote private Moderator-supplied information (either real or fabricated) of any kind. Paraphrasing (for role claims, etc.) is acceptable. My definition of "quote" means quoting the PM with author name, timestamp, and link intact. You may claim that something is taken word-for-word from your role PM and you may use quote tags so long as the verifying info is omitted from the tag.
2. There is to be NO personal communication outside of the forum postings unless your role PM specifically allows it. Mafia members may communicate at night and during the confirmation stage.
3. If you have a role with a Night action (basically everyone) your choices are due to me by the posted deadline (generally 48 hours from Night start). If I do not receive your choice via PM by the posted deadline you will forfeit your actions. If you have a compulsive role, it will be randomized. In case of multiple submissions, the last valid one before the deadline will be used.
4. Roles with Night actions will not be able to submit an action on Night 0 (i.e. during the confirmation stage) unless otherwise specified.
5. Any player with a Night action may instead submit a “No Action” PM to let the Mod know that you do not want to perform your expected action that Night phase unless your action is compulsive.
6. As a general rule you should aim for one post every 48 hours, minimum, to keep the game moving.
Voting, Deadlines, and Player Death:
1. A simple majority (rounded up) of all living members must agree on one person for a lynch to occur prior to deadline. This may be affected by certain powers.
2. Once you have reached a simple majority no further unvoting will change someone’s fate. Further votes will also be ignored. Unless you have a special power, of course.
3. Once a player is lynched the game enters twilight until I post a death scene; all players including the one who was lynched may continue to post during twilight.
4. Please submit votes as: Vote: PlayerName. Votes will NOT be counted if they are not bold or do not follow this syntax! Obvious abbreviations or nicknames will be counted so long as they are unambiguous.
5. Please submit vote revocations as either Unvote: PlayerName or Unvote. Unvotes are not necessary before changing votes.
6. You may Vote: No Lynch - a simple majority of these vote types are required to send the game to Night phase without a lynch.
7. This game will generally have 2 week deadlines. If a player or No Lynch does not have a simple majority at deadline, no lynch will occur, and the game will go into night.
8. Once you are killed (either via lynch or night kill) you may no longer post. This means that you do not even get a “Bah” post. The dead in this game are silent. Mostly.
9. Do not edit or delete posts. We don't want some players having more information than others. If you want to clarify posts, feel free to double post.
Miscellaneous/Mechanics:
1. Bold, blue text is reserved for the Mod. No invisible/small text is allowed, nor is cryptography.
2. If you have an issue/problem with the game, please PM the Mod privately. Do not post issues/complaints in the game thread.
3. The Mod may make mistakes - please point out any mistakes gently. Mistakes will be corrected where possible, but sometimes mistakes are made that cannot be reversed. These will stand as final to be commiserated over after the game.
4. Please bold all requests to the Mod so that they don’t get missed.
5. Prods of missing players will NOT be issued automatically. It is your responsibility to watch out for lurkers. A prod will be issued upon request after 48 hours of no activity. A prodded player has 48 hours to respond or risks replacement. A player who has been prodded 3 times is subject to replacement without further notice.
6. Rule violations will be dealt with according to their severity, up to and including a Modkill.
7. If you anticipate being unavailable for more than a 48-hour period please post a notice to that effect in the thread. Treat this game as a commitment. Be considerate – don’t leave us hanging.
The Golden Rule:
Please remember that this is a game and your main objective is to have fun! Be considerate of each other, don’t get personal, and enjoy the game.
Helpful Links:
Game Setup
Game Setup information:
Every player will be provided with four pieces of information:
Flavour name: This is your name. It influences the result returned to flavour cops. An example might be Sherlock Holmes. A flavour cop might learn that this player wears a hat. A different flavour cop might learn that this player is fictional.
Role name: This is your role (or a close approximation) in “official” Mafia parlance. If I cannot find an official role name that matches, it will be something that at least sounds official. It may be the result returned to role cops. "Role Cop" is an example of a role name.
Alignment: This is your alignment.
Abilities: This is what you can do.
The game will have a simpler set up -- No cults, no alignment flipping at all. No post restrictions!
Dead Mafia cannot post in their Mafia QT. Players will get access to the Dead Player QT when they die.
On death, flavour name and alignment will be revealed.
I say again that flavour is important. Think carefully before roleclaiming, because some players may be able to put that info to good (or bad) use.
TO CLARIFY, I AM NOT A MODERATOR OF F.DS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS GAME, I AM MODERATING THAT THE RULES ARE FOLLOWED AND HIDDEN ACTIONS ARE COMPLETED PROPERLY.
47
Puzzles and Challenges / Peddlers Aren't Free
« on: August 25, 2012, 08:59:49 pm »
How many actions can you play in one turn of a Solitaire game without reducing the price of Peddler to zero in the Buy phase? Start from a hand of size 5. Nothing on any mats. Remember, this means that Peddler must be in the Kingdom.
The answer is not 3. As a trivial example, play KC-Peddler. You have played 4 actions, but only 2 actions are in play.
I believe I can play __148__ actions, with Peddlers costing __$2__ afterwards. I don't think my solution is optimal.
The answer is not 3. As a trivial example, play KC-Peddler. You have played 4 actions, but only 2 actions are in play.
I believe I can play __148__ actions, with Peddlers costing __$2__ afterwards. I don't think my solution is optimal.
48
Mini-Set Design Contest / Artificer/Clementine -- Non-Attack Interaction Card
« on: August 06, 2012, 07:52:55 pm »
#2 (tie) - Artificer by eHalcyon with 13 points (Clementine)
$5 - Action
+5 Cards
+1 Action
Reveal your hand. The player to your left chooses a card to discard from your hand, then the player to your right does the same.
This is the best I've done in the contests (so far at least!) so I'm curious about what others think.
Artificer is a strange amalgamation of Embassy (draw 5 and discard), Stables (big non-terminal draw) and Envoy (big draw, opponents discard).
What stands out about this card is that it is a non-terminal that nets you +2 cards. The only other card that does that is Governor, and it benefits opponents greatly. Stables comes close but it requires that you discard treasure and only nets +1.
The drawback, however, is huge. The penalty is much bigger than with Envoy, not only because two cards are discarded but because they are discarded from your hand, not just the drawn cards. You have to be far more careful about the order in which you play cards.
I'm also not sure about the card name. I think something relating to Embassy, Envoy or Stables (or all three) would be best, but I couldn't think of any when I submitted. So I picked something unrelated to any of them.
(Edited to fix "net" commentary.)
$5 - Action
+5 Cards
+1 Action
Reveal your hand. The player to your left chooses a card to discard from your hand, then the player to your right does the same.
This is the best I've done in the contests (so far at least!) so I'm curious about what others think.
Artificer is a strange amalgamation of Embassy (draw 5 and discard), Stables (big non-terminal draw) and Envoy (big draw, opponents discard).
What stands out about this card is that it is a non-terminal that nets you +2 cards. The only other card that does that is Governor, and it benefits opponents greatly. Stables comes close but it requires that you discard treasure and only nets +1.
The drawback, however, is huge. The penalty is much bigger than with Envoy, not only because two cards are discarded but because they are discarded from your hand, not just the drawn cards. You have to be far more careful about the order in which you play cards.
I'm also not sure about the card name. I think something relating to Embassy, Envoy or Stables (or all three) would be best, but I couldn't think of any when I submitted. So I picked something unrelated to any of them.
(Edited to fix "net" commentary.)
49
Dominion General Discussion / I just want to give him a hug
« on: August 05, 2012, 02:39:10 am »
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mehtank.androminion&reviewId=17653442892509451034
Wish I could help the guy out.
Quote
It's great for killing time if you're a fan of Dominion. The only problem I've found is that since the AI is so tough you end up playing an extemely aggresive game and you don't get the real genuine fun of playing it with other people. If you want to beat the AI in this app you don't have time to buy and use the majority of the cards in the game to try different strategies, you're rushed into hoarding silver/gold and buying VP immediately after 5 or 6 turns.
Wish I could help the guy out.
50
Mafia Game Threads / Role Madness Mafia I GAME OVER, everyone wins sort of!
« on: July 12, 2012, 04:02:24 pm »
Welcome to Role Madness Mafia I
Sign-ups are Closed!
(but PM me if you really want in, and maybe we can do something...)
Living Players (in alphabetical order):
Dead Players (in order of death):
Mafia Ruleset (stolen and modified from Volt's Mafia IV intro post)
Game Rules:
General Gameplay and Etiquette:
1. You may not quote private Moderator-supplied information (either real or fabricated) of any kind. Paraphrasing (for role claims, etc.) is acceptable.
2. There is to be NO personal communication outside of the forum postings unless your role PM specifically allows it, e.g. Curse faction members may communicate at night and during the confirmation stage.
3. If you have a role with a Night action (basically everyone!) your choices are due to me by the posted deadline. If I do not receive your choice via PM by the posted deadline you will forfeit your actions. In case of multiple submissions, the last valid one before the deadline will be used. Some role PMs may have alternate instructions for night actions, so please read carefully.
4. Roles with Night actions will not be able to submit an action on Night 0 (i.e. during the confirmation stage) unless otherwise specified.
5. Any player with a Night action may instead submit a “No Action” PM to let the Mod know that you do not want to perform your expected action that Night phase unless otherwise specified.
6. As a general rule you should aim for one post every 48 hours, minimum, to keep the game moving.
Voting, Deadlines, and Player Death:
1. A simple majority (rounded up) of all living members must agree on one person for a lynch to occur prior to deadline. Certain roles may change this slightly.
2. Once you have reached a simple majority no further unvoting will change someone’s fate. Further votes will also be ignored.
3. Once a player is lynched the game enters twilight until I post a death scene; all players including the one who was lynched may continue to post during twilight.
4. Please submit votes as: Vote: PlayerName. Votes will NOT be counted if they are not bold or do not follow this syntax! Obvious abbreviations or nicknames will be counted so long as they are unambiguous.
5. Please submit vote revocations as either Unvote: PlayerName or Unvote. Unvotes are not necessary before changing votes.
6. You may Vote: No Lynch - a simple majority of these vote types are required to send the game to Night phase without a lynch.
7. This game will generally have 2 week deadlines but this may change if an extension is needed for a V/LA player. I may also move the deadline up if the day appears to be stagnating! If a player or No Lynch does not have a simple majority at deadline, no lynch will occur, and the game will go into night.
8. Once you are killed (either via lynch or night kill) you may no longer post. This means that you do not even get a “Bah” post. The dead in this game are silent.
9. Do not edit or delete posts. We don't want some players having more information than others. If you want to clarify posts, feel free to double post.
Miscellaneous/Mechanics:
1. Bold, blue text is reserved for the Mod. No invisible/small text is allowed, nor is cryptography.
2. If you have an issue/problem with the game, please PM the Mod privately. Do not post issues/complaints in the game thread.
3. The Mod may make mistakes - please point out any mistakes gently. Mistakes will be corrected where possible, but sometimes mistakes are made that cannot be reversed. These will stand as final to be commiserated over after the game. Some results may appear to be mistakes when they are actually correct. Remember, this is ROLE MADNESS.
4. Please bold all requests to the Mod so that they don’t get missed.
5. Prods of missing players will be issued upon request after 48 hours of no activity. They will not be issued automatically. A prodded player has 48 hours to respond or risks replacement. A player who has been prodded 3 times is subject to replacement without further notice.
6. Rule violations will be dealt with according to their severity, up to and including a Modkill.
7. If you anticipate being unavailable for more than a 48-hour period please post a notice to that effect in the thread. Treat this game as a commitment. Be considerate – don’t leave us hanging.
The Golden Rule:
Please remember that this is a game and your main objective is to have fun! Be considerate of each other, don’t get personal, and enjoy the game.
Helpful Links:
(Probably not as helpful as they could be, given that the set up is entirely different from any regular Mafia game.)
Game Setup
Game Setup information:
In this game, it is possible for multiple people from different factions to win. It is also possible for players to win more than once. This is because certain roles have special, extra win conditions along with their factional wincon. Not only that, but everyone has a chance of winning as an individual.
This game will use a VP system. If anyone reaches -10 VP, they die. The daily lynch does not outright kill the lynchee, but will give them negative VP. This number is to be determined. It can be -100 VP to be a guaranteed death, or it could be -5 VP so that players live longer. I'm inclined to the latter just so there is more role madness, but I think it would be unhealthy for the game. I propose the following:
Day 1 lynch: -5 VP
Day 2 lynch: -10 VP
Day 3 lynch: -15 VP
Day 4 lynch and onwards: -20 VP
This will (almost) ensure that everyone gets to use their power at least once.
If anyone reaches +10 VP at any point, they INDIVIDUALLY win. Their VP will be reset to 0 and the game continues as normal; that winner of course has a chance at an illustrious double win. Or maybe even a triple win, depending on what happens. Who knows! Their accomplishment will be noted at the end of the game.
This game is largely Dominion-flavoured. Instead of a Town, you belong to the Deck. Deck-aligned is equivalent to being town-aligned.
Instead of Mafia, there is the Curse faction. Each night, they may distribute -4 VP between the other players (they may put -4 VP all on one player or they may spread them out). They may also make one of their own members a target. Each player who is to lose VP this way must be targeted by a different member of the team. The individual Curse roles will have additional powers. There are FOUR Curse-aligned players in this setup.
Since this is not an outright kill, the Curse faction is actually at quite a disadvantage. The balance should be made up a bit by their special abilities, but the faction will also grow stronger as its members are killed off. For each Curse faction member that is killed, the faction can distribute an additional -2VP.
Note that both the Deck and the Curse factions have powers that can gain VP and powers that can cause others to lose VP. Some roles also have the ability to grant +VP to other players, serving a protective function. And as mentioned above, they may choose to target themselves! It can be useful to analyze the score each morning, but don't jump to any conclusion too quickly.
Also note that your actual role name is not indicative of your faction. Some Deck-aligned roles have Attack card (or even Curse-giver) names, and not all Curse faction members have Attack card role names.
There may be some actions where order of resolution matters. I choose not to think too hard about it now. I'll resolve it however I like, though I promise I'll try to resolve it in a way that makes sense.
A word of warning: it is probable that this game will be very... dynamic. The powers in this game allow for a great deal to change each night. However, Deck-aligned players will not suddenly become Curse-aligned, nor vice versa. This is not a Bastard game.
Since everyone has a night action, I will start the next day as soon as I have everything received and sorted out.
I stress again that special win conditions (including reaching +10 VP) will not end the game. You can win more than once in this game!
Feel free to voice suggestions on setup changes. I am a little influenced in wanting to see people live slightly longer so that there can be more madness, but maybe lack of early death makes things less exciting.
Sign-ups are Closed!
(but PM me if you really want in, and maybe we can do something...)
Living Players (in alphabetical order):
- jotheonah
Dead Players (in order of death):
- Grujah - lynched days 1 and 2, Deck-aligned
- Galzria - killed night 4, Ironworks-aligned
- timchen - lynched day 5, Deck-aligned
- Tables - died day 5, Ironworks-aligned
- shark_bait - modkilled night 5, Deck-aligned
- Insomniac - lynched day 6, Curse-aligned
- Dsell - lynched day 7, Curse-aligned
- Axxle - replaced by Axxle2 night 7
- Voltgloss - lynched day 8, Curse-aligned
- Axxle2 - killed night 8, Curse-aligned?!
- Lekkit - lynched day 9, Curse-aligned
- Captain_Frisk - killed night 9, Deck-aligned
- yuma - killed night 9, Deck-aligned
- Robz888 - killed night 10, Deck-aligned
- cayvie - killed night 11, Deck-aligned
- Eevee - lynched day 12, Deck-aligned
Mafia Ruleset (stolen and modified from Volt's Mafia IV intro post)
Game Rules:
General Gameplay and Etiquette:
1. You may not quote private Moderator-supplied information (either real or fabricated) of any kind. Paraphrasing (for role claims, etc.) is acceptable.
2. There is to be NO personal communication outside of the forum postings unless your role PM specifically allows it, e.g. Curse faction members may communicate at night and during the confirmation stage.
3. If you have a role with a Night action (basically everyone!) your choices are due to me by the posted deadline. If I do not receive your choice via PM by the posted deadline you will forfeit your actions. In case of multiple submissions, the last valid one before the deadline will be used. Some role PMs may have alternate instructions for night actions, so please read carefully.
4. Roles with Night actions will not be able to submit an action on Night 0 (i.e. during the confirmation stage) unless otherwise specified.
5. Any player with a Night action may instead submit a “No Action” PM to let the Mod know that you do not want to perform your expected action that Night phase unless otherwise specified.
6. As a general rule you should aim for one post every 48 hours, minimum, to keep the game moving.
Voting, Deadlines, and Player Death:
1. A simple majority (rounded up) of all living members must agree on one person for a lynch to occur prior to deadline. Certain roles may change this slightly.
2. Once you have reached a simple majority no further unvoting will change someone’s fate. Further votes will also be ignored.
3. Once a player is lynched the game enters twilight until I post a death scene; all players including the one who was lynched may continue to post during twilight.
4. Please submit votes as: Vote: PlayerName. Votes will NOT be counted if they are not bold or do not follow this syntax! Obvious abbreviations or nicknames will be counted so long as they are unambiguous.
5. Please submit vote revocations as either Unvote: PlayerName or Unvote. Unvotes are not necessary before changing votes.
6. You may Vote: No Lynch - a simple majority of these vote types are required to send the game to Night phase without a lynch.
7. This game will generally have 2 week deadlines but this may change if an extension is needed for a V/LA player. I may also move the deadline up if the day appears to be stagnating! If a player or No Lynch does not have a simple majority at deadline, no lynch will occur, and the game will go into night.
8. Once you are killed (either via lynch or night kill) you may no longer post. This means that you do not even get a “Bah” post. The dead in this game are silent.
9. Do not edit or delete posts. We don't want some players having more information than others. If you want to clarify posts, feel free to double post.
Miscellaneous/Mechanics:
1. Bold, blue text is reserved for the Mod. No invisible/small text is allowed, nor is cryptography.
2. If you have an issue/problem with the game, please PM the Mod privately. Do not post issues/complaints in the game thread.
3. The Mod may make mistakes - please point out any mistakes gently. Mistakes will be corrected where possible, but sometimes mistakes are made that cannot be reversed. These will stand as final to be commiserated over after the game. Some results may appear to be mistakes when they are actually correct. Remember, this is ROLE MADNESS.
4. Please bold all requests to the Mod so that they don’t get missed.
5. Prods of missing players will be issued upon request after 48 hours of no activity. They will not be issued automatically. A prodded player has 48 hours to respond or risks replacement. A player who has been prodded 3 times is subject to replacement without further notice.
6. Rule violations will be dealt with according to their severity, up to and including a Modkill.
7. If you anticipate being unavailable for more than a 48-hour period please post a notice to that effect in the thread. Treat this game as a commitment. Be considerate – don’t leave us hanging.
The Golden Rule:
Please remember that this is a game and your main objective is to have fun! Be considerate of each other, don’t get personal, and enjoy the game.
Helpful Links:
(Probably not as helpful as they could be, given that the set up is entirely different from any regular Mafia game.)
Game Setup
Game Setup information:
In this game, it is possible for multiple people from different factions to win. It is also possible for players to win more than once. This is because certain roles have special, extra win conditions along with their factional wincon. Not only that, but everyone has a chance of winning as an individual.
This game will use a VP system. If anyone reaches -10 VP, they die. The daily lynch does not outright kill the lynchee, but will give them negative VP. This number is to be determined. It can be -100 VP to be a guaranteed death, or it could be -5 VP so that players live longer. I'm inclined to the latter just so there is more role madness, but I think it would be unhealthy for the game. I propose the following:
Day 1 lynch: -5 VP
Day 2 lynch: -10 VP
Day 3 lynch: -15 VP
Day 4 lynch and onwards: -20 VP
This will (almost) ensure that everyone gets to use their power at least once.
If anyone reaches +10 VP at any point, they INDIVIDUALLY win. Their VP will be reset to 0 and the game continues as normal; that winner of course has a chance at an illustrious double win. Or maybe even a triple win, depending on what happens. Who knows! Their accomplishment will be noted at the end of the game.
This game is largely Dominion-flavoured. Instead of a Town, you belong to the Deck. Deck-aligned is equivalent to being town-aligned.
Instead of Mafia, there is the Curse faction. Each night, they may distribute -4 VP between the other players (they may put -4 VP all on one player or they may spread them out). They may also make one of their own members a target. Each player who is to lose VP this way must be targeted by a different member of the team. The individual Curse roles will have additional powers. There are FOUR Curse-aligned players in this setup.
Since this is not an outright kill, the Curse faction is actually at quite a disadvantage. The balance should be made up a bit by their special abilities, but the faction will also grow stronger as its members are killed off. For each Curse faction member that is killed, the faction can distribute an additional -2VP.
Note that both the Deck and the Curse factions have powers that can gain VP and powers that can cause others to lose VP. Some roles also have the ability to grant +VP to other players, serving a protective function. And as mentioned above, they may choose to target themselves! It can be useful to analyze the score each morning, but don't jump to any conclusion too quickly.
Also note that your actual role name is not indicative of your faction. Some Deck-aligned roles have Attack card (or even Curse-giver) names, and not all Curse faction members have Attack card role names.
There may be some actions where order of resolution matters. I choose not to think too hard about it now. I'll resolve it however I like, though I promise I'll try to resolve it in a way that makes sense.
A word of warning: it is probable that this game will be very... dynamic. The powers in this game allow for a great deal to change each night. However, Deck-aligned players will not suddenly become Curse-aligned, nor vice versa. This is not a Bastard game.
Since everyone has a night action, I will start the next day as soon as I have everything received and sorted out.
I stress again that special win conditions (including reaching +10 VP) will not end the game. You can win more than once in this game!
Feel free to voice suggestions on setup changes. I am a little influenced in wanting to see people live slightly longer so that there can be more madness, but maybe lack of early death makes things less exciting.