Acquired an "Emergency" Game

1st off, Happy Mother's Day to all the Patrons here at the Tavern, I hope you've been able to celebrate appropriately......

Today I'm supposed to be busy prepping for NTRPG 2023, but I was asked to go on a last-minute business trip to a far-away location in place of a coworker who had a loved one admitted to the ER. Now normally I enjoy travelling, but this trip.....well I'm having a less-than-stellar time in my hotel. I'm not mentioning this to complain here, 'cause 1) why would you care, 2) how would you benefit from that info, and 3) I don't think venting would do me any good.

No, I'm mentioning this because I have learned what I think is a valuable lesson and I'm kind of surprised that I haven't (obviously) learned this lesson before: one should bring some "emergency" gaming supplies while travelling.

Now I did bring a set of dice and a reprint of the D&D B/X rules with me so technically I did bring some gaming supplies, but we weren't having an online game while I was travelling and even if we did, the bandwidth here at this hotel would preclude me from taking part in the game if we did have one. Ugh.....

Luckily for me there is one decent FLGS here in this city and I was able to pickup a copy of EPIC Zombies.....which is odd, because I think I have a copy of EPIC Dungeons at home that I definitely should have picked, and probably definitely will in the future. This boring Sunday morning I'm fixing to open up this game and I'm kind of stoked because it seems like an ideal, even better than the EPIC Dungeons I already had (and mentioned a year or so ago). Small footprint (for packing) game, 1-5 players? So I can run this solo or with a small group.....

....but there's ALSO like five different game modes? Wait...what?

Fortunately there is an EPIC Zombies entry in the Dized app and there is even a YouTube video showing how to play the basic Humans vs. Zombies cooperative mode.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some mothers to call and some zombies to kill.....

Humble Bundle - Digital Board Games (Ticket to Ride, Small World, Carcassonne and more)

If you just want the core of each board game, then the $6 price point is your sweet spot for the Digital Board Game Bundle. You get the core game for each of the following: Small World, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Blood Rage, Mysterium, and Splendor. For 12 bucks you add in a shit ton of digital expansion packs. At 15 bucks, you add Game of Thrones to the mix.

I'm going in at 6 bucks myself. OSX and Windows formats.

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Found a Cool New Board Game Aid

I'm starting to loathe travelling for work.......I know, you don't care, I wouldn't in your shoes either. After my month in Germany I got a whopping 30 hours back home where I discovered one of my cats had passed (probably a week prior) and then on my turn-around trip I had my plane ride/seat cancelled five times, resulting in an overnight stay in O'hare (Terminal K was so much fun) and eventually a 6 hour car ride in a vehicle that costs 3x normal.

Again....why should you care?

Like so many things, my "normal" life inspires my gaming projects and everything effed up about my travels is inspiring me to figure out a rather large d30 travel table. I actually had a rough-up for today's post, but I'm not happy with the numbers and if you get too many events the whole table is worthless, at least in my eyes. Hopefully I can get it done by next weekend.

On a plus side, for me, being back in the US of A means I can finally get my ass to a game store. It's a minor fix for my gaming addiction, but a fix is a fix. The closest store to my current location was so much "meh", but I did manage to pick up a new tiny board game that was good for 1-4 players: Tiny Epic Dungeons (link to original Kickstarter). This game store was more a CCG place with maybe one bookshelf of RPGs (all 5E) and another with board games. If it wasn't a CCG it wasn't priced, which was a turn off. Ends up I got this for the same price as the Kickstarter, but without shipping, so I figured why not? I'm hoping that I find it a fun game to play solo.

Now once again I fully expect the patrons here at the tavern to not really care so much about me getting a new game, especially since I'm not reviewing it.....BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!

This small game box has quite a few small bits and bobs, along with a rather lengthy rule booklet. Not really something I'm going to warm up to quickly....BUT there is a freaking cool interactive game tutorial on Dized.com. 

I have never heard of dized tutorials and I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you haven't either. There are only about 40 tutorials right now, but there are some big name games here. The big deal here is that it is interactive and you basically play along with your game, enabling you to learn-as-you-go. There is a Dized app that allows you to download the rules, with search and FAQ, as well as the tutorial. Download what you need on the app (or even just online), grab your game, and just get going.

I'm really hoping that this app gets expanded because I would simply love to have a one-source go-to for instructions and tutorials for my many board games. Right now I have this accordian binder filled with a crap-ton of single page instructions & booklets. Just the multitude of Munchkin rules is a mess of sheets.

Kickstarter - The StoryMaster's Tales "Deeper into the Woods" Hybrid RPG

"Explore more of the Weirding Woods. Fantasy Roleplaying, Boardgame, Gamebook Hybrid gateway game for all ages 7-Adult 1-5 players."

Somehow I missed the first (core), Weirdling Woods Kickstarter. I'm correcting that now, as Weirdling Woods looks like a perfect net step from the classic Dungeon! boardgame for my niece (she turns 9 in less than 2 weeks).

So, of course, I ordered the core game plus the new expansion.

About 77 bucks for both shipped to the States.

Shit - you can add soundtracks and live reads of the cards for a few more bucks. Think of the children!

Enter a world of folklore fantasy, epic storytelling, and mighty magic! Set in the Grimm world of 18th Century dark fairytales. You will make your own treacherous pathway through the wild woodlands, encounter strange mystical creatures and find lost arcane artefacts.

Alone but best played with friends, you must choose a dangerous quest but beware only those with the skill, intelligence and bravery of a hero will survive. 

Quick to learn, portable and most importantly really fun. This game is a unique hybrid of Role-playing, board and adventure gamebook.

Kickstarter - Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting 2nd ed and Expansion!

"A tactical Battle Game of Dinosaur Pit Fighting in the future. And Triassic Terror, the first expansion for Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting!"

Every year I hear Ben Burns is running a tournament of Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting at NTRPG Con and as of now, I've yet to play a session. I can only blame myself for that omission. I've heard only good things from those that have played and I have spoken with Ben about many a topic, from gaming and beyond - but never Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting. Damn it, he's been dodging me ;)

Now Ben brings us Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting 2nd ed as well as an expansion. Let's take a peek, shall we?

Step into a world where you control these ancient beasts where every stomp of the foot, twitch of the tail or flap of the wings could be their last. The game is easy to learn, fast-paced, quick to set up, has a high replay value, and is just great fun. 

You can play one-off scrimmage battles, a series of battles in a tournament setting or use our campaign rules to run a stable of dinosaurs through an entire league season. You can add in Mutations, Tech Upgrades and Training to ready your prized prehistoric gladiator to take on any beast in the pit.   

Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting is a miniature board game for 2-6 players with a playtime of 30-45 minutes, no downtime and no player elimination.

This is the second edition version of the game, with minor tweaks. We've upgraded the victory point tokens to a victory track and fully overhauled the artwork for the box, board, cards, counters, everything.  

We are also releasing the first Ultimate Dinosaur Fighting expansion: Triassic Terror. Triassic Terror includes two new dinosaurs, the Diplodocus and Pteronodons.  

Oh my. Look at those minis. I may need to get this to play with my niece :)

Kickstarter - Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair tabletop fantasy RPG game

Sometimes a game looks interesting, then you see the lack of backers and it makes you dig a bit deeper. Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair tabletop fantasy RPG game is just such a game.

Launched on October 19th, its had 8 days to find an audience. In that time, its found 12 backers and about 7% of its funding. No, it's not doing well with 19 days to go.

A unique tabletop fantasy RPG adventure game where YOUR CHOICES and the ROLL OF THE DICE determine the OUTCOME of the story and game.

Wait, isn't that pretty much ALL games that aren't pure skill or pure chance?

LABYRINTH: THE LICH LORD'S LAIR
Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair is a tabletop, fantasy role-playing, multi-path adventure game that is unique in the sense that YOU (and/or your party, if you are playing with multiple players) choose your own destiny(s); that by your own choices YOU determine the OUTCOME of the story. In fact, sometimes, your very fate(s) might even depend on the roll of the dice....

I got drawn in by the art and the title. I must admit the pitch is pretty horrid, claiming uniqueness fr something that is very NOT unique.

But wait, there's more!

SO... WHAT MAKES THIS GAME UNIQUE? 

You get to decide where the story goes! By no means a new concept, Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair is a multi-path, tabletop game modeled after the Choose Your Own Adventure and Fighting Fantasy style books. Because the outcome of the story is determined by the choices you and/or your party make, this creates a more intimate gaming experience for everyone, and a new adventure every time you and your friends play! It is also the first in a series of Labyrinth adventures to come! 

An engaging storyline, coupled with tons of incredible artwork from high-caliber fantasy artist, Ilya Shkipin. In fact, all of the artwork above that you see in this campaign was created by Ilya specifically for Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair, and are just a taste of what is to come!  

Single Player or Multiplayer! Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair can be played by yourself, or can be modified to create a multiplayer adventure experience for you and your friends!
 Simple game mechanics! We at EndGame wanted to create a game that you, the player, can actually spend playing, not learning, but enjoying, without feeling intimidated by it.  We want our adventurers to get right into it, without wasting precious time doing a bunch of math, and filling out tons of confusing boxes that only further complicate the game play. With our game, character creation is super easy, and our simple turn-based, dice roll combat system delivers a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat combat experience that is both engaging, and maintains the flow of the game.  

Appealing to gamers of all different levels and backgrounds! In fact, a recent beta test of the prototype/draft of this game received rave reviews and positive and enthusiastic responses from both hardcore and casual gamers alike! 

Approximately 2-1/2 to 3 hours tops to complete an adventure! One of the more engaging and attractive aspects of this game is that it was created knowing that people like you lead active and busy lifestyles.

Different strokes for different folks! For the avid reader and casual gamer, Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair will be available as an adventure gamebook in a PDF version, complete with all of the artwork, that you can take anywhere with you on your mobile device, tablet, or laptop or play on your desktop at work when the boss is not around. For the tabletop enthusiast, the game will be available as a tabletop game in a full-color box, complete with a high-quality, fully-illustrated ADVENTURE book, CHARACTER PROFILE sheets, a BATTLE CHEST containing one set of custom HERO dice and one set of custom ENEMY dice, CREATURE CARDS, INVENTORY CARDS, TREASURE TOKENS, and a tabletop SATCHEL for your INVENTORY CARDS. And finally, if we hit Stretch Goal #2, we will be bringing the Lich Lord to PC as an exciting, interactive fantasy RPG video game. Each format of the game will obviously have unique features that the other ones will not.
 

Sorry, this is not unique. Buy in for the game is 80 bucks, which isn't horrid, but I've literally seen a dozen or more of these "fantasy heartbreaker" boardgames. Some even fund. This one won't.

Ah well, maybe I can count those 80 bucks as "money saved" ;) If only Gareth hadn't bilked me for 150 7 years ago...

 

Humble Bundle - Digital Tabletop (Talisman and more for Windows / OSX)

There is a new Humble Bundle up that may interest The Tavern's readers. The Digital Tabletop Bundle includes some classic games like Talisman :)

One buck gets you Ticket to Ride and some other games. For a buck its worth it for Ticket to Ride alone.

The sweet spot, in my opinion, is about six bucks. Carcassonne, Talisman with expansions, Pathfinder Adventures and Sentinels Multiverse. Well worth it just for the core Talisman game.

This has been a fun Humble Bundle Month, with The LoTR / The One Ring RPG and Torchwood also in the mix.

The above include affiliate links. Tavern Keeper needs cold beer, badly. Still 89 degrees here in NYC after 10 PM...

Kickstarter - Dungeon Degenerates - Hand of Doom - Fantasy Board Game

I've been trying to steer clear boardgames on Kickstarter. Not because they aren't good, they generally are. It's simply space. The Conan board game arrived in two huge boxes. It's killing me.

Dungeon Degenerates - Hand of Doom simply looks awesome. I love the art. Hell, i could mount the above game board on a wall in my mancave (such as it is). I will find room for this, damn it!

$55 for the basic buy in for a sandbox board game? Characters can gain abilities and carry over between sessions?

Count me in :)

Here's a list of features (with some highlights by me)

-1-4 players co-op
-Players can form parties or split up throughout the game at will - no forced obligation to compete or stick together
-1-3 hours gameplay based on mission
-Epic RPG campaign feel in an open world sandbox board game
-Play until you die - bring your experience & items from previous missions 
-Open exploration - no forced path
-Multiple missions & objectives of varying difficulty for high replayability 
-Multiple ways to approach each mission
-Set in a cohesive & fixed world with multiple distinct regions
-Regions feature unique encounters & thematic monsters
-Encounters allow multiple interaction choices - you do not have to fight everyone you see
-Open experience system allowing for character customization with new skills 
-You are always in danger - the town is not an artificial safe zone - combat is dangerous
-Various modes of travel - players cooperate to choose their route & pace, or split up & fend for themselves
-Customize difficulty & theme with expanded monster & encounter decks
-Streamlined combat with tactical depth, each player rolls dice only once on their turn
-Uses standard 6-sided dice only
 -Over 100 monsters with unique abilities & artwork

Failed Basic Math Kickstarter - Warrior's Crusade (Board Game)

Yeah, I'm a Kickstarter ass. So I've been told. The fact that Kickstarter no longer vets new projects is becoming a huge issue.

Alright, I'm not going to mention the video. Watch it yourself.

Instead, I'm going to ask you to work out the math for Warrior's Crusade on your own. (note - there is only one pledge level)

Again - no projects backed.

Notice under Risks and Challenges it lists "funding for the production."

Since Kickstarter isn't doing due diligence on any level with this projects, I strongly suggest you do your own.

Games From the Basement - Starfire (Spaceship Combat Game)

I really, really wanted to get into Starfleet Battles back in the day.  There were just a few problems with it that I saw.

One - It looked really rules heavy.

Two - It seemed to have an endless supply of supplements.

Three - No one in my game group had any interest in playing it.

My solution?  Starfire, from Task Force Games.  One box seemed to cover everything from Introductory to Immediate, it was cheaper than Star Fleet Battles and possibly, just possibly, someone in my gaming group would play it with me.

That never happened, as I punched out (2) two, yes, (2) two starship counters.  Oh, and the dice included are one of the smallest pairs of D6s I've ever seen ;)

The Games We Played When We Didn't Have Enough People to Roleplay

These days I play my RPGs via online chat or a VTT. If we don't have enough to game, it's basically a wash.

Back when I played in my High School, College and the years immediately thereafter, we'd pull a game off the shelf (usually my shelf) and get cracking. We had a decent assortment, and there were times that we would opt for one of those games on the shelf over the regular campaign even if we had a full group. Depending on the amount of time we had, we would sometimes do a board game and role-play. Ah, the sweet days before real responsibilities.

The games we played, in no particular order were:

Risk - the classic. My version had the caltrop plastic pieces that were murder on bare feet. My box has been taped many times, but it's still complete. No one wanted to ever use the pink army, go figure.

Ameba Wars - this was one of those boxy bookshelf game boxes. I haven't played or looked at it in over 15 years, but the sic-fi game was always a good time

Nuclear War - card game from Flying Buffalo. Holy crap but this could get intense. A card game based on the fear of mutual destruction, it fit in well for the mindset of the average college student in the late 80's to mid 90's.

Wabbit Wampage - kill the rabbit game from Pacesetter - this didn't come off the shelf as often as others, as it didn't play as well as it should have. Not sure why that is. Maybe it felt more like a game, and less like Bugs and Elmer then it should have.

Chaos Marauders - Game Workshop's card game. Now this was a f'n blast! Up to 4 players, so if we had 5 or 6 at the table it wasn't a choice, but folks would demand a session of Chaos Marauders every chance they got. I may need to bring these to the next Gathering of Fools.

Talisman - the classic game of killing things and taking their stuff. Fun to play. Repeatedly. Until you had the sessions that never seemed to end (especially when using the add-on boxes). Of the games on this list, I'm sure this was played by more readers of this blog then any of the others.

Well, that's my old groups list.

What's you list?

Carcassonne - The First Step to Assimilation?

I mentioned last week that I was picking up some Euro-Family games to replace the weekly Friday Nite Uno / Other Card Games my girlfriend and I play with my mother.  The ladies love the bonding and knitting talk, I get to cement the future family relationships.

The game plan, so to speak, was to break out one of the newly acquired games this past Friday nite, but Thursday's 21" of snow put a damper on that.  So, yesterday afternoon we pulled out Carcassone.  My girlfriend was excited about trying the new game ( and was only moderately disappointed it didn't use any "funky" dice ) and my mother was willing to humor us.

By the end of the first game all 3 of us were hooked.  It's a simple game with unexpected depth.  The pieces are high quality.  It plays fast.  You're never quite sure who is going to win until the end.

We played three games before we pulled ourselves away to watch a DVD.  My girlfriend is already talking about breaking the game out this afternoon, although Catan and Ticket to Ride are also tempting here.

Before you know it I'll have them playing Decent, then a game of White Box Swords & Wizardry ;)

I'm Even More Board... Games

Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride arrived today.  Damn but my girlfriend is pumped about Friday nite.  Of course, as fate has it, we are getting yet another snowstorm here in NYC Thursday / Friday, so the first game nite might be a cancellation.  The city is damn big and we live on opposite ends of it.  Well, that and her poor little doggy will leave poops little doggy poops all over her apartment if she doesnt make it home Friday nite at some point.

Tried a little Catan via the catanplay.com website.  Caught on to the tutorial after a bit.  Not a bad way to play the game, decent looking for being flash based.  I lost tho.  Go figure.

Sheep wasn't the problem.  It was the stone/granite dealie.  Live and learn.

Oh, did I mention I ordered Descent?  Figure I'll work the girlfriend up to that on the way to turning her to the Drak Side (RPGs).

I'm Board...Game

For some reason I've steadfastly avoided picking up any new board games.  Its not that I never played them.  Talisman, Amoeba Wars, Risk, Blood Bowl (first edition), Chaos Marauders (more of a card game), Nuclear War (definitely a card game)... I played these all when we had less then a full group to sling dice back in the day.

I have the OOTS game (never played it) and Adventurer (card game I really should play)as the recent games I've added to my collection, but I've had a major hole in all this... none of the above lead to getting my non-gaming girlfriend and possibly my parents involved in playing.  Friday nites my girlfriend actually enjoys playing cards or Uno with my mother and me... she likes the "family bonding".  So I broke down and ordered some recent (well, for me anyway) board games that should add some variety to Fridays.

The first to arrive is the Settlers of Catan.  Haven't even read the directions yet.  I guess I better start.  Hmm, even includes a limited trial PC/Mac game.  Time to learn me a new board game it seems ;)