Month: July 2022

Short version: Taj Mahal vs. Maharaja vs. Metropolys/Skyrise. When auctioning for area control what is your favorite and why?

On my shelf of shame sits two games: Taj Mahal and Maharaja. The second one I just got this past week super cheap at a 4th of July sale from my FLGS. I have not gotten either to the table but both include the idea of area control with a bit of an auction mechanism to do so. I’m excited about these games and I love auctions and two of the groups I play with enjoy area control when done in a Euro manner.

Recently I came across the Kickstarter for Skyrise and was very intrigued so I backed at $1 to get access later . That being said, with two unplayed games on my shelf I’m not sure how much I can justify the shelf space. What are everyone’s opinions about these three games and how they compare? Do you have a favorite? Especially interested in the opinions of people who have played all three.

Thanks in advance.

NOTE: I kind of went nuts during the pandemic and have too many unplayed games. We’re working on it and do play new games regularly. My household budget is not an issues so assume that any further money spent is not irresponsible from a financial point of view.

Ethnos is one of my favorite board games, but I always thought it was missing just a few things to become an instant classic. The theme and art does not do it justice, it has too much top decking and it favors set collection a bit too much for my taste.

The framework of the game also lends itself extremely well to introducing new cards, and it would not hurt the base game with a little more variety.

Because of all of this, I chose to create my own revised version with some rules tweaking, a new theme and lots of additional cards! Have a look at the gallery below and tell me what you think 🙂

If I had the chance to create my own art, I think it would fit the theme even better with different universes instead of planets, having e.g. Nazi, Teddy and Bee versions of each character 🙂

With all the buzz Libertalia got from it’s reason revised version, one can only hope that Ethnos gets the same treatment in the future <3

Hi folks. I’ve managed to find some expensive but available copies of the out-of-print second edition of Doom the board game but the players reviews talking about the supposedly horrible balance scare me. I’ve played Doom V1 two days straight last weekend at a game jam and the invader was really strong, capable of downright trolling the squad ; in V2, from what I’ve heard, it’s the opposite. What you think ? Are the marines really so overpowered that there’s no challenge in the game ? I know house rules are always possible but if they are so many issues that you gotta change how the gameplay works entirely, it’s not worth it IMO…

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BTW : for the same price I could get a copy of either the first edition with its expansion or the second : which one would you instinctively recommend me to pick ? I loved the 2016 video game and not the 2003 one, but the V1 board game is a lot more fun than the VG it takes its inspiration from IMO. Which edition is feels the most enjoyable for you ? Yes the second looks a lot better but I mean in terms of gameplay.

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Thanks in advance ! Cheers, stay safe.

EDIT: Thanks everyone, will restrain myself and pick up the retail edition instead 🙂

I’m thinking of buying Ankh and have the opportunity to buy an all in KS version for about 3-4 times the retail price. Are all that extra stuff worth it? I have played the game twice and the divine offerings was a nice touch but I will probably not use all that extra stuff.

Then again, fomo. I own Chaos in the old world , Blood Rage KS and Rising Sun KS so it would be “fun” to have Ankh too. Aaand then again I might just settle with all the games I own too.

Any good advice? Are all the extra stuff worth it?

I have been blessed to love board games and have people in my life that will play them with me. My collection is around 70 games all of which currently I have played and enjoyed.

How long have you been involved in the hobby?

* I have been a fan of Hobby board games since around 2010 when I first played Ticket to Ride and Agricola but I have really only been collecting since around 2019.

What would you change about your collection if you could?

* Where I currently live my collection size could only fit so many games in the closet. However, I am planning to move at the end of the month and this means that my collection can grow. This excites me and worries me at the same time. Like many in the Hobby I enjoy collecting as much as playing sometimes but I’ve never wanted my collection to grow so big that I am not playing games I’m buying.

Favorite games currently:

1. Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition
2. Dune: Imperium
3. War of the Ring: Second Edition
4. Terraforming Mars
5. Western Legends
6. Blood Rage
7. Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
8. Ark Nova
9. Orléans
10. Caverna: The Cave Farmers

I would love to hear if any of my games are some of your favorites and what games based off of my current collection that you think I might enjoy playing or owning?

**How would you design your perfect games room ?**

Hi, I’ve amassed a large collection of games to play with my 6 year old as she grows up and also with my friends but pandemic has meant I haven’t had a chance to do much socialising

I have a room that I’m trying to make the ‘adult’ living room in the house. It has a fireplace and space I can put in cabinets and shelving either side. I want it to be stylish but also to display many of the games somehow as I have adhd and will actually just forget I own board games if I can’t see them lol

My games are pretty standard European and card games etc. Ie not magic the gathering or anything so elaborate

It will also be a sitting room so I want to have a couch and a couple of chairs and a coffee table

1) what **height and shape of coffee table** is best ?

2) what **seating arrangement** works best should I go with **sliding door cabinets?** Any design best in terms of maximising game storage? Single shelf inside?

4) does anyone have any **wall shelving** you are using for games that looks nice?

5) any **other things** that make a room perfect for gaming?

The room will be also used as a social space for adults and spare bedroom and for winter nights

The picture here is my inspiration shot for the room.

The concept behind Root really appeals to me. It looks like a fantastic game and the artwork only makes me want it more. The problem is that it would be largely 1-2p sessions and I’ve heard it’s better at higher player counts. Worse yet, each expansion is roughly the same price as the base game, including the expansions that just let you play solo? That means if I want to play solo off the bat, I’m basically buying 2 games, which is a big investment for something I can’t guarantee will get played often, and something I don’t even know if I like. While all my research suggests that I _will_ like it, it really rubs me the wrong way that you have to double the price to find that out.

If I end up going for Root, I’d pick up the base game and clockwork expansion, but if I really ended up liking it then I’d eventually want the other expansions. The downside to this is that it would take up pretty much a whole shelf _just for one game_. I’m pretty economical with shelf space but this single game would be like 1/4 of my collection by volume.

So what do you guys think: is it worth the investment for me?

Just wondering what is good practice, and also what are you willing to pay? Of course we can price it at any price we wish, and if the right buyer comes along then it’s all gravy.

However, this question is more towards games thet can still be found at your LFGS and not OOP games or some rare KSers.

This topic was made because on Facebook Marketplace there is a person selling Space Base for a dollar less then a store would. ONE DOLLAR. The gas, the time, and everything else is not worth that one dollar lol.

Anyways, just wondering what discounts are you looking at? For me personally I look up the game in a store website, add the tax, multiply it by 0.65, and if the price is equal to that or lower, it’s worth it.

I also price my games this way when I want to sell them.

What’s your experience like?

**A Game of thrones 2nd Edition**

WHY DID I BUY: Had many fond memories of 1st edition

PLAYS: 2

WHY DID I SELL: It didn’t see table often and took too long for what it is. Root filled my wargame niche better.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Yes, in fact I played with the mother of dragons expansion. Wouldn’t own it though.

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**Alexander the great**

WHY DID I BUY: Friend was moving and sold it cheap.

PLAYS: 0

WHY DID I SELL: It didn’t see table.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Not really.

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**Bang!**

WHY DID I BUY: Accessible game I played many years before had gotten a cheap national edition.

PLAYS: 3

WHY DID I SELL: It was too random and simplistic

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Not really.

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**Barony**

WHY DID I BUY: I loved splendor from the same author and was looking for an area control game.

PLAYS: about 12 times.

WHY DID I SELL: It was a bit repetitive, even with the expansion.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? I guess.

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**Catan**

WHY DID I BUY: I wanted an accessible game.

PLAYS: 2

WHY DID I SELL: Trading isn’t really my thing. and it’s a bit too light too.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? No.

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**Checkpoint Charlie**

WHY DID I BUY: I wanted an accessible game with a niche mechanic.

PLAYS: 3

WHY DID I SELL: It’s a child’s game. But also bit too simplistic. Dobble and Red7 made for better things.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? No.

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**Eldritch Horror**

WHY DID I BUY: It was pretty exciting to have a game like those old game book from the 80s

PLAYS: about 20 .

WHY DID I SELL: It’s so random for its duration. Surely you can optimize playing for some extent but most things are luck driven. MK and Spirit island are much better for a big adventure.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? No.

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**Ethnos**

WHY DID I BUY: It looked like a fun replacement for Small World in the area control genre.

PLAYS: about 10 games.

WHY DID I SELL: It got stale.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? No.

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**Evolution Climate**

WHY DID I BUY: I played the first game and enjoyed it.

PLAYS: about 15 games.

WHY DID I SELL: It has a boring kind of randomness for a medium length game.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Yes.

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**Fireteam Zero**

WHY DID I BUY: It looked quite cool for a dungeon crawler.

PLAYS: 7

WHY DID I SELL: I think the genre is better suited for digital games. I mean I enjoy Gauntlet a lot.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Yes.

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**Fives Tribes**

WHY DID I BUY: It seemed like a unique spatial puzzle.

PLAYS: about 10

WHY DID I SELL: I found it a bit boring and tiresome to play.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? No.

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**Flash point Fire rescue**

WHY DID I BUY: I wanted a coop game that didn’t overstay it’s welcome. Bonus points for being family friendly.

PLAYS: about 5 times

WHY DID I SELL: I don’t really play family games that much. There really wasn’t much skill involved. It was sad to see it not played as often as it could.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Yes.

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**King of Tokyo**

WHY DID I BUY: Nostalgia from an imported version my friend had. To introduce my GF to games.

PLAYS: about 30-40 times

WHY DID I SELL: It got stale.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? No.

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**King of New York**

WHY DID I BUY: I wanted to have something similar to the previous version with additional complexity

PLAYS: 4 times.

WHY DID I SELL: The added complexity wasn’t enough. In the end My gf and I played a lot of smash up instead.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? No.

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**Magic the Gathering**

WHY DID I BUY: I was a kid.

PLAYS: about 200 games

WHY DID I SELL: That game is a cash grab. It was replaced by VTES. More recently it was replaced by Smash up.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Maybe. But I would never buy it.

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**Pandemic The cure**

WHY DID I BUY: I wanted a dice and coop game. Had played previously and got a decent price on it.

PLAYS: about 10

WHY DID I SELL: It got stale. I don’t really see much point in calling it a coop.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Maybe. It’s a filler.

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**Quarriors**

WHY DID I BUY: Had a good impression playing my friends’ copy about 3x.

PLAYS: 5

WHY DID I SELL: It felt boring. I think I have a love-hate relationship with dice games.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Not really.

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**San Juan**

WHY DID I BUY: Some nostalgia and seemed like a good low weight game to have. I still like Puerto Rico.

PLAYS: about 12 times.

WHY DID I SELL: I don’t really like low weight games as much. A bit too random too.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Yes.

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**Small World**

WHY DID I BUY: A great and accessible area control game with variable powers. That sounds like me.

PLAYS: about 15 times.

WHY DID I SELL: I played it a lot and no expansions were released in my country.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Maybe.

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**Three Cheers for the Master**

WHY DID I BUY: Got a cheap used copy from someone selling another game I bought.

PLAYS: 2.

WHY DID I SELL: Didn’t really like the gameplay.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? No.

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**Xcom the board game**

WHY DID I BUY: Xcom hype. I was also looking for a coop.

PLAYS: 0

WHY DID I SELL: It didn’t hit the table. After I played mansions of madness it also became clear to me i wouldn’t really enjoy an app driven game.

WOULD I STILL PLAY? Maybe.

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# Now for some notable games I kept:

**Argent the Consortium**

WHY DID I BUY: A set collection euro with high player interaction. And lots of variable powers.

DESCRIPTION: Win the election and become the new chief of a school of magic by building your influence over a council that values different things each game.

PLAYS: about 15 times.

GENRE OF GAME IT DETHRONES: Heavier Eurogames.

SOME OF MY GAMES IT REPLACED : San Juan, Evolution Climate, Five Tribes, Quarriors

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**Root**

WHY DID I BUY: It’s an actual asymmetrical area control wargame

DESCRIPTION: Fight for domination in a forest with thematic factions of human-like animals.

PLAYS: 50+

GENRE OF GAME IT DETHRONES: Wargames, Area control.

SOME OF MY GAMES IT REPLACED : Small World, Ethnos, Game of Thrones, Evolution Climate

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**Splendor**

WHY DID I BUY: It’s a direct engine builder with fun poker chips.

DESCRIPTION: Buy jewelry related business/industry during renaissance then use those to further your empire and sometime earn the favour of nobles.

PLAYS: 50+

GENRE OF GAME IT DETHRONES: Light Euro engine builders.

SOME OF MY GAMES IT REPLACED : San Juan.

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**Spirit Island**

WHY DID I BUY: It’s like Mage Knight, but actually multiplayer. It has an interesting map, strategy depth and the journey of power progression. Highly Modular.

DESCRIPTION: Be a spirit and use elemental powers to stop invaders from colonizing your island.

PLAYS: 700+

GENRE OF GAME IT DETHRONES: All cooperative games.

SOME OF MY GAMES IT REPLACED : Pandemic the Cure, Flashpoint Fire Rescue , Eldritch Horror, Fireteam Zero, Dragon Quest.

Hi, I’m currently working on a boardgame were there’s going to be a lot of random elements. Most of them works fine with different kind of dice but I can’t figure out how the monsters that the players are fighting will choose their targets. I want it to be random and not pre decided by some game rule. The game will be 2-4 players so the number of outcomes for the randomizer will shift. I thought about those spinning arrows but I feel like they quite fast end up in a bad condition. The best thing I came up with was something like one of those bingo wheels where you add a ball or something that represent each player. But I feel like those are big and bulk. So, does anyone have experience with something like what I’m looking for, or any idea for a solution?