Races for sure in: Gorgon, Schizoid, Animal (new), Cyborg (I think new too). I’m going to dig out my Mayfair version tonight to review the aliens I think will be in this new expansion. I’m hoping for SILENCER above all as that is a doozy of a power. While it has pieces for another player, what’s best about this expansion is what it does not have in it: LUCRE. Lucre is essentially Cosmic Encounters version of money/trade goods and it made playing with ‘everything’ in the Mayfair expansion a tower of suck. By this time with the FF version we have tech, we have hazards– so the designers were probably reaching for new stuff to put in (obviously they have tons of aliens to choose from) and lucre was undoubtedly on the list of considerations. Here’s to the designers for not putting that in the game!
What’s sad is we have only played four times this year…
If you already have the Avalon Hill version of the game, like the glow in the dark figures and don’t think the gameplay needs to change at all, other than hoping for a steep drop in price for the old version to pick up a copy, what would entice you to buy the new version? New variants and components to support those variants is a likely answer. In FF’s preview post, they detail the Vortex variant that moves around the map (a bit like the storm in Dune) and can pick up units and place them around the board, incinerate some and give energize cards to players who have stuff nearby where it lands that survive. Not a bad little random chaos thrown in– the key is if you can score VP’s somehow by using the vortex to your advantage.
…other than monetizing our personal connections for the engrandizement of the ownership. However that may be, noticed a post on the Cosmic Encounter facebook page about expansion 3! No details at all, just essentially a confirmation that it’s in the works with the original designers and FF. All I can say is: splendid.
I wanted to wait until the official announcement of Rex by Fantasy Flight before I went on my tirade about it. I saw the box at gencon on display and knew exactly what it was: the inevitable FF Dune game.
Rex inherits the mechanics of one of the absolute jewels of my collection, one that got oodles of plays before the boardgame fanaticism that has stretched far and wide across the world in the last decade set in; and that would be DUNE. Dune is essentially an area control game with armies fighting on the surface of the desert planet Arrakis for control of a life-lengthening psychotropic substance called the Spice. To win you have to control 3 city spaces at the end of the turn. This ain’t easy as armies can drop from space, fly across the planet in Ornithopters or ride a worm into your town from all over. While it incorporates economics and politics, Dune is unique in area control games as it utilizes a blind bid mechanic during battles using a cardboard dial with which a player selects the number of armies he wants to use in the battle (all used armies are destroyed) and selects a leader from those available to his faction. Adding together the leader’s generalship rating and the number of units used gives a total that is compared to the opponent’s. Highest wins. Best about this is that it is very simple and very fast while ultimately capturing the soul of the conflicts in Dune. The mechanic is a bit like Cosmic Encounter where you reveal attack cards but with the additional complexity of the leaders and treachery cards that can be played (also blind) to kill off that leader, discounting his generalship rating from the battle. Since any unit you use in the battle is destroyed (the leaders can only be killed via treachery cards) you have to weigh sacrificing units to keep control of the area you are in or go for broke and us all your units (guaranteeing that you will lose control of the area even if you win the battle). Dune is harsh: unlike Cosmic Encounter, there are no negotiate cards; yet alliances are a huge part of the game as you can win together, which happens most games as blocks of factions band together against the initial threats (usually the Harkonnen as they have to make a bid for the win early on).
Dune is a game I hold in the absolute highest esteem as an asymmetrical strategy game. Each of the factions has glaring weaknesses and clearly defined strengths. Those that have the best chance of winning alone also have the greatest chance of being wiped off the face of the planet (Atreides and Harkonnen) and some have a very difficult road to victory without allies but are tough to shake out of a chance for victory completely. It captures the feel of the conflict from the first book brilliantly as well. If you know the book, you know how to play the faction you’ve selected even without reading the rules.
Yet, I like Dune so much I am extremely hesitant to bring it out to play. My set is getting old (I have the second printing with Sting on the front) and some of the components are showing some real serious wear. Had we played this as much as I would like, a lot of the pieces would be scrap paper by now. And that’s where Fantasy Flight comes in. Since they have generally good taste in bringing old games back into the bright modern world, it was inevitable that they set their sights on Dune, especially after the success of Cosmic Encounter (‘absolute triumph’ is another phrase I would use in regards to FF’s version). So the ideal for a fan of the game is a shiny new Dune game with Fantasy Flight’s excellent components and tough-as-nails cards, etc. Sadly this wasn’t to be since the Herbert estate have become knobshines, the Dune license was not granted to remake the game using the Baron and Soo Soo Sook, etc. Unfortunate, but thems the breaks. The mechanics, of course, could be used by anyone to make a game (and should be) but what should the theme be if not Dune? My take, and this is where the disappointment comes in: any theme would work EXCEPT some other science fiction IP. You see, Dune is near the top of sci-fi’s heap as a piece of literature (that still has some pulp appeal), you have warring space factions, space ships, alien-like things (though the only race in Dune are humans and it’s far more compelling to try to figure out the HOW around the changed humans than presenting some Kzin clone), energy shields, etc. but you also have socio-political ideologies from the period (50’s and 60’s) clashing and an overall (almost implied) mimetic with the conflicts in the middle east over control of oil. Because Dune has such a strong narrative and definitive place in sci-fi’s role as a medium for political commentary, and it’s followers have such strong feelings around it ‘s canon (read some of the castigation heaped upon the hack, non-Frank Herbert novels that came later), any sci-fi put side by side with Dune, which Twilight Imperium has done via Rex, will inevitably be slapped up against, quite unfavorably, with the original theme. Compared to Dune, the jokeshop backstory to Twilight Imperium with it’s space cats and turtles and entirely derivative plotlines borrowed from yet another game’s backstory (Master of Orion 2) is simply a cascade of space piss into your open mouth. While this is acceptable for a massive space-Risk ameritrash game where players have no expectation of a quality backstory and trite tropes, like space kitties, left and right are not only expected, but absolutely warranted, just doesn’t do justice to the original game on any level.
That said, this comparison would not be made so brutally if the choice for theme was something fantasy or historical. No one would compare Rex to Dune on the same level if Rex’s theme was the 30-years war (Wallenstein, Gustavus Adolphus and all those guys), War of the Roses or even Game of Thrones (which is sort of the same thing). Looking at other IP in FF’s stable, even DUST would have been better, especially since the game’s backstory at least has a desert in it. Apparently, the original game using the Dune mechanics was a Roman one titled Tribune: who could complain about that. Oh, people would lament a bit, but they would be enamored with Scipio Africanus or Sulla a hell of a lot quicker than a space turtle or a cat with an eye patch.
All the complaining aside, I am glad this system is getting back into print and may be augmented by FF’s and the original design team. There may be mechanical updates that can be pulled back into the Dune system, either to streamline it or make it better. Again, since Dune is one of the best games of it ilk out there, Rex, by default, will be too. If you have no access to Dune, or like me, you want to save it from too many plays, it will warrant a purchase.
Bottom line is, if you actually enjoy, for some reason known only to yourself, the Twilight Imperium back story you will be well pleased with Rex as it will be the first time since Twilight Imperium 2nd edition that the TI universe has had a GOOD gaming system to play in. If you are a fan of the Dune board game, this is a tough pill to swallow, especially with the added slap in the face that SPACE KITTIES are the main identifier for the Twilight Imperium brand (rather than some of the less-cheesecurd aliens like the Sardak Nor, etc.). Maybe there will be enough space-race choices to leave the kitties in their space litter box.
I actually made it to the Con this year, family in tow just off a weekend+ of strep throat for me and the missus as well as my car getting totaled in a t-bone on the way to work. We were crossing our fingers up to the last minute that the one uninfected shorty in the family would stay healthy and she did: in her body at least. After 5-6 hours at Gencon, I will never be sure if she’ll be right again. As any attendee is well aware, some of the things viewed there can never, ever be unseen. There was one moment of almost-regret when, while being dragged through the morass in the dealer hall by her and her cousin, we essayed into a dank waft a malodor the likes of which neither of their young, unblanched olfactory organs had experienced before. While I winced and imagined the sort of lifestyle choices that accompanied such a reek, they just pushed on, dragging me to whatever corner of the dealer hall their fancy took them.
Saturday I was free from the burdens of unprotected sex and I while I missed the Shadowfist world championship by 23 minutes, it gave me ample time to wander around and get some demos and shop. Here are some of the results I can remember.
Ventura: new game by Fantasy Flight dealing with the Condotierre period in Italy. Interesting take on the whole ‘hexes make up the board’ mechanic that Nexus Ops, Kings and Things and Twilight Imperium use. You draw and lay the tiles nearest your own controlled area, so the board builds out form a conflicted center. All and all, an easy, fairly elegant area control game that I would have picked up immediately had the price point not been… drum roll please: 80$ ! That’s what I would expect to pay for a big box hobby game like Descent or Ikusa. While it seemed like a good game, the price point is going to crush it.
Blood Bowl League Manager: An insta-buy when it comes out, this was the belle of the ball for me. I was highly skeptical they would be able to pull this off, and they did! It’s a little deck building a bit of bluffing, some luck and the most important part: they integrated the block dice really well into the whole game mechanic. Essentially, you have a deck of your players and you play them on different games that make up a season. It’s abstracted but essentially represents you pulling out all the stops for a game with a player position for whatever effect in that game. If you have more strength than the opponent for each game, you win and get whatever benefits the game provides. This could be more player cards, some team special abilities or special coaches (or just fan factor). Whoever has the most fan factor at the end of the league wins. Looks like it can scale with players and really easy to play a short game or a really long campaign. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one. FF ran out of their 300 copies on Friday morning, or so I heard. Damn.
Rune Age: Another new one from Fantasy Flight. I half-heartedly tried to get into a demo of this but after looking over someone’s shoulder and seeing how Dominion-esque it was, I took a pass. Some will like this a lot. Unless someone says it’s not like Dominion at all, I’ll take a pass on this one.
Talisman Dragons: it was there, but after the 10 hours worth of games a few weeks back, I was just not ready to pick this up yet. Definite purchase, just later in the Fall.
Shopping. I was tentatively looking for some Dreamblade stuff and it was found only at one booth and fairly expensive. I missed last year’s con, but there was plenty around in 2009 to be had, mostly for a song. It’s a solid area-control miniatures game and with the figures super cheap, no reason not to pick up a bunch. As they ramp up in price; not so much.
AT-43 was also on my list, and I found one booth with a couple of very cheap items I needed, and another booth with a bunch that was half off retail, but still expensive for my tastes. Again in 2009 there was a ton to be had (mostly due to Fantasy Flight’s liquidation) but that well has very much dried up. AT-43 is an excellent game and I’m quite close to having a Therian and Red Block army of some size to meddle with. Along with AT-43 is the old 3.5 Confrontation stuff– amazing minatures for the most part and one booth had a bunch, but they just didn’t have anything I really needed. I may be kicking myself someday for not breaking the bank picking some of it up. The main issue is, I paint so slowly the stuff will sit in boxes for a decade before a brush hits it at all.
Warhammer: I found a booth that had TONS of bits and I will be hitting that every year that they make it. I would literally spend the whole con going through their shit. They didn’t have anything exceptionally old, but had a mess of stuff for any and all of the big box GW games (Necromunda, Blood Bowl, BFG, Man O War, etc).
Sadly, I didn’t buy a single ‘new’ game to say, like most years, “a ha! I got this at Gencon, we must play!” This is due to blood bowl league manager being sold out and Ventura– well 80$ was just too much to spend.
"I'm not sure what that smell was my childe, let's move on quick!"
Shadowfist. Though I missed the nationals Saturday morning, I did make it to the invite-only tournament for past tournament winners, which started right after the morning tournament final concluded after a 4 hour final! I was able to pull out the win after getting a tie in my first game, winning my second game after a long slough (thank you petroglyphs!) and winning in short order the three man final. In the final against ascended and architects (least that’s what I saw), I started strong and got a High Noon face off using a foundation character (thank you Yellow Senshi Chamber!) and a ring of gates out (protecting from stuff going back into my hand which my deck hates). The Ascended player laid out bull market (5 power to all players) as a response to the end of my turn, allowing me the power to lay out a site and be at play and take for my next turn. Then he announced that he had gotten all Feng Shui in his draw. Now, getting all Feng Shui at a time like that really sucks, but to announce it in the final of a tournament–it basically said to both myself and the other player that he was pretty much out of denial cards and we needed to go for the win. The Architect player to my right brought out some little stuff, but couldn’t take a site (thank you Final Brawl!) and after gaining 4 power in addition to the 5 from the Bull Market, I was able to lay out a foundation character, a Big Brusier and have a power left for a confucian stability to stop the inevitable zzzzzap (which came in the form of an Op Killdeer). Going for the win, the brusier got redirected onto a 9 body site (he’s only 8 fighting) , but my foundation character’s damage was redirected onto that 9-body site via the yellow senshi chamber, reducing it to a feastable number for the big brusier, for which the table had no answer. All in all, I got real lucky with my draws and was able to capitalize on both the bad luck of the other players as well as some mistakes on their part.
After winning this and the Wisconsin state championship this year after many years of tournaments of just barely not making it into the finals, I’m looking at a long decade or so of getting my ass handed to me in competitive play as I well deserve. Bring it!
Released yesterday, IKUSA is the new name for Milton Bradley’s master system triumph Shogun (later Samurai Swords) produced now by WOTC. I guess I should have sold my unpunched version of Samurai Swords a few years back eh!? While this is a must have, I feel this game has been somewhat eclipsed by Dirk Henn’s Shogun. To be sure, these are two very different games. Herr Henn’s is a Euro take on the conflict and Samurai Swords/IKUSA is at the absolute apex of Ameritrash goodness. Both are great in their own way, but Ikusa is longer, much more random and it’s objectives are to wipe the other players out as is the way with Ameritrash. One has a cube tower and one has little plastic swords and the backfiring ninja! I can’t help but love both.
Well I had a week off and gaming got friggin’ done. A lot of it. Game after game of Shadowfist, two 5 hour + games of Talisman 4th Edition, Dragon Lairds and a weekend of handful after handful of D10’s being thrown for Exalted to top the shit off. Thanks to everyone that suffered through the debauchery, the rump-gasps, rank foists, dank, oppressive basement conditions and cursing as it was probably the most solid week of gaming I’ve had since 2004 or so. To have two days in a row that consisted of waking up at 10AM, stumbling around trying to find food and the preparing for a few hours for another almost all nighter of the ultimate nerdery is really a gift that one at my stolid age and life-choices shouldn’t be allowed to have.
Shadowfist: Some great games were played and beatings delivered (as usual). My only issue is that 4-player is the maximum enjoyable size. Five player just starts to break down, not the game engine at all, but the ability for players to play with the intensity that a multiplayer CCG requires for that long of a time. I’d rather get 2-3 three player games over the same span of time than one big-ass five or six player game. My decks did OK, with the exception of my A-list deck, which did phenomenally well in the hands of some of the less experienced players (I never played the deck myself). One player, we’ll call him STEVE, got Ting Ting, the Golden Gunman and Steven Wu out onto the table at the same time. Even though he didn’t win that game, this was a moral victory forever. The most interesting deck I saw out of the group was a horrific use of Bonechill by Mouth.
Dragon Lairds: Becoming a favorite, though one person, we’ll call him SCOTT, wins every game all the time. While this is derivative of another game (can’t remember the name), I wouldn’t play without the Tom Wham (and friends) art work.
Talisman 4th Edition: Like Shadowfist, if you have more than 4 players, you’re just not going to be able to sustain the intensity over 5 hours of play. Though the two games we got in were fun, I think that’s quite enough Talisman until the Dragon expansion is released this Fall. The new horse deck is great as well as the trinkets and non-item rewards you can get, though I am still wrestling with the ability of players to gain Craft from monster trophies. Overall though with more than 3, I would say this is just not going to be on the menu for a long time to come. Notable is that someone tried to play the Monk (who got awful nerfed in the new version) and failed. This is understandable when your only power is to have +3 to normal Combat.
Exalted: What can I say, I know the issues everyone on the internet has with this game and yet when we play it, it’s hellaciously fun. Not as much combat happened during the sessions we played compared to the last session with these characters, so only a hundred dice hit the table instead of hundreds and hundreds. I’d been planning to run one of the (very few) published adventures (with some tweaks) for the game and it worked out well, inserting some of my own characters in here and there and decreasing the difficulty when an experienced RPG gamer pulled a Steel Reserve fueled newb mistake and wandered off during a dungeon crawl portion only to be jumped and nearly destroyed by one of the most obvious traps ever conceived. While the combat has an awesome amount of crunch, I’m still not totally sold on social combat. It’s interesting, but one of my players mentioned immediately: “if this is dropping my willpower, why wouldn’t I just instantly attack?” Exactly. In two instances of social combat from published adventures, both have antagonists that speak through other mediums so they cannot be instantly attacked (Return to the Tomb of Five Corners and Daughter of Nexus). That’s telling about what players are apt to do during social combat when up against an actual enemy. From reading the interweb tubes over the last year or so, and my shock at antagonists from the Scroll of Exalts with 50+ charms, I was thinking of converting the whole campaign to Feng Shui or FATE, but after these sessions I just don’t see the point. I won’t mince words though that Exalted is a heavy bitch of a game to prep for and run as a GM, and as you get to higher power levels, well nigh impossible.
We got to see a lot of this action during the game.
Ah Nuffle. How you tease and cajole with your spins of the dice and then crush with impunity at your fickle whims. Chaos had their way with the Skaven in the Mraakbowl final and the dice chose Khorne and the gang over the children of the Horned Rat— by a landslide. Though the score was close, the butchers bill by the end of the second half was fairly ridiculous, with only four Skaven players, including a Rat Ogre who couldn’t seem to get himself up off the pitch for most of the game, were able to watch in dejection as one of the Goatseed beastmen ran it into the endzone slow-like surrounded by his stinking, frothing brethren. The Skaven had a few opportunities to get the ball back, but just couldn’t get the luck when they needed it. The game almost went into overtime when, on the final turn of the game, a beastman blocked a gutter runner so his team-mate could waltz into the endzone without having to dodge and it came up double skulls and a block result. Without a reroll, it would have been another half of beatings for the Skaven (and only Nuffle knows what the score would have been).
Hopefully the league was a good time had by all (well, we did have our newb whipping boy in the coach of the Dust Pumpers) and let’s do another one!
The Skinny Dippers (Skaven) and Goatsee (Chaos) made it into the finals of the Mraakbowl.
The Norse team (top seed) was knocked out of the running after a hard fought 4-2 shoot out with the Skaven. While the Norse are arguably the worse team in Blood Bowl, their coach is arguably the best coach in this league to have brought them so far.
The Amazons, in contrast, are one of the better Blood Bowl teams, but just couldn’t stem the tide of Chaos, losing 2-0 in what amounted to a big frown from Nuffle on all of Amazonia and the inevitable questioning by the coach of the dodge skill’s existence if his ladies can’t dodge worth a damn. Chaos, on the other hand, was dodging up a storm with everyone on the team as if they had greased themselves up with pig-fats. Shockingly, none of the Chaos team made the leaderboard for most casualties inflicted, a sad state of affairs that will likely be rectified during the Mraakbowl Final.
Stay tuned to see whether or not Nuffle favors the Horned Rat or He who sits on a Brass Throne atop a Mountain of Skulls.
