I can't speak to 4 player balance, but playing with two lower level chars and one higher hasn't been a huge problem when our party looks like that. If you think that party members all need to be the same level then I see why you think starting gimped, but the single thing I like most about RPGs is when I level up and get new toys so I have way more fun beginning a character from lower-level.pterrus wrote:Doesn't that exacerbate the balance issues though? I'm imagining a party with levels 2, 3, 3, 8. The 8 is pretty much required to carry with this comp, but what if the 8 gets hosed due to scenario rules, or if the 8 is a support class?drk wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:15 pmWell that's not required, you can start at any level up to 6. My first character I starred at prosperity 6 I went right to level 6, but I had a really bad time because I didn't understand the class interactions during character creation and chose the wrong cards, basically. Ever since then I've started all new characters on 2 or 3!pterrus wrote:We're at prosperity 7 so that means new characters are created at level 7. Which is kind of dumb.
Not to mention, it's just kind of an ugly design if the best way to have fun with a class is to intentionally gimp yourself at character creation.
Board Games
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Re: Board Games
There's been one mission we couldn't complete and we felt like it wasn't due to unlucky draws, that we'd have to level up a bit and go back to later. Honestly it just makes me more excited to run it again and try to beat it though, so I'm not upset about that part either.drk wrote: playing with two lower level chars and one higher hasn't been a huge problem when our party looks like that.
Re: Board Games
Did you get to Oozing Grove yet? That's a great example of a mission that is nearly impossible with the wrong party composition and it's not even abortable so it will just kill you (it killed us).
Then we went back later with a certain level 9 ability and it was just trivially easy. No excitement of solving the puzzle, just: this ability beats the scenario. I'm pretty sure that's just bad design.
edit: You know, I take that back. My wife had the level 9 ability and she was cackling maniacally the whole time, so someone was excited at least.
Then we went back later with a certain level 9 ability and it was just trivially easy. No excitement of solving the puzzle, just: this ability beats the scenario. I'm pretty sure that's just bad design.
edit: You know, I take that back. My wife had the level 9 ability and she was cackling maniacally the whole time, so someone was excited at least.
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do you play with the stamina potion nerf?
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I assume this is, you cannot stamina potion back a card you just played that turn? Because that part of stamina potions seems absurd to me!Rylinks wrote:do you play with the stamina potion nerf?
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no it's just -1 card on each one. they're being nerfed in the expansion
Re: Board Games
We have not yet gone there, I believe. The mission we have to halt was the Quartermaster's retirement scenario, where you're captured and lose your items until you loot some chests to get the back. Our lower levels were too dependent on their items, and without them couldn't break through the first room quickly enough to have enough cards in hand.pterrus wrote:Did you get to Oozing Grove yet? That's a great example of a mission that is nearly impossible with the wrong party composition and it's not even abortable so it will just kill you (it killed us).
Then we went back later with a certain level 9 ability and it was just trivially easy. No excitement of solving the puzzle, just: this ability beats the scenario. I'm pretty sure that's just bad design.
edit: You know, I take that back. My wife had the level 9 ability and she was cackling maniacally the whole time, so someone was excited at least.
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high level parties being completely broken is keeping with rpg themes good job gloomhavenpterrus wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 6:40 am We're at prosperity 7 so that means new characters are created at level 7. Which is kind of dumb. At character creation you have to make permanent spec decisions for 6 level-ups for a class you've never played before and possibly nobody at the table has played before. Also you're only 2 levels from max and many classes are basically gods at level 9 so, like, balance that.
The game actually has 9 prosperity levels with associated item unlocks. Aside from the obvious weirdness and brokenness with creating every new character as a level 9 god, it's not actually clear how you get to prosperity 9. We completed the game and are actually real far from prosperity 9; it's not linear. I don't know if it's even possible to get prosperity 9 after completing all the playable scenarios and all the personal quests in the box. Why did they even include those cards?
I am pretty confident they didn't really do any serious playtesting with a late game party, they just kind of slapped together some outlandish level 9 cards and a big long prosperity track and called it a day.
Re: Board Games
Ooh we didn't do that one yet, seems fun.drk wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:08 pmWe have not yet gone there, I believe. The mission we have to halt was the Quartermaster's retirement scenario, where you're captured and lose your items until you loot some chests to get the back. Our lower levels were too dependent on their items, and without them couldn't break through the first room quickly enough to have enough cards in hand.pterrus wrote:Did you get to Oozing Grove yet? That's a great example of a mission that is nearly impossible with the wrong party composition and it's not even abortable so it will just kill you (it killed us).
Then we went back later with a certain level 9 ability and it was just trivially easy. No excitement of solving the puzzle, just: this ability beats the scenario. I'm pretty sure that's just bad design.
edit: You know, I take that back. My wife had the level 9 ability and she was cackling maniacally the whole time, so someone was excited at least.
Re: Board Games
drk wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:08 pmWe have not yet gone there, I believe. The mission we have to halt was the Quartermaster's retirement scenario, where you're captured and lose your items until you loot some chests to get the back. Our lower levels were too dependent on their items, and without them couldn't break through the first room quickly enough to have enough cards in hand.pterrus wrote:Did you get to Oozing Grove yet? That's a great example of a mission that is nearly impossible with the wrong party composition and it's not even abortable so it will just kill you (it killed us).
Then we went back later with a certain level 9 ability and it was just trivially easy. No excitement of solving the puzzle, just: this ability beats the scenario. I'm pretty sure that's just bad design.
edit: You know, I take that back. My wife had the level 9 ability and she was cackling maniacally the whole time, so someone was excited at least.
Did you open envelope X yet? We just did and it's really fucking cool. I'm not going to say any more than that without spoiler tags.
Re: Board Games
New Dominion expansion announced -- Menagerie
It's about animals
It's about animals
DonaldX wrote: Dominion, that’s what you’re trying to achieve. This time with animals! They each have a lesson to teach, whether it’s how to spit really far, or what kind of grass tastes the best. It’s a lot to keep track of, but you’re like an elephant: you remember everything. And you’re afraid of mice. You’ve taken up riding. Horses are intimidating; they say you can lead a horse to water, but you haven’t managed it. So you’re working your way up, starting with dogs. So far so good; the dog hasn’t bucked you off yet. Your menagerie got off to a poor start, with just a goat, two rats, and the advisor who suggested starting a menagerie. You couldn’t get that fox you wanted, but it was probably bad anyway. Now you’ve got some camels, which are just as useless for sewing as you’d been warned, and a turtle that can hold its breath for longer than anyone can stay interested. Soon the animal kingdom will be yours.
It's your turn in Cthulhu Wars
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
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that post looks familar
Doug on GG wrote:New Dominion expansion announced -- Deja Vu
it's about forumsDonaldX wrote: Forum domination, that’s what you’re trying to achieve. This time with two forums! They each have a lesson to teach, whether it’s how to complain about capitalism, or what kind of anime waifu is the best. It’s a lot to keep track of, but you’re like a doug account: you're literally everyone. And it's your turn in Cthulu Wars. You’ve taken up posting Lotus. Magic strategy is intimidating; they say you can turn any creature into an elk, but you haven’t managed it. So you’re working your way up, starting with the 'How's your day going' thread. So far so good; no-one has suspected anything yet. Your domination got off to a poor start, with just a couple of threads bumped, before someone reported you to a moderator. You couldn’t think of a magic card for the fantasy card thread, but no-one reads that thread anyway. Now you’ve got some badges, which are just as useless for forum reputation as you’d been warned, and a custom title that is longer than anyone can stay interested. Soon total forum domination will be yours.
Re: Board Games
jfc hahaha
It's your turn in Cthulhu Wars
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
Re: Board Games
Catacombs is quickly becoming the group's favorite game
I really like Edge of Darkness, though
I really like Edge of Darkness, though
It's your turn in Cthulhu Wars
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
Re: Board Games
It's your turn in Cthulhu Wars
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
Re: Board Games
Okay that looks pretty sweet and those designers are all stars, but I'm not sure I can justify the price tag for the gimmick. For that much money I really expect a lot of replayability, and I've never encountered a non-legacy co-op that I would want to play that much.Doug wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 3:28 pm Return to Dark Tower!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/re ... dark-tower
Re: Board Games
The original wasn't co-op, right? Four players, each a different kingdom, only one winner I thought
It's your turn in Cthulhu Wars
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
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yeah it (the original) isn't co-op
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It looks cool but for me I think it has too much overlap with Middara, Etherfields, and Bloodborne
It's your turn in Cthulhu Wars
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
It's your turn in Squirrel Wars
It's your turn in Demon Wars
It's your turn in Wall Street Wars
http://devilsbiscuit.com/
Re: Board Games
it looks like theres some stuff to randomize the setup a little each time. i have no idea how much of a difference it makes thoughpterrus wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 4:13 pmOkay that looks pretty sweet and those designers are all stars, but I'm not sure I can justify the price tag for the gimmick. For that much money I really expect a lot of replayability, and I've never encountered a non-legacy co-op that I would want to play that much.Doug wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 3:28 pm Return to Dark Tower!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/re ... dark-tower
Re: Board Games
The wife and I played 3 games of Paperback last night. It's actually really fun! It is Dominion x Scrabble, minus the board. That is basically the entire ruleset, you can reverse engineer the entire game from that description. Its tagline is "A Novel Deckbuilding Game" which I would give points for the clever double meaning if I could be certain blatantly mashing up two other games counted as "novel".
Anyway, I'm glad it exists, it seems like it would be a good one to bust out with people who wouldn't really grok the mechanical combos of Dominion, but would appreciate trying to spell big words. Which is basically assembling a combo! But is more accessible somehow. There's probably a game design lesson here.
Anyway, I'm glad it exists, it seems like it would be a good one to bust out with people who wouldn't really grok the mechanical combos of Dominion, but would appreciate trying to spell big words. Which is basically assembling a combo! But is more accessible somehow. There's probably a game design lesson here.
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Re: Board Games
Surprisingly there is a recent Jaws board game
It's very good. I'll try to describe it later
It's very good. I'll try to describe it later
wow, [you]. that all sounds terrible. i hope it gets better for you
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Jaws
Jaws is played 3v1: Quint, Brody and Hooper vs Shark
It is divided into two acts. In act 1, the shark tries to eat as many swimmers as possible before getting harpooned twice. Act 1 is played on a map of Amity Island, the shark swims around and makes moves in secret while the team tries to deduce its whereabouts and save swimmers before they're eaten. Each of the team members has different moves in act 1 and serve different roles, like in many coop games
Once harpooned twice, the game switches to act 2, in which then humans fight the shark from a destructible boat. The shark starts act 2 with some number of special abilities from a randomized deck dependent on how many swimmers it ate in act 1. Similarly, the team divvies up weapons from a randomized deck dependent on their act 1 performance. The team must kill the shark before it kills them. Each attack also can damage or destroy portions of the boat, or knock players into the water, making it harder and harder for them to use their moves effectively as the game goes on
The gameplay for both acts revolves around the shark making its moves in secret and then the team trying to work. Two thumbs up from me
Jaws is played 3v1: Quint, Brody and Hooper vs Shark
It is divided into two acts. In act 1, the shark tries to eat as many swimmers as possible before getting harpooned twice. Act 1 is played on a map of Amity Island, the shark swims around and makes moves in secret while the team tries to deduce its whereabouts and save swimmers before they're eaten. Each of the team members has different moves in act 1 and serve different roles, like in many coop games
Once harpooned twice, the game switches to act 2, in which then humans fight the shark from a destructible boat. The shark starts act 2 with some number of special abilities from a randomized deck dependent on how many swimmers it ate in act 1. Similarly, the team divvies up weapons from a randomized deck dependent on their act 1 performance. The team must kill the shark before it kills them. Each attack also can damage or destroy portions of the boat, or knock players into the water, making it harder and harder for them to use their moves effectively as the game goes on
The gameplay for both acts revolves around the shark making its moves in secret and then the team trying to work. Two thumbs up from me
wow, [you]. that all sounds terrible. i hope it gets better for you
Re: Board Games
sounds interesting
how is the secret of the sharks' location maintained in act 1?
how is the secret of the sharks' location maintained in act 1?
u gotta skate
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The moves are made in secret in a logbook, and not revealed, but you see swimmers disappearing, and each crew member has a different ability to give them clues
One of the boats (Quint) can set down motion detectors or attempt a harpoon. The other boat (Hooper) can use a fish finder to check all locations adjacent to a spot near them. The guy on land (Brody) can use binocs to look at either beach from certain locations on land
wow, [you]. that all sounds terrible. i hope it gets better for you
Re: Board Games
So, it seems that my family is officially becoming a board gaming family. Which is good and awesome.
Lorelai is really enjoying some more grown-up games now. We've been playing a lot of Splendor, Azul, Sushi Roll, Go Nuts for Donuts and Exploding Kittens. She's starting to think she's too big for kids games, though she still likes Kid's Ticket to Ride. But she never pulls out crap like MLP Edition Shoots and Ladders, etc etc.
Caroline tries to play with us for a few minutes but always gets bored and wanders away but she's not old enough yet so that's OK.
I recently got Carnival of Monsters from Amazon but I haven't had a chance to play it yet.
Lorelai is really enjoying some more grown-up games now. We've been playing a lot of Splendor, Azul, Sushi Roll, Go Nuts for Donuts and Exploding Kittens. She's starting to think she's too big for kids games, though she still likes Kid's Ticket to Ride. But she never pulls out crap like MLP Edition Shoots and Ladders, etc etc.
Caroline tries to play with us for a few minutes but always gets bored and wanders away but she's not old enough yet so that's OK.
I recently got Carnival of Monsters from Amazon but I haven't had a chance to play it yet.