What I Played Today: January 16

Shadows Over Camelot, Tiny Epic Kingdoms, Boss Monster, Red 7

I saw a weird flyer, and instead of doing what literally everyone else would do, I called up a friend and decided to check out the purported event! I'm weird!

So I gathered up a bunch of games and went to the theater space, where we learned that the event was happening because the owners had a free night on their schedule so they decided to host a board game night? Odd. There was some guy trying to understand the Shadows Over Camelot card game, and I knew that game, so I volunteered my services, explained it as best as I could, which is hard because there are like twenty cards that are unique and difficult to understand, and also TWO that are not even explained in the rulebook! Anyway, we got going, cheating a little bit, which is too bad, because I was the traitor. There was also...this guy. I don't like to complain about people, but I just could not stand how this guy would draw a card and slam it down on the pile with this thumb, bending the card every time. I don't put protectors on my cards, but I also expect people at least try not to hurt the materials. He also just kinda refused to play by various rules because he found them inconvenient. Just...burnt my brisket. And of course his favorite game is Battlestar Galactica and he was suggesting it all night. Ahahahahaha, no.

Also got a chance to finally crack Tiny Epic Kingdoms. I like it! It's a small scale 4X game, where you slowly build your kingdom, invade other territories, slowly build a tower, and expand your magical powers. It's really simple, with a lot of ways to get points and a lot of ways to end the game, with the only real variance coming from the magic powers of each race. Very easy to learn, fun to play, lot of hard decisions, very good. I did not win.

Then after trying to get a game of Resistance off the ground (didn't work), my friend and I figured out that we both didn't like Boss Monster! It's a game where you build up a dungeon to take out heroes, but it's too simple, and there's too much of a luck factor of whether you get the cards you need or not, and it's mildly unbalanced, and I did not have fun. The art is good though, some solid 16-bit art. But...play Infernal Contraption instead. Much better game with the same general idea.

Then a few games of Red 7, which is a fun abstract game in which you must be winning at the end of your turn or you are out. You can add a card from your hand to your tableau and/or change the rule of what counts as winning. Oh, and you only have seven cards to do it, no drawing. It's pretty good! Quick, smart, clever. There was one round where I started the game winning, then it got to my turn I was out, which is kinda silly, I liked it!

I don't know, maybe I'll go again. It was interesting, at least, although I was really hoping for more bluffing games. These are theater people, for Chris's sake.

What I Played Today: March 1

Shadows Over Camelot, Incan Gold, Battlestar Galactica, Spaceteam, Skulls and Roses

To start the game night, I suggest a game of Shadows Over Camelot. I ended up being dealt the traitor card, and just kinda sat back and watch the goddamn chaos. We made a few bad calls, and when the turn came to me, I sat back and waiting to hear if someone had a bad idea, then went with it, why not. We sat at six black swords and everyone knew that as soon as it was the traitor's turn, they would accuse someone and the game would be over, so we had a sitdown, trying to figure out just who the traitor was. It was between me and another guy, and...I just did nothing, pointing out facts, and voila, someone else was accused and I won. Hurray.

Then I guess Incan Gold? I won for once, because whenever there were five or more points just sitting in the dungeon, I ran, and it worked out for me. I was on a winning streak!

And then there was a call for Battlestar Galactica. I will never say no! So I pulled it out, quickly explained the various expansions I love to play with, and we were on our way! Our first Cylon made a crucial mistake by throwing in cards that would quickly identify him as the only one who could have possibly blown the check (rookie mistake), and we had Cally in the game, so of course he got SHOT IN THE FACE! (Man, I love Cally.)

Then...shit went bad after the sleeper phase, when President Baltar had both a Personal Goal to have the President in jail and an Arrest Order, and a complete lack of understanding how shit can go completely wrong during the sleeper phase. So on his turn, he throws himself in jail (WHAT?) and the turn right after, Cally goes to the Admiral's Quarters and says, "Josh is a Cylon, let's throw him in the Brig." This is WRONG, but he tosses all of his cards into it, and nobody backs me up, so I get brigged and he immediately changes his attitude to "Yeah, I'm a goddamn Cylon!" So, two humans in jail (out of three), and our fuel just DRAINS, and it's game over at the next jump phase when we just don't have enough to keep going. Still, the circumstances were a bit hilarious.

Then we started bitching about MOBAs? I don't know, I wasn't paying attention, I just knew that a new addition to the game group had an iPhone, so I pushed Spaceteam. For a good fifteen minutes. But we started playing, and he realized that this game was in fact incredible (it always happens), and I wait patiently for the Android release, because apparently Apple is a four-letter word here in Minnesota.

We considered going to the pizza place, but we balked, so instead we played Skull and Roses (I lost), and went to Perkins instead. I feel I am giving you too many details. If you were an insane person who followed this blog, you might be able to follow me and then murder me. Luckily, I am not nearly that popular.

What I Played Today: July 29

Shadows Over Camelot

There was an impromptu game tonight, as some people came over and we played a quick game. It was for Shadows Over Camelot, a co-op game that fills me with a lot of dread because it’s difficult to tell what’s going on each new card draw has the potential to really screw you over. There are six different quests you have to worry about, and if you fail too many, or try to stall the pain for too long, you lose.

We actually did pretty well, dogpiling on the quest for the grail, and then moving onto Excalibur. A couple of Pict wars and a duel later and we had all the white swords we needed, and were just biding time until we lost a quest or two in order to get the game to end. We did get hit with double Morghans, which managed to deal 3 damage to a player in short order, but we had the grail, so he jumped back to life, luckily.

It went pretty well, and at the end there were no traitor, so we won. The traitor in this game is absolutely vicious, able to just let the game take you to task and wait until the end, then flip his card over and suddenly win when he destroys two of the white swords. I’m always afraid that someone is just pretend to have gotten bad cards, go along with their bad choices, and boom, your definitive win is now a lose. It’s nasty, and even worse for you if you start accusing like crazy, because if you’re wrong, you lose a sword. The worst part? No guarantee that there even is a traitor. Interesting idea...but I’m glad it got expanded upon for Battlestar Galactica.