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Misjudged or Overlooked Games
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- Sagrilarus
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The Game of Life, First Edition. This is a game that has been redesigned about a dozen times, and each new version is worse than the one prior. The modern versions are complete drivel, with all of the personality and opportunities for screwage beaten out of the rule set. But the original . . . don't leave sharp objects on the table. My oldest son had to walk away from the table at one point because I managed to screw him on one turn and then immediately duck his attempt at retribution on the next. I have plans to mention the moment to him when he's at my bedside in hospice. He's still a touchy about it.
At one point in the What Games Have You Been Playing thread I spoke to the original version, which I purchased via the Winning Moves reprint from 2010. It's still available on Amazon for about $25 new, and is in thrift stores all the time. It's a beautiful print, and there are spaces on the board where you can just jack another player for $100,000, opportunities to gamble in order to parlay your money if you're behind, and plenty of spaces that allow you to benefit at other players' expense. This game is classic Ameritrash, can go toe-to-toe with Buffy or Epic Duels. In fact I'll propose that it is even trashier, because both of those titles have clearly-defined opponents whereas The Game of Life requires you to work the social aspects of the game from scratch. There's no preset alliances, and you have to stick it to other players on your turn, so you have to work the wheeling and dealing from turn 1 through the end of the game.
S.
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*cross-posted to the 'I am old' thread*
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- SuperflyPete
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- Michael Barnes
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As much as I love GW and 40k, those two things really hurt it’s potential, especially in the board games Market segment. Because those two things mean expensive, modelling/painting, low availability, and tons of bitching ranging from “they are just trying to sell overstocked models” to “only one scenario” to “dumbed down gameplay” to “I’m only buying it for the 4 assassin models”.
But once you get past the fan whining, baggage and expectations what you have is basically Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game. In fact. If the uncredited designers came forward and said “we originally designed this as an MSG game”, I would be completely unsurprised. You could easily swap out the assassins for Solid Snake, Raiden, Meryl and Gray Fox.
It’s a rock solid 1-4 player co-op guys on a grid deal. But the emphasis is on stealth and making the most of your equipment and specializations. Simple AI movement and detection rules, super deadly combat, and a suicide mission atmosphere make it really exciting and fun to play.
Doesn’t matter if there is only one scenario, because ultimately most guys on a grid/dungeon craw scenarios are variations of about three different template anyway.
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Along similar lines, the original Careers is a surprisingly good game. It's actually more Euro than AT, though. You have four different categories of points (fame, money, happiness, and I don't remember the other), and at the beginning of the game you have to secretly divide up your winning goal conditions among them. So know one knows if getting a ton of money is helpful to you or not, for example. I don't remember it offering a ton of opportunities for screwage, but there are certainly a lot of decisions to be made that affect the course of the game.Sagrilarus wrote: Alright, I'll call out the generally-accepted-crap-game that I think is misjudged and overlooked, often by people that have never even seen a copy in real life.
The Game of Life, First Edition. This is a game that has been redesigned about a dozen times, and each new version is worse than the one prior. The modern versions are complete drivel, with all of the personality and opportunities for screwage beaten out of the rule set. But the original . . . don't leave sharp objects on the table. My oldest son had to walk away from the table at one point because I managed to screw him on one turn and then immediately duck his attempt at retribution on the next. I have plans to mention the moment to him when he's at my bedside in hospice. He's still a touchy about it.
At one point in the What Games Have You Been Playing thread I spoke to the original version, which I purchased via the Winning Moves reprint from 2010. It's still available on Amazon for about $25 new, and is in thrift stores all the time. It's a beautiful print, and there are spaces on the board where you can just jack another player for $100,000, opportunities to gamble in order to parlay your money if you're behind, and plenty of spaces that allow you to benefit at other players' expense. This game is classic Ameritrash, can go toe-to-toe with Buffy or Epic Duels. In fact I'll propose that it is even trashier, because both of those titles have clearly-defined opponents whereas The Game of Life requires you to work the social aspects of the game from scratch. There's no preset alliances, and you have to stick it to other players on your turn, so you have to work the wheeling and dealing from turn 1 through the end of the game.
S.
I've never played any of the newer versions, but from what I understand they get consistently weaker and less interesting with each edition.
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drewcula wrote: Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem
SoA is a great four player game. Solid production, Theme is unique, balanced factions. I think the game got a short glance because the TV show had already jumped the shark. GF9's weird-o expansion plans for it didn't help. I now own both expansions (factions), but have not played them. I've only played 3 and 4 player games.
I agree. I usually dislike worker placement games, because the primary form of interaction is passive-aggressive cockblocking. If you get cockblocked in Sons of Anarchy, you can respond with a punch, metaphorically speaking. The game is a tough sell because most boardgamers have zero interest in biker gangs or anything to do with them. But once I get people to actually try the game, they enjoy it. The eurogamers like the worker placement and the market mechanism, while the AT players like the combat and the figures. The overall visual design is great, especially the player screens that are made to look like big black leather wallets. To enhance the overall play experience, I burned two discs of music that I imagine would go over well in a biker bar.
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- Michael Barnes
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Shellhead wrote:
drewcula wrote: Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem
SoA is a great four player game. Solid production, Theme is unique, balanced factions. I think the game got a short glance because the TV show had already jumped the shark. GF9's weird-o expansion plans for it didn't help. I now own both expansions (factions), but have not played them. I've only played 3 and 4 player games.
I agree. I usually dislike worker placement games, because the primary form of interaction is passive-aggressive cockblocking. If you get cockblocked in Sons of Anarchy, you can respond with a punch, metaphorically speaking. The game is a tough sell because most boardgamers have zero interest in biker gangs or anything to do with them. But once I get people to actually try the game, they enjoy it. The eurogamers like the worker placement and the market mechanism, while the AT players like the combat and the figures. The overall visual design is great, especially the player screens that are made to look like big black leather wallets. To enhance the overall play experience, I burned two discs of music that I imagine would go over well in a biker bar.
Strangely enough, most members of biker "CLUBS" have zero interest in board gamers too. As to the CD, as long as it is 90% Bob Seger and the other 50% Lynyrd Skynyrd you should be all good.
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repoman wrote:
Shellhead wrote:
drewcula wrote: Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem
SoA is a great four player game. Solid production, Theme is unique, balanced factions. I think the game got a short glance because the TV show had already jumped the shark. GF9's weird-o expansion plans for it didn't help. I now own both expansions (factions), but have not played them. I've only played 3 and 4 player games.
I agree. I usually dislike worker placement games, because the primary form of interaction is passive-aggressive cockblocking. If you get cockblocked in Sons of Anarchy, you can respond with a punch, metaphorically speaking. The game is a tough sell because most boardgamers have zero interest in biker gangs or anything to do with them. But once I get people to actually try the game, they enjoy it. The eurogamers like the worker placement and the market mechanism, while the AT players like the combat and the figures. The overall visual design is great, especially the player screens that are made to look like big black leather wallets. To enhance the overall play experience, I burned two discs of music that I imagine would go over well in a biker bar.
Strangely enough, most members of biker "CLUBS" have zero interest in board gamers too. As to the CD, as long as it is 90% Bob Seger and the other 50% Lynyrd Skynyrd you should be all good.
I believe he was referring to 'one percenters,' Jeff, not the folks that you tool around with...
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jay718 wrote:
repoman wrote:
Shellhead wrote:
drewcula wrote: Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem
SoA is a great four player game. Solid production, Theme is unique, balanced factions. I think the game got a short glance because the TV show had already jumped the shark. GF9's weird-o expansion plans for it didn't help. I now own both expansions (factions), but have not played them. I've only played 3 and 4 player games.
I agree. I usually dislike worker placement games, because the primary form of interaction is passive-aggressive cockblocking. If you get cockblocked in Sons of Anarchy, you can respond with a punch, metaphorically speaking. The game is a tough sell because most boardgamers have zero interest in biker gangs or anything to do with them. But once I get people to actually try the game, they enjoy it. The eurogamers like the worker placement and the market mechanism, while the AT players like the combat and the figures. The overall visual design is great, especially the player screens that are made to look like big black leather wallets. To enhance the overall play experience, I burned two discs of music that I imagine would go over well in a biker bar.
Strangely enough, most members of biker "CLUBS" have zero interest in board gamers too. As to the CD, as long as it is 90% Bob Seger and the other 50% Lynyrd Skynyrd you should be all good.
I believe he was referring to 'one percenters,' Jeff, not the folks that you tool around with...
You meet the nicest people on a Honda.
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Another game that I've thought is severely misjudged or overlooked is City of Remnants. I like this game a lot. It's underrated. In City of Remnants, you control one of four gangs, consisting of humans and other enslaved aliens, which are imprisoned in a city on a prison planet controlled by the Yugai. Its scifi theme, prison planet setting, and gang development elements all strike positive cords with me for what I like in Ameritrash board games. The only minor thing about it that I don't like is the game board's artwork. I don't like its extreme aerial view. I think its ugly. I would have preferred a larger board with more details to immerse you into the alien prison planet setting. I'm not sure why this game isn't more popular. It was a dud in the marketplace. I think people expected more tactical gang warfare and combat instead of a role as a gang kingpin who's managing criminal enterprises, expanding turf, and recruiting gang personnel.
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- SuperflyPete
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It’s underrated by some, but not all...
superflycircus.com/2013/09/city-of-remna...be-a-space-gangster/
...and I go into why I think it undersold badly.
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