OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

All discussions regarding Board, Card, and RPG Gaming, including industry discussion, that don't belong in one of the other gaming forums.

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Anonymous Bosch
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

I've been greatly enjoying revisiting Hostage Negotiator after receiving everything included with my pledge for Hostage Negotiator: Career.

For anyone that feels the game seems too random or having difficulty grokking the strategy for playing successfully, the developer of the game does provide some useful guidance and insight in the following video:



Suffice to say, there's more to the game than it may initially seem, and it remains one of my all-time favourite solo games.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

Picking up Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion today from Target as my Father's Day present to me. :D

My Gloomhaven group didn't want to buy it/play it because they said it was "Gloomhaven Light," which is kind of an inaccurate and dumb reason in my opinion. I watched the Radhdo Runs Through It video and he loved the streamlining. Plus, it's 4 new classes that can be used in regular GH and more scenarios, so what's not to love? There are some minor rules changes, but he said it was 95% standard GH so claiming it's some n00b version of the game seems premature.

Looking forward to diving into it, as I've definitely missed "physical" Gloomhaven. Our group has been playing weekly via Tabletop Simulator, but it's not the same.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

I love playing Gloomhaven. I absolutely hate setting Gloomhaven up.

Strongly considering getting the new “Jaws of the Lion” version, just so I don’t have to dig out so. much. stuff. every time I want to play.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

Just a reminder that the Gloomy Companion app makes things infinitely easier on players when it comes to set up.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

I use Gloomhaven Helper to manage combat and GCT to manage all the broader character management, campaign info, etc. Even with both of those, it’s still a lot.

I have decided that I’m done bothering with finding the exact rubble/bush/lava/etc to put on the map. I’ve started just throwing any random token on there and calling it good. Immersion be damned.
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YellowKing
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

I haven't played yet, but I'm already loving a few of the ways they made GH: Jaws of the Lion more accessible to new players:

- Included divider trays and baggies for everything, with the rulebook stating exactly where everything goes.

- Character "mats" have been flipped vertical to save space. Elemental tracking board sized down slightly.

- 5-scenario tutorial, compared to the original GH's zero tutorials and throwing you in the deep end against a tough mission that probably made more than a few people give up before they even got started.

- LOTS of hand-holding wording to calm down easily intimidated n00bs.

- Vastly scaled down terrain/trap options. You have a bunch of tokens that look like they represent rough terrain, one type of trap/pressure plate, and treasure chests. That's it.

Here are the rules differences I know about so far from BGG/videos:

- Quicker monster tiebreakers - they minimize movement, then tiebreak on initiative vs minimize movement, then physically closest, then initiative
- Players may trade items (but not gold)
- Monsters can now loot chests
- Summoned enemies now drop coins
- No road events; city events mandatory after completing a scenario
- Rahdo said coins now block monster spawns - have not confirmed this yet
- Universal rule that players decide ambiguity - I can't remember if this was explicitly stated in base Gloomhaven, but they make it the very first rule on the first page of JotL.
- Some monsters which are also in base GH have had stat changes, so the rulebook advises you can't mix them. Items are also balanced for this game and are not to be mixed. However, the 27 new Battle Goals and the four new characters can be incorporated into the base GH campaign.

Other than that, it's pure Gloomhaven, so don't let anyone tell you it's a watered down "baby" version like my gaming group keeps trying to convince me. It contains a big glossary rule book and a Learn to Play rulebook, both of which are quite meaty.

Component-wise everything is good except for the horrible initiative trackers which are tiny bits of cardboard with red text on a red background. They are nearly impossible to read and for all intents and purposes worthless. I don't really care because I'll be using Gloomhaven Helper app, but it's a bit of a head-scratcher why they chose that color scheme.

This is a solo GH player's dream. No fiddling with 30 tiles trying to find the right one. And if you are using the GH Helper app to ditch the monster cards, I can see having this ready to play in 5 minutes or less.

Edit: Folks on BGG saying GH Helper is not yet compatible with Jaws of the Lion. so I may be running it old school for awhile.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hentzau »

I went looking for this today. Sold out everywhere in Chicagoland. And it was listed as available at one target, but it sold out when I got there. I love the idea of the map books. Such a great idea.

How did I miss this was coming out before today?
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

Thanks for the feedback YK. I think I’m gonna shelve my regular GH and just wait to get a copy of this instead. Looks more manageable.

Not even sure why I got it out tonight, since Sword & Sorcery will be here Wednesday.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

There's one copy at a Target a half hour from my office. I just ordered it for pickup today at lunch. Hopefully they don't bungle the pick up order and it's there when I make the drive.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Blackhawk »

FYI, Hostage Negotiator: Career is now available at retail, including Kickstarter exclusives (until sold out.)
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by EzeKieL »

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:30 pm FYI, Hostage Negotiator: Career is now available at retail, including Kickstarter exclusives (until sold out.)
Ordered it yesterday :wub:
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

Some more Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion impressions:

Played through the first three tutorial scenarios as if I was a new GH player. I wanted to see what the tutorial experience felt like for a first-timer.

They do a phenomenal job introducing core concepts slowly. For instance, in the first scenario you are given a limited subset of skill cards, and they are specially printed with tips right on the card to explain what each action does. Monsters are given a default set of actions and a set initiative so that you don't have to worry about variability in what they're going to do.

Each subsequent scenario layers on a few more concepts. Like looting, monsters taking variable actions, etc. A couple of your player cards are swapped out for slightly more advanced versions.

It's incredibly well done and if the original GH had included such a tutorial we probably wouldn't have spent countless sessions getting rules wrong. Some of the core concepts such as monster movement have also been streamlined and clarified, and even as a veteran GH player I enjoyed seeing them presented in a clear, easy-to-understand way.

Also while I love the idea of not hunting for dungeon tiles and playing on the book, I was a little skeptical going in that it would work well for GH. I'm happy to report my fears were entirely unfounded. Having monster, coin, treasure locations right there on the map makes setup SO quick. Once I got into the game, the fact that I was playing in a book vanished as I got immersed into the combat. I would LOVE to see them put out expansion scenario books in the future that you could just pop on the table with your existing GH components and play. That's probably not likely, but this new format makes it entirely possible.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

One of the Youtube reviewers I watch occasionally said that Gloomhaven is by far his favorite board game of all time. Right now he's feeling confused because he said he actually likes Jaws of the Lion more - for so many of the reasons you mentioned. He was also wondering how Frost Haven was going to feel after he's played this. It was really interesting to hear that kind of perspective.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

EzeKieL wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2020 12:05 am
Blackhawk wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:30 pm FYI, Hostage Negotiator: Career is now available at retail, including Kickstarter exclusives (until sold out.)
Ordered it yesterday :wub:
Great game. Did you need the whole bundle? Or just Careers?

I was missing 4 of the abductor packs, so I ended up ordering all the others last week. I'm anxious to try out the Careers mode as it's VERY cool looking.
Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2020 2:07 pm One of the Youtube reviewers I watch occasionally said that Gloomhaven is by far his favorite board game of all time. Right now he's feeling confused because he said he actually likes Jaws of the Lion more - for so many of the reasons you mentioned. He was also wondering how Frost Haven was going to feel after he's played this. It was really interesting to hear that kind of perspective.
I got one of the last copies from a Target about a half hour from my office yesterday. I'm planning on just playing solo. I was worried it would be dumbed down, but I don't think it is from what I'm reading.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hentzau »

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2020 2:07 pm One of the Youtube reviewers I watch occasionally said that Gloomhaven is by far his favorite board game of all time. Right now he's feeling confused because he said he actually likes Jaws of the Lion more - for so many of the reasons you mentioned. He was also wondering how Frost Haven was going to feel after he's played this. It was really interesting to hear that kind of perspective.
I think it was Tom Vassal who stated that if the Cephalofair folks would release the original Gloomhaven books in that maps in the book format he would buy it in a heartbeat. I'm kind of in agreement, just based on what I've seen from the videos.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2020 2:07 pm One of the Youtube reviewers I watch occasionally said that Gloomhaven is by far his favorite board game of all time. Right now he's feeling confused because he said he actually likes Jaws of the Lion more - for so many of the reasons you mentioned. He was also wondering how Frost Haven was going to feel after he's played this. It was really interesting to hear that kind of perspective.
That was the crux of No Pun Intended's review yesterday (which may be the one you're referring to).

It really sold me on JotL as my next purchase...once I can actually find a copy.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

Yes - that was it. I totally blanked on the name. I don't watch him (them?) often but Youtube suggested it based on what I had been viewing. I was more nervous that Tom Vasel gave it an enthusiastic 10/10 as we don't like the same things. But overall the quick impressions for JotL seem really, really strong.
I think it was Tom Vassal who stated that if the Cephalofair folks would release the original Gloomhaven books in that maps in the book format he would buy it in a heartbeat. I'm kind of in agreement, just based on what I've seen from the videos.
In retrospect, the flip book seems like such a great idea. I picked up The Big Book of Battle Mats made by Loke via Amazon or eBay (I think) a while back to help with solo gaming. I'm definitely over tiles and tile storage. :D
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:27 pm Yes - that was it. I totally blanked on the name. I don't watch him (them?) often but Youtube suggested it based on what I had been viewing.
I watch NPI quite often, as their long form reviews are usually very informative and entertaining.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

I became a fan of map books with STUFFED FABLES. It made solo gaming such a breeze.

It is true that the format constrains the GH maps in a way that the tiles do not, but I'm not sure it's a bad thing. it just means the maps are better designed to work within the parameters of the book instead of the sprawl you sometimes got with the base game.

Apparently the Gloomhaven Helper dude is already working on getting the app updated for JotL. So I may finish playing through the tutorials and then wait for the app before hitting the main campaign. It's been kind of fun playing it old school for grins, but in terms of pure solo efficiency you can't beat that app.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by EzeKieL »

One thing I don't like about that is that you can 'see in the future' with these kind of maps. I prefer to use the Gloomhaven map app to only see 1 room and really discover the next room when you open the door. You don't immediately see where the enemies, obstacles, treasures are and so on.
It kind of breaks the immersion for me when you know the layout of rooms before you've even opened the door.


That being said, I still ordered a copy so I can solo it + more characters for Gloomhaven/Frosthaven are always welcome!
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

Probably my last GH: Jaws of the Lion impressions for awhile, but figured I'd wrap up my thoughts after completing the final tutorial mission today.

- Tom Vasel was spot on with his 'learning to ride a bike" analogy - they really do a great job of introducing concepts slowly, and by the time you finish Scenario 5 you'll know every core concept. I do recommend experienced players at least read through the tutorial, as there are some minor rules tweaks/clarifications.

- While the tutorial missions tend to be on the easy side (particularly for experienced players), they're still a ton of fun. I really enjoyed the storyline (The Jaws of the Lion is the mercenary group you belong to in the campaign), and the city events are designed to reference this. It really gave me an instant attachment to my characters. * P.S. That's not a spoiler, it's on the box cover.

- I have only tried 2 of the 4 classes, as I'm playing 2-handed. They are pretty basic as far as GH classes go and I'd say they're roughly equivalent to the starting classes in GH. However, they feel very different from other GH classes and for solo play I'm honestly relieved that they're not complex brain burners (ahem...looking at you, Forgotten Circles). However, it is worth noting that the two classes I picked seemed to be the most straightforward of the four, so the other two may be more interesting mechanically.

- Even just playing two-handed, I've been really having to proceed slowly as even in streamlined form Gloomhaven has a lot to keep up with. I had really gotten spoiled with my gaming group at having four minds working together to remember to wane elements, or shuffle a monster deck after they draw a miss. I had more than a few missteps, particularly in the final two scenarios as things got more like "normal" Gloomhaven. However, I'm not going to sweat it much. My game group has already changed their tune and expressed interest in playing it after we finish our Forgotten Circles campaign, so I'll get to experience it again with them.

Great fun and I can see myself zipping through the entire campaign. It's not leaving the table.

P.S. A co-worker offered to buy my copy today for $100 and I turned him down. Partly because I'm having too much fun with it right now and don't want to give it up, partly because I already invested time painting the minis, and partly because I'd have felt bad because I read Target was getting more copies in later this week. :D
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by AWS260 »

I played a 2-handed game of Champions of Hara last night (playing fireball-throwing Soff and tactical masochist Oric). The champs got their butts kicked by Enoki, the evil mushroom guy.

I definitely need to play this more often if I'm ever going to get good at it. I never really got any good combos going, other than one strong turn with Oric, where he stripped half of Enoki's health in one blow.

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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

First two player game of Elder Scrolls Call to Arms yesterday and my first solo game (using lessons learned from yesterday's game) today.

Image

Pros:

The game is essentially the same basic mechanics as Fallout, but a little more streamlined.
The solo AI has been improved and made more diverse. In my game today, I had a draugr overlord hanging back and protecting the objective I needed to control for about 3 rounds. That's something I didn't expect.
There are a HUGE amount of perks, spells, abilities, etc.. The game bridges the gap between boardgame and miniatures game in much the same way its predecessor does.

Cons:

The rules are a a slog at times. This ain't no simple game. There is a lot to remember. It may ape some of the board game conventions, but it's still a true miniatures game at heart.
Luck is king still. Tabletop miniatures are, for the most part, Ameritrash. One bad roll can mean a battle. The only miniatures game I've ever played that circumnavigates that even a little bit is Malifaux, with its card hand management replacing the dice rolls.

Where I think this one will shine?

Once they get the delve mode fleshed out more, and give some teeth to the settlement rules, I could see this becoming a decent dungeon crawler for those who like a crunchier experience than most of the DCs out there right now. The game already comes with a LOT of treasure/loot cards, event cards, etc.. And Modiphius is well known for adding a lot of content via expansions. I think Fallout alone has well over 3 or 4 hundred different cards within the first few expansions alone.

Would I recommend this to a non miniatures gamer?

I'm not sure. It DOES try to mimic a standard dungeon crawl at times, but it's still very much a crunchy tabletop miniatures game. You really need get your mind wrapped around the rules or you'll end up dead...a lot.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

You say it's more streamlined but it's still a bit of a slog? I haven't even cracked open my set yet - still in a total gaming funk. I never played the Fallout version so I guess I don't have a real point of comparison. I'm a bit surprised to hear it's so crunchy. Between the tiny-bits assembly pictures in the other thread and the rules stuff you posted here, I'm wondering what their design/marketing team were targeting when they came up with it?
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Tao »

I have been reading through the 100+ page manual over the past few days. None of it is rocket science but there is a whole lot of "it" to keep track of. I've never done a tabletop war game so the added measurement and distance rules on top of the plethora of other mechanics, it's going to take a few read through's for me.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

Quick update on GH: Jaws of the Lion.

I've finished 10 scenarios so far, and failed/had to retry two of them. So it's certainly not a cakewalk. The two I failed came back to back, so difficulty is certainly ramping up.

I'm enjoying the storyline and scenario design quite a bit, even though they tend to be more of the straightforward variety that you would see in the early scenarios of base Gloomhaven. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as I have made no secret that "Kill all monsters" is my absolute favorite type of GH scenario. :D

I'm actually not a huge fan of Forgotten Circles just because some of the scenarios get so puzzly. It's fine in small doses, but sometimes I just want to kill shit without worrying about certain monsters spawning on odd numbered rounds until you carry this gem to that statue, and two people are on a pressure plate, blah blah blah. If I'm being honest, part of me dreads Frosthaven for the same reason, because I think I had read one time that FH tries to get away from the "kill all monsters" simplistic scenarios.

Also Gloomhaven Helper has been updated to support JotL so that's the route I'm going now. I enjoyed playing "old school" for a bit, but damn is it nice to save table space by just having an iPad instead of monster cards everywhere. I know there are some board game purists that hate helper apps, but with my game time as limited as it is, anything that can streamline my sessions is a good thing.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

Smoove_B wrote: Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:50 am You say it's more streamlined but it's still a bit of a slog? I haven't even cracked open my set yet - still in a total gaming funk. I never played the Fallout version so I guess I don't have a real point of comparison. I'm a bit surprised to hear it's so crunchy.
Sorry, I should have been more clear. The rulebook and the way it's laid out is what I'm referring to. I don't like having to refer to 4 different pages to understand 1 rule at times. I also don't like having some of the rules in the quest book that should have been in the core rulebook. However, this isn't the first time I've had this complaint with a game, and it certainly won't be the last, I'm sure.

The game actually is more streamlined than Fallout in many ways. Reactions aren't as convoluted as they are in Fallout (something that took me multiple plays to understand), the combat is a bit simpler with 6 sided dice for most things instead of the 20 sided from Fallout, and the enemy AI is laid in a decent workflow process that makes sense at first glance.

I do miss the colored sticks used for movement and range in Fallout, although I plan on playing both so it's not like I'm getting rid of Elder Scroll's predecessor. I've got way too much for it...and they're still supporting it quite heavily.

I like it so far. I think it will REALLY shine when they start releasing more monster/adversary packs, as well as more mage heroes. I love the way magic is handled in this game. Equipping spells like items and letting players "dual wield" is fantastic fun.

Two things to remember when trying your first delve:

1) Adversaries only get limited activations depending on the cost limit you've set for the game...but reactions are in addition to this. So skirt the battlefield until you absolutely need to engage all the baddies.

2) Read the rules on blocking...then read them again. At first it may not make sense that you'd get rid of a block token voluntarily, but some shields have extra abilities that require a block roll, and you only get that by discarding the block token.

I think you'll like it. If you've always wanted to try a deeper combat system than that found in most boardgames, this is definitely it. Dozens and dozens of perks and abilities, a lot of spells, and numerous items to find/equip, combined with a robust scenario system (and community) means it should have some legs.
Between the tiny-bits assembly pictures in the other thread and the rules stuff you posted here, I'm wondering what their design/marketing team were targeting when they came up with it?
The tiny bits was a misstep, in my opinion. I think the target audience though are coop and solo gamers who haven't had a chance to get into a miniatures game due to its competitive nature in the past. With Fallout they proved you could create a solo capable version of a miniature's game. And it was popular enough to get Bethesda to let them run with their lucrative franchises some more, so obviously it was well received.
Tao wrote: Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:10 pm I have been reading through the 100+ page manual over the past few days. None of it is rocket science but there is a whole lot of "it" to keep track of. I've never done a tabletop war game so the added measurement and distance rules on top of the plethora of other mechanics, it's going to take a few read through's for me.
Holler if you have any questions. I've got two games under my belt now. I think I have the general flow down at this point.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

My Target finally got some copies of Gloomhaven JotL in, so I snagged one this afternoon. :horse:
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by AWS260 »

Skinypupy wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:42 pm My Target finally got some copies of Gloomhaven JotL in, so I snagged one this afternoon. :horse:
I got it today, too. Wasn't planning to, but then my wife said, "I'm placing an order at Target. Do we need anything?"
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

Finished Legacy of Dragonholt tonight. I really enjoyed playing through the world's most involved and complex "choose your own adventure" book. They did a great job setting up the scenarios, developing characters, and making it feel like your choices really matter. Some of the scenarios were fantastically balanced, with me sneaking through with only one stamina or time remaining. The battle sequences were thrilling and did a great job creating tension and atmosphere.

There were just two things that kinda bugged me:

1. That game came with the main campaign book, and six "story" books (that take you through specific adventures during the campaign). I didn't even get to one of the story books, seems odd. I can only assume that I didn't make the right choice somewhere along the line to unlock it at an option, but it's annoying that I didn't get a chance to see it, especially since it's a pretty short game to begin with.
2. I have the amazing ability to find a way to get the worst possible ending from story driven game. This one was especially bad, with
Spoiler:
The badguy killing the entire family I was protecting, framing me for it, taking over the kingdom and ruling with an iron fist, then hanging me in the town square.
It was a serious downer ending for what had been a fantastic journey. I actually played through the final scenario twice, and didn't see anything I could have done differently to get a different ending. Maybe it was just my particular build or set of abilities, which sucks.

So 6/8 tentacles overall. I'd definitely check out a similar type of "game".
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

So my recent birthday gift haul got me Robinson Crusoe Mystery Tales and the Lord of the Rings Journey's in Middle Earth. For the former, I went out and bought the latest edition of Robinson Crusoe in spite of already owning it. But I love that game and decided I just didn't want to have to deal with even slight card size, token shapes and wording differences. I'll keep my z-man edition for the Darwin expansion, and use my new version with Mystery Tales.

Lord of the Rings I wanted to play because I love the app games FFG puts out, and I've heard the combat card game they use is pretty cool. I'm not a huge fan of LotR, so hopefully it's fun enough to make me one.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

hepcat wrote:Lord of the Rings I wanted to play because I love the app games FFG puts out, and I've heard the combat card game they use is pretty cool. I'm not a huge fan of LotR, so hopefully it's fun enough to make me one.
I really enjoyed it, and the app is better even than the Mansions of Madness app in my opinion. Typically a game has to be pretty damn good to hold my attention for an entire campaign, and I played through LOTR:JiME not once, but twice.

I really want to get the big box expansion for it, but I've vowed not to buy any more games until I finish Jaws of the Lion.

And yeah, I really need to upgrade my copy of Robinson Crusoe at some point. I haven't bothered because I don't plan on buying Mystery Tales since one of our gaming group has it already.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

I'll be honest, there's really nothing in the updated version of RC that makes the z-man edition unusable. I only got it because I want to play it with Mystery Tales and I didn't want to bother with sleeving to hide any slight card size changes (and they are slight) and coloration differences. I would save your money otherwise.

Here's a list of the changes, although they don't mention the numerous text changes to the cards that just correct misspellings and awkward phrasings. Nor do they cover the card size differences.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Tao »

Anyone familiar enough with Deck Box Dungeon to answer a few rules questions?
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

YellowKing wrote: Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:22 am
hepcat wrote:Lord of the Rings I wanted to play because I love the app games FFG puts out, and I've heard the combat card game they use is pretty cool. I'm not a huge fan of LotR, so hopefully it's fun enough to make me one.
I really enjoyed it, and the app is better even than the Mansions of Madness app in my opinion. Typically a game has to be pretty damn good to hold my attention for an entire campaign, and I played through LOTR:JiME not once, but twice.
Well, my first two scenarios were a soul crunching failure. I need to remember that the game DOES have a timer like Mansions of Madness. So you can't just take your time, or fight EVERY enemy it throws at you. You really need to make a dash for the objectives or you're going to lose. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit. What I fear may happen is that the card mechanic may get a little stale after a while as it's essentially the same thing over and over again. But so far that hasn't happened.

I'm going to reset and try again this week.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

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Yeah if there was any (minor) negative I had about the game, it's that I had to resist my urge to explore every nook and cranny in favor of just winning the scenario. However, you can always play Adventure mode if you want to play without that pressure. It does naturally lower the difficulty, however.

The one thing that kept the card flipping from getting stale for me was leveling up and adding new cards. It added a bit of a deck building element that I really liked.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

There's a new, full campaign in the DLC store for 6.99. It only needs the base game too. I ended up buying that as well. I should see how that plays.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 9:46 am
YellowKing wrote: Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:22 am
hepcat wrote:Lord of the Rings I wanted to play because I love the app games FFG puts out, and I've heard the combat card game they use is pretty cool. I'm not a huge fan of LotR, so hopefully it's fun enough to make me one.
I really enjoyed it, and the app is better even than the Mansions of Madness app in my opinion. Typically a game has to be pretty damn good to hold my attention for an entire campaign, and I played through LOTR:JiME not once, but twice.
Well, my first two scenarios were a soul crunching failure. I need to remember that the game DOES have a timer like Mansions of Madness. So you can't just take your time, or fight EVERY enemy it throws at you. You really need to make a dash for the objectives or you're going to lose. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit. What I fear may happen is that the card mechanic may get a little stale after a while as it's essentially the same thing over and over again. But so far that hasn't happened.

I'm going to reset and try again this week.
The timer mechanic killed LOTR JIME for me. I found it incredibly difficult, even moreso than other games that use a similar system. I also had some significant problems with the app. Objectives could be hidden unless you actively rotated the map a certain way, mid-scenario crashes that caused me to lose significant progress, etc. To this day, it's the only game I've ever bought that I sold (Coop has my copy).

That said, I got it on release and from all accounts it has been improved significantly since then. The lower difficult "Adventure Mode" that YK mentioned would probably have solved most of my problems tbh, but I don't think it was available at launch (I don't recall seeing it, anyways). I also wasn't a huge fan of constantly flipping tiny cards.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

The timer doesn't really bother me TOO much. Mansions of Madness relies on one quite a lot, and that's still in my top 5 favorite board games list. Descent 2nd edition with the app also has it. Of course, I've never actually won in that game either. :oops:

I think the card mechanic in theory is fun, but the starting deck of 15 cards makes for a pretty limited experience (as you say, it's just flipping the same cards over and over again). I'm hoping that once I progress further and get more items and skills, things will improve.

But since it was a bday present, if I do find it getting too laborious/frustrating/repetitive, I'll just sell it off and make more than I spent on it. :D
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

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hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:19 pm The timer doesn't really bother me TOO much. Mansions of Madness relies on one quite a lot, and that's still in my top 5 favorite board games list. Descent 2nd edition with the app also has it. Of course, I've never actually won in that game either. :oops:
Interestingly, I haven't had nearly the same amount of issues with Decent's timer. Granted, most of my Descent play has been with the random quest generator (which tends to be more forgiving), but LOTR's seemed wildly unbalanced. Or maybe I just sucked at it.

Probably the latter.
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