tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post2139980718893586383..comments2023-11-03T02:44:56.790-07:00Comments on Fortress: Ameritrash: Another Prayer RequestMatt Throwerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04426055092986158446noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-29021869341837508932016-11-11T10:52:27.999-08:002016-11-11T10:52:27.999-08:00Not playing Game of War - Fire Age? Download Game ...Not playing <b>Game of War - Fire Age</b>? <b><a href="http://mobile-app.syntaxlinks.com/r/GameOfWarFireAge" rel="nofollow">Download Game of War - FIRE AGE NOW</a></b> (Available for <b>iOS</b> or <b>Android</b>)Bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07287821785570247118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-60344190370013264712007-07-27T14:17:00.000-07:002007-07-27T14:17:00.000-07:00Well,in my experience, having played lots of video...Well,in my experience, having played lots of videogames, like Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, the most excellent Planescape: Torment, Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2 and other similar games, the combat system, the fear factor and the character progression are the cornerstones of these types of games. <BR/><BR/>Even a whitewolf based videogame like Vampire: The Masquerade Blodlines is TOTALLY combat centered.<BR/><BR/>Runebound is a much stronger game than RoTH in those areas. <BR/><BR/>That is also the reason why I personally prefer Runebound to Return of the heroes any day. <BR/><BR/>It's not that RoTH is a bad game. It's not. But Runebound is simply more exciting.<BR/><BR/>The main reason is that there is a strong fear factor in Runebound's combat, because you can easily get killed (KO'd) and it'll hurt you (gamewise) a lot. <BR/><BR/>When you're involved in a really hard combat, you can cut the tension with a knife. The lenght and complexity of the combat system add a lot to the tension. A lot. <BR/><BR/>It's not just a single die throw like in most combats in RoTH.<BR/><BR/>That's why I never get the people that play with softer KO rules: That totally kills the game.<BR/><BR/>In Return of the heroes the gameplay might be faster, the downtime smaller, and there's a strong focus on exploration, plots and subplots, but the combat is too damn simple; not even slightly exciting. <BR/><BR/>Even if the rest of the game is good, this kills it for me.<BR/><BR/>There's also a sentimental reason: Combat in Runebound gives me a similar rush to D&D combats back in good old 2nd edition.<BR/><BR/>Now that I think about it, it was like the discussion between RPG D&D fans and Whitewolf fans, one system being centered on integral character development and role playing, and the other system focused on Combat (of course, this was vastly dependant upon your GM and your gaming group). And videogamers are clearly more akin to the first group than to the second.<BR/><BR/>By the way,runebound 2nd. Ed. uses two 10 sided dice to replace the old 20 sided die(which creates a nice distribution curve, reducing the probability of really good or really bad dice throws).<BR/><BR/>I prefer Doom: The Boardgame to Descent for the same reason. It's a harder game, with more tension and therefore, a greater sense of accomplishemt when you beat it.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, most gamers in Colombia (where I live) are Eurogamers...So I barely get to play the games I enjoy the most... <BR/><BR/>So count your stars, and stop whinning so much :-)rarbelaezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18177494670397606301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-22735526777538481012007-07-23T16:35:00.000-07:002007-07-23T16:35:00.000-07:00No, as I kicked her bitch ass on the curb after sh...No, as I kicked her bitch ass on the curb after she complained that Runebound didn't have 6 sided dice like Talisman.Mr Skeletorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17641339798508135450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-86105207377357893632007-07-23T11:06:00.000-07:002007-07-23T11:06:00.000-07:00You can try and seduce me by complimenting my hair...You can try and seduce me by complimenting my hair, Frank, but it's my beautiful beautiful eyes that set hearts aflutter.<BR/><BR/>And won't Britney get mad?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-81360615133687262672007-07-23T09:07:00.000-07:002007-07-23T09:07:00.000-07:00Nitpick:The Czech and Slovak Republics are separat...Nitpick:<BR/><BR/>The Czech and Slovak Republics are separate countries; Czechoslovakia hasn't existed since the "Velvet Divorce" of 1993, nine years before Prophecy came out and 14 years before your article was written.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-67918153519540669102007-07-23T06:44:00.000-07:002007-07-23T06:44:00.000-07:00I firmly believe that Zombies!!! is a better game ...I firmly believe that Zombies!!! is a better game than Runebound.<BR/><BR/>Zombies!!! has simple gameplay, but people really love the city tiles and of course, the 100 plastic zombies. Sure, the game ultimately outstays its welcome by an hour, but until people get bored (or arbitrarily decide they don't like the game), they are having some fun. <BR/><BR/>The Zombies expansions add to the fun and replay value, but it's a good idea to prune down the card decks, as some of those expansion card from the mall set and the military base set are so specific as to be useless. Our group now plays with a house rule that only the first expansion set entrance comes into play, opening up that one expansion, and then the rest are ignored. That keeps the game manageable in terms of table space and zombie usage. The guts token rule from the University set adds a new dimension to the game.<BR/><BR/>The latest Zombies expansion goes a long way towards bringing the game to a reasonable length, by adding two new important ways to get around town. Sewer lids let the players bypass some awkward map layouts and dangerous clumps of zombies. Subway stations let players potentially travel a long distance across town, from subway station to subway station, at the cost of losing just one turn of movement.<BR/><BR/>Runebound has some nice artwork and components, but the movement system doesn't add much to the game, aside from slowing down the pace. The combat system is unnecessarily complex, again slowing down the game without giving much back. Add in the followers and the magic items, and you get lots of noisy math before die rolls, reminding me of the worst aspect of the original Illuminati game. This might be okay, but the lack of interactivity between the players makes Runebound solitaire with long downtimes, a bad combo for a boardgame. Despite the silly Tom Wham artwork, Mertwig's Maze does everything that Runebound does, and Mertwig's Maze does it better.Shellheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02023484901650550355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-30300263536591688462007-07-23T05:41:00.000-07:002007-07-23T05:41:00.000-07:00Didn't you used to pitch for the Braves?Didn't you used to pitch for the Braves?Ken B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01621793460967739987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-10058972382087825802007-07-22T17:34:00.000-07:002007-07-22T17:34:00.000-07:00Oh.. BTW never never never bet on Micheal Barnes ...Oh.. BTW never never never bet on Micheal Barnes in the Nasty Horseracing Game.<BR/><BR/>Good Ol "Master of Creation rock hard abs superior to me in every way Puddin" AveryStephenAveryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12443764334663921706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-84165587282392313642007-07-22T17:32:00.000-07:002007-07-22T17:32:00.000-07:00Steve "Puddin'" Avery was in attendance..Where did...<I> Steve "Puddin'" Avery was in attendance..</I><BR/><BR/>Where did "puddin" come from? I like Good Ol' Steve Avery better. If you're really grasping for nicknames you should go with something more accurate like Steve"Lord of Creation" Avery or Steve"Rock Hard Abs" Avery or even Steve "Superior to me in every way " Avery...StephenAveryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12443764334663921706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-48225858352036311912007-07-21T21:39:00.000-07:002007-07-21T21:39:00.000-07:00Return of Heroes is more a pick up and deliver, th...Return of Heroes is more a pick up and deliver, then race to fight the big boss game. It's fun, but is so different from Magic Realm and Runebound that they don't belong in the same sentence. <BR/><BR/>The downtime in Runebound is obscene. Sometimes it feels like it is a shopping game rather than an adventure game. With a few tweaks and some new art work it could be the Barbie goes to the mall game. However, with people who know the game well, it can be a lot of fun.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01990801735325411116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-23692742998265050232007-07-21T06:55:00.000-07:002007-07-21T06:55:00.000-07:00Okay, how much is Return of the Heroes a Magic Rea...Okay, how much is Return of the Heroes a Magic Realm lite? The game pieces -with the numbered locations- looks awfully similar to Magic Realm.<BR/><BR/>--Mike L.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-77925444895532503292007-07-21T01:29:00.000-07:002007-07-21T01:29:00.000-07:00Listen, I didn't name it "Mercer Meeples", nor did...<I>Listen, I didn't name it "Mercer Meeples", nor did the organizers anticipate the sort of anti-meeple mayhem that me, Robert Martin, Billy Motion, Will Kenyon, and others introduced to their shindig once we started showing up. These days there's usually three AT tables to one Euro table.</I><BR/><BR/>If you outnumber the Euro guys three to one, you should lobby for a name change. A name like "Mercer Meeples" might discourage others from checking your group out.hackswordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06758955432702154830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-87314683327528091682007-07-20T18:59:00.000-07:002007-07-20T18:59:00.000-07:00Hell, I even jumped on that bandwagon-- until the ...Hell, I even jumped on that bandwagon-- until the "expansions" started jumping in and pushed me the fuck out.notbillysparkleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444040476675723195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-51764181197915172562007-07-20T17:19:00.000-07:002007-07-20T17:19:00.000-07:00Yes yes, it's an "opinion" piece, but you are forg...Yes yes, it's an "opinion" piece, but you are forgetting to account for the fact that your opinion sucks balls. <BR/><BR/>But hey, let the game sharkers go out and buy "Return of the Heroes" and leave Runebound on the shelf. In 5 years time when Runebound reaches cult status and commands top $$$ on ebay and they are stuck with the hardly replayable disneyland clone, they'll start cursing your name worse than Tom Vasel. Don't then come crawling to me for salvation. <BR/><BR/>As for the "Runebound is boring" argument - well were you not one of the guys giving Battlelore "Game of the Year" props not long ago? ;)Mr Skeletorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17641339798508135450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-58971311764470733782007-07-20T14:14:00.000-07:002007-07-20T14:14:00.000-07:00Oh, and this "RUNEBOUND is fun with two or three p...Oh, and this "RUNEBOUND is fun with two or three players" argument...it doesn't hold up. The game is still boring, it just seems better because you're boring less people simultaneously.Michael Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01465993224831900150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-88122714762321392422007-07-20T14:13:00.000-07:002007-07-20T14:13:00.000-07:00Listen, I didn't name it "Mercer Meeples", nor did...Listen, I didn't name it "Mercer Meeples", nor did the organizers anticipate the sort of anti-meeple mayhem that me, Robert Martin, Billy Motion, Will Kenyon, and others introduced to their shindig once we started showing up. These days there's usually three AT tables to one Euro table.<BR/><BR/>BTW, we had an awesome time with Malloc...played SPACE CRUSADE (a real nailbiter until Mal delivered the coup de grace on the last Dreadnaught), REALLY NASTY HORSE RACING GAME, LINEAGE II, and CA$H N' GUN$. Fun stuff, all around. Mal also witnessed my attempted murder of local beekeeper Jason Thomas. Steve "Puddin'" Avery was in attendance and gave everyone someone to blame for everything. Great time.<BR/><BR/>BTW- his DUNE map was incredible, but he unfurled it in the moist Georgia air, rendering it useless.Michael Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01465993224831900150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-39416629286003029082007-07-20T13:52:00.000-07:002007-07-20T13:52:00.000-07:00I'm with Mr. S on some of his points. Runebound is...I'm with Mr. S on some of his points. <BR/><BR/>Runebound is a lot of fun with 2 or 3 players. <BR/><BR/>Zombies!!! would only be fun at Sororiety House Slumber party . . . and only if we skipped the Zombies!!! part. <BR/><BR/>It IS an opinion piece, though! ;)RK Fadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12064574805169644535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-61885971669920398382007-07-20T11:37:00.000-07:002007-07-20T11:37:00.000-07:00I would also like to add that I am not a member of...I would also like to add that I am not a member of a game group that goes by the name Mercer MEEPLES!<BR/><BR/>-MMallochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161879915843019634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-36027020009549913552007-07-20T11:36:00.001-07:002007-07-20T11:36:00.001-07:00"... er - Superman still managed to see OK ...."To..."... er - Superman still managed to see OK ...."<BR/><BR/>Tom, if you haven't seen <I>Mystery Men</I>, do yourself a favor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-87028511922195879742007-07-20T11:36:00.000-07:002007-07-20T11:36:00.000-07:00I don't know what one of the Fortress Ameritrash T...I don't know what one of the Fortress Ameritrash Tastemakers wants to poison my Rep with the whole Mission Red Planet bullshit. I was the one who showed up at the Game night with a 44"x36" Dune board in the car!<BR/><BR/>-MMallochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161879915843019634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-55678276698286224032007-07-20T09:08:00.000-07:002007-07-20T09:08:00.000-07:00I recieved a call yesterday from an angry FFG empl...I recieved a call yesterday from an angry FFG employee who shall remain nameless...apparently there's talk of massive layoffs and cancellation of the entire WARCRAFT line...seems my reckless abandon has permanently damaged the hobby once again.<BR/><BR/>Frank- It's an opinion piece. The goal is to strike a balance between catering directly to the audience and also push the proverbial envelope a little, give them the benefit of the doubt that they may know what PUERTO RICO is or may at least investigate further if they don't. Plus it's important to maintain _my_ POV throughout the article, otherwise it'll just wind up in that Tom Vasel "it's not my cup of tea" category. Sorry, I don't write noncommittal bullshit like that. <BR/><BR/>Bill's right...it needs to be more about the games, not the audience.<BR/><BR/><I>Where are the Thurn and Taxis, Transamerica, Risk LOTR, and other such popular stinkers on this list?</I><BR/><BR/>THURN AND TAXIS? Come on, no one outside of the 2000 or so manchildren who sup at the cock of BGG daily give a fuck about that game's existence. TRANSAMERICA is an activity, not a game, and RISK LOTR is pretty much forgotten by this point. I picked stuff that might draw the attention of a new gamer or a video gamer.<BR/><BR/>The Knizia stuff...that's on there because I know how when you're investigating something like board gaming and you start seeing a name around like that...and then that name shows up on boxes as a marketing device. "Hmm...I've heard this Knizia guy is pretty good...maybe I should buy this game". Next thing you know, your friends are rising up in rebellion in the middle of CLASH OF THE GLADIATORS.<BR/><BR/>I think the "Definitions" column is a _great_ idea. Look for it in August. Don't expect it to be 100% accurate. <B>HAW HAW!</B>Michael Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01465993224831900150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-4641289903935853292007-07-20T06:27:00.000-07:002007-07-20T06:27:00.000-07:00No, you're right on the money.No, you're <A HREF="http://www.superdickery.com/images/dick/1296_4_063.jpg" REL="nofollow"> right on the money.</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-21297412015758878622007-07-20T04:45:00.000-07:002007-07-20T04:45:00.000-07:00Anonymouth said... "And that Tom wears glasses and...<I>Anonymouth said... <BR/>"And that Tom wears glasses and Satan doesn't?"<BR/><BR/>That doesn't make any sense. Tom wears glasses and Satan doesn't wear glasses. If he took them off when he transformed he wouldn't be able to see.</I><BR/><BR/>... er - Superman still managed to see OK ....<BR/><BR/>(crap - have I blown it ?)Southernmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03254183843277088157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-32761631420679286082007-07-20T04:35:00.000-07:002007-07-20T04:35:00.000-07:00I just played Warcraft last night. Definitely nee...I just played Warcraft last night. Definitely needs the expansion to shine, but also does a good job capturing the source material. Different pieces would be nice though. . . <BR/><BR/>I also like WoW, with 4 or 6 players. We get into the team aspect and I like the character customization.<BR/><BR/>Although I like, Runebound, it probably deserves to be on that list. Too many qualifiers to make it good. Some of the card expansions add player interaction, but downtime will always be a problem with more than 3 players.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811769968708731746.post-56723804690608366182007-07-20T02:13:00.000-07:002007-07-20T02:13:00.000-07:00Malloc prefers M:RP to Dune? Fuck. We better kick ...Malloc prefers M:RP to Dune? Fuck. We better kick him off the staff, quick.Matt Throwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04426055092986158446noreply@blogger.com