Systems Saturday - Battling Space Ships by Tom Wham

Brad and I joined Tom Wham for a game of Battling Space Ships.  Recently, Dave Conant took the rules Tom has been tweaking for a while and gave them the Game Crafters treatment, so Tom would have a prototype.  Tom was quick to point out this one wasn't really quite ready but I found it to be pretty well complete.  A couple of clarifications and some physical component adjustments, along with an art upgrade, and this one will be good to go, I think!

In Battling Space Ships, each player builds a number of ship in their dock attempting to send them out on cargo runs, send them to disrupt the cargo runs of other players, or to engage in space piracy in the shipping lanes against random deck-drawn ships.  Each turn, a player collects for cargo shipped the previous turn then draw cards face up from the main deck up to the number of players plus one.  The active layer then selects a card from the cards drawn as do the rest of the players in clockwise order.  All players may they build or upgrade any ships in the space dock.  Finally, the active player may choose to send any of his completed ships on a cargo run or out to battle.  Once someone builds three complete ships, the active player finishes their turn and the round is over, so victory points are tallied.  A game consists of two rounds.  Ship size gleans victory points, as does the number of ships and some special ship parts give bonuses.  These add to whatever was gained from cargo runs and battling during turns (which are scored right away) and the highest score wins.

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The Sunday Miscellanea - Alien Frontiers (2010)

We've had another go at Alien Frontiers (2010) recently with just the basic set.  Of those of us who had played before, we agreed that having at least the Expansion of the Agenda cards would be a good thing to keep the final push of the game less of a foregone conclusion.  But we played two in a row and it highlighted some of what this game does well because the expansions were not available.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

Do you have what it takes to be a deep space colonist? An alien frontier awaits the brave and daring! This new planet will be harsh, but if you have the skills to manage your resources, build a fleet, research alien life, and settle colonies, the world can be yours.

Alien Frontiers is a game of resource management and planetary development for two to four players. During the game you will utilize orbital facilities and alien technology to build colony domes in strategic locations to control the newly discovered world.

The game board shows the planet, its moon, the stations in orbit around the planet, and the solar system’s star. The dice you are given at the start of the game represent the space ships in your fleet. You will assign these ships to the orbital facilities in order to earn resources, expand your fleet, and colonize the planet.

As the game progresses, you will place your colony tokens on the planet to represent the amount of control you have over each territory. Those territories exert influence over specific orbital facilities and, if you control a territory, you are able to utilize that sway to your advantage.

The planet was once the home of an alien race and they left behind a wondrous artifact in orbit. Using your fleet to explore the artifact, you will discover amazing alien technologies that you can use to advance your cause.

Winning the game will require careful consideration as you assign your fleet, integrate the alien technology and territory influences into your expansion plans, and block your opponents from building colonies of their own. Do you have what it takes to conquer an alien frontier?

Roll and place your dice to gain advantages over your opponent and block them out of useful areas of the board. Use Alien Tech cards to manipulate your dice rolls and territory bonuses to break the rules. Steal resources, overtake territories, and do whatever it takes to get your colonies on the map first! Don't dream it'll be easy, though, because the other players will be trying to do the same thing.

What I feel was noted when experienced players play the basic game on its own is the importance of the midgame and a need to keep all players in check lest one see find an inexorable path into the end game with an advantage.  Mind you, it will happen anyway, but that player will need to be more subtle setting it up, something I hadn't been aware was possible because the basic game is seemingly as transparent as any game could be.  There is no hidden player knowledge except for whatever strategy they have in mind.  If you have the game, even with expansions, try the basic game again with fresh eyes.

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Tabletopper Friday - Alien Frontiers (2010)

Back to the basic game of Alien Frontiers (2010) but with four players, two of them new.  Worked out great and everyone seemed in the running until the end when someone made that final push.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

Do you have what it takes to be a deep space colonist? An alien frontier awaits the brave and daring! This new planet will be harsh, but if you have the skills to manage your resources, build a fleet, research alien life, and settle colonies, the world can be yours.

Alien Frontiers is a game of resource management and planetary development for two to four players. During the game you will utilize orbital facilities and alien technology to build colony domes in strategic locations to control the newly discovered world.

The game board shows the planet, its moon, the stations in orbit around the planet, and the solar system’s star. The dice you are given at the start of the game represent the space ships in your fleet. You will assign these ships to the orbital facilities in order to earn resources, expand your fleet, and colonize the planet.

As the game progresses, you will place your colony tokens on the planet to represent the amount of control you have over each territory. Those territories exert influence over specific orbital facilities and, if you control a territory, you are able to utilize that sway to your advantage.

The planet was once the home of an alien race and they left behind a wondrous artifact in orbit. Using your fleet to explore the artifact, you will discover amazing alien technologies that you can use to advance your cause.

Winning the game will require careful consideration as you assign your fleet, integrate the alien technology and territory influences into your expansion plans, and block your opponents from building colonies of their own. Do you have what it takes to conquer an alien frontier?

Roll and place your dice to gain advantages over your opponent and block them out of useful areas of the board. Use Alien Tech cards to manipulate your dice rolls and territory bonuses to break the rules. Steal resources, overtake territories, and do whatever it takes to get your colonies on the map first! Don't dream it'll be easy, though, because the other players will be trying to do the same thing.

I love the basic game for teaching but don't think it is too much to add in the agenda cards if nothing else, even with new players.  We'll have to try this out going forward.

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Tabletopper Friday - Legendary Encounters (Alien, 2014)

It had been a while since I had played a full-on deckbuilding game when Norm busted out Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game (2014).  A few of the guys were playing the first couple of scenarios for Open Boardgaming Thursday at Lake Geneva Games and then I tagged in for the third round for Grant, to join Norm, John, and Dennis.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game, based on the four movies of the Alien series, is a fully cooperative game with original art. While based on the Marvel superheroes version of Legendary, the two games will be compatible but cannot be fully integrated.

Legendary Encounters is a deck-building game in the same family as Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game, but now players must cooperate in order to survive against hordes of aliens. Taking on the role of protagonists such as Ripley, Dallas, Bishop and Corporal Hicks, players take turns recruiting cards for their deck from a central selection in order to improve their deck and defeat Xenomorph cards that are added to the central game board

This seems like a very balanced game with tension throughout.  There was no point at which I thought we would get out ahead of the ongoing crisis nor where I lost all hope.  In the end, it came down to some well-played cards and timing but we managed to eke out a victory in the final moments.  I'll need to play this again, perhaps a different themed version of it, to really understand more of the nuances but my gut reaction from a single play is that this needs to see the tabletop more often.

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Wargaming Wednesday - Star Wars: Armada (2015)

There's a bit of an upswing in the playing of Star Wars: Armada (2015) round the store lately, including an event this Saturday, July 23rd, at 1 pm.  For folks who might be curious and who would like to learn more, just stop in at Lake Geneva Games, 918 S Wells St, Lake Geneva, WI, 53147.

If you find X-Wing battles are fun, you'll probably love this next step up to fleet battles.  If you enjoy the strategies and tactics of Rebellion, this is scaled down from that.  It's that in-between stage where combat is king on a grand scale!

If you've played and loved naval combat wargames, you'll find this wargame very familiar as well.  Come check it out!

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A closer examination of board and miniatures Wargaming.

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Tabletopper Friday - Core Worlds (2011)

Just last week, John was able to bring out his copy of Core Worlds (2011) for an intense contest had had everyone strategizing deeply.  Everyone at the table said this was a real thinker but truly worth the time and effort it took to get involved and play.  I like this kind of game.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

The ancient Galactic Realm, ruled from the Core Worlds of the galaxy, is waning. Now, the barbaric kingdoms that lie beyond the galactic frontier are amassing their strength, choosing this pivotal moment to strike at the heart of the fading republic, establishing new empires built upon the ashes of decaying civilizations. But these outer systems are not yet strong enough to engage the forces of the Core Worlds directly. The young kingdoms must first gnaw at the edges of the crumbling frontier, developing new types of units and shrewder tactics. They must build up their energy resources to launch magnificent fleets and overwhelming ground forces. Then, when the time is right, they must strike at the galactic core itself, claiming the most exalted planets for themselves. The barbarian kingdom that achieves these goals will carve out the greatest empire in the galaxy.

Object of the Game
Each player controls a barbarian Star Empire represented by many cards. Throughout the game, players will invade Worlds and draft new Units and Tactics into their Empires. Each card lists its Empire Points in the upper right corner. The player whose Empire contains the most Empire Points at the end of the game is the winner! 

Game Terms and Game Play Mechanisms
Core Worlds is a deck-building card game for 2-5 players. The following are the central concepts of Core Worlds:

• Central Zone: Throughout the game, new cards are drawn from the five Galactic Decks and placed face up in the Central Zone, the game's common play area. These cards include new Units and Tactics that the players can draft into their Empires, as well as Worlds that they can invade.

• Empire: Each player represents an Empire that begins with a Home World and a Starting Deck. A player's Empire consists of all of the cards in his hand, draw deck, discard pile, and Warzone (tableau).

• Fleet Strength: Each World possesses a Fleet Strength that represents the starships that defend it from attack. A World's Fleet Strength must be matched in order for that World to be successfully invaded. Many Units possess a Fleet Strength that a player can use to invade a World.

• Ground Strength: Each World possesses a Ground Strength that represents the infantry and other ground forces that defend it from surface assault. A World's Ground Strength must be matched in order for it to be successfully invaded. Many Units possess a Ground Strength that a player can use to invade a World.

• Invasion: In order to add new Worlds to his Empire, a player must launch Invasions. A player performs an Invasion by discarding enough cards from his Warzone to match the Fleet Strength and Ground Strength of the World he is invading.

• Warzone: Each player's Empire includes a Warzone, an area in front of the player where her conquered Worlds are displayed. Players also deploy Units from their hands face up into their Warzones, and later use these Units to invade new Worlds.

I think this game is going to hit the table more often around here though it will require gathering players who have the desire to immerse themselves in a game that requires a lot of thought and a bit of time.

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Tabletopper Friday - Space Barons by Tom Wham

Space Barons is an unpublished 3X game (no eXtermination, just eXplore, eXpand, eXploit) set in the Felithian universe in which many of the space games Tom Wham creates reside.  Tom, John, Ernie, and I have all played this one before and the playtesting continues apace, this time at Lake Geneva Games.  Check out the LGG Facebook page here.

It's a fairly straightforward game where players act as captain of a single space trading vessel which they can upgrade.  They set up a network of "Transporters" which allow them to launch from a planet or they can pay their opponents to use one of theirs.  Players draw trading contracts  and fulfill them to collect credits while avoiding hazards that only Tom Wham could create with clever names and humorous artwork.

The game is great fun and this one is close to complete, I think.  A few tweaks to the drawing protocols should square everything up.  I attempted a strategy of not upgrading my ship while only taking nearby contracts and building a network of cheap transporters all of the galaxy.  This left me pretty far behind at the end.  I'll make some adjustments of my own next time I play as well.

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Wargaming Wednesday - Xia: Legends of a Drift System (2014)

At the end of last month, there was an International Tabletop Day event being run just south of Milwaukee at the 42 Ale House, a geeky place with lots of gaming.  Dave Bendit was scheduled to run a number of games including an afternoon slot of Xia: Legends of a Drift System (2014).  I made the drive specifically to play this and was lucky to get a seat at the table.  I've played it a couple of times though not for a while so a refresher course was needed.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

Xia: Legends of a Drift System is a 3-5 player sandbox style competitive space adventure. Each player starts as a lowly but hopeful captain of a small starship.

Players fly their ships about the system, completing a variety of missions, exploring new sectors and battling other ships. Navigating hazardous environments, players choose to mine, salvage, or trade valuable cargo. Captains vie with each other for Titles, riches, and most importantly Fame.

The most adaptive, risk taking, and creative players will excel. One captain will rise above the others, surpassing mortality by becoming Legend!

Customize: Each player begins the game by choosing and customizing a Tier 1 starship. Invest all your money in engines and be a rapid, yet fragile, explorer. Put all your credits into an uber missile and watch other players flee in terror. Get a small engine and save space and credits to invest in buying and selling cargo. Or create a well rounded ship, ready for anything. In Xia, the choice is always yours.

Adapt: The goal of Xia is to become the most famous captain. Completing missions, besting ships in combat, purchasing higher tier ships, selling Cargo Cubes and claiming Titles are all ways that players can earn Fame Points. The best pilots will adapt to their surroundings, making snap judgments and changing plans on-the-fly. If you can think on your feet, you'll do well in Xia!

Sandbox: The real fun of Xia is that each game will be different. There is no set direction of play, players may choose to be peaceful traders, fierce pirates, workers, miners, opportunists, etc. The game board is randomly laid out and explored each time you play. Players might choose not to explore at all, creating a tiny arena for swift and deadly combat, or explore all 19 sectors and have a large play-scape to exploit. It's up to you!

Some folks think this game is too long.  I feel I could play this game for many hours, even making a whole day of it.  4X games (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) that have a wargamey feel, particularly Science Fiction themed games with space combat, are particularly enjoyable to me.  Xia is fairly close to that type of game except you don't control an empire, just a single ship.  Upgrading the ship, exploiting new trade routes, exploring an expanding territory, and exterminating your opponents are all equally important in Xia.  It's a top notch game with tons of replayability.

Wargaming Wednesday on MFWARS.com 

A closer examination of board and miniatures Wargaming.

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Terrain Tuesday - Film Sets, Scratch-Building, & Stargate

Over on ebaumsworld.com, they share "Famous Movie Scenes That Were Actually AMAZING Miniatures" here.

Also, on usulshomeworld.blogspot.com, he shares a tutorial on making wargaming terrain here.

Finally, on the Carasibana YouTube channel. they share a "3D Printed working Stargate dialing."  Enjoy!

Terrain Tuesday on MFWARS.com 

For purposes here, the term Terrain is used broadly
to cover 3D and 2D maps, foam, felt, and such.

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The Sunday Miscellanea - Tiny Epic Galaxies (2015)

In the past year I may have played and taught Tiny Epic Galaxies (2015) more than any other.  Even though I don't personally own the game, so many of the local gamers got in on the Kickstarter for it and it is so easy to bring along that there is almost always a copy at any gameday or event.  I still have yet to play it with the expansion and still have fun with it simply as is.  At a recent Burlington Gameday, I was asked to teach two new players who picked it up quickly as an experienced player and I joined in as well.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

A thirty-minute game of galactic conquest, Tiny Epic Galaxies is driven by an exciting dice-rolling mechanism that rewards thoughtful programming of the results. Players control a home galaxy and a fleet of space ships. As players upgrade their galaxies, they gain access to more ships and more dice.

Each turn, a player rolls a set of dice; how many dice are rolled is determined by the level of that player's galaxy. Each side of the six-sided die represents a different type of action: Movement, Colony Action, Harvest from Culture Planets, Harvest from Energy Planets, Improve an Economic Influence, and Improve a Diplomatic Influence.

After the roll, the player sorts the results of the roll (one selective re-roll is allowed) and organizes the dice in a desired activation order. Each die, in order, is then resolved and the results are immediate, which allows the player to pull-off unseen combos and surprise other players. Other players have the option to copy other player's actions...at a cost!

As players expand their galaxy by colonizing other planets through economic and diplomatic influence, they gain victory points AND the special powers brought in by those planets! In addition to galaxy upgrades, effective resource management provides luck-mitigating options that can sway the game in a calculated player's favor.

Whoever achieves the most points from acquiring planets and upgrading their personal galaxy wins!

Another close game though one player fell behind a bit early in the empire building.  Those three points and not getting a mission complete can make a huge difference in the end unless your strategy compensates for it by gathering lots of planets quickly and using colony actions when others can't or don't have any worth using.  Culture and Following are still points to stress while teaching and even when a player doesn't take it immediately to heart, it quickly becomes apparent during gameplay and that reinforces the concept.

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not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.

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Tabletopper Friday - Firefly: Out to the Black (2013)

I'm a fan of Firefly and Serentity, the shows, and have played a lot of the Firefly Board Game with all of the expansions but I hadn't played Firefly: Out to the Black (2013) until last weekend.  I'm not sure we got all of it right, and I know we corrected some things during play that we figured out we were definitely doing wrong, but we had a good deal of fun with this one.  Well, those of us who know the show and movie did though I think one person at the table who wasn't familiar warmed up to the game more slowly than the rest of us.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

Firefly: Out to the Black is a quick card game that plays from three to five players. It’s unusual in that the players do not compete against each other, but compete against the game. This is a fairly new style of game called a co-op game or cooperative game. Players take on roles of the crew of Serenity and play through a series of Events. Using their Fightin’, Flyin’, and Thinkin’ skills they attempt to successfully complete these Events to earn Credits and Honor. If the players run out of Credits or Honor before the end of the game, they all lose and the game wins! If the players manage to complete the predetermined amount of Events without running out of Credits or Honor, they win the game, and live to fly another day! 

Components:

Double sized Character Cards – Contains the Character’s Skill numbers and special abilities

Event Cards – These are the Events the players must overcome to win the game.

Serenity Cards – These are dual use cards. The main use is to help the players overcome Events. It’s secondary use is to determine random numbers.

Alliance Cards – These are penalty cards that are drawn if the players do not do well at certain Events. Draw too many of these and the players lose the game even if they still have Credits and Honor.

Gorramit Cards – These cards modify the Events, generally making them harder.

A Set of Rules – The rules to the game. 

Honor Tokens – These are used to track the player’s Honor. 

Credit Tokens – These are used to track the player’s Credits.

The Character Cards each represent one of the main Characters in Firefly. In addition to having their skills values listed, Each Character has special abilities, which cost a variable amount of Credits or Honor. On a players turn he can choose to spend Credits or Honor on one of these abilities, but it brings them closer to losing, so they need to think about whether they really need to or not.

A typical turn of the game consists of the active player turning over the top Event card. Each Event card has three challenges, one Fightin’, one Flyin’, and one Thinkin’. Each of these has a number, which the players must equal or exceed to be successful in the challenge. Characters gain skill two different ways, they may play Serenity cards to gain skill, and, after playing their Serenity cards, they add a random number to determine their final skill. This is added to the Character’s base skill number listed on their Character cards. Depending on how many challenges they successfully complete they either gain or lose Credits and/or Honor. The more successful the more they gain.

Once the event is resolved, the next player starts a new turn, and turns over the next Event card. The game is over once all the Event cards have been drawn and resolved.

The Firefly TV show is about surviving with honor. Mal and his crew are continually trying to scrounge up enough credits to keep flying, while maintaining their own personal sense of honor. The game reflects this grand theme with the victory conditions, survive the Event deck without running out of Honor or Credits. Each Event in the deck is tied to an episode in the show, and is easily recognizable by fans of the show. The Skills needed for each Event are tied to action of the episode featured on the card. A sub theme of the show is escaping notice of the Alliance, and again, with the inclusion of the Alliance deck, Firefly: Out to the Black delivers. The Alliance deck is an ever-present threat looming over the players as they desperately seek to finish the Events in the game.

We had a little trouble figuring out the combat system and made some adjustments along the way.  When the game was over, and we had managed to not use any of the alliance deck, plus still had one honor and one credit left, we assumed we had played some other things wrong or had won only because of the things we played wrong early but fixed.  Seriously, we glanced over the rules and tried to get a quick start but had to stop and go through it all one word at a time to really understand the game.  Some of the rules are written in the vernacular of the Verse, and even those of us who know the show/movie well had to re-read some sections because of that.  All in all, though, it seems like it is probably a pretty good game but I'd have to come at it a couple more time to be sure.

Tabletopper Friday on MFWARS.com 

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Terrain Tuesday - Railway, Barricades, & Traps

Over on thewargamestable.blogspot.co.uk, highlights "Building Railway Tracks" here.

Also, on wartornterrain.blogspot.com.au, a nifty tutorial features "Stratagems: Barricades" here.

Finally, on the Wyloch's Crafting Vids YouTube channel. check out the recent video on "032 - Clip-On Traps." Enjoy!

Terrain Tuesday on MFWARS.com 

For purposes here, the term Terrain is used broadly
to cover 3D and 2D maps, foam, felt, and such.

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Systems Saturday - AquaSphere (2014)

Recently, we got the chance to break out AquaSphere (2014) once again.  In fact, we played it twice in a row.  I find this game both challenging and fun.  There is much going on, a good amount of resource juggling, and there are many paths to victory.  I've warmed to this game since first playing.  Although setup is a bit of a pain, I now feel it is worth the effort.  This time, we played with four players and fixed a few things we were getting wrong on previous attempts.

From the description on Board Game Geek:

News from the depths! The AquaSphere is a research facility stationed deep below the ocean's surface, and your skilled team — consisting of an engineer, a scientist, reprogrammable bots and exploratory submarines — is trying to gather as much data as possible.

The game board in AquaSphere has two main areas: A research station comprised of six sectors in which your scientist conducts experiments and a headquarters where your engineer supervises preparation of the bots. During each of the four game rounds, you take several turns, and on each turn you either:

Use your engineer in the headquarters to program a bot; each round you can choose from three of the seven actions.  Have your scientist bring a bot to a sector to perform an action.

Through actions such as improving your lab, sending out submarines, collecting crystals, and examining octopuses, you expand the abilities of your team or gather knowledge points, which are necessary to win. Additional challenges result from the limited size of your lab, which is your personal stock; you can increase the size of your lab, which makes life easier, but this costs valuable time.

AquaSphere is a challenging game of strategy and tactics with different paths to victory that requires planning in advance as well as skillful use of short-term opportunities.

The four of us who took to the game this time often play other games together and are fairly evenly matched in most games, so this one was put through its paces.  Rather than trying too many strategies at once, this time I made sure to snag a couple of Crystals early to avoid the risk of getting stopped short in Knowledge Point advancement.  I didn't bother worrying about Submarines and thus wasn't too concerned if my bots were out or coming back.  I mainly focuses on Lab Expansions in both games and grabbed up a couple or three Research Cards each time but only if I saw that they'd truly help me sooner rather than later and mostly if they would ensure giving me additional Time Markers.  In both games, although not victorious, I was close.  Completing the Lab Expansions and having A thru F represented in them seems to make being in the running.  Now, I think, I just need to figure out some additional sub-strategy that will easily parallel this to put me over the top.

Systems Saturday on MFWARS.com 

A look under the hood of various Games, Rules and Systems.

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Systems Saturday - Roll for the Galaxy (2014)

Last Second Sunday at Lake Geneva Games, a few of us got to play Roll for the Galaxy (2014), and we played it four times in a row.  Not everyone loves playing a game even twice in a row but I personally love when I get the chance to play something multiple time.  While I have blogged about this a couple of times last year, I guess it's been a few months since I played it.  But this is one of those games that comes right back to you.  In fact, several of the games wound up with some of the highest scores, all around, that I have seen in games I have played of it.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

Roll for the Galaxy is a dice game of building space empires for 2–5 players. Your dice represent your populace, whom you direct to develop new technologies, settle worlds, and ship goods. The player who best manages his workers and builds the most prosperous empire wins!

This dice version of Race for the Galaxy takes players on a new journey through the Galaxy, but with the feel of the original game.

I think, in the past, we did a lot less producing and shipping thus not getting as high of scores.  Also, games in the past tended to end with someone completing their 12 tiles galaxy.  This still happened but not before most of the victory point chips were claimed.  Plus, rather than producing and shipping being an after thought, galaxies were built to facilitate the producing and and shipping more readily.  I will definitely be trying to build on these new strategies in future games.

Systems Saturday on MFWARS.com 

A look under the hood of various Games, Rules and Systems.

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Wargaming Wednesday - Clockwork Wars (2015)

My friend Wendy recently picked up Clockwork Wars (2015) and brought it to the Burlington Gameday for us to try out.  Nancy, Kiff, and myself joined her in their endeavor.  Although Wendy had glanced over the rules and, I think, watch a brief video, we were mostly coming at this from scratch.  That was fine for the four of us playing since we were all in the same boat and all have logged plenty of hours trying out new games, together and with others, in the past.  While this is a recently released boardgame, I would call this a wargamey boardgame despite the very simple battle mechanics because of its area-control aspects and clear use of armies.

The description on Board Game Geek is as follows:

Clockwork Wars is an epic board game of conquest, discovery, and espionage from Eagle-Gryphon Games. In Clockwork Wars, 2-4 players command a unique race of creatures in a tense war set in an alternate universe where magic and steam-era technology collide. Take control of the human "Purebreeds", or one of three hybrid races (Troglodytes, Rhinochs, and Mongrels). Your goal is to vanquish your foes and accumulate the most victory points through seven turns of play. You earn points by fighting for control of territories that contain valuable natural resources. To win these battles, you need manpower gained by seizing villages and developing them into cities. Invest in research and discover astonishing new technologies, like magical Golems, an Analytical Engine, and the wondrous Spire of the Gods. Position your troops, research powerful discoveries, employ espionage, and conquer your enemies to win the game!

Once we learned the rules and leaving aside a couple of times we checked up on the details of a few things, I think we managed to play this first time through in a bit over two hours.  That's not bad, in my opinion, for a complex game that suggests 90 minutes.  The great variety of technology cards that can come up in many combinations in any given game means that this game will have a great deal of replayability.  I very much like the simple simultaneous deployment (movement) mechanic that reminded me of older wargames without being as complicated.  I'd like to try games of this with two and three players but can already imagine why a four player game is suggested as best.  I'm also curious about the expansions and when we next play will hope we add those in right away, even before we master the base game.  I don't think that would be problematic.

Wargaming Wednesday on MFWARS.com 

A closer examination of board and miniatures Wargaming.

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The Sunday Miscellanea - Tiny Epic Galaxies (2015)

I squeezed a couple more games into 2015 in the middle of December that I haven't had the chance to write up until now.  So, let's clear the decks for 2016 by discussing the game I probably played most in 2015, Tiny Epic Galaxies (2015).  Although my opponents have both been gaming for less than a couple of years, they are thoughtful, skilled players who aren't shy about employing subtle and/or aggressive strategies, as suits their purpose.  I do not underestimate Al or Laura when gaming with them.  We played a couple of games of TEG at the December Lake Geneva Games Gameday and they were fast and furious.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

A thirty-minute game of galactic conquest, Tiny Epic Galaxies is driven by an exciting dice-rolling mechanism that rewards thoughtful programming of the results. Players control a home galaxy and a fleet of space ships. As players upgrade their galaxies, they gain access to more ships and more dice.

Each turn, a player rolls a set of dice; how many dice are rolled is determined by the level of that player's galaxy. Each side of the six-sided die represents a different type of action: Movement, Colony Action, Harvest from Culture Planets, Harvest from Energy Planets, Improve an Economic Influence, and Improve a Diplomatic Influence.

After the roll, the player sorts the results of the roll (one selective re-roll is allowed) and organizes the dice in a desired activation order. Each die, in order, is then resolved and the results are immediate, which allows the player to pull-off unseen combos and surprise other players. Other players have the option to copy other player's actions...at a cost!

As players expand their galaxy by colonizing other planets through economic and diplomatic influence, they gain victory points AND the special powers brought in by those planets! In addition to galaxy upgrades, effective resource management provides luck-mitigating options that can sway the game in a calculated player's favor.

Whoever achieves the most points from acquiring planets and upgrading their personal galaxy wins! 

Al had not played before, so we taught him the game even as we brushed up on a couple of the rules for ourselves.  When you play as many games as we do, and often with similar mechanics and themes, sometimes there can be a bit of rules confusion.  We keep that to a minimum with a few minutes of back and forth with the rules in hand for reference.  This time with TEG was every bit as fun as previous times and still felt fresh because of the variety of planets.  It's strange how the combination of planet powers can produce a different game so many times but that's the superpower of this game: replayability.  Even with a new player and a rusty one, the two games went swiftly and came down to a difference in points no greater than the secret mission VPs.  I continue to be enamored by this game and have yet to try it with the expansion.

The Sunday Miscellanea on MFWARS.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on MFWARS.com

not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.

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Systems Saturday - Alien Frontiers (2010)

I've managed to get in a handful of games of Alien Frontiers (2010) each month since September this year with about a dozen people in three to five player games.  It's proven to be one of my new favorites.  I've been taught the game and played with all of the expansions and even returned to the base game and taught a few new players myself.  Most recently, I taught two new players for a three player session of the base game.  Even with new players, it was challenging for all of us and great fun.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

Do you have what it takes to be a deep space colonist? An alien frontier awaits the brave and daring! This new planet will be harsh, but if you have the skills to manage your resources, build a fleet, research alien life, and settle colonies, the world can be yours.

Alien Frontiers is a game of resource management and planetary development for two to four players. During the game you will utilize orbital facilities and alien technology to build colony domes in strategic locations to control the newly discovered world.

The game board shows the planet, its moon, the stations in orbit around the planet, and the solar system’s star. The dice you are given at the start of the game represent the space ships in your fleet. You will assign these ships to the orbital facilities in order to earn resources, expand your fleet, and colonize the planet.

As the game progresses, you will place your colony tokens on the planet to represent the amount of control you have over each territory. Those territories exert influence over specific orbital facilities and, if you control a territory, you are able to utilize that sway to your advantage.

The planet was once the home of an alien race and they left behind a wondrous artifact in orbit. Using your fleet to explore the artifact, you will discover amazing alien technologies that you can use to advance your cause.

Winning the game will require careful consideration as you assign your fleet, integrate the alien technology and territory influences into your expansion plans, and block your opponents from building colonies of their own. Do you have what it takes to conquer an alien frontier?

Roll and place your dice to gain advantages over your opponent and block them out of useful areas of the board. Use Alien Tech cards to manipulate your dice rolls and territory bonuses to break the rules. Steal resources, overtake territories, and do whatever it takes to get your colonies on the map first! Don't dream it'll be easy, though, because the other players will be trying to do the same thing.

I think one of the reasons I keep coming back to this game is how easily a new player can compete with veterans.  That is due both to its balance at all levels of play as well as how easily even a new player can take to it and incorporate complex strategies.  While the Alien Tech cards have become more familiar, the various combinations that might become available during play continue to surprise me with their avenues toward alternate strategies.  I'm going to keep playing this one and report on it into the new year.

Systems Saturday on MFWARS.com 

A look under the hood of various Games, Rules and Systems.

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The Sunday Miscellanea - Tiny Epic Galaxies (2015)

I've now played Tiny Epic Galaxies (2015) a few times since early October and still haven't tried it with the Tiny Epic Galaxies: Satellites & Super Weapons Mini Expansion (2015).  I am interested but it plays very well without it and hasn't yet lost it's shine.  This time we played with four players and the final scores tend to be fairly close or at 30 points.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

A thirty-minute game of galactic conquest, Tiny Epic Galaxies is driven by an exciting dice-rolling mechanism that rewards thoughtful programming of the results. Players control a home galaxy and a fleet of space ships. As players upgrade their galaxies, they gain access to more ships and more dice.

Each turn, a player rolls a set of dice; how many dice are rolled is determined by the level of that player's galaxy. Each side of the six-sided die represents a different type of action: Movement, Colony Action, Harvest from Culture Planets, Harvest from Energy Planets, Improve an Economic Influence, and Improve a Diplomatic Influence.

After the roll, the player sorts the results of the roll (one selective re-roll is allowed) and organizes the dice in a desired activation order. Each die, in order, is then resolved and the results are immediate, which allows the player to pull-off unseen combos and surprise other players. Other players have the option to copy other player's actions...at a cost!

As players expand their galaxy by colonizing other planets through economic and diplomatic influence, they gain victory points AND the special powers brought in by those planets! In addition to galaxy upgrades, effective resource management provides luck-mitigating options that can sway the game in a calculated player's favor.

Whoever achieves the most points from acquiring planets and upgrading their personal galaxy wins!

This is definitely a very fast game that folks can slip into an hour here and there.  This game is very good at keeping everyone constantly involved in the game by allowing players to follow actions by paying for and repeating those actions.  But because this is happening on everyone's turn and some planets can cause further cascade effects, there is a real danger for some players to be overwhelmed.  However, after playing a few times, there needs to be fairly strict adherence to the rule about players getting only a brief moment to decide if they wish to follow another player's action.  We've only seen slight trouble with this but we all know some players for whom analysis paralysis is a struggle.  It helps if the player whose turn is currently going directs the other players to respond or, possibly, if there is a house rule that the current player need only pause and allow the others to chime in if they are definitely following.  It's a tricky business balancing the incentive for fast play with allowing slower players time to catch up.  But half-hour long games that take two hours can get old very quickly.  Fortunately, we can knock this one off in less than an hour and if we play two, the second always goes much more quickly.

The Sunday Miscellanea on MFWARS.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on MFWARS.com

not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.

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