Tabletopper Friday - The Settlers of Catan (1995) in 3D

Whenever Jerome brings his 3D The Settlers of Catan (1995) to one of the local conventions, I try to slip into at least one game.  It's gone through a number of incarnations, sometimes he just got the fever to upgrade and once a home fire destroyed some of his work.  Whatever the case, his efforts are appreciated and he sets a fine table.

From the description on Board Game Geek:

In Catan (formerly The Settlers of Catan), players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine what resources the island produces. Players collect these resources (cards)—wood, grain, brick, sheep, or stone—to build up their civilizations to get to 10 victory points and win the game.

Setup includes randomly placing large hexagonal tiles (each showing a resource or the desert) in a honeycomb shape and surrounding them with water tiles, some of which contain ports of exchange. Number disks, which will correspond to die rolls (two 6-sided dice are used), are placed on each resource tile. Each player is given two settlements (think: houses) and roads (sticks) which are, in turn, placed on intersections and borders of the resource tiles. Players collect a hand of resource cards based on which hex tiles their last-placed house is adjacent to. A robber pawn is placed on the desert tile.

A turn consists of possibly playing a development card, rolling the dice, everyone (perhaps) collecting resource cards based on the roll and position of houses (or upgraded cities—think: hotels) unless a 7 is rolled, turning in resource cards (if possible and desired) for improvements, trading cards at a port, and trading resource cards with other players. If a 7 is rolled, the active player moves the robber to a new hex tile and steals resource cards from other players who have built structures adjacent to that tile.

Points are accumulated by building settlements and cities, having the longest road and the largest army (from some of the development cards), and gathering certain development cards that simply award victory points. When a player has gathered 10 points (some of which may be held in secret), he announces his total and claims the win.

I daresay that there are few boardgamers who have not tried this game and I find few who do not think it is very good, though some may have played it so much they have moved on.  Personally, I try to get in a couple/few games a year, usually with other players who I haven't played (at least this game) before.  It's a game that requires a certain stealthiness.  Move to strongly toward a victory and the trading phase will find you without any trade partners.  If you can find a way to close out the ten-point game with a final strike from seven or even six points, you'll avoid the slow grind of a game where all of the players have eight or nine points, no one is trading commodities with one another, and everyone is turtling.  Have fun!

Tabletopper Friday on MFWARS.com 

Mostly about card games and board games,
unless they have a decidedly wargamey feel.

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Nostalgia Thursday - Dread, Slave Lords, & the Silver Princess

Over on amazon.com, there is a reprint of the "Dungeons of Dread: "S" Series Classic Adventure Compilation: (S1 - S4) (D&D Adventure)" in hardback that can be had brand new or for a lower priced in used condition.  Find out more here.

Also, on amazon.com, they have "Against the Slave Lords: "A" Series Classic Adventure Compilation: (A0 - A4) (D&D Adventure)" also fairly low in used condition.  Bookmark the page if you want to wait until they drop a little more here.

Finally, on eBay, someone is selling "B3 Palace of the Silver Princess **Ultra-rare original orange edition**" and the bidding is around $1,5000.00 at the time of this posting.  See more here.

Nostalgia Thursday on MFWARS.com 

Focusing on the roots of current tabletop gaming
with an eye toward the last century and before.

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Wargaming Wednesday - Wargaming @ GameHole Con

The events catalog and online events/games widget for GameHole Con 2015 didn't have a category for "Wargaming."  Aside from Role Playing Game, Seminar, Card Game, and Other Event, they had Boardgame and Miniatures as the two categories where Wargames would probably fit, Miniatures being definite Wargames (except in the case of the big Hackmaster RPG harbor display) and with Boardgames including some though mostly of the modern wargamey-boardgame variety rather than hex/square-and-chit wargames.  This was my first GameHole Con and the third one to take place.  They have moved from their original location in the Sheridan to the main convention center, the Alliant Energy Center, and they have plenty of room to grow.  I play so many boardgames and get in plenty of RPGing most of the year, so I tend to try and find wargames to play when I go to conventions.

As to the boardgame wargames, and wargamey-boardgames of the modern era, it would take a lot more time than I have to scour through the whole catalog to divine everything being run.  A quick shout to George Henion for keeping Dawn Patrol on the map and kicking off the convention in the first slot with it.  That does always make a convention official, if you know what I mean.  I saw several slots of History of the World being run by Mike Moderski, but that's more of a Civ game, I suppose (which I love, of course!).  Twilight Imperium was run by Victor Calzoni, and they were huge, eight-person games.  That's a great game for conventions, IMO.  As I say, I was only there for a short while on Friday in the late afternoon, then on Saturday and Sunday from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.  The online catalog is still up if you'd like to dig deeper.

Since this info was relatively easy to grab from the online events widget, a quick shout out to the miniatures systems being used and to the dedicated folks who ran the slots: Wilderness Wars (multiple slots run by Todd Olson), Plastic Ships and Fuzzy Men (multiple slots run by Chris Clark), Master Mariner (Tim Kask), Space Pirates (William Johnson), Ultimate Warzone (multiple slots run by Hal Gibson), Car Wars (Hal Gibson), Warmachine/Hordes (multiple slots run by Richard Way), Warhammer Fantasy Battles (Ben Cone), Star Wars X-Wing (multiple slots run by Robert Arguelles), Chronopia (multiple slots run by Hal Gibson), Warmachine/Hordes (Richard Way), Mexicanski '36 (Todd Olson), Bolt Action (Brian Ward), Pirate Swashbuckler (William Webb), Ay Carmela! - Battle for Madrid (Todd Olson), Shockforce (Hal Gibson), Battletech (Joseph Paiz), and Necromunda (Hal Gibson).

Wargaming Wednesday on MFWARS.com 

A closer examination of board and miniatures Wargaming.

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Terrain Tuesday - Agincourt, Plywood Terrain, & Engraving Stryoplast

Over on dailymail.co.uk, check out the photos from the Agincourt exhibit that opened last month for the anniversary at the Tower of London here.

Also, on imgur, there is an album with some wonderful work on plywood tiles and terrain pieces including some shots of the workbench and supplies here.

Finally, on the Hot Wire Foam Factory YouTube channel, they have a video on "Precision Hot Wire Engraving and [Stryoplast] Foam Coating."  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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Minis & Modeling Monday - Banner Saga, Composi-Mold, & Objective Markers

Over on polyhedroncollider.com, they share some "Banner Saga Boardgame Images" including pictures of some pretty cool minis here.

Also, on composimoldstore.com, check out their re-usable heat and pour mold making materials here.

Finally, on the tabletopminions YouTube channel, "Atom shows you how to make objective markers for your tabletop miniatures wargaming, shows some markers he's made in the past, and talks about his plans for new ones for Frostgrave."  Enjoy!

Minis & Modeling Monday on MFWARS.com 

A look at prepping and painting Miniatures,
crafting buildings and paper Models,
and other non-terrain stuff for the tabletop.

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The Sunday Miscellanea - Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery (2012)

We had a four player game of Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery (2012) that pulled out all the stops and used all of the expansions.  Norm has been picking these up and we've played base games before, and just with a few card expansions, but this time we really dove in with everything.  It might have been nice to also add a fifth and perhaps even a sixth player but as it happened we were pushing the limits of our time slot so I am glad we stuck with our core group.  Maybe next time we'll make more of a spectacle of it.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

In Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery, an exciting game of twisted schemes and bloody combats inspired by the hit STARZ Original series, each player takes on the role of Dominus, head of a rising house in the ancient Roman city of Capua. Each house is competing for Influence to gain the favor of Rome. Through a combination of political schemes and glorious battles on the arena sands your house will rise in fame and stature. As Dominus, you have a variety of resources at your disposal. Guards protect you from schemes launched by rivals. Slaves run your household and earn gold. 

Gladiators compete to bring glory to themselves and influence to their Dominus.
Three main phases occur in each game round of Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery.

The Intrigue Phase is when players launch their Schemes, hoping to raise their fortunes while undermining their rivals. Schemes and Reactions are represented by cards in the Intrigue Deck. Players wield their Influence to put their Schemes into play, often asking for (or bribing) another player’s help in hatching the most complex plots.

The Market Phase is when players buy, sell and trade Assets (Gladiators, Slaves, Equipment and Guards). Players also bid against each other to acquire new Assets at Auction. Wealth is not the only path to success as players bluff and bargain with each other to acquire the Assets they covet.

The Arena Phase is when the bloody games are held. Gladiators from two rival Houses are pitted against each other in a brutal fight for glory. The spectacles of the games are represented by miniature combat on the arena board. Fighters pit their Attack, Defense and Speed dice against one another to determine the victor. All players seek to increase their fortunes by betting on the outcome of the gruesome conflict. Fighters who emerge from the arena victorious gain Favor and their Dominus gain Influence.

The goal of the game is to become the most influential house in Capua, securing your family’s power for years to come. During the game, players will bribe, poison, betray, steal, blackmail, and undermine each other. Gold will change hands again and again to buy support, stay someone’s hand or influence their decisions. Will you be the honorable player whose word is their bond or the treacherous schemer whose alliances change with the wind?

Since we knew we'd just have four players, it was possible for us to stick with the base game but I'm glad we didn't. We definitely utilized the Boasts (which allow you to risk Influence trying to advance him more quickly to becoming a Champion) and Festivals (monkey with the parameters of a Primus) provided in the expansions, so they had a fun impact on the game we played.  The expansions don't change the underlying gameplay of Spartacus.  It's still treacherous all the way through and a savvy player has to lie in wait for his best chance to grab victory.  Move too soon and the others will devour you.  Move too late and someone else will get there first.  Timing is everything in this game.

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 - Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game (2014)

My regular gaming buddies wouldn't get together on Halloween but most were available for a First Sunday event at Lake Geneva Games the day after, so that's when John introduced us to Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game (2014).  The game is cooperative with the potential for someone to secretly being working against the group.  If found out, they can be exiled, but even then they can still do damage.  However, they secret victory condition might also be to seek redemption if exiled.  It's a game with a lot of twists and turns.

The description from Board Game Geek is as follows:

"Crossroads" is a new series from Plaid Hat Games that tests a group of survivors' ability to work together and stay alive while facing crises and challenges from both outside and inside.

Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game, the first game in this series, puts 2-5 players in a small, weakened colony of survivors in a world where most of humanity is either dead or diseased, flesh-craving monsters. Each player leads a faction of survivors with dozens of different characters in the game.

Dead of Winter is a meta-cooperative psychological survival game. This means players are working together toward one common victory condition — but for each individual player to achieve victory, he must also complete his personal secret objective. This secret objective could relate to a psychological tick that's fairly harmless to most others in the colony, a dangerous obsession that could put the main objective at risk, a desire for sabotage of the main mission, or (worst of all) vengeance against the colony! Certain games could end with all players winning, some winning and some losing, or all players losing. Work toward the group's goal, but don't get walked all over by a loudmouth who's looking out only for his own interests!

Dead of Winter is an experience that can be accomplished only through the medium of tabletop games. It's a story-centric game about surviving through a harsh winter in an apocalyptic world. The survivors are all dealing with their own psychological imperatives, but must still find a way to work together to fight off outside threats, resolve crises, find food and supplies, and keep the colony's morale up.

Dead of Winter has players making frequent, difficult, heavily- thematic, wildly-varying decisions that often have them deciding between what is best for the colony and what is best for themselves.

The game seems to have a lot of legs for replayability.  It's not a push over, so that alone means most scenarios can be challenging more than once.  It's get a great balance between crisis, resource, and people management, so there's plenty to consider with every step but it doesn't feel overwhelming, even though the tension levels rise constantly.  This is definitely a game that could hit the table regularly around here.

Systems Saturday on MFWARS.com 

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

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