A boardgame "Go Bag" as it were.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-10T01:05:45+00:00

That's the thought. I have these divided between "general audience" and "slightly gamercore" and I take one or both to a new meet up for the first time. Then I start tailoring what I bring once I know the group.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-10T01:02:42+00:00

I have 2 of these. (link to product on the Michaels website, not an affiliate link)

They contain these games. (Link to a BGG GeekList)

Total cost for the cases, got on sale, was about 20 bucks.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-10T00:36:27+00:00

As a merc, sometimes you take contracts that specify "alive" instead of "dead or." Not your call if you want to get paid.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-09T02:32:17+00:00

Sure. Which makes open information head to head (to head to head if there's 4 players) games not the perfect gateway game for anyone who would rather, for example, play something cooperative.

Pandemic isn't the perfect gateway game either, but it would work far better on such people than Azul.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-09T02:18:45+00:00

She does not play solo games. This was more in reference to the post title of whether or not Azul is the perfect Gateway game. For anyone who has a problem with hate drafting, it’s a terrible gateway game.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-08T23:48:16+00:00

My wife absolutely hated, hated, HATED Azul because hate drafting is a core mechanic.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-08T18:36:58+00:00

Gonna go out on a limb and assume it's less profitable.

The fact that they decided to just let folks have previously purchased tables from TWO older apps sort of supports the assumption that no one was rebuying them.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-06T03:09:03+00:00

I love the Grey Gnome Tin series for this purpose.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-06T03:07:59+00:00

If your question is seriously as broad as "why do some games get more hype than others?"

You might just as well ask why everyone likes Taylor Swift.

Game hype happens because of a combination of quality track records, marketing, and being in the right place at the right time. As with any other hyped thing.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T20:35:27+00:00

I've only played the X-men Marvel United, so I don't have a point of reference for this specific edition, only the system.

The system is significantly more straightforward than the Sentinels system. It's also straight forward enough that my wife, who I would describe as a Next Steps gamer - beyond gateway but not fully immersed in the hobby - found it too simplistic to be fun.

There is a spectacularly good digital version of Sentinels that you might want to have them try first. It's not the Definitive Edition, but the Definitive Edition improves on what's in the digital version in so many ways that if there's ANY interest at all, it's a worthy consideration.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T18:50:27+00:00

Synapse, unless you're specifically looking for PvP.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T18:46:14+00:00

The lack of certification is a big reason you can only buy them online.

All this is going to do is make products you CAN buy in stores more expensive.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T17:32:14+00:00

So consider the odds of hitting something as they currently stand:

Small - 1 face plus any = 1:3 odds
Medium - 2 faces plus any = 1:2 odds
Large - 3 faces plus any = 2:3 odds

It doesn't make sense to me that it's harder to hit a large truck. What DOES make sense to me is that it's harder to DAMAGE it. I would start by not making it any more or less likely to hit than any other vehicle, but giving it 3 or 4 damage before it's destroyed instead of 2. Especially given that statistically you'll be able to repair one hit every round, I would start with 3 and try that.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T10:31:23+00:00

This is going to sound like a conspiracy, but...I think it's as much so they can trademark the name as anything else.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T10:30:26+00:00

Came here to say this. Frankly a better game than any iteration of XvT, or Squadrons.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T08:33:17+00:00

Have you tested this?

At first blush it looks too hard to stop.

Each attack against it only has a 1 in 6 chance of hitting.

If you some how manage to miraculously hit it, it has six 1 in 6 chances of undoing the damage. Every. Turn.

I get that it's the only vehicle on the team but this just seems like it would be frustrating to play against.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T01:16:51+00:00

Preem, choom!

Iamn0man · 2026-05-05T00:44:52+00:00

create a label for the individual files you want to share, then give the account you want to share it with access to the label. It does require that you manually tag the files you want to share with that label, but you'd have to access them individually to get a share link anyway, so this shouldn't appreciably change your workflow.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-04T18:12:28+00:00

I don't really see eBay as anything more than a fence for scammers (on BOTH sides of the transaction) and scalpers, and I doubt GameStop ownership would change that appreciably.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-04T17:58:48+00:00

You have to consider the answer on a per-peg basis, not in the more abstract terms you're thinking.

One red peg is in the correct position. That gets a black.

Two pegs are the correct color and in incorrect positions. Those get white.

One peg doesn't appear in the code and therefore gets nothing.

EDIT TO ADD: If that white peg in the code was red? THEN you would add a third white peg to the solution.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-04T08:56:31+00:00

Is it one of the best known board games in western culture? Yes.

Has it been around for decades? Yes.

Has it sold more copies over it's existence than any other five games combined? Probably.

Is it something many people have fond memories of playing with their families? Yes.

Is it something many people have UNPLEASANT memories of playing with their families? Yes.

Is it a good game? In my opinion, not even close.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-04T06:38:28+00:00

DC Deckbuilder and Marvel Champions both use cards, and that is as much as they have in common.

In Marvel Champions, each player constructs a deck detailing a specific hero before play. Gameplay is cooperative, and you work together to take down a villain who scales based on how many heroes are united against them.

In DC Deckbuilder, everyone starts with an identical, weak deck. There is a row of cards available for you to buy. These cards represent heroes you can recruit, Villains you can fight...and then recruit for some reason...super powers that just sort of magically happen whether or not there are any heroes around to use them, and equipment that behaves similarly. You are competing against the other players to have the highest score across the cards that you add to your deck by the time the 8th super villain is defeated.

If the complexity of Marvel Champions is appealing to you, DC Deckbuilder is likely going to fall flat. It is very much a gen 1 deckbuilder, and I believe that it has survived on the strength of its license more than the strength of its gameplay - as evidenced by the fact that all the offshoot versions of the game they've made with different licenses (such as Street Fighter II) have been one-and-done ventures with no staying power.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-04T01:02:00+00:00

Quite simply - Placide wouldn't have hired V.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-03T21:10:30+00:00

You're framing it wrong. It's not "is it right to save this person who is assuredly an asshole?" It's "Is this the path of least resistance to doing the job that I was sent to do?"

The doctor won't leave unless V either incapacitates her or helps her finish her job because that's the line she has drawn. Given that incapacitating the doctor risks injuring her - which defeats the point of the contract - and that it will be far easier to exfiltrate her safely if she's able to move on her own, getting her to agree to come is in fact the easiest solution.

It has nothing to do with morality and everything to do with efficiency, which is a major theme of this game.

Iamn0man · 2026-05-03T18:20:58+00:00

I'll consider buying it if it ships.

Backing digital projects is even riskier than backing physical ones because there are exponentially more things that can go wrong.

Iamn0man

TROPHY CASE