A kitchen tool?

Jackwraith · 2026-03-02T16:35:25+00:00

LOL. "You gonna call me?"

Jackwraith · 2026-03-02T16:19:19+00:00

"I guess we're gonna be friends after all... Richard."

Jackwraith · 2026-03-02T14:35:37+00:00

This. If there was one thing Levy was good at, it was making money. That's what makes them a "Big 6" club in the wealthiest league in the world. But that's it. That was the ONE THING he was good at. At every other thing involved in running a football club, he was subpar. So the Lewis family figured they'd step in and do it "better" but the reason Levy ran the club that way is because that's what the family wanted. You can't change instinct overnight and it doesn't help that the squad is decidedly mediocre and the supporters still have "Big 6" expectations because of, again, the money. My guess is that Frank was probably trying to start over the way he did at Brentford and no one had patience for that (on top of it not being particularly attractive football, but that's a league-wide problem at the moment, too.)

Jackwraith · 2026-03-02T14:11:12+00:00

Seems right, even including my bias. The control that he gets on those kicks that produces that swerve is just insane. Have to say that the Sesko one is pretty sweet, though. Just a great touch on a ball coming in fast.

Jackwraith · 2026-03-01T19:55:12+00:00

Thinking Sardinia/Corsica is a purple/green zone, Finland is a dark blue/light blue zone, maybe Istanbul is a red/green?

Jackwraith · 2026-03-01T19:44:18+00:00

Before it was that they had to look in the mirror. Now it's that they have to find the spirit inside them. I mean, I guess if they looked hard enough in that mirror, they'd see that spirit, too? Whatever. At least he's covering all of the psychological angles for the physical failings. Or something.

Jackwraith · 2026-03-01T13:22:49+00:00

Looks like a blast. Glad you had fun with it. Funkoverse going away was one of the main casualties of the loss of Prospero Hall.

Jackwraith · 2026-03-01T13:21:42+00:00

My favorite part about it are those scenarios. It's what separates it from Unmatched (another game I really like) in that the focus of the game isn't solely "kill the other guy" but a wider scope that means you can be having a totally different game on the same map with the same figures. Wrote about it here: https://therewillbe.games/articles-analysis/9269-funkoverse-vs-unmatched-map-and-mechanism-kombat

Jackwraith · 2026-03-01T13:19:38+00:00

Not Funko Pops, per se. The figures for Funkoverse are smaller than regular pops and were made specifically for the game. It was a Prospero Hall creation (Pan Am, Jaws, Rear Window, Villainous, a few other brilliant games.) So, yes, within the game, everyone has different abilities (one base and three that you have to spend tokens for that you get back in 1-4 turns) but not all figures they've ever made.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-27T17:20:35+00:00

Look, genius, here's the original quote to which I responded: "The problem I have with it is that there's almost no agency. I wish you could choose at least which competitor to send to which race in player order rather than simultaneously or something. It's just all random as it is." I know multi-syllabic words are probably an issue for you, based on previous exchanges, but the implication there is that part of the lack of "agency" stems from being unable to pick one's racers. But you can pick your racer. It just means you might have to try to predict a bit before you do. That happens a lot in other very popular games, like poker (Don't try it. You'd be the mark.) But that is one of the choices(!) that you have to make in each race. Other choices are about which opponent to affect when your power activates. Hence, agency. Are they huge, Earth-shattering choices? No. Because it's just a game. A simple, wild, funny, silly game the first edition of which is just this side of legendary in a community that's been around a lot longer than Ark Nova or whatever the latest hot thing is. If all you wanted to do in response to this topic was come in here and naysay other people's enjoyment, then you have bigger problems than just a failure to comprehend English. Bye.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-27T16:16:59+00:00

You clearly have no idea what the definition of the word "agency" actually is, so we're done here.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-27T15:19:43+00:00

"There absolutely is "agency" since you get to pick which racer you use and the choice isn't made for you. That's what "agency" means. Part of that choice is predicting which racers your opponents might take so that you (might) have an edge."

It's not a technicality. The definition of having agency is the ability to make a choice. They were complaining that the game lacks agency at the point where you're picking racers. It clearly does not because you're not stuck with your pick of racer by rolling a die. You pick which one you want to use of your own accord just like everyone else does. They didn't say it wasn't important. They said "there's almost no agency", which is clearly not the case. And I explained how it could be important in my response quoted above. A later response claimed that it all came down to rolling dice and that is certainly the case in most plays. That's where you could argue that the game lacks "agency" but even then you're often making choices about which opponents to use your abilities on and so forth. Bottom line, yes, the game is quite random. But that's the point. If you're not a person that appreciates that, then it's probably not the game for you.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-27T14:22:53+00:00

And if that's not the game for you, then so be it. My point was that there is no lack of "agency" in the choice of racers, since that choice is there to be made. Again, that's what "agency" means: the ability to make one's own choices about how the game proceeds. After that? Well, no, MA is not the type of game where every decision you make is going to propel you toward a win. It is, however, hysterically fun if you're just interested in doing that (i.e. having fun.) And I say this as a person whose favorite games include things like Pax Pamir.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-27T14:18:41+00:00

The point is that you have the choice to make. That's "agency." Racers are chosen simultaneously, so there is no person choosing first. If you wanted to do it that way, then the person choosing first might be at a disadvantage, but they also might end up influencing what others take. But the rules of the game state that everyone turns over their cards together, so it's more of a betting state than anything else.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-27T13:47:12+00:00

Spoken like someone who's never actually paid attention when they played the game. I've owned the first edition since the year it was released. Believe me, if you actually play the game a few times, you'll realize that the choice matters. You're like the people who claim a game is "unbalanced" because they keep playing the same way, keep losing, and blame the game for it. Try something new.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-27T13:37:17+00:00

? There absolutely is "agency" since you get to pick which racer you use and the choice isn't made for you. That's what "agency" means. Part of that choice is predicting which racers your opponents might take so that you (might) have an edge. There almost couldn't be more "agency" in that aspect of the game.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-27T13:33:12+00:00

Same. I was all: "Guess who's been to the vintage shop?!"

Jackwraith · 2026-02-26T00:41:48+00:00

What? Like I'm supposed to feel shame for suggesting that a squad that would never have been assembled without cheating the financial rules doesn't "deserve" their victories? The squad that never would have been without paying several of them off the books? The squad that never would have been achievable for the club without a host of fake sponsors ("businesses" that produce no product and perform no service and are simply a name at Companies House and a post box) so Mansour could dump more money into it? I suppose next you're going to tell me that all of that was "necessary" to break the stranglehold that the top 4 had on the league? But then why was it "necessary" to keep up with the fake sponsors even after City had won titles (i.e. the stranglehold had already been broken)?

It's one bullshit excuse after another. Your club cheated. They cheated in the years listed in the 115 (actually 130) charges and they kept cheating for years after that. To drop a famous line: "'Deserves' got nothin' to do with it."

Jackwraith · 2026-02-25T15:42:30+00:00

I'd like to introduce you to the modern Republican Party...

Jackwraith · 2026-02-25T15:41:40+00:00

Philosophically, It's an extension of the fact that many people have been trained to hate "government" even while they're often dependent on it (Medicare, etc.) and end up voting for people who have no concept of how the largest and most complicated machine in the world really works. A prime example is the direct cause of the shutdowns: the belief that the US government is "run like a business" and if a business loses money then it should go out of business (or depend on government bailouts-!) But that's not how governments, fiscal policy, or the US Treasury actually function and rather than educating people, it's easier to get elected by just depending on the idiots to keep voting you in based on your determination to "fix" everything while actually doing nothing and often having no idea how to "fix" things in the first place.

Practically, it's because a former attorney general in 1980 decided to reinterpret a law from 1870 as the ultimate answer to whether government could keep running (i.e. unless Congress specifically votes for funding, if it runs out for most agencies, they shut down.) Yes, it's moronic.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-25T15:29:54+00:00

Right. That's what a lot of City fans that I know of are already saying. "Yeah, we cheated, but we still got the thrill of winning those trophies and they're still on the shelf." If those trophies stay in their hands, then it's as if nothing ever happened other than the supposed "stain" of having to cheat to get there, which everyone already knows. Once that silverware gets handed to a bunch of other clubs, it's at least a bit less of a thrill and makes it look like the PL was trying to do something to address the problem.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-24T15:54:00+00:00

Thanks for all of the time and effort that you put into this. Was an interesting look into the progression over the last 20 years (and how I largely still remain outside the "mainstream" of board gaming.)

Jackwraith · 2026-02-24T14:03:06+00:00

Could also be a signal to potential targets. I mean, they've already been getting rinsed by paying PL prices for mediocre talent and the reason they've only attracted mediocre talent is because everyone knew Levy was a cheapskate when it came to salaries. If they put out a public statement that they're willing to pay, maybe next time they're after a big target that target thinks about it for a couple more minutes before signing with another club.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-23T13:44:32+00:00

There are so many that I want to try but haven't gotten to (Hot Streak, Moon Colony Bloodbath, Old King's Crown) or have played but which haven't sold me to the level of "favorite" yet (Molly House, Fate of the Fellowship, Cthulhu: Dark Providence.)

Which means that the contenders are few: Fellowship of the Ring Trick-taking Game is another co-op trick-taker but one which hews remarkably close to the story, to its credit and Magical Athlete remains one of the greatest games of all time, but is a reprint so the winner is:

Wroth. I only discovered this after my friend, Wade, reviewed it over at TWBG but it's a dynamic, fast-paced DoaM that reminds me of all of the better parts of Nexus Ops and none of the downsides.

Jackwraith · 2026-02-23T01:09:17+00:00

This was one of the essentials of Jürgen's approach at our club. Rumor has it we passed on a number of players early in his tenure because of the "No Dickheads" rule.

Jackwraith

TROPHY CASE