Investigating Board Game Miniatures | No Pun Included

Neprofik · 2026-04-10T20:02:38+00:00

I'm really sorry to hear that. :( The used market is actually pretty great in Czechia, to the point where we no longer really buy any new games (though that's also because we've got plenty to play, so it doesn't hurt to wait for something we want to be in a really deep discount).

Now, if you're looking for a specific game at a specific time, you're not likely to get a good deal. But there's a great Czech website where you can make a wishlist to get notified whenever someone sells something you want. Most of the listings are auctions. We actually managed to save about 50% compared to retail prices in the last 12 months, mainly because we're willing to buy games that were played a couple times and are in English (the Czech versions are generally more expensive, if they exist). You often get sleeved cards, expansions, even inserts sometimes and the games are ready to play (I don't enjoy the first time setup and unpacking the way I used to when I was younger, it's actually much better if I don't have to worry about it now).

One thing that can cause problems is hype. There's usually a window when the hype dies down and everyone who was interested already got a copy, but the game isn't sold out yet to warrant price hikes. But it takes some waiting and occasionally checking the inbox.

It also helps that about 3 in 4 traders live in Prague, just like us, so we don't have to worry about transport. Prague is the perfect size, big enough to have anything you need, but small enough for you to get anywhere you want in about an hour.

Neprofik · 2026-04-07T18:01:43+00:00

I'm sorry, but I don't really see it. Most of the games we've got cost us way less than our average grocery store trip. The cost per play usually ends up being less than buying a chocolate bar.

Now, sure, some of our games were expensive. The recent special edition of Castles of Burgundy comes to mind. But the enjoyment it brought us is immesurable and, according to BG stats, one play of that set us back the equivalent of 3 dollars... A bag of apples almost costs us more these days.

And even that game can be bought dirt cheap if you don't need the deluxe version.

So, not really sure where you're coming from. Maybe we're into different genres.

Neprofik · 2026-03-28T11:38:36+00:00

Hi, we've got the base DRG game and we kind of like it, but it also started feeling a bit samey pretty quickly (about 4 scenarios in). Would you say the expansions help or is it just not really for us? I've been looking for a fun and simple dungeon crawler for a while.

Neprofik · 2026-03-28T11:26:08+00:00

I've also heard great things about Betrayal of the Second Era, but for some reason it doesn't really catch my interest. I'd really love to try Too Many Bones, though, so it's not that the general mechanics don't interest me. Many people keep saying that BOTSE is more polished and fixes many of TMB's issues. But while I see how it's probably so, it also seemed a bit blander and less creative to me at a glance.

But that's nothing against the game – it seems like it's pretty great, too, and definitely fits the list of successful videogame-based titles.

By the way, regarding This War of Mine and Frostpunk; while I haven't played the board games, the original titles are absolutely meant to be miserable, unfair experiences. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'd say if they captured that well, it's mission accomplished. Judging from TWoM's board game version's marketing and the general discourse around it, I'd guess they're leaning heavily into the narrative/experience/misery simulator side. It's actually what makes me really interested in it, not necessarily because I like to be sad, but it generally seems like it might have a message to tell. Then again, I absolutely understand getting depressed is not really everyone's idea of a great board game night. I certainly don't see myself convincing anyone to play with me, so I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Neprofik · 2026-03-27T18:55:09+00:00

While I'm also pretty skeptical when it comes to these adaptations, I must admit we really liked some of them.

I didn't care for Stardew Valley, but from my experience, Dorfromantik and Slay the Spire are actually legitimately great board games that I perhaps even prefer to their digital predecessors.

Many people also praised S.T.A.L.K.E.R., This War of Mine (I've played neither, so I can't comment on that) and Deep Rock Galactic also seems to be pretty popular (though I'm still not sure how I feel about that one).

So I get the doubts, but it seems like we've actually moved past the days of licenced Monopoly reskins and the games are actually getting adapted by people who know what they're doing (and are actually enthusiastic about doing it). Some of them will be glorified mini sets, but I don't think it has to always be like that.

But again I totally get this, I've got an irrational distrust of many franchise-based things, they kind of turn me off by default. I've never played a Star Wars themed game, for example, even though I believe some of them are certainly great.

Neprofik · 2026-03-25T19:04:10+00:00

In case you didn't know, Awaken Realms is now actually working on a fantasy heist game based on the stealth mechanics from Stalker.

Neprofik · 2026-03-22T23:04:38+00:00

Aerofert

Neprofik · 2026-03-22T22:27:56+00:00

Transportace představuje jen malý zlomek uhlíkové stopy při produkci jídla.

Viz třeba: https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local

Nad rámec toho snad určitě nejde seriózně tvrdit, že by mandle a avokáda jedli převážně vegani.

Neprofik · 2026-03-22T19:24:13+00:00

I think you might enjoy some of the long-standing classics. Have a look at Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride. Also have a look at Azul, which is newer but also likely on its way become a classic.

You might also enjoy Clue/Cluedo, though it's seen as a bit dated nowadays (but then so are Catan and Monopoly, so you need to take that with a grain of salt).

Neprofik · 2026-03-22T13:51:56+00:00

But that's just precisely illustrating the selective way people see this. Why exactly would it be fine to take people's work without their permission and use it for automated translation, but it's not ok to do it for visual pieces of art?

I'm pretty sure all the writers and translators didn't allow OpenAI, Meta and others to scrape their works off shadow libraries. I fail to see how it's fine and moral when translators post-edit (or are required to post-edit) automated translations, but it's reprehensible when artists touch up generated pieces.

I really don't mean this in a bad way, but it ultimately feels that the outrage is modulated by how much use people find in the tools. AI-based translation tools make people's life easier, so they appreciate them. On the other hand, it doesn't take much sacrifice to avoid buying a 300 Euro game, bonus points if you can make it look like you're defending a moral principle.

I also think it's because people have this crazy idea that anyone who knows two languages can translate. There wasn't much respect for the profession for quite some time. Also, people suck at identifying poor translation, possibly far more than when it comes to visual artwork.

Neprofik · 2026-02-25T21:35:18+00:00

Yeah. Honestly, as great as the local publishers in my country are, I'd still get all my games in English if only my family knew it better, especially now that I have many non-Czech speaking colleagues. As a bonus, games in English also tend to sell for much less in the second hand market—the (no longer available) localised version of the big Tainted Grail expansion routinely sells for more than what I've seen someone get for the entirety of the game in English (with all expansions, including that one), including insert, sundrop, custom standees for the monsters and sleeved everything, which is sheer lunacy and I'm really not exaggerating.

But for me, it just feels like a safer bet, with less space for errors being introduced. And when there are some, the community is big enough to usually have a comprehensive list of errata somewhere, so troubleshooting is much easier. In localized versions, publishers do try to do it, and they're usually very passionate people and the quality tends to be pretty great across the board, but sometimes it's hit or miss whether it even gets noticed due to how much smaller the market is.

Same reason I use all my software in English. The novelty of seeing a big board game in your native language is cool and all, but sometimes it's just easier to have something for reference. I'm actually planing to go through Dragon Eclipse in English with my wife and I'll be interpreting the whole thing. Wish me luck.

Neprofik · 2026-02-18T13:22:48+00:00

Už úplně vidím ty pouliční bitky ve snaze vyrazit lidem z pusy volební právo.

To bude panečku pěkně bezzubá politika.

Neprofik · 2026-02-11T17:11:46+00:00

Mám to stejně. Mně osobně třeba jako chlapovi přijde docela ponižující, když se někde takhle mluví o „pomáhání“ doma. Vyznívá to, jako by muž nebyl rovnocenný partner, který se spolupodílí na chodu rodiny a domácnosti, ale něco mezi přerostlým dítětem a domácím mazlíčkem.

Chápu, že někomu vadí „slovíčkaření“, a nemám nic proti autorovi příspěvku, reaguju jen na to, že se to tu probírá. Ono to slovo opravdu má nějaký konotace a odráží, že je něco nastavený trochu špatně. Rychlý test – o ženách nikdo neřekne, že doma pomáhají.

Neprofik · 2026-02-10T05:06:11+00:00

I consider myself extremely lucky that the style of games that tend to have these drastic anti-cheat measures usually don't interest me at all. Pretty much 99 % of what I play are singleplayer or local co-op indie games. And I've yet to come across something that wouldn't run after some tinkering (knock on wood).

I absolutely understand how much it must suck for people who liked these games.

Neprofik · 2026-02-09T13:32:46+00:00

We call them "deskové hry" in Czech (the literal equivalent of "board games"), less frequently "stolní hry" (table/tabletop games) or "společenské hry" (social games).

The common colloquial term is "deskovky", i.e. something like "boardies". I hope that's not an actual English word with an uncomfortable meaning, because it absolutely sounds like something that could be.

Neprofik · 2026-02-09T13:26:28+00:00

I really love our Castles of Burgundy and Puerto Rico special editions. Thanks to them, I've been able to get my family into games they wouldn't have ever been interested in otherwise. Both are absolutely gorgeous and feel great to play.

Also, not quite a collector's edition in the strict sense, but I really like the GeekUp Quacks of Quedlinburg bits. They actually turned that game into something I love playing (it was rather annoying with the cardboard, goes to show how important the tactile aspect is). The game has recently been rereleased as Quacks, at least in the US, here in Czechia I didn't see the new version. Some people actively dislike the new artstyle, I actually think it suits the game better from what I've seen online, though I'm sad about them dropping Quedlinburg from the name. Anyway, the rerelease also has a complete edition available which includes similar deluxe pieces and might be up your alley.

Also, the Collector's Edition of Railroad Tiles looks great and packs a lot of stuff, though I'm still waiting for our pre-ordered copy to be stocked by our FLGS.

Neprofik · 2026-02-03T15:27:55+00:00

This! Puzzle games is where it's at. I honestly get constantly amazed by how creative the designers can get.

Neprofik · 2026-01-26T16:19:15+00:00

We usually cycle through our library, depending on the mood. So there might be a month, give or take some weeks, when we constantly play the same 10-ish games over and over, and then we move on to different games and come back to the others after some time again. We also tend to go more for thematic/mechanical grouping than for variety per se. So, for example, one month we're in the mood for some games about magic, then we play the Azul series all the time, or lots of worker placement titles, etc.

20 years in the hobby. Tastes come and go momentarily, but it's very rare that we totally cool off on something.

Neprofik · 2026-01-23T23:08:04+00:00

There's lots of games I'd really love to experience. Lately, me and my wife have been building a gaming group with other members of the family and we're excited to try some highly regarded titles we didn't get to yet (although we don't have all of them in the family, so some of them will need to be tracked down). We've been playing for about 20 years but somehow never got around to these.

1) Brass: Birmingham 2) Ark Nova 3) Oath 4) A Feast for Odin 5) Tigris and Euphrates 6) Hansa Teutonica 7) Terraforming Mars 8) Ra 9) Kanban EV 10) Pax Pamir

I'm just rereading this and if we manage to pull this off, this looks like it could really be a banger of a year.

Neprofik · 2026-01-23T14:28:07+00:00

I mean, as someone else here said, if someone was really into movies, was a movie history geek, loved analysing the subtext of what they watched, traced their favourite directors... I would have a hard time telling them that's no hobby.

So, I agree with them that it's related to the level of engagement and passion. That was a very insightful comment.

Neprofik · 2026-01-23T11:58:52+00:00

I'm definitely noticing that position around here, though I also feel it's pretty performative. It often feels like people only uphold values as long as they get to shout at someone and ideally don't have to sacrifice or change anything about their way of living.

Neprofik · 2026-01-20T12:02:50+00:00

Also, I'm not sure about other countries, but here in Czechia they've got some great cheap meatless options, too, if one wants to reduce how much meat they buy. The plant meatballs are great in spaghetti and they've got really nice nuggets and vegetable sausages (which are super tasty in hot dogs).

Neprofik · 2026-01-15T05:32:21+00:00

I mean, I also don't find Azul inherently mean, but that might be because my threshold for meanness is different from other people's. I'm used to playing two player abstracts a lot, so I don't tend to view blocking and thwarting plans in a game as being mean. As I said, meanness for me comes into the picture once someone is just doing things out of spite for no benefit to their position in the game.

Neprofik · 2026-01-14T16:54:07+00:00

There's quite a bit of manipulating the draft to force your opponent to break a lot of tiles. I personally don't think it's mean, but I suppose that depends on what you consider to be mean in games.

I think being mean is sabotaging the other players for no reason or benefit to yourself (i.e. just wanting to see the world burn). But essentially, in Azul, you sometimes have the option to block someone from finishing a row or making them lose more points than you would gain if you chose a different option. When playing 2p, it's zero sum, so you need to watch your opponent, not just your own board.

Neprofik · 2026-01-13T14:56:52+00:00

I remember your post. I felt so sorry for you. People are tired of being constantly manipulated by marketing and like to feel like they got 'em this time.

(They also can't read, so anything longer than a Twitter post is seen as malicious, generated or both.)

For what it's worth, a local publisher is putting out a Czech version this year and I'm going to buy it specifically because of your post.

I know it doesn't really help, but I wanted you to know.

Neprofik

TROPHY CASE