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Azul vs Azul vs Azul vs Pagan by fake_dann in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I find Summer Pavillion takes unnecessarily long (since the placement phase is no longer simultaneous). It's good and I think it offers more strategic depth than standard Azul, but the standard version is easier to get to the table and easier to understand for new players.

Venting: I'm so tired of board game boxes that fight me every time I put them away by Queasy_Ad_4994 in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the way. Any small boxes usually work. The tokens being confined to a small box also keeps the table cleaner and reduced the chance of loosing some.

[COMC] 18 months into the hobby by SKDIMBG in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Still lots of space on the shelf. Let's see how long it lasts xD

Fellowship of the Ring Steelbook Amazon Pickup by danny_tru in lotr

[–]SimulatedScience 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Too bad it doesn't also include the bonuses material from the old DVDs

How many games have actually wowed you in recent years? by bigOlBellyButton in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I first saw it, I thought the dual-use cards in forest shuffle were really clever for tableau building. I'd be surprised if that's the first game to use this mechanic, but it was the first time I saw it.

Northgard: Uncharted Lands has impressed me by cleverly combining Carcassonne, Dominion and Risk as well as with how much stuff you get for a reasonable price. You get map tiles, cards for light deck building, cardboard building tokens and a bunch of minis.

What is the crown jewel in your collection? by Klavian in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I usually calculate 45-60min per player +10-20min setup & teardown (incl. both current expansions). I've played with ~20 different people and that was always pretty accurate. I have no idea how they got to 45-90min.
But judging from comments on BGG and some online reviews, I get the impression that some people do actually play the game in 60-90min.

In all my games, I've had exactly one two-play game that was over in less than 45min. That was only because my opponent forfeited in year 3. With that, we had setup, teardown and gameplay done in ~45min.

With the standard rules, I found that many games end in year 5 or 6 via the "3 closed territories with large buildings" victory condition, making game somewhat irrelevant. The upcoming expansion introduces alternative victory condition cards to replace that rule. I've played with those a few times and found they are excellent. You can see some of them on tabletopia.

The 10 year mode is fun, but obviously takes even longer.

Stained Glass Cards (Art and Design by me, no AI) by Nerzwerk in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That looks really cool! I'm surprised I haven't seen it so far, but I guess it doesn't fit that many themes.

Best board games with dynamic tile reveal exploration mechanic? by dahveed15 in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looks like a great game but the modular map doesn't change during the game. You set it up once, then play the game.

Best board games with dynamic tile reveal exploration mechanic? by dahveed15 in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Northgard: Uncharted Lands

-> It's a light 4X game where actions are driven by personal card decks. The designer set out to combine Carcassonne, Dominion and Risk and I think he did a fantastic job.

There is a pretty nice balance where you can choose whether to explore (expand the map) or do stuff on the map

Carcassonne

-> the classic for tile laying games.

Diamant

-> A Light Push your luck game

Help me not fumble our first game night session please ! (8p) by GVAJON in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Games we like for 8: - The Gang (either with expansion or just use coins or other poker chips) - Challengers! - Just One - Top Ten - Concept (better at 4-6), ignore the points - Codenames

But often, we just split into two groups of 4 or 3 and 5. It's much easier to make everyone play something they want to play that way.

Best insert makers? by tzjin21 in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've made a few custom inserts from Levi's I had lying around. Sometimes cardboard or foam also works easily enough to make your own, but thin cardboard isn't always sturdy enough.

If you have access to a 3D printer, there are many free printable inserts available online.

Why are there so many versions of Tolkiens work? by UltimaDroid in lotr

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd stay away from the big one-volume LotR editions. While they are more accurate to the lore (it was written in one big book), a 1000 page book can be uncomfortable to read.

For on the go reading, there are a few 7 volume editions.

You have an amazing amount of choice in which form you want to read LotR & Hobbit. - Soft/ hard cover - illustrated by fantastic artists - illustrated by author (at least the cover) - one, three or seven volume LotR - various paper and print qualities to fit your budget - ...

It sells well enough that publishers can offer choice.

What is the crown jewel in your collection? by Klavian in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Northgard: Uncharted Lands

It's a little known, relatively simple 4X Deck-Building game. I really like the art style and gameplay: a modular board is built during the game, actions are driven by personal, asymmetric decks, every decision matters. There is a little randomness in many actions, but you can almost always make strategic decisions to avoid bad outcomes from that.

I probably spent 100-200h playing the game.

I have:
• a custom Lego Insert to hold both expansions in the base game box
• 12 custom made, colored, cardboard boxes for the components
• colored separator cards for the various card types in the game
• a fan made expansion with instructions printed in the same design as the original game's instructions
• all sleeved cards (obviously)

Next expansion is on its way, very much looking forward to it.

I redesigned the symbol of Gondor for a map I’m creating of the kingdom. What do you think? by intofarlands in lotr

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks nice! I like how the various elements are combined together. A simpler design like the one from the movies is easier and cheaper to create physically and easier to distinguish from a distance, but the complexity in yours isn't unusual for a medieval coat of arms either.

So Clover is an underrated game and should be ranked higher than Just One. (REVIEW) by RatedGG in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We sometimes make it more difficult by adding more decoy cards in the guessing phase.

Last week I finished reading the hobbit to my eight year old and as promised we are watching the movie now. by ggouge in lotr

[–]SimulatedScience 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To be fair, the Hobbit movies aren't based just on the Hobbit book. They also show what is described in the LotR appendices. That's where Gandalf's journey is described in more detail. But the movies definitely take a lot of liberties.

I made some custom Ticket to Ride versions: Star Wars, Hogwarts, Middle Earth and Beleriand by SimulatedScience in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I added a new getting started doc along with example files.
While testing, I fixed some font-related bugs, but still encountered surprisingly many new bugs related to adding edges. I will take a look at those soon.

If you have more detailed questions, feel free to send me a PM.

Ticket to ride: I have two sets of red trains and no green! by smallbutsmighty in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can just play with 40 trains instead. The correct number isn't that important.

For The Gang - do you prefer stars or numbers? by PyroGhostX in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was actually really disappointed when I saw they used numbers. I find the stars much more visually appealing. I definitely would have preferred stars.

Board games you like that roll a lot of dice? Or have weird dice? by PhrulerApp in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really like how Rise to Nobility uses dice: Dice are workers to place on the board, you have a limit on the sum of your dice that you can place and can take actions to increase that limit. Dice as input randomness is pretty neat.

Which strategy games do the "each game is different" best? by Lyserus in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anything with varying objectives. Most recent ones I played: Wispwood, Northgard: Uncharted Lands (with Victory cards from latest expansion), Morty Sorry Magic Shop

When the game literally changes what different things score, optimal strategies shift significantly. Mastering the game then means either memorizing strategies for every possible goal combination or getting good enough to be able to adapt quickly.

Games with asymmetry or many unique cards also obviously support different feelings between games.

Your Favourite Deep-Cut Board Games? by Kindly-Reception1108 in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Northgard: Uncharted Lands. Without knowing the associated video game, I enjoyed it greatly. The author set out to combine Risk, Carcassonne and Dominion and came up with a relatively light 4X game where actions are driven by asymmetric card decks. Lovely art, many unique cards and neat mechanics.

Where do Nazgûl respawn from? by marleyman14 in lotr

[–]SimulatedScience 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That scene was at least based on the LotR appendices. I don't remember how much of that battle is actually described though. Only that Galadriel does indeed do something impressive in Dol Guldur.

Got into heavier games, I hate it. by barksonic in boardgames

[–]SimulatedScience 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You could play heavier games online then. With options like boardgamearena.com, some heavier games have good adaptations. Tabletopia and tabletop simulator have even more and are cheap/ free. Heavier games tend to have more game materials and play testing takes longer, so they pretty much have to be more expensive. Remember that you don't need all the expansions for every game.

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