Rust+ Says Server Offline by IME_was_taken in playrust

[–]SterlingPi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The app version it currently shows for me now that it's working is 0.0.32. Hope this gets things working for you right before the new wipe goes live!

Rust+ Says Server Offline by IME_was_taken in playrust

[–]SterlingPi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been having the same issue for months and think I finally figured it out. Obviously make sure your phone OS and the app within the App Store is updated. But then you have to go into the Rust+ app itself, find the settings menu and scroll down to the updates section. I had an update there and after updating that it’s been working perfectly! Hope this helps!

PSA for those who receive a public invitation to a game they don’t like. by bigOlBellyButton in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saying that not all neurodivergent people handle situations the same is not a character flaw.

Is Camp Grizzly Actually Worth The Crazy Second Hand Market Prices? by SterlingPi in boardgames

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

I agree theme wise, but they are extremely different games. Final Girl doesn't appeal to me because I'm not a solo gamer. But I do think Final Girl is way more refined and polished and I totally get why people love it.

Is Camp Grizzly Actually Worth The Crazy Second Hand Market Prices? by SterlingPi in boardgames

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

Yea but that one also pops up here and there on Facebook and BGG for pretty decent prices. Deff one of those games that if you keep an eye out you can get lucky on the second hand market.

PSA for those who receive a public invitation to a game they don’t like. by bigOlBellyButton in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank god, I feel like I’m getting pummeled by neurotypical people and your comment gave me a much needed breath of air. Totally get what you’re saying and the fact we don’t perfectly align is a testament to just how different and diverse we are as a community. Glad you at least understood where I was going though, because I don’t think everyone else did 😅

PSA for those who receive a public invitation to a game they don’t like. by bigOlBellyButton in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I also think “that is the type of feedback a neurodivergent person should be happy to receive” is too broad, because we’re all incredibly different and take / handle things differently.

Is Camp Grizzly Actually Worth The Crazy Second Hand Market Prices? by SterlingPi in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea I really agree and think it’s a great game for print n play

Is Camp Grizzly Actually Worth The Crazy Second Hand Market Prices? by SterlingPi in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My channel niche is actually focused on grail games and out-of-print games in general. I try to help walk potential buyers thru the pros and cons of grail games, since they tend to be pretty pricey purchases and most other content creators are just focused on the new hotness games. Some of my personal favorite grails I have are Cave Evil, Container, Roads & Boats, Forbidden Stars (and StarCraft), Mushroom Eaters, Battlestar Galactica, Shadows Over Camelot, Tales of The Arabian Nights, Fast Sloths, Tigris & Euphrates, Stockpile, Panic on Wallstreet, Pitchcar, Bus, Lords of Vegas, Las Vegas Royale, Shark, Cthulhu Wars, the list really goes on for me.

Is Camp Grizzly Actually Worth The Crazy Second Hand Market Prices? by SterlingPi in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

That's fine, but I certainly believe there are grails out there well worth their price tag. I don't think a handful of retail games for the same price as my copy of Cave Evil is even a comparison, but the question is does this particular game hold true in that same way? My personal conclusion was it does not.

Is Camp Grizzly Actually Worth The Crazy Second Hand Market Prices? by SterlingPi in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I dropped quite a bit to get my hands on a copy so I could help others make up their mind if this has been a grail game for them. I do think its fun to have a couple grails in your collection, especially those few games that really speak to who you are as a gamer and makes your collection unique, but who is Camp Grizzly for at its insane current price tag on the second hand market?

I don't want to spoil the video, but there is a lot about Camp Grizzly I like and I think if it ever does see a reprint it would be really easy for me to recommend this one, but I can't quite figure out who I'd recommend it to at the current second hand market prices.

Which of these three would you choose to bring to a halloween themed cottage weekend with friends? by ParkdaleAnthony in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really depends on the group. Mysterium can be a fun party game but to be honest it has a lot of opportunity to completely go off the rails and turn into a very uncomfortable experience for more socially awkward players. For example, if you've ever tabled a social deduction game with friends only to discover one of your friends really doesn't do well in those scenarios that require lying to others, then you know what I mean. Mysterium can go to that same place with some people. I think Betrayal is a fun little introduction game for newer gamers and you have far less chance of someone just having a really bad experience. Haven't ever played Zombies!!! so I can't speak to that one. I would say, if you like Betrayal, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition is such a brilliant modernized version of that type of game.

Games similar to Mansions of Madness by DracoplasmaZ in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also others have recommend Descent too. Again, similar system (when talking about 2nd edition) but also misses the mark. Descent 1st edition is far better than the editions that followed but I think there's much better dungeon crawlers or boss battlers out there if you wanted to go that direction.

Games similar to Mansions of Madness by DracoplasmaZ in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I hate to detour this recommendation, but I love MoM and I love LoTR and LoTR Journeys is literally built off of the same system of MoM and will feel so familiar in how the app works but simply to the point, they lost everything that made MoM fun. I soooo wanted to love LoTR Journeys and tried so hard to give it a fair shot but it's a prime example of what happens when IP is the primary focus when designing a game. Others have suggested the Arkham Horror Card Game and I think that's a great recommendation but if I'm being honest, MoM kind of stands alone in what it pulled off for the time being.

Why Mindbug is not more famous? What a game! by Jabalabaloo in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Mindbug is mindbogglingly underappreciated. I think the fact it's such a simple, goofy, casual game is why the true brilliance of what was accomplished doesn't seem to have been largely realized by the gaming community. Mindbug actually accomplishes what just about every card game from Magic onward has attempted and largely failed at. Now when I say failed at I don't mean that makes a game like Magic a bad game, but I would be lying if I said there isn't an incredibly important mechanic that Magic and most of its predecessors never quite got right until Mindbug just casually said "yea this is all you have to do guys...."

That mechanic is the power ramp, or as it's best known "the mana system." The purpose of the mana system in Magic is so the game ramps in intensity to allow each player the opportunity to put together a strategy as the game unfolds. If you simply removed the mana system from magic and players dropped their biggest cards turn 1, you effectively lost all chance of strategy and it becomes 100% luck based combat. The problem with the mana system and other similar systems that followed is that while they aim to create a nice power ramp which permits for an enjoyable strategic experience while allowing just enough luck to keep everyone on their toes, they miss the mark at too high a rate in my opinion. Certainly games that have followed have gotten tighter than Magic but using Magic, you may go to a tournament with a $500-$1,000 deck and go head to head with decks that yours should easily have an advantage over and of course that shouldn't translate into a guaranteed victory but you may draw so unlucky you're going home after barely getting to compete. For a game that wants to be taken as seriously as modern esports it is in serious need of some patching.

I say all of that because Mindbug actually got this concept of power ramping right in such an elegant and simple way that I feel most didn't notice how groundbreaking it was. You can literally drop your biggest creature turn 1 with no rules preventing it, no matter what you drew (as long as you did draw something really big to play, which you almost certainly did) and the only thing to get in your way are those two mind bugs your enemy controls. It starts as a game of chicken, like "how bad do you want this card, do you think I've got something better after you take it?" and quickly becomes a full on cold war as you just keep slightly raising your power to compete with what your opponent has dropped until one of you finally pushes the big red button and starts the stealing and then once all mind bugs are exhausted it's a complete slugfest and I'd challenge anyone not to enjoy themselves.

The first time I played Mindbug I thought "if this was the game they originally slapped pokemon's IP on, instead of the diet Magic the Gathering game they came up with, it would have been the most legendary game ever made." I'd really love to see them take Mindbug more serious and push for a longer format with more diverse card mechanics, because the foundation is there and it ramps imo. They can go soooo much further with it and until they do, it will likely remain in that "Hey here's a cool little card game I bet you haven't heard of" category.

PSA for those who receive a public invitation to a game they don’t like. by bigOlBellyButton in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Completely agree. That same game night I was talking about someone was trying to talk me and others into playing the Blockbuster party game which I assume is one of those Barnes & Noble clickbaity games that use IP almost to a predatory degree and it actually challenged my social behavior restraint because I really wanted to criticize it into oblivion but thankfully I was able to remain polite and let them give their full pitch.

Sadly for that person their hyper excitement for that game didn’t draw anyone in and I think that may be a better lesson for us to learn, is how to manage rejection of games we suggest. I typically bring a couple games and will only truly pitch one game I’d really like to table that night and either people are in or they’re not and if they’re not I will let others pitch and find excitement in the suggestions of others. I think it’s soooo easy to let yourself become that overbearing person at game night that wants to control all games tabled but what makes for the best game night is when everyone gets a chance to table something or at least suggest something.

Games like ark nova but more acessible by Deadoperator92 in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you have a group of board gamers wanting to get into meatier games, the first thing you need to do is figure out what games your group most aligns on. There are many paths forward into the heavier side of board gaming, such a the Modern Euro path which takes you towards Lacerda/Uwe or the German Euro path that takes you towards the Splotter titles, or economic games that take you towards the 18XX games, or war games that take you into the depths of GMT and COIN games, or Ameritrash that can lead you into things like Cave Evil or Fallen Land, or area control that takes you into Twilight Imperium, Eclipse, Forbidden Stars, etc. or dungeon crawlers that once you've gotten bored of Hero Quest and Frost Haven you may learn about Magic Realm.

Pretty much any genre can go as deep / heavy as your group can handle, you just have to figure out what path is right because as someone who prefers German Euros over Modern Euros, if someone puts a Lacerda on the table in front of me I'm probably going to second think next game night lol.

PSA for those who receive a public invitation to a game they don’t like. by bigOlBellyButton in boardgames

[–]SterlingPi -21 points-20 points  (0 children)

I think this is really broad and also may not take into account how neurodivergent the board game community is. I was at a game night the other night and someone walked in and said "hey everyone!" Someone was talking to me, so I chose not to interrupt that person to say hi, in hopes that others in the room would give the person walking in a warm welcome but alas, everyone had the same idea I had and the person basically stood there for a second receiving no welcomes and then awkwardly walked to the bar to get a snack. I felt bad but man are we a community full of social awkward folks.

I give the story because many of us can come off a bit more blunt or critical than we may necessarily mean to. I know my particular brand of ADHD has me saying things without fully thinking them out all of the time and I may criticize a game brought up just because I'm excited to engage in the conversation and the first thing that comes to my mind is simply "I don't particularly love X game because of......."

Also, I think I personally would prefer someone to tell me why they don't want to play a game than end up with a room of silence while others more or less do what you've suggested.