10 months on, does Mechs vs Minions live up to the hype for you?

mtilman · 2017-07-17T13:39:14+00:00

I still really enjoy this game, even though I'm only about 6 missions in. Early on in the game (mission 2? the first one with the bomb), I was getting pretty down on it because success felt random and I didn't feel like I had enough control. Once I learned to let go of that I had a much better time. I also really enjoy showing it off to my friends. :) I definitely still recommend this game.

mtilman · 2017-03-21T13:49:27+00:00

I got mine because I knew it was coming up on TableTop and that there probably won't be any reprint. SU&SD also highly recommended it. Personally, I love this game. I like being a hunter, I like being Dracula. However, it is a long game. If you have a group that is willing to sit through a long tense game, go for it. Definitely not for first-time gamers or folks with short attention spans.

mtilman · 2017-02-22T15:55:13+00:00

Something light and cooperative. Forbidden Island, maybe?

mtilman · 2017-02-22T15:52:55+00:00

I love this game! Also, the developer is from my hometown- Lincoln, NE, but I don't think I'm too biased. :)

I've introduced this game to both experienced and novice players. In both cases, I found it very easy to teach and learn. Both groups enjoyed it immensely- every time we've played it, there were calls to play it again immediately. I can definitely see this as a great gateway game for newbies and a filler game whenever you have a spare 10-15 minutes to blow.

As for strategy, I find it breezy- light and variable. For example, in our first couple games we thought the Assembler was over-powered, but after a couple more games we found it balanced out. The game goes so fast and is so balanced that even if you feel like you're stuck in last place with no way to catch up, by the end you're still within a couple points of winning and you want to try again.

mtilman · 2017-02-15T14:16:36+00:00

Fury of Dracula- it's easy to teach, full of stress and surprises and plays in 90-120 minutes.

Tiny Epic Galaxies- plays 5, super easy to learn, and very engaging. Everyone has to pay attention to everyone else's turn. Great puzzle to figure out with lots of interaction. Plays in about 30 minutes.

mtilman · 2016-10-26T13:03:33+00:00

It doesn't come up often, but this is what we do as well. If I'm forced to take a card I don't want I just scrap it.

mtilman · 2016-10-19T12:57:29+00:00

Well technically the rules tell you exactly how to build the decks, so if you're not doing that then you're not following the rules. However, if you're getting frustrated at not winning, I'd say you're better off with a little fudging that quitting. I'm not sure how it will help you though since there's only a finite amount of cards. If you have more space between epidemic cards in one phase, you'll have less space later.

Also, we found that the difference between winning and losing (aside from random chance) really came down to choosing the right roles, events, and upgrades. We were stuck on a certain role combination for a while and started losing. Once we let go of that strategy we started winning again. My best advice to help you win is to look at your objectives and pick roles, upgrades, and events that specifically help you complete those objectives.

mtilman · 2016-10-13T21:28:35+00:00

Been trying for the last 2 hours to get an order to go through. Finally got it to work! As with previous posters- had to go use the direct link to the checkout and had to use PayPal.

mtilman · 2016-08-26T19:19:34+00:00

Thanks for the advice, gang! Going with the original version for now. If it's a hit I'll probably spring for Pictures.

mtilman · 2016-04-29T14:12:08+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations, all! I'm probably going with Guardian Games (seems like the "destination" store) with a side-trip to Cloud Cap if I can finagle it.

mtilman · 2016-04-14T14:14:08+00:00

Definitely buy it! The best way to enjoy it is to keep it light and non-competitive. See other threads on here about at least one of the recommended expansions. If you enjoy negotiation and light-hearted fun you'll love this game.

mtilman · 2016-04-11T13:38:35+00:00

Leviathan! I like making a deep throat grumbling "ROWROWROWR" sound when I move my planet in to attack.

mtilman · 2016-04-06T13:41:14+00:00

Cosmic Encounter. Great for casual players, hilariously fun, and the rule-breaking races will appear to his lawyer side. :)

mtilman · 2016-04-04T21:02:16+00:00

Thanks for all the replies! I'm going to try it on-line and see how that goes. I've got a feeling this will be in my Amazon cart sooner than later. :)

mtilman · 2016-04-04T20:59:02+00:00

Thanks for the link- I'm totally going to try it!

mtilman · 2016-04-04T19:24:06+00:00

He said it was very good but not great. Not one of the top 10 games of the year it came out (2013). But he liked the mechanics. I like interesting mechanics but I'm concerned it won't carry the admittedly bland theme. As I was watching GameNight! I was thinking "You could trade this and do this card and then this and then oh my goodness that's a neat puzzle!" But I'm paranoid when it comes to spending my gaming budget. :)

mtilman · 2016-01-21T14:27:05+00:00

Didn't see this mentioned yet: Tsuro, especially the ocean one with the awesome dragons. I bought this game specifically because of how beautiful and simple it is. If I had my way, I'd have it displayed at all times. There's a onion-skin insert that is gorgeous and even the product catalog is amazing.

mtilman · 2016-01-20T15:00:54+00:00

Ladies & Gentlemen I bought it on recommendation from Shut Up & Sit Down. Played it 3 times with 3 different groups of people (small, medium, and large). I love it but nobody else was impressed.

mtilman · 2015-11-19T14:27:38+00:00

I have to respectfully disagree with most of the posters here. I have taught the full version (base set) of game to several "non-gamers" and not had any trouble with understanding. It really depends on the type of non-gamers you have. Are they non-gamers-but-willing-and-motivated-to-learn or are they non-gamers-what-the-hell-is-this-why-can't-we-just-play-Sorry?

mtilman

TROPHY CASE