What are the great "themed" games?
red...@ciso.com
to having weak themes. I assume this to mean that the asthetic quality
of the game deals little with the actual game mechanics. One such game
that I have heard this about is Ra; that it's just a bidding game and
any theme other than ancient Egypt could have been slapped on there and
it would still be the same game.
So, with all the complaining that I have seen about different games,
what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
Thanks,
Jon
Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/
Steffan O'Sullivan
>what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
Games that can "transport" me, at least for a while, out of my
mundane world and make me feel, at least a bit, as if I'm involved
in the theme of the game include many RPGs, wargames, miniatures
games, and race games. To a greater or lesser extent, I find the
following to be fairly well themed, usually (alphabetically):
A la Carte - well, it feels like *my* cooking
American Megafauna
Awful Green Things
Basari - if you get into the trading
Clash of the Lightsabers
Deep Space Navigator
Dinosaurs of the Lost World
En Garde - really has a fencing back-and-forth, distance-is-everything
feel
Groo - feels very much like the comic!
Halali (Not the Kosmos game)
Honeybears makes me feel like I'm in a cartoon.
Igel Aergern
Kersplatt
Lord of the Rings - evokes Middle Earth to me.
Orcs at the Gates - feels like the KoDT comic book!
Pursue the Pennant
Quacksalbe - (well, I had a doctor like that once ...)
Showmanager
Star Traders
Super Giant Monster Showdown
Swashbuckler - feels like the movies!
Tikal
Total Attack Soccer
Trade Winds
Ursuppe
Wiz War - it really feels like dueling wizards to me.
--
Steffan O'Sullivan gr...@groo.com Plymouth, NH, USA
------------------------ http://www.io.com/~sos -----------------------
"All history is made up. Good history is made up by good historians;
bad history is made up by the others." -David Macaulay
David Vander Ark
red...@ciso.com wrote:
> [snip]
> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
> I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jon
Most, if not all, auto racing games are strongly themed. By this I mean
that the mechanics of the game are clearly intended to simulate various
aspects of an actual auto race. The current discussion of Formula De
and the Stock Car Card Game Whose Name Escapes Me is in part an exmaple
of the different levels of theme found in those games.
I find many war games strongly themed, even though they are "just" chess
with extra rules. Perhaps the theme is just a figment of my
imagination. Examples include games like Afrika Korps, Stalingrad, and
the like. These games include terrain rules, weather rules, etc., which
attempt to closely simulate the actual battle being presented in the
game. (You can get extreme and turn the game into nothing more than
dice rolls which kill the theme IMO, see Tobruk ASL, etc).
Of the "German" Style games, theme is usually harder to feel through
game mechainics. Perhaps Robo Rally would fit as strongly themed, since
the idea is a simulation of progamming robots with small memory banks,
and the mechanics of the game involve acutally programming a small
number of moves into your robot. Beyond that, I can't off the top of my
head think of a stongly themed German game. Some may suggest Lord of
the Rings, however I have yet to play the game so I can't give an
opinion there.
I happen to feel that even a thinly pasted on theme can sometimes "work"
and provide a sense of atmosphere and theme to an otherwise abstract
game. This I guess means that sometimes "theme" becomes a subjective
acceptance of whatever the designer/publisher has decided is the theme
of the game. An example here is Knizia's Samurai. The geopgraphy of
Japan becomes a strategy element in the play of the game, because of the
narrow amounts of land and the ability to create isolated cities.
Additionally, the graphic presentation of the game, with its "oriental"
art, little "oriental" screens, and even the figurines, is all
consistent with the theme of the game. It's not strong, but it works
for me on some level.
Anyway, that's a few thoughts off the top of my head. Interesting
topic!
David
jcb...@my-deja.com
vodka to salute a successful wave. -- Jeff B.
Pat Douglas
> red...@ciso.com wrote:
>
> So, with all the complaining that I have seen about different games,
> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
> I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
Republic of Rome. The whole Roman Senate/Oratory thing is most
excellent...
Pat Douglas
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and
human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
Albert Einstein
Jim
<red...@ciso.com> wrote in message news:93fka7$1qb$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Jud Cohan
Republic of Rome. While we've only managed to play it a few times,
our Senatorial sessions have been a total hoot, with plenty of
role-playing involved.
--
"I've got a head full of useless minutiae and I'm not afraid to use it."
robd...@my-deja.com
> So, with all the complaining that I have seen about different games,
> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
> I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
Awful Green Things from Outer Space
Albion
They've Invaded Pleasantville
Dragon Pass
Fellowship of the Ring
Kingmaker
Hannibal
Settlers of Catan
Serenissima
Euphrates & Tigris
Merchants of Amsterdam
Lord of the Rings
Bagheera
> So, with all the complaining that I have seen about different games,
> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
> I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
King Oil
Talisman (though it could have been better...)
HellRail
Das Kollier (though I thought it stopped short of being great,
having to grade the gems would have added alot!)
Family Business
Die Macher
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Queens Gambit
Escape from Atlantis
Lunch Money
(90% of all wargames/miniature games)
Honorable mentions:
Arkham Horror
Magic Realm
Monopoly (yes, I still hate this game... if you could control the
resale of property, this game would go on the main list)
Dark Tower
Executive Decision
--
Bagherra <bagh...@my-deja.com>
http://www.frenzy.com/~jaebear
"You can't run from trouble, there ain't no place far enough."
Blackberry
>>
>> So, with all the complaining that I have seen about different games,
>> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
>> I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
Survive!
Kingmaker
Star Fleet Battles
Devil Bunny Needs a Ham
--------------------
"It's enough to make you wonder sometimes if you're on the right planet."
-- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Brian -- le...@NOnwlinkSPAM.com -- remove "NOSPAM"
kaseylee
follows;
Chinatown - with all the deal-making, it really feels like an insular little
community like Chinatown.
Die Kaufleute von Amsterdam - a Dutch auction game set in Amsterdam? how
brilliant is that? The game feels like players are trying to acheive
dominance in world trade.
Die Siedler von Nurnberg - again, a game that has to do with trade using a
location famous for that very thing. Fierce competition seems exactly right
here.
Pit - okay, maybe this is a silly choice, but have you ever seen a real
commodities exchange??? Those people are insane!
Robo Rally - for the same reasons mentioned in another post, which I agree
with wholeheartedly
Randy
Anthony C Kam
realize many people disagree, but here are my reasons.
to me, a theme does not necessarily mean the mechanics cannot be
abstract. i would agree that E&T is very abstract, but there are some
E&T games in which i do feel the rise and fall of civilizations, great
kingdoms clashing with each other, etc.. one of my most memorable
gaming experience happens in an E&T game in which my 4-leader kingdom
attacked another player's 4-leader kingdom via external conflict, and i
decimated her kingdom, killing 3 leaders, shattering her kingdom,
leaving a lone monument and her last leader hiding away in a corner with
a few broken tiles. in my minds eye i can see a lone monument,
overgrown with moss, sitting in the setting sun. to me, that was a very
thematic moment. (of course, not every E&T game has a moment like
that.)
similarly, in Modern Art, i often find i have to be a shrewd investor,
time the market right, using my oratory skill to peddle my paintings,
etc.. all the time i keep in my mind the following mantra which i read
somewhere "modern art has no intrinsic value; it is worth as much as the
market thinks it is worth at that moment". in real-life, i have no
dealing with modern art paintings, but i imagine a modern art dealer has
to think like that also. so once again, although the mechanics is not a
simulation, i imagine that the mental aspects are similar and so to me
the game is very evocative of its theme.
in contrast, i dont find the following games thematic at all: Ra,
Wildlife Adventure, Citadels, Taj Mahal, DdW, Samurai, CE, etc.
antkam
Michael Shuck
like El Presidente. Trying to appease the influential powers to get my
budget passed. Stealing money and squirreling it away in my swiss bank
account. Trying to surive the next coup. Despite the length of the game (a
bit too long), the theme was great.
Battle Cry - A pseudo war game that feels like the civil war.
Dune - I haven't played this game in a lot of years, but I was definitely
into it as a teenager. I recall not wanting to play the Harkonnens because
I hated them so much in the book. Even though the game isn't a perfect
representation of Frank Herbert's masterpiece, it is a pretty good
representation with a great theme.
Mississippi Queen - Surprisingly, I find the theme pretty good on this one.
Dashing along the river, unsure of the next turn and when you might run
aground. Hmm... it's starting to sound like some of the boating trips with
my dad.
Jeff Spencer
XXXenophile!
Jeff Spencer
"There's nothing like siege guns to brighten one's day."
Blackberry
cabinet open, I can expand my list.
Ace of Aces - from what I know of WWI dogfighting, it was a lot of chasing each
other around and around until someone got unlucky and ended up in someone else's
gun sights. Ace of Aces captures this perfectly. :)
Nuclear War - it would be really hard to separate the mechanics from the game
and make them into anything meaningful. You probably *could*...
Cosmic Encounter - Sure, you could set it in any genre, but it would probably
just seem silly and contrived. With the space aliens, it's perfect.
Robo-Rally - being a programmer... yes.
Monsters Ravage America - captures the theme quite well of barely effective
military and giant monsters stomping the countryside.
Huw Morris
> Monsters Ravage America - captures the theme quite well of barely effective
> military and giant monsters stomping the countryside.
I've never played this game...but quite frankly, I'd be content to sit
back and let them get on with it!
Huw
Derek Carver
But, then again, maybe I'm biassed!
Derek Carver
Chris Bowyer
where the theme adds the atmosphere and colour that makes the game
enjoyable. RPGs and most war games are different in that the game
mechanics attempt to simulate of some real or imaginary world, and you
should be able to decide what to do by reference to the behaviour of
that world rather than analysis of the rules. Indeed if the rules give
an unrealistic result, you may decide that they are wrong.
I was amused that someone mentioned Settlers... I have a version of
this published as a special by Glen Grant... we call it the whiskey
game, in which you build distilleries and warehouses... the commodities
and terrain types are different, the motives are different (it's
business, not colonisation) but it's the same game, and works just as
well, if not better.
In article <3A5B6A65...@usxchange.net>,
Justin Berman
> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
> I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
>
There are many that fit this category for me. However, when I read this
message, one popped into my head almost immediately: Silberzwerg
Of course, being a "newer" game this is played more frequently these
days in our group, and is on the top of my current play list.
With the personal bags of colored gems, I can't help but feel like a
greedy little dwarf wanting to corner the market on all the gems I need
to win.
Justin
----------
Justin B. Berman, Ph.D.
Chambana Board Gamers: http://sheridan.ncsa.uiuc.edu/gamer_page/
Sir Loin o' Beef
Avalon Hill's, GUNSLINGER. This game is a lot of fun and, for an AH
game, it plays fairly quickly FTF. We currently play via email at The
Gunslinger Saloon: http://www.delphi.com/ahgunslinger
If piracy is your thing, then AH's BLACKBEARD is a lot of fun. The are
a lot of rules, some you have to even disregard, but once you get past
them, the game rocks. There no better fun than attacking rich
undefended merchants or sacking the small, out of the way ports. If you
play with a bottle of rhum near at hand or even beer in a clay mug, it
just keeps getting better and better!
--
Sir Loin o' Beef
Games Pirates Play: http://www.delphi.com/pirategames
The Gunslinger Saloon: http://www.delphi.com/ahgunslinger
Bagheera
Blood Royale is a bookkeeping game and nothing more.
IT SUCKS ASS.
(BTW, did you know the game can be won in five turns?)
--
Bagherra <bagh...@my-deja.com>
http://www.frenzy.com/~jaebear
"You can't run from trouble, there ain't no place far enough."
Richard Dewsbery
<Bagheera>; the jungle scout <bagh...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:93i7qj$5m6$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> In article <20010110052910...@ng-fa1.aol.com>,
> dere...@aol.com (Derek Carver) wrote:
> > Surely one of the most faithfully 'themed' games must be BLOOD ROYAL.
> >
> > But, then again, maybe I'm biassed!
> >
> > Derek Carver
>
> Blood Royale is a bookkeeping game and nothing more.
> IT SUCKS ASS.
>
> (BTW, did you know the game can be won in five turns?)
Beg to differ. For atmosphere it is incredible. Does 18xx give anyone the
impression that they're running a railroad? Not relly. But in BR, you
really are in charge of a Royal House of Europe. Book-keeping? Yes, some.
Much less than any RPG, or an 18xx. It's a "Diplomacy" style game where you
can go it alone for a short while, but I challenge the 5 turn win against
even partly-experienced opponents. One of the all-time great long games.
Richard
Steffan O'Sullivan
> dere...@aol.com (Derek Carver) wrote:
>> Surely one of the most faithfully 'themed' games must be BLOOD ROYAL.
>
>IT SUCKS ASS.
Oof - nice way to talk to the game designer. I hope you never see
one of my books.
Dave Boyd
<93i7qj$5m6$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>:
>In article <20010110052910...@ng-fa1.aol.com>,
> dere...@aol.com (Derek Carver) wrote:
>> Surely one of the most faithfully 'themed' games must be BLOOD ROYAL.
>>
>> But, then again, maybe I'm biassed!
>>
>> Derek Carver
>
>Blood Royale is a bookkeeping game and nothing more.
>IT SUCKS ASS.
I hope you aren't this cruel to the designers who enter your contest,
Bagheera... but I guess on Usenet this qualifies as "mild criticism".
--
Dave Boyd
Cosmic Encounter: the best game ever
Tom Alaerts
> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
The "card-engine" games such as Hannibal, We the people (both by the "old"
Avalon Hill but you can still find them here and there) and Paths of Glory
(by GMT Games, to be reprinted soon) are both very playable (yet relatively
complex) AND they give an honest historical flair.
Tom
Bagheera
s...@panix.com (Steffan O'Sullivan) wrote:
> Bagheera, the jungle scout <bagh...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> > dere...@aol.com (Derek Carver) wrote:
> >> Surely one of the most faithfully 'themed' games must be BLOOD
ROYAL.
> >
> >Blood Royale is a bookkeeping game and nothing more.
> >IT SUCKS ASS.
>
> Oof - nice way to talk to the game designer. I hope you never see
> one of my books.
Ignorance is the greatest harbinger of harsh criticism ;)
I still maintain the game sucks. (but it does have potential)
Bagheera
> Oof - nice way to talk to the game designer. I hope you never see
> one of my books.
Actually...I had to think a moment on this one...
Didn't you write Fudge?
Pretty decent little system. I liked it, but it was hard to convince
others to play it.
srsch...@my-deja.com
Vesuvius Incident" by Fat Messiah Games. It is a solitaire board game
recreating a team of marines storming a drifting research vessel to
investigate why it went dead.
Steve
Steffan O'Sullivan
>> one of my books.
>
>Actually...I had to think a moment on this one...
>Didn't you write Fudge?
>
>Pretty decent little system. I liked it, but it was hard to convince
>others to play it.
Yes, that's mine, thanks. Just spring it on them with premade
characters, without telling them in advance it's Fudge. Just invite
them over for an RPG, and hand it to them - they'll probably play
then.
Seriously, though, you never know when a game designer will be
reading a thread. Keeping negative remarks to "not to my taste
because ..." can save hard feelings somewhere down the line. And
hopefully make r.g.b. a more friendly place that designers feel
like hanging out in.
--
-Steffan O'Sullivan | "Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam -
s...@panix.com | that's not got much spam in it."
Plymouth, NH, USA | -Monty Python,
www.io.com/~sos | predicting the internet at its best
Rick Jones
>
> If you like the Wild West, none of the games outhere can compare with
> Avalon Hill's, GUNSLINGER. This game is a lot of fun and, for an AH
> game, it plays fairly quickly FTF. We currently play via email at The
> Gunslinger Saloon: http://www.delphi.com/ahgunslinger
Took a look at the site. Didn't see any mention of game schedules or
anything like that (didn't take the time to read the posts). I'd be
interested in getting into an e-mail game of GS. I'm currently playing
Gangsters over at Gameaholics.
--
Rick Jones
Remove the Extra Dot to e-mail me
Election 2000: Republicrats 1, Citizens 0
Tim Dunn
>If you liked the movie "Aliens," then you will like "Last Frontier: The
>Vesuvius Incident" by Fat Messiah Games.
Let's not forget the Leading Edge Games "Aliens" board game. It can
be played solitaire, or 'roleplayed' with each player playing one or
more of the hapless Marines from the movie. 'Dead' players can play
the bugs - they appear basically at random and attack the nearest
marine, so it's more to help the logistics of all the die-rolling.
We played it once, and saw most of the truisms of the movie come to
pass: the smartgunner went ape, the bugs' acid blood did harm a lot
of our marines, and there was much attrition. Great game to play
if you're in a 'combat quip' mood.
tim
--
"A + B + C = Success if, A = Hard Work, B = Hard Play, C = Keeping your
mouth shut." -- Albert Einstein
Akke Monasso
> Surely one of the most faithfully 'themed' games must be BLOOD ROYAL.
Probably, I heard a lot about this game. The theme is very cool and I
would like to try it, sadly it's OOP. Any chance it will be reprinted?
I'll buy you a mass market paperback at Amazon if you mail me the rules.
--
regards,
Akke Monasso
akke[at]monasso[dot]demon[dot]nl
Kris
In a similar way Space Hulk by Games Workshop has mechanisms that really
fits the theme (or is it the other way round ?) :
- The fact that you see all the board (all the rooms) and the position of
your marines, though unrealistic (yet common) in such boardgames, is here
explained by the technology and pre-exploration (with scans or
idontrememberwhat) of the space hulks.
- The blip mechanism is surely a highly flavored idea. Oh my ! A flock of
stealers !
- The rules stress the clumsiness of the marines vs the vicious brutality
(is it the name of a death metal band ?) of the genestealers. The time limit
was also a very good atmosphere element, it sometimes felt like the scene in
Aliens when they first meet the aliens and get their ass kicked due (in
part) to Gorman's inability to lead... you HAD to play really carefully (as
the marine player) to hope to win...
There... It was a good game... Add to that atmospheric musical support (i
liked to use Bolt Thrower), and it surely was a nailbiting sweatflooding
experience !
/< r i s ":^)
<srsch...@my-deja.com> a écrit dans le message :
93iujr$rlo$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
David Vander Ark
sense of theme. (Problem is, I've been trying to find a copy for almost
a year now, you've just raised the price _another_ $10!)
David
Sir Loin o' Beef
There's no set 'schedule' for games. As it takes a while to complete
one, players post a need for players, they pick a scenario, plan out
their turn sequnce, ect. and play it out amoungst themselves. We have
been posting turn replays on the site with a game synopsis after the
game is completed. Several players have 2 games going at one time.
Right now we are planning a blind, GM'd game where everyone emails only
the GM with his turn and the GM emails each player telling him what he
can see/hear. If you want in on this game, sign up ends at 5 pm
eastern, Friday. Right now, we have 11 players signed up for this one.
Should be a lot of bloodshed!
I don't have the title of the sign-up thread in front of me but (I
think) it should be one of the top 3 in the left hand column.
Look forward to seeing you,
Todd Goff
Sir Loin o' Beef
Games Pirates Play: http://www.delphi.com/pirategames
The Gunslinger Sallon: http://www.delphi.com/ahgunslinger
>
> Took a look at the site. Didn't see any mention of game schedules
or
> anything like that (didn't take the time to read the posts). I'd be
> interested in getting into an e-mail game of GS. I'm currently playing
> Gangsters over at Gameaholics.
>
> --
> Rick Jones
> Remove the Extra Dot to e-mail me
>
> Election 2000: Republicrats 1, Citizens 0
Bagheera
OH, so THAT'S how it works!
(I've been looking for it too, I guess that hikes it another $5?)
--
Bagherra <bagh...@my-deja.com>
http://www.frenzy.com/~jaebear
"You can't run from trouble, there ain't no place far enough."
Bagheera
> >> Oof - nice way to talk to the game designer. I hope you never see
> >> one of my books.
> >
> >Actually...I had to think a moment on this one...
> >Didn't you write Fudge?
> >
> >Pretty decent little system. I liked it, but it was hard to convince
> >others to play it.
>
> Yes, that's mine, thanks. Just spring it on them with premade
> characters, without telling them in advance it's Fudge. Just invite
> them over for an RPG, and hand it to them - they'll probably play
> then.
>
> Seriously, though, you never know when a game designer will be
> reading a thread. Keeping negative remarks to "not to my taste
> because ..." can save hard feelings somewhere down the line. And
> hopefully make r.g.b. a more friendly place that designers feel
> like hanging out in.
well, if you look at my posting history, I usually do, I just have VERY
strong feelings about Blood Royale (especially due to its cost:value)
marr...@removerosnet.strose.edu
>(I've been looking for it too, I guess that hikes it another $5?)
Seems like all Games Workshop stuff is really expensive. It truly is a great
game, though, and worth the dough if you can afford it (although I don't know
how much it goes for these days). I got a copy of the Second Edition (or
reprint however they classify it) a few years back. Must have still been in
print. It was around $40. Where are you guys looking for it? Who still sells
it? Do they sell the Deathwing expansion, or Tyranid Attack? Has anyone
played these? Must . . . stop . . . asking . . . questions! :)
Aaron
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Bagheera
marr...@REMOVErosnet.strose.edu wrote:
> >OH, so THAT'S how it works!
> >(I've been looking for it too, I guess that hikes it another $5?)
>
> Seems like all Games Workshop stuff is really expensive. It truly is
a great
> game, though, and worth the dough if you can afford it (although I
don't know
> how much it goes for these days). I got a copy of the Second Edition
(or
> reprint however they classify it) a few years back. Must have still
been in
> print. It was around $40. Where are you guys looking for it? Who
still sells
> it? Do they sell the Deathwing expansion, or Tyranid Attack? Has
anyone
> played these? Must . . . stop . . . asking . . . questions! :)
If I was *really* looking for a copy, I'd already have one.
Unfortunately, the game wouldn't remain intact long because it would be
scavenged for the Tyranids, genestealers and any other neat 'nid mini's
it might have.
David Vander Ark
A friend of mine found a shrinkwrapped copy on a hobby store's shelves
in Florida last winter for $45, so I can play his copy.
I have been watching a few on eBay, they sometimes go for over $100.
Most recently the price has been in the $50-$75 range. I'm willing to
pay that for most hard to find games I want if they are games I really
want. A game like Space Hulk I have access to pretty much whenever I
want to play it, so I'd rather pay $35 for a sort of beat up copy. I
don't need all the minis either, as I can always use my D&D figures that
are gathering dust for the game. Often the auctions for either Space
Hulk or the expansion are from people in Great Britain. My friend
bought the expansion on eBay from somebody in Great Britain and is very
pleased with it.
As far as the expansions go, one of them is pretty pricey, the other one
was around $50 about 2 weeks ago on eBay. I don't remember which one it
was...you could check eBay.
Wanna sell your copy for $35? ;-)
David
jcb...@my-deja.com
>
> So, with all the complaining that I have seen about different games,
> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
>
>
> Jon
>
A couple more Avalon Hill titles that haven't been mentioned,
Princess Ryan's Star Marines, and B17 Queen of the Skies. Both will
keep you lost in the game as you play. -- Jeff B.
marr...@removerosnet.strose.edu
> Wanna sell your copy for $35? ;-)
Ah, I would sell it if only I didn't love the game as much as I do! :)
I like to use my own minis as well. I had a few squads of Space Wolves that I
painted. Much better than the plastic ones that come with the game. I don't
have any Genestealers minis, though, so the plastic ones will have to do. As
an aside to Bagherra, the only Tyranids that come with the game are about 30
plastic Genestealers. Probably not what you'd want anyways (not at the price
it goes for)! :)
I think the Second Edition tried to incorporate some of the Deathwing
expansion into it if I'm not mistaken. More map pieces, and more missions. I
could be wrong. Isn't Tyranid Attack a stand alone game? I don't really
remember, but I seem to recall something saying it was basically a sequel.
Basically the Space Marines invade a Tyranid Hive. Anyone have any info on
that? I think the map pieces were less like hallways as well. They were
mostly large rooms.
Bagheera
marr...@REMOVErosnet.strose.edu wrote:
>
> > Wanna sell your copy for $35? ;-)
>
> Ah, I would sell it if only I didn't love the game as much as I do! :)
> I like to use my own minis as well. I had a few squads of Space
Wolves that I
> painted. Much better than the plastic ones that come with the game. I
don't
> have any Genestealers minis, though, so the plastic ones will have to
do. As
> an aside to Bagherra, the only Tyranids that come with the game are
about 30
> plastic Genestealers. Probably not what you'd want anyways (not at
the price
> it goes for)! :)
When you field a 'nid army, you need all the units you can get, cuz
they aren't your run of the mill grenade catchers ...
they're specialized.
--
Bagherra <bagh...@my-deja.com>
http://www.frenzy.com/~jaebear
"You can't run from trouble, there ain't no place far enough."
Sir Loin o' Beef
dozen players. You will be able to sign up for this game until 5PM New
York time, Friday 12 Jan. Anyone interested in playing is welcome. Just
contact:
Tom Cundiff
tdcgun...@worldnet.att.net
--
Sir Loin o' Beef
Games Pirates Play: http://www.delphi.com/pirategames
The Gunslinger Sallon: http://www.delphi.com/ahgunslinger
Richard Dewsbery
> expansion into it if I'm not mistaken. More map pieces, and more missions.
I
> could be wrong. Isn't Tyranid Attack a stand alone game? I don't really
> remember, but I seem to recall something saying it was basically a sequel.
> Basically the Space Marines invade a Tyranid Hive. Anyone have any info on
> that? I think the map pieces were less like hallways as well. They were
> mostly large rooms.
Tyranid Attack (aka Advanced Space Crusade) looked q. similar, but IIRC the
rules had changed significantly - enough to make it more complicated and not
really worthwhile. One of my retirement projects is to alter the rules to
bring it back into line with SH.
Richard
Richard Dewsbery
> strong feelings about Blood Royale (especially due to its cost:value)
Do people often keep a record of whether they think they've got their
money's worth from a game, and how do you calculate this?
I figure a good movie takes about 2 hours, and costs £5 per person -
including sweeties :-)
For me, I want a game to entertain 4 of us, for an hour, to be worth £5-8
(movies tend to be more memorable, albeit less repeatable). To get my
money's worth therefore it needs to be played 3-5 times; less than that and
it's not been a good buy, more plays and it has earned its keep. FWIW, due
to the high level of depth combined with its length,Blood Royale paid back
its purchase price quite quickly, but it isn't played anymore (meaning it's
at risk if ever I am sent to that mythical "10 game" desert island).
Richard
Brady Severns
> A couple more Avalon Hill titles that haven't been mentioned,
> Princess Ryan's Star Marines, and B17 Queen of the Skies. Both will
> keep you lost in the game as you play. -- Jeff B.
The variant of B-17 that I wanted to play I never had the opportunity to.
Namely, the one where you get a group of players (with their own copies)
to fly a mission together over the same target. Everybody helps to cover
one another when the bandits arrive. Keen idea...
Brady
Brady Severns
> It has been out of print for some time. I'm not looking terribly hard.
> A friend of mine found a shrinkwrapped copy on a hobby store's shelves
> in Florida last winter for $45, so I can play his copy.
I love those sorts of finds!
> I have been watching a few on eBay, they sometimes go for over $100.
> Most recently the price has been in the $50-$75 range....<snip>
>
> As far as the expansions go, one of them is pretty pricey, the other one
> was around $50 about 2 weeks ago on eBay. I don't remember which one it
> was...you could check eBay.
The neat thing about GW stuff is that purchasing figure-laden games like these have
intrinsic "toy value." The figures and game bits are a marvel to look at, paint up,
and play with all on their own. And anything Warhammer, whether Fantasy or 40K,
share enough similar qualities (scale, weapons, cartoony-style, etc) that you can
take the figs in one game and use them as spares or supplements in many others. The
games that MB/GW produced together adds even more!
ANother good find for Space Hulk fans is the game Mutant Chronicles: Siege of the
Citadel. A game by Target and/or Pressman that was basically a Spacce Hulk knock
off. Still, the figs and bits are nice enough that you can use them in one-off Space
Hulk games, too. I picked up my copy as a source of leader figs for my Space Hulk
squads. And for a different set of nasties.
Brady
Brady Severns
> I think the Second Edition tried to incorporate some of the Deathwing
> expansion into it if I'm not mistaken. More map pieces, and more missions. I
> could be wrong. Isn't Tyranid Attack a stand alone game? I don't really
> remember, but I seem to recall something saying it was basically a sequel.
> Basically the Space Marines invade a Tyranid Hive. Anyone have any info on
> that? I think the map pieces were less like hallways as well. They were
> mostly large rooms.
Tyranid Attack was a stand-alone. Ironically, it and Advanced Space Crusade (GW's
sequel, but not an expansion, to, Space Crusade) were about a Terminator Marines
and Marine Scouts (in TA) and Marine Scouts (in ASC) assaulting a Hive Ship. The
rooms were the various organs of the Hive Ship. Both had, like, 6 Tyranid figs,
though TA also gave you some Purestrain Genestealers and Genestealer Hybrids. They
both shared the same set of floorplans and doors, as I recall.
Brady
Robert Rossney
news:3A5E4671...@earthlink.net...
> The variant of B-17 that I wanted to play I never had the opportunity to.
> Namely, the one where you get a group of players (with their own copies)
> to fly a mission together over the same target. Everybody helps to cover
> one another when the bandits arrive. Keen idea...
Nearly every game convention in Denver features at some point a huge B-17
game, typically with an amazingly surreal scenario. The one I overheard
involved crack army-knife-wielding Swiss commandos and huge loads of frozen
fish being dumped by air into Lake Geneva. Dozens of people play. It seems
quite bizarre, but they seem to be enjoying themselves.
Bob Rossney
r...@well.com
Allan Goodall
<ric...@dewsbery.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>Tyranid Attack (aka Advanced Space Crusade) looked q. similar, but IIRC the
>rules had changed significantly - enough to make it more complicated and not
>really worthwhile. One of my retirement projects is to alter the rules to
>bring it back into line with SH.
Advanced Space Crusade was more along the lines of Advanced Heroquest meets
Space Hulk. It was supposed to be a much different feel than Space Hulk.
I was never able to get the hang of Space Hulk. It seemed too luck dependent.
I'm probalby wrong, but some of the scenarios always seemed unbalanced. The
Space Marine player seemed to be at the mercy of the blip counters picked.
Of course, I'm probably wrong. I was never able to find anyone with strategies
and/or "spoilers/walkthroughs" of the scenarios when I was playing it
(admittedly, pre-web, soon after it came out). It is a clean game, and I had a
lot of fun with it, but there were aspects of some of the scenarios that
bothered me.
Allan Goodall a...@sympatico.ca
Goodall's Grotto: http://www.vex.net/~agoodall
"Now, see, if you combine different colours of light,
you get white! Try that with Play-Doh and you get
brown! How come?" - Alan Moore & Kevin Nolan,
"Jack B. Quick, Boy Inventor"
marr...@removerosnet.strose.edu
> I was never able to get the hang of Space Hulk. It seemed too luck
dependent.
I agree that sometimes luck can have a huge impact on Space Hulk. Especially
when your Marine on Overwatch just jammed, and three Stealers are racing down
the corridor towards him . . . :)
However, I think the effect of luck can be minimized with careful play. The
Marines always have an equal chance of winning if they move slowly but
steadily and successfully keep the Stealers at bay. It definitely seems like
the Marines require much more careful planning since the Stealers just get an
(almost) infinite reserve of units. That, too, is part of the feel. The
Marines are supposed to the the intelligent calculating race, while the
Stealers are running on pure instinct coming at the Humans in hordes.
> but some of the scenarios always seemed unbalanced.
This is probably true, but that adds to the feel and anxiety level for the
Marines. Think of the movie Aliens. The Aliens always outnumbered the
Marines, and the "good guys" took loads of casualties. Somehow, though, they
came out on top (sort of!). It works that way in Space Hulk, too. I played a
game where it looked like the Stealers would easily win, but the Marine
player won with only one squad member left; and if he hadn't won on that
turn, the Stealers would have got him on the next one. To me that just adds
to the atmosphere of the game. The Marines are going in knowing they're going
to die. They're just hoping to take out as many of the nasties as they can
before they go.
I don't know maybe I'm just a sucker for this game, but I love it!
Glenn Kuntz
Richard Dewsbery <ric...@dewsbery.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:93lb64$o2o$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
> Do people often keep a record of whether they think they've got their
> money's worth from a game, and how do you calculate this?
Apparently. We seem to rehash this topic on r.g.b at least perrenially...
;-)
Simon Harris
character-specific rules really do make you play to the theme of the
book! The Emperor really does end up being rich but weak and the Fremen
are always scratching for spice - I really am going to have to dig it
out again!
Simon
> Dune - I haven't played this game in a lot of years, but I was
definitely
> into it as a teenager. I recall not wanting to play the Harkonnens
because
> I hated them so much in the book. Even though the game isn't a
perfect
> representation of Frank Herbert's masterpiece, it is a pretty good
> representation with a great theme.
Mark J. Edwards
marr...@REMOVErosnet.strose.edu wrote:
>
<snip>
> This is probably true, but that adds to the feel and anxiety level for
the
> Marines. Think of the movie Aliens. The Aliens always outnumbered the
> Marines, and the "good guys" took loads of casualties. Somehow,
though, they
> came out on top (sort of!). It works that way in Space Hulk, too. I
played a
> game where it looked like the Stealers would easily win, but the
Marine
> player won with only one squad member left; and if he hadn't won on
that
> turn, the Stealers would have got him on the next one. To me that just
adds
> to the atmosphere of the game. The Marines are going in knowing
they're going
> to die. They're just hoping to take out as many of the nasties as they
can
> before they go.
>
> I don't know maybe I'm just a sucker for this game, but I love it!
>
> Aaron
>
I agree with Aaron comments completely. Space Hulk really does great
justice to its theme and I love this undersung little tactical puzzle of
a game! In my opinion it's the best thing GW ever produced.
We used to switch sides on each scenario, as I too think a few were
unbalanced one way or another.
I do think one of the later expansions added a lot more randomness to
the game. The addition of the hybrids and their weapons wasn't bad and
added some new things for the Marine player to worry about. But
whatever expansion added the psyker (sp?) rules really threw things in
the air.
Mark
The Doctor
>
> So, with all the complaining that I have seen about different games,
> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
> I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
Strand-Cup, by Krimsus.
It's a beach-volleyball simulation with just a deck of cards.
It is lots of fun, and has comical artwork, and you'd expect it to be
mainly a joke when you see it, but suring [lay it all really makes sense.
I could really sense my partner eating dirt when he dove to save that
smash, and when a rally takes a long time you run out of cards which
simulates getting tired, running out of options.
It's a simple game, with nice mechanics. You play with 2 teams against
eachother, so you alweays need an even number of player (drawback) either
4, 6 or 8.
Nice game however, which does take a bit too long (like real volleyball
matches...)
//Doc.
--
"Wees jezelf, er zijn al zoveel anderen" - Loesje
Voor goede tips over quoten en Netiquette: http://leerquoten.nijntje.net
The Doctor
>
> mainly a joke when you see it, but suring [lay it all really makes sense.
Ahem. That was supposed to read 'during play'
Richard Heli
wrote:
>red...@ciso.com wrote:
>>
>> So, with all the complaining that I have seen about different games,
>> what games do you consider to be excellent in the theme department?
>> I've seen plenty of negative, now I'm looking for the positive!
>
>Strand-Cup, by Krimsus.
>
>It's a beach-volleyball simulation with just a deck of cards.
>It is lots of fun, and has comical artwork, and you'd expect it to be
>mainly a joke when you see it, but during play it all really makes sense.
>I could really sense my partner eating dirt when he dove to save that
>smash, and when a rally takes a long time you run out of cards which
>simulates getting tired, running out of options.
And also one must develop a rapport with your teammate and develop a
feel for where they're at, much like real volleyball.
The Doctor
>
> I may be biased but the Buffy board game seems to do very well in this
> department.
Argh, why doesn't AMazon ship them over here?
*grumble*
Bagheera
do...@europe.com wrote:
> Aexia wrote:
> >
> > I may be biased but the Buffy board game seems to do very well in
this
> > department.
>
> Argh, why doesn't AMazon ship them over here?
>
> *grumble*
liability.
--
Bagherra <bagh...@my-deja.com>
http://www.frenzy.com/~jaebear
"You can't run from trouble, there ain't no place far enough."