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The Board Game Thread

Started by radiator, 21 February, 2014, 03:13:04 PM

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The Bissler

Block Mania dusted off and ready to go!

For some reason I can't get my pics to post here so instead here's a link on a gaming forum I frequent.  I'll post up more pics and possibly a report on this link later on...

http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=27494

TordelBack

Bit of luck on the board gaming front.  The missus has so enjoyed recent family sessions of Munchkin that she has unilaterally decided to get Zombie Dice and Tsuro to take on our camping holiday.  This leaves me free to pursue Forbidden Island, and then maybe Takenado (although the latter may not be tent-friendly).  Will be at a dinghy championship in August and there's usually a decent Catan-and-Backgammon-centric family board game scene in the bar in the early evening (after the poorer types have cooked at their tents, and before the flusher ones have got back from whatever restaurant they're in), so I'm quite excited to push new games there - we played Camelot last year, but it was just too fiddly and involved for a pub game, especially after a couple.

The Bissler

Block Mania report now updated on the link above.  I apologise in advance for the Carry On-style humour, not to mention the theft of a Garth Ennis Judge Dredd joke...

Ancient Otter

Quote from: TordelBack on 25 May, 2014, 01:34:04 PMForbidden Island

I have this in the post on the way to me. Your thoughts?

Timothy

Quote from: Ancient Otter on 25 May, 2014, 08:52:49 PM
Quote from: TordelBack on 25 May, 2014, 01:34:04 PMForbidden Island

I have this in the post on the way to me. Your thoughts?

I think it's a great game. It can be very hard on the higher difficulties, but it's a fun game, and one which kids can pick up very easily.

Ancient Otter

Quote from: Timothyjacobs on 25 May, 2014, 09:31:46 PM
Quote from: Ancient Otter on 25 May, 2014, 08:52:49 PM
Quote from: TordelBack on 25 May, 2014, 01:34:04 PMForbidden Island

I have this in the post on the way to me. Your thoughts?

I think it's a great game. It can be very hard on the higher difficulties, but it's a fun game, and one which kids can pick up very easily.

Sound, thanks for the advice.

TordelBack

Cool!  Timothy - is that tin reasonably robust, and roughly how big is it?  Where did you get yours from, Otter, and roughly how much? 

The Bissler

Has anyone played the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game by Mongoose?  If so, what did they think about the game and the miniatures? 

I'd be really interested to get some thoughts before I end up going on an almost inevitable spending splurge!

Cheers!

Timothy

Quote from: TordelBack on 25 May, 2014, 10:49:28 PM
Cool!  Timothy - is that tin reasonably robust, and roughly how big is it?  Where did you get yours from, Otter, and roughly how much?

I'm afraid I can't help there; it's the iOS version that I play. Cheaper and easier to set up. From what I've heard though the tin's pretty good.

Ancient Otter

Quote from: TordelBack on 25 May, 2014, 10:49:28 PM
Cool!  Timothy - is that tin reasonably robust, and roughly how big is it?  Where did you get yours from, Otter, and roughly how much?

Well I looking for a specific size card sleeve so I picked it up on a whim when I was getting my sleeves from Spirit Games. Retail price £14.99, got charged £8.50 for postage which seems kind of dear, their postage rates are supposed to be good, they said they can send me a large box for £12.

Judo

You're making me want to dig Blockmania out too :D cept Im missing a lot of pieces and probably the rule book so may have to make it up as we went along x
Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

The Bissler

Probably the missing pieces would be more of a problem, I'd expect there must be somewhere on the net that has the "Blockers Manual" and the "Rule Book".

Here's a link to a pic of the counter sheets, this should help you find if you are missing anything!

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1172761/component-count

Hope you are able to get a game, let me know how it goes if you do!


TordelBack

#117
Quote from: The Bissler on 26 May, 2014, 04:00:33 AM
Has anyone played the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game by Mongoose?  If so, what did they think about the game and the miniatures? 

I have the minis from the Kickstarter (well, all the ones that have turned up so far...), and they're a mixed bunch. 

Many are excellent (for example all the Apes, the Angel Gang, Sovs, (Mantic) Zombies, Cultists, DeMarco, Fatties, Citi-Def, Riot Judges, Mechanismo, Kenny Who?, Walter and other Robots, Brit-Cit Judges and some of the other World Judges), others are okay (Dark Judges, sky surfers, muties, juves, Med/Tek Judges), and some are pretty terrible.  Unfortunately a lot of the only-okay-or-worse are MC-1 Judges, including some big names (Giant, Anderson), so that side of it is disappointing.  Happily the newer post-Kickstarter Judges all look pretty much great, including Accounts Div, Aimee Nixon, SJS and Cal's retinue - only problem being I don't have them.  The only vehicle I have so far is the Lawmaster, and while an individual interpretaton (aren't they all?) it's a fine model.

(If you're wondering, the Mongoose minis dwarf the old GW figures by almost 30%, meaning the old judges and humans don't really work with the new, but I've found that Don Uggie and crew fit in fine).

I haven't got around to painting them yet, as I've been working on Warhammer plastics with the Boy, and am still only really assembling the paints and time I need. 

Rules-wise, I've played a few dummy games and simple trial runs with my son, and I like the skirmish system, especially the chance to upgrade between bouts. I've yet to play a proper grown-up match, so my comments shouldn't carry much weight. Mongoose certainly seem good about revising, improving and expanding the rules as they mature.

The Bissler

Thanks Tordelback, I really appreciate the honest feedback on these. 

That really is a big concern about the MC-1 Judges, let's face it, they're the faction everyone will want to play at least initially!  I was thinking of buying them as much to paint and display them as collectibles as use them for games but this has me concerned, particularly as some gamers I know have unfavourable things to say about Mongoose in general.

Because I play 6mm Epic 40K, I don't have 28mm scenery so it looks more likely that I won't go ahead with this.  Star Wars X-Wing may be the next game I indulge in then...

TordelBack

#119
Quote from: The Bissler on 28 May, 2014, 01:52:41 AM
That really is a big concern about the MC-1 Judges, let's face it, they're the faction everyone will want to play at least initially!  I was thinking of buying them as much to paint and display them as collectibles as use them for games but this has me concerned, particularly as some gamers I know have unfavourable things to say about Mongoose in general.

I may, as usual, have overstated the case.  There are plenty of really good Judge minis in the range, it's just that with the Kickstarter I got all of them (which was, and still is since I get a package every couple of months, ridiculously good value), and some of the early ones are frankly pretty rubbish, and some of the ones seemingly rushed out in the heat of the KS fulfilment not so wonderful either.   Part of the problem is figures from the earlier incarnation of the game, Gangs of MC-1, were rolled into this one, and many don't stand up in terms of style or consistency.  If you're starting from scratch and able to choose your minis, you can put together a very good-looking Justice Dept force:

 

 
And that's just a few of the more conventional ones.  IMHO the real strength of the range lies in its breadth, and particularly around the fringes:

 

 

Did anyone really ever expect to see a Travis Perkins mini?

Having a few of the products now, Mongoose issues tend to be around quality control and, shall we say, breathless optimism over cold planning.  They are however pretty quick to fix problems, and seem to have a genuine enthusiasm for the JD range.  For this reason the figures seem to be improving with each release - there are some Bob Naismith-sculpted Judda on the way which look mouth-wateringly good:



So I suppose what I'm saying is that the range definitely isn't consistent, but there's more good stuff there than you could hope to paint and field, and more on the way. 

(Pedants will rightly note that DeMarco is using a weapon that post-dates her tenure as a judge, and don't look to closely at the brainwashed judges in Cal's retinue either).