tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post3806114825772778682..comments2024-03-27T22:32:17.055-05:00Comments on Jeffs Gameblog: some non-RPGs I played at Winter WarJeff Rientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-89668721129411409062011-02-04T13:27:48.190-06:002011-02-04T13:27:48.190-06:00Re: Munchkin. Convincing other people that there&#...Re: Munchkin. Convincing other people that there's "nothing I can do to stop Bob!" so that they'll deplete their cards while you keep a few mischievous tricks up your sleeve is crucial.Justin Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02227895898395353754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-68414865975723092482011-02-04T12:55:55.527-06:002011-02-04T12:55:55.527-06:00Oh, yeah. Munchkin is about being dastardly. In fa...Oh, yeah. <i>Munchkin</i> is about being dastardly. In fact, we can’t play it when one of my friends is around because that aspect of it really bugs him.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-7593691748737444842011-02-04T08:07:04.734-06:002011-02-04T08:07:04.734-06:00Coming from your "live to whomp your butt&quo...Coming from your "live to whomp your butt" sister, that copy of Ascension I bought from the Armored Gopher at WW? It is a deck-building game that adds in the monster-killing aspect also, but it plays faster and it's slightly tougher to predict a clear winner. Thunderstone's great; Dominion's great; and I haven't played nearly enough Ascension to put the "great" stamp on it, but I'm liking it so far. I'll have to bring it to the next family dealio and whomp your butt at it.gamerchickJennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12051569455871602249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-35097838707502425432011-02-04T05:11:52.682-06:002011-02-04T05:11:52.682-06:00Hmm, maybe the groups I've played it with were...Hmm, maybe the groups I've played it with weren't sufficiently dastardly.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-15273169816715707032011-02-03T21:57:19.379-06:002011-02-03T21:57:19.379-06:00Ah. We haven’t found that to be a flaw. The trick ...Ah. We haven’t found that to be a flaw. The trick is to convince everyone that someone else is the greatest threat. Or a few other strategies that you can pursue if you get the right card.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-86037934677577095492011-02-03T21:52:30.922-06:002011-02-03T21:52:30.922-06:00@ Jeff: Man, I am trying to think, but it's to...@ Jeff: Man, I am trying to think, but it's tough...I am almost POSITIVE I've seen an RPG that had a random level up mechanic in it...I just don't remember where. Possibly some random Iron Game Chef game.<br /><br />It's not a terribly bad idea to introduce that to a design, though not for a mechanic that (presumably) players are rolling a lot of...like attack rolls.<br /><br />BTW I still love and play Dungeon!JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-54808114511450937092011-02-03T19:12:37.295-06:002011-02-03T19:12:37.295-06:00Robert - the first person to try to win always get...Robert - the first person to try to win always gets slaughtered by the oher players, setting up the 2nd or 3rd winningest player to take the crown.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-57511658891881336842011-02-03T19:05:23.202-06:002011-02-03T19:05:23.202-06:00What’s the endgame flaw in Munchkin?What’s the endgame flaw in <i>Munchkin</i>?Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-43116472585235107832011-02-03T18:12:58.044-06:002011-02-03T18:12:58.044-06:00about the roll 20 to level idea:
If a fighter lev...about the roll 20 to level idea:<br /><br />If a fighter levelled up in the wilderness - maybe they get to become a ranger or barbarian, or in a city - assassin or cavalier.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-47482023712179315852011-02-03T17:53:27.961-06:002011-02-03T17:53:27.961-06:00I am glad that I am not the only one who seems to ...I am glad that I am not the only one who seems to get flummoxed by Eurogames like Puerto Rico. I have no idea what it is about those games, but I seem to get my rear kicked every time I play one.Chris Kutalikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01414743509426875792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-45377523639956376792011-02-03T16:29:31.203-06:002011-02-03T16:29:31.203-06:00Re: Castle Ravenloft. Its been a big hit at my gam...Re: Castle Ravenloft. Its been a big hit at my gaming table because it's the only co-op dungeon-crawler that doesn't require a GM. (Games like Descent that require a GM are pretty much non-starters for me, because if I want to play a dungeon-crawl with a GM I would just grab my OD&D books off the shelf and get to it.) The 60-minute playing time is also awesome.<br /><br />It's not without some issues, but:<br /><br />(1) If you get a chance, try some of the more advanced scenarios. The first couple or three scenarios in the box should probably have been labeled as tutorial: They introduce the basic gameplay. And while that gameplay is well-balanced, it can get kind of bland without the complications introduced by the more advanced scenarios.<br /><br />(2) The tactics and strategy of the game are radically different from any edition of D&D. The fact that the game looks so much like D&D on the surface can be very misleading and lead to very boring play. If you play again, take a long, hard look at how the interactions between players and monsters on the tile borders work. That's the heart of the game's tactics.Justin Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02227895898395353754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-69673015975190889852011-02-03T15:00:34.411-06:002011-02-03T15:00:34.411-06:00My gaming group and I recently picked up Dominion ...My gaming group and I recently picked up Dominion as our backup/downtime game, and we LOVE it. One of the best new games I've tried in ages and ages.<br /><br />As for Castle Ravenloft, even the old GW HeroQuest boardgame would be higher on my list than trying that one out...Taketoshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17876641059472816784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-86503020036824972532011-02-03T14:12:47.153-06:002011-02-03T14:12:47.153-06:00My friend bought Ravenloft because he has a loony ...My friend bought Ravenloft because he has a loony fear of dungeon crawl games lasting more than one session. I soon witnessed how players were to function like PC/MMORPG players. The Wizard is a ranged nuker with no odd spells, for example. Banked monster EXP was needed constantly to avoid painful traps, only once did someone level up. I will never forsake DESCENT for this.Lee Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06698873084592329937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-74123444304454553212011-02-03T13:43:07.287-06:002011-02-03T13:43:07.287-06:00"...but many of the negative Ravenloft review..."...but many of the negative Ravenloft reviews seem to not understand some of the mechanics."<br /><br />Which is a fair point, because the rule book (IMHO) is not well written. It leaves room for a lot of interp.Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997164906328234122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-59237110689741638942011-02-03T12:36:36.778-06:002011-02-03T12:36:36.778-06:00I'm still not sure how I feel about Castle Rav...I'm still not sure how I feel about Castle Ravenloft, but I am sure that it's not fair to compare it to Descent. They are aimed at two different audiences. Ravenloft is designed to play fast with some strategy but minimal tactics. Descent takes much longer to play and affords many more tactical choices to players. Nothing wrong with preferring Descent, but the games are trying to do different things under the larger umbrella of "dungeon crawl."<br /><br />Also, players must have a certain number of experience points banked in order to go up a level on the throw of a 20. Players must decide whether to spend their XP on sure things like avoiding traps, or wait and hope to get the 20 which will level them. Again, it may not be a mechanic everyone likes, but many of the negative Ravenloft reviews seem to not understand some of the mechanics.Steve Lawsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05850475794529316211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-42561324314528404092011-02-03T11:15:14.149-06:002011-02-03T11:15:14.149-06:00Perhaps an increasing system where it would take o...Perhaps an increasing system where it would take one "20" to go from level one to level two, two "20s" to go up to level three, three "20s" to go up to level four, and so on, until you need nineteen "20s" to reach level 20.<br /><br />A touch near impossible if you need them all in one session, but if you could hold them over sessions...<br /><br />just a thought.<br /><br />-- GopherDaveGopherDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07205502194332440070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-394164322863678692011-02-03T10:45:43.878-06:002011-02-03T10:45:43.878-06:00Not silly at all, lady2. Yeah, I've played Se...Not silly at all, lady2. Yeah, I've played Settler of Catan several times. It seems like a pretty decent game to me. It's not super-flashy but I find the play interesting. The only real downside is this: all games are more fun with good people, but any game with trades between players pretty much invites bad eggs to ruin play.<br /><br />Also, I will always be amused by any game that tricks players into announcing "I've got wood for sheep".Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-75302438124883724052011-02-03T10:43:17.674-06:002011-02-03T10:43:17.674-06:00'whenever you roll a natural 20 on any die thr...'whenever you roll a natural 20 on any die throw your PC goes up a level'<br /><br />- I like this, it keeps the PCs active.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-81899541575807654082011-02-03T10:37:26.171-06:002011-02-03T10:37:26.171-06:00Silly question - have you ever played Settlers of ...Silly question - have you ever played Settlers of Catan? What's your opinion on it?lady2beetlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06741097403711630814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-89275624421032244942011-02-03T10:21:53.887-06:002011-02-03T10:21:53.887-06:00I own Decent, though I haven't played it much....I own Decent, though I haven't played it much. Biggest problem being that for a beer and pretzels board game that doesn't offer too much in the way strategy, it takes way too long to resolve.GrayPumpkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12776658442266878498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-55891976358095823522011-02-03T10:08:21.273-06:002011-02-03T10:08:21.273-06:00I also like Ravenloft, though it is REALLY crunchy...I also like Ravenloft, though it is REALLY crunchy and I'm scared to death of losing any pieces. Thank goodness the box is built like a tank!<br /><br />That aside, we still break out Dungeon! every once in a while because that's our fav. (Okay, MY fav) and it's just so easy to play. <br /><br />My dream is still to have an upgraded Dungeon! that's retains the ease of play, but also endlessly re-playable. Ravenloft sort of overshoots that mark, but it is still a lot of fun.Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997164906328234122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-48082460397351749162011-02-03T10:00:51.795-06:002011-02-03T10:00:51.795-06:00Castle Ravenloft scores points for me because it&#...Castle Ravenloft scores points for me because it's a game I can play with my six year old and nine year old. They've really gotten a kick out of it. I can't see breaking it out for the regular gaming group, though.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04934814730178627305noreply@blogger.com