For Mandatory Fun Club last night, we played the 2nd edition of The Game of Thrones Board Game (the one published by Fantasy Flight). It is really damn great! There is a lot of table talk, which is something I like in board games, and there is a good amount of strategy without being too complex. It also does a nice job of capturing the flavor of A Song of Ice & Fire.
Thanks to everyone who came out: Jorge Salazar Daniel Fowler Scott Owen Steve Mains Jeff Burke and Russell Benner.
GoT fixes basically all the problems I had with Diplomacy’s mechanics, and winds up being a really great game on top of that.The only similar game I like more is Rex/Dune. (Same game, different brandings.)
GoT fixes basically all the problems I had with Diplomacy’s mechanics, and winds up being a really great game on top of that.The only similar game I like more is Rex/Dune. (Same game, different brandings.)
Andy Hauge My feelings were pretty similar vis a vis Diplomacy.
Andy Hauge My feelings were pretty similar vis a vis Diplomacy.
The phase-based resolution is a brilliant way to solve Diplomacy’s problem of all the hairy exceptions and weird situations caused by simultaneous resolution.
The phase-based resolution is a brilliant way to solve Diplomacy’s problem of all the hairy exceptions and weird situations caused by simultaneous resolution.
I have a bit of a problem with the play time, especially when combined with more-or-less player elimination. There’s no rubber-banding mechanic to speak of outside of other players ganging up on someone. So while who’s in first may change, if you’re royally screwed and in last, seems like you’re likely to stay there. Lastly, some very important things are triggered only by cards, and rather unpredictably. We mustered twice the whole game, and triggered the crown/power token activation I think five times, give or take. Not knowing even a ballpark estimate for the frequency of those was annoying.
Part of the problem with longer games is that they’re a tough sell, due to time and investment requirements. On the whole, they’re complicated, so learning how to play correctly, let alone well, will take at least a game. Because of this, they’ll get played more rarely. Because they are complex and get played rarely, players aren’t at ease with the mechanics and strategy, which it’s easy to forget in the time between games. This contributes to lengthened runtime and the feeling that the game requires lots of player investment, all of which circles back around and starts the cycle all over again. This is my primary criticism of Twilight Imperium, but it affects other long games to a lesser degree.
That said, it’s nicely thematic, and I’d play it again. Just not sure I’d buy it.
I have a bit of a problem with the play time, especially when combined with more-or-less player elimination. There’s no rubber-banding mechanic to speak of outside of other players ganging up on someone. So while who’s in first may change, if you’re royally screwed and in last, seems like you’re likely to stay there. Lastly, some very important things are triggered only by cards, and rather unpredictably. We mustered twice the whole game, and triggered the crown/power token activation I think five times, give or take. Not knowing even a ballpark estimate for the frequency of those was annoying.
Part of the problem with longer games is that they’re a tough sell, due to time and investment requirements. On the whole, they’re complicated, so learning how to play correctly, let alone well, will take at least a game. Because of this, they’ll get played more rarely. Because they are complex and get played rarely, players aren’t at ease with the mechanics and strategy, which it’s easy to forget in the time between games. This contributes to lengthened runtime and the feeling that the game requires lots of player investment, all of which circles back around and starts the cycle all over again. This is my primary criticism of Twilight Imperium, but it affects other long games to a lesser degree.
That said, it’s nicely thematic, and I’d play it again. Just not sure I’d buy it.
Andy Hauge I want to play Dune so badly I might just have to find a way to print out the redesigned pdf I have of it. Really wish FFG had gotten the Dune license.
Andy Hauge I want to play Dune so badly I might just have to find a way to print out the redesigned pdf I have of it. Really wish FFG had gotten the Dune license.
Steve Mains: Yeah, I hear ya. Rex is definitely a strong reimplementation, though. And it’s the same game in all the ways that matter.
Steve Mains: Yeah, I hear ya. Rex is definitely a strong reimplementation, though. And it’s the same game in all the ways that matter.
Ooh, I disagree. I don’t care about the TI universe. Half the draw of Dune is that it’s Dune.
Ooh, I disagree. I don’t care about the TI universe. Half the draw of Dune is that it’s Dune.
You know, despite TI’s problems, the lore behind it is actually pretty good. It’s what makes the actual gameplay such a heartbreaker.
You know, despite TI’s problems, the lore behind it is actually pretty good. It’s what makes the actual gameplay such a heartbreaker.