The Swamp

Johnnie wrote:Pretty sure that was Rodney Smith. (The guy in the video I posted above.)

Also, 7 Wonders Duel (the two player version) is pretty fun too.

Yep, that's the guy. YouTube is blocked at work so I didn't notice. Definitely planning on going back to watch some more of his other videos for more game ideas.

Those with kids (and without), if you're looking for a last minute stocking stuffer you can play this holiday, might I suggest "No Thanks!". Very fun and good replay-ability. Also a fun social component when you're trying to pressure someone else into taking points on for the greater good.

2018 World Chess Championship logo:



Uhhhhhh...

Coincidentally, 7 Wonders was released to Android yesterday:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... venwonders

Multi-tasking, there. Must be hard to keep one's mind on the game in that position.

Over the break I spent some time with friends in Arizona. I got them into Catan. They just wanted to keep playing it. I previously played Fury of Dracula with them and it was too much, so naturally a gateway game was more palatable. (I'm sure Pandemic and Ticket to Ride would go over well.)

Also, if you can find it for a reasonable price, get the game Azul. Awesome game for 2-4 players. It's tile drafting with very easy instructions and understandable gameplay. The gf and I have been playing a lot in the last couple days.

https://youtu.be/N5b0Gm8WwZ0

Johnnie wrote:Over the break I spent some time with friends in Arizona. I got them into Catan. They just wanted to keep playing it. I previously played Fury of Dracula with them and it was too much, so naturally a gateway game was more palatable. (I'm sure Pandemic and Ticket to Ride would go over well.)

Also, if you can find it for a reasonable price, get the game Azul. Awesome game for 2-4 players. It's tile drafting with very easy instructions and understandable gameplay. The gf and I have been playing a lot in the last couple days.

https://youtu.be/N5b0Gm8WwZ0

Have you guys checked out Alhambra? Tile drafting as well. Very interesting mechanics.

I thought that guy was L-Jam for a second.

Johnny Carwash wrote:I thought that guy was L-Jam for a second.

Holy crap. For a second, so did I.

BSF21 wrote:Have you guys checked out Alhambra? Tile drafting as well. Very interesting mechanics.

I have not. But I can definitely add it to the list. I have too many games that I haven't played yet.

Camel Up is strong. Great family game and solid entry into taking encouraging gambling at the track (dog/horse).

Paging DSafe...

https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/com ... er_secret/

That is awesome. The detail is impressive!

With the 28th being International Tabletop Day, Amazon is having a huge board game sale today only.

Klay Thompson
https://www.wsj.com/articles/klay-thomp ... 1527694936

The last two Wednesdays I've hit up the main board game library & cafe. A friend from work, his fiancee, my gf and I all played and had fun. We tried Unearth (okay), Space Base (a hit with everyone), and Heaven & Ale (need to try it again, but definitely not a game to introduce to new players). We'll all probably go again this Sunday.

Also, I hit up IKEA on the way back from Arizona and was amped to get the venerated Kallax shelf for my games plus a table I intend to make a "topper" for.

Once I move into my house my board game area is going to be awesome.

Current top Reddit post:



Best comment string:

-How many does she have? Have they all been opened and used at least once? Which is her favorite?

-She has about 600. There are some duplicates and most are sealed. The oldest one is from the 1940’s I think. My favourite is the Harley Davidson one which weighs about 20 pounds (original Reddit poster)

-Why did she start collecting Monopoly?

-Closest a millennial can come to owning real estate (not original poster)

Some of you saw it posted on the 'Gram already, but I've finally been able to organize everything:



The bookcase for those wondering: IKEA Kallax 4x4

Also, a board game pizzeria is opening in town soon (clicking the pic takes you to the website):

Have not been but DC and Arlington have a board game bar

https://theboardroomva.com/

https://boardroomdc.com/

Looks nice Johnnie!

Have you gotten the chance to play Scythe yet? Also, what are your thoughts on Dead of Winter? I bought it years ago and I've still never played it for lack of people who want to learn it with me.

The board games boxes stacked on their side is giving me anxiety.

BSF21 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 06, 2018 7:20 am Looks nice Johnnie!

Have you gotten the chance to play Scythe yet? Also, what are your thoughts on Dead of Winter? I bought it years ago and I've still never played it for lack of people who want to learn it with me.

I have not. Scythe is in a weird place for me. The artwork is stunning and it gets outstanding reviews, but I watched a playthrough of it and it...seems very convoluted and not that interactive? The board looks very messy too. Maybe I'd actually have to play it in order to like it better. Plus it falls into the likelihood of never getting played.

Jamey Stegmeyer is an awesome board game designer, so I feel like when it hits an all time low, I'll buy it. (That all time low looks like $42 according to Camel Camel Camel.) For right now, I'm looking at another of his games as my next purchase, Viticulture Essential Edition with the Tuscany Expansion. It's a game about wine making.

As for Dead of Winter, it's definitely a go-to gateway game for co-op secret traitor mechanics. I've played numerous times and had fun. Board game forums say that Battlestar is an upgrade from it, so of course I scavenged eBay for the base game and its expansions.

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Jul 06, 2018 7:27 am The board games boxes stacked on their side is giving me anxiety.

Afraid of the falling contents? If it makes you feel better the majority of these games are wrapped in plastic still because of all the moving and deploying.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Fri Jul 06, 2018 7:56 am

BSF21 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 06, 2018 7:20 am Looks nice Johnnie!

Have you gotten the chance to play Scythe yet? Also, what are your thoughts on Dead of Winter? I bought it years ago and I've still never played it for lack of people who want to learn it with me.

I have not. Scythe is in a weird place for me. The artwork is stunning and it gets outstanding reviews, but I watched a playthrough of it and it...seems very convoluted and not that interactive? The board looks very messy too. Maybe I'd actually have to play it in order to like it better. Plus it falls into the likelihood of never getting played.

As for Dead of Winter, it's definitely a go-to gateway game for co-op secret traitor mechanics. I've played numerous times and had fun. Board game forums say that Battlestar is an upgrade from it, so of course I scavenged eBay for the base game and its expansions.

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Jul 06, 2018 7:27 am The board games boxes stacked on their side is giving me anxiety.

Afraid of the falling contents? If it makes you feel better the majority of these games are wrapped in plastic still because of all the moving and deploying.

I've had about 6 playthroughs on Scythe now and I's say you're half right. It's not convoluted at all. In fact, once you complete setup and play maybe 3 turns, you realize there isn't as much depth as there could be to the turn structure and the like, but it's still very enjoyable. On point 2, it's not that it's not that interactive, it's just that combat doesn't occur often. The threat of combat is really the tension that drives the game. That you're all trying to accomplish goals, some the same and some different, but a loss in a combat situation could hurt you one or both combatants makes you want to make damn sure you can claim victory.

I'd say give it a go if you can find it and have a few hours to kill at a FLGS or bar or whatever to see. The pricepoint is steep. I was a kickstarter on it so I got the nice version way before it released retail.

Then I guess I have to just try it out myself with some friends and see how it goes from there.

I edited my comment as you were quoting mine, but I definitely feel like when it's to cheap to pass up I'll get it.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Fri Jul 06, 2018 8:08 am Then I guess I have to just try it out myself with some friends and see how it goes from there.

I edited my comment as you were quoting mine, but I definitely feel like when it's to cheap to pass up I'll get it.

I think he's one of the best designers out there. I also own Between Two Cities from him.

I've played Scythe a few times, admittedly with a reasonably advanced group of gamers, and thought it was pretty intuitive once you realized you couldn't look over at someone else's personal board and see the same things in the same places. I liked it, some of the races are less interactive than others, but tromping around with mechs is good fun.

Is it just me or is Wil Wheaton thirsty?

Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:24 pm Is it just me or is Wil Wheaton thirsty?

As someone who has no idea how many women with a moderate degree of public name recognition play games like Magic (or any role-playing game), I would say that this, if anything, is a legit invitation. Having a female voice on that show would open viewership to a much larger audience since games like that tend to skew toward male celebrities, as far as my very rudimentary knowledge goes.

NOTE: Before posting, I did a Google search for celebrities who play magic in case I was totally uninformed (instead of almost completely uninformed). The first link was a top ten list and some of the entries were groups. Women listed were Felicia Day and internet personality Allie Brosh (I had to look her up) was a guest on the YouTube show "Spellslingers". Everyone else was male, including Nathan Fillion, Brandon Routh, Wheaton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Seth Rogen. As a side note, Day is one of the "Spellslingers" and was only mentioned because #10 on the list was Alan Tudyk... who was a guest on "Spellslingers" who teamed up with Day.

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:41 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:24 pm Is it just me or is Wil Wheaton thirsty?

As someone who has no idea how many women with a moderate degree of public name recognition play games like Magic (or any role-playing game), I would say that this, if anything, is a legit invitation. Having a female voice on that show would open viewership to a much larger audience since games like that tend to skew toward male celebrities, as far as my very rudimentary knowledge goes.

NOTE: Before posting, I did a Google search for celebrities who play magic in case I was totally uninformed (instead of almost completely uninformed). The first link was a top ten list and some of the entries were groups. Women listed were Felicia Day and internet personality Allie Brosh (I had to look her up) was a guest on the YouTube show "Spellslingers". Everyone else was male, including Nathan Fillion, Brandon Routh, Wheaton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Seth Rogen. As a side note, Day is one of the "Spellslingers" and was only mentioned because #10 on the list was Alan Tudyk... who was a guest on "Spellslingers" who teamed up with Day.

He definitely has a penchant for women of a certain type online, but I think that's pretty grounded in fantasy. He seems to have a normal, fantastic relationship with his wife, who is a fuckin' fox.

Yea, my question was semi rhetorical. He's happily married with a couple kids. It was just odd to 1) see Sasha Grey holding a Magic card in a pic and 2) Wil Wheaton commenting on said pic. It's most certainly legit. She's actually, from what I can tell, a really, really cool person.

Also, Wil's Tabletop show on YouTube (which is never coming back, sadly) had a plethora of female guests to include a top female in Magic, Melissa DeTora. The "replacement" show on Geek & Sundry is Game The Game, hosted by Becca Scott.

The Spellslingers variant is hosted by Day9, Sean Plott. He actually played against a friend of mine at a Magic tournament nearly 6 years ago. And he had a funny story to tell...(starting at 13:01)



I had the jerseys made in Korea:



ETA, because I don't want to bump... apparently there's a group of porn stars, pin up models, and strippers that play D&D in LA.



Satine Phoenix was on a couple episodes of Tabletop and is a frequent Geek and Sundry contributor.

The Lords of Waterdeep app and it's expansions are at an awesome price right now on iOS and Android.

$4 for the main app and $1 each for each in app expansion. $6 for everything is incredible considering normal price is $10 for the main app and $3 for each expansion.

This is a fantastic board game and the app does a great job at mirroring the gameplay.

There are probably other board game deals too because GenCon is going on in Indianapolis right now.

Sidenote: I am close to finishing my gaming table. I drilled holes for my cupholders and upholstered the center play area. I'll drill everything in place and stain it this weekend.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 03, 2018 11:44 am The Lords of Waterdeep app and it's expansions are at an awesome price right now on iOS and Android.

$4 for the main app and $1 each for each in app expansion. $6 for everything is incredible considering normal price is $10 for the main app and $3 for each expansion.

This is a fantastic board game and the app does a great job at mirroring the gameplay.

There are probably other board game deals too because GenCon is going on in Indianapolis right now.

Sidenote: I am close to finishing my gaming table. I drilled holes for my cupholders and upholstered the center play area. I'll drill everything in place and stain it this weekend.

LoWD is excellent. I wouldn't but it unless you've got a tablet. It's too small on the phone. Excellently ported game though.

Pretty much done. 4' x 6'. Fits 6 people easily. I need to buy chairs. And I need something to cover the seams. I'll also probably add some Alexa enabled LED lights too. Under the table is a surge proctor with USB inputs.

Those random pieces of wood are half inch wide spacers. I misjudged the insert by an inch on each side, so it doesn't sit completely flush. Needed filler. No biggie.

Each tray is 4" x 7". I made some wood blocks so you can angle your cell phone in a tray.

And it's a topper. I can remove it and use my dining table underneath.

Wow. I be there would be a market for those, Johnnie. Nice work to say the least.

Great job. I always appreciate quality carpentry.

Very nice.

Nice!
Learned a few weeks ago that our local library lets you check out board games. Beats taking a $40+ gamble or having to hang out a the local game store to play the demo.

Thanks everyone! It's been a long time coming. In many ways it was easier than I thought. I watched this video on YouTube a while back and figured I'd give it a go. Luckily, my buddy who I work with has been doing woodworking for a while and made it easier, comparatively.

The longest part of the project was routing out the trays. An hour, roughly, per tray. I scrapped the idea of making a dice tower that connected. I simply don't have the specially tools to get that done.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 9:05 am Wow. I be there would be a market for those, Johnnie. Nice work to say the least.

There definitely is. Rathskellers and Tabletoppers does outstanding work. However, they're pros with all the tools and experience. Prices get up there for sure.

And to continue with getting all craftsy, I'm making my own custom inserts. Most games come with a large box, but crapily designed inserts. Or you want to fit the base game and all expansions in one box and want to keep it organized.



Foam board posters cut to size and pasted. Beats lots of small baggies. And those tins are amazing, btw. $15 for 30 at Michael's. (And they have 15% for military.)

Great job!

Well done, Johnnie! I've been thinking about making one of these too, but never seem to have the time. I'd love to have one of these down in the basement. One of these days...