On Saturday, headed out to BACSIM at UB for the day. Started off by playing some Hold the Line, which is a really nice game. Played the Harlem Heights scenario, and the Americans pulled out a win on the last turn (Turn 22), by killing a Light Foot I couldn't get back to my lines. Some folks will write this off as just a bunch of dice rolling, but there is nice strategy here. I like it, and plan to play a lot more.Next up was a 5-player New World: A Carcassonne Game. I'm not a big fan of Carcassonne, but I liked this adaptation. We all started out on the East coast of the soon to come US, with the cities Plymouth, New York, and Jamestown already there. As you build Westward, you can place shopkeepers, robbers, farmers, and trappers. A "gotcha" in the game is that as something is scored, one of 2 "Surveyors" moves West. If you get a meeple caught East of both Surveyors, it's removed from the game. This makes the West, and expansion there, more important than trying to "fill in some blanks" in the East. It was decent, I'd play again.
Finished up with MMP's new Storm Over Stalingrad. This is an area movement game, with cards that affect combat. Game was decent, and my Germans came up one area short vs. Mike Cardwell's Soviets. Very bloody! The very few areas (and avenues of approach) might make this one stale, quickly. We shall see. There is an awful lot of luck in the cards, and the game can often hinge on an artillery/bombing barrage and/or a sniper duel (assuming one has the cards). One thing I didn't like was watching Soviet units retreat back and forth between the same 2 areas. Yuck. I think MMP's "IGS" line has some decent games, but very little that's special. As always, I'll be trading for these, so, as long as I get a play, I'm moderately happy. One really wishes some of these Japanese designers would make some new games, and not just get old ones reprinted.
Anyway, it was a fun day -- I spent a lot of time watching other games and chatting. I was pooped by the time I got home. Now, a Poker night this coming Wednesday -- can never get enough gaming!
8 comments:
>>really wishes some of these Japanese designers would make some new games, and not just get old ones reprinted.<<
That's not there thing man!.
They things that have been done before and make them better ( as the story goes ).
I played three games, China Rails with Tom Dunning and friend, then Santa Fe rails with Grant, Kevin another freind and myself. Got killed in that one. Ended the night with Hannibal against Frank. And even with his help,, got beat up and lost.
All in all it was fun to just forget about touring ( traveling ) Hotels and Airports. It great to enjoy my hobby.
Cory
New games??? Good lord, we've got new games coming out our ears.
Storm over Stalingrad: still sitting on the fence. Interesting to read here something different and more critical than the usual overenthusiastic buzz about a new release. One question I have about this reprint is indeed the card factor. The japanese game had 2 decks of 16 cards. Apparently, the MMP reprint has decks of 27 cards. Was unable to find out exactly how much different new cards appeared (snipers is certain) and what kind of effect they have. Are these new cards very powerful ? Is there a possibility that the new cards, added for "flavour", unbalance the original design, making it even more card/luck dependant ?
Rob
Did you buy ( or do you have ) "Battle Cry of Freedom"?.
It's a card game and sounds a little like Blue vs Gray but on a larger scale. If you do have it,,have you played it yet and if so,, is it any good?.
Cory
New games are good!
As for Storm Over Stalingrad, there is a certain amount of luck with the card draw. I played one turn with no artillery or air support, and both Ammo Shortages I played that turn were negated by the "Sniper" card.
Not having played the original, I can't comment about the differences, but the cards did seem powerful -- when I had ones I could attack with, I put them to good use. A lot of dice rolling here, hoping for high numbers, that's for sure!
(Different from, say, Breakout Normandy, where both sides could roll low, so a low roll didn't automatically doom you, as it does in SOS).
I do have Battle Cry of Freedom, Cory, but haven't played yet.
Bob Titran has been jonesing to try it -- I really need to buckle down, read the rules, and play it with him!
Too many new games are bad! Especially for me since I'm still catching up to all the games you guys have been playing the last 10 years.
Hurry!
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