caradoc
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Posts posted by caradoc
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I have the EOTE Beginner set, and I'd buy a rebel one with no compunctions!
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While I don't think that being in the sales is necessarily an indication that it's dead, I do suspect this is the case.
I posted this earlier on BGG in response to a similar discussion:
Yeah - I agree - FFG could be a lot more transparent with some of their game lines.
I understand they took a lot of flak over Starcraft and other games (Gears of War for example), and that they likely managed to achieve quite a lot of well timed publicity with late announcements (nothing worse I suppose than a game taking a long time to come out and the potential fan base tiring of it prior to its release).
However, the current model of not announcing anything upfront seems to be garnering FFG some ill-will from the very people who could be out their proselytizing in their favour.
By not being particularly forthcoming with the future of Battlelore - a game which is built around it's potential for expandibility, a game which excites it's fans with what the game could be FFG are pissing off a core group of die hard fans - burning them out with what looks like a long and slow death rattle. These are the people who write rave reviews, who keep the flame burning with creative content online, who go out and podcast about the game and so forth. None of these things is supported or rewarded.
I personally don't think FFG owe us anything - when all's said and done they're a business and need to make business decisions.
However, I am losing my interest in Battlelore, and in my opinion that FFG is a company that could represent the game well. As a something of a hybrid of board and table top games Battlelore always carried with it a huge potential for expandability. Borg's system could accommodate a myriad of fantastic potential, in my opinion. However, such a game needs a direction - often this is channelled through the setting - but FFG absolutely fail in every respect to demonstrate they have any vision for the direction the line could take.
DoW hinted at this - and perhaps this played against them as well with the delay of Heroes - but the suggestion of new races, new Lore, new heroes, new creatures and so forth caught the imagination and of many of us. Battlelore was a great game with potential, and with the hints of these things to come it had a direction and a future - fans were provided the opportunity to create content for the game as well. Of course - DoW got rid of the game for whatever reason, partly I think due to fan reactions to some of their releases, partly as they said at the time that they had trouble supporting it as well as the other games they produce (giving it the time it deserves or whatever).
So far FFG has demonstrated that it has no vision for the future of Battlelore, as such the game has no direction, the status of the game is in limbo, fan created material is totally disregarded (the Raven, Scenario builder etc) and core fans of the game are getting annoyed. So while FFG don't owe me anything, I am still frustrated at the way they are handling a game I love.
Shame really. I have been looking at Song of Blades and Heroes, Fury and other games to get into instead. I am willing to support Battlelore, but as it stands I am looking elsewhere.
Cheers,
Giles.
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Yes, but imagine the special rule exceptions! - If you roll a dice - Rebels hit. Stormtroopers - If you roll a green emblem, you get a second roll and if you get a green emblem you get a third roll and if you get a green emblem you cause a piece of concrete next to a rebel soldier to blacken a bit and the rebel solider gets a tad dusty.
You'd need special command decks for each power -
Rebel cards would say thing like: 'Green Banners - all green banner troops - ah, what the hell - activate all your troops'
Imperials: 'We'll deal with your Rebel friends soon enou... oh, wait, nooooooooo'
Tuskan Raiders: 'You may order three units to ARRRRRRRR, ARRRR, ARRRR, ARRRRRRRRRRRR this turn'
The list goes on!
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You can't purchase replacement banners and stickers - I had a couple that did the same, I used a little glue and they stayed put no worries.
Yes - as far as I'm aware the problem exists with the replacement dice - though I've used my first set for 20+ games and they are still easy to see and read (there's just been a bit of colour loss - particularly on the Lore symbol). I have a replacement set waiting in the wings should I require them. I can't be 100% on this though - as my replacement dice came from Days of Wonder - though I don't imagine that FFG's stock are any different.
Cheers,
Giles.
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In reality the two games are next to nothing alike. LotR is a co-op game, but The Hobbit is a semi co-op game only if one of the variants is played (that is - everybody loses if Smaug arrives at Lake Town) - either way there will still be one winner (unless Smaug hits Lake Town).
The Hobbit is a fun game - it's much more family weighted than LotR and gamers coming to it looking for something with a similar level of game play to LotR will probably be disappointed. I like it, though I wouldn't play it when I feel like something weighty - it's a great little family style game that is easy to play, doesn't outstay it's welcome and has a fantastic theme.
Cheers,
Giles.
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Dust Tactics has a table-top implementation - Dust Warfare. Any thoughts on the potential for Battlelore to follow suit?
Units could be divided into three 'Battles' (like sections), and command cards could still be used to activate them. Battles could be denoted by differently coloured or shaped pennant/standard banners.
Mind you - with the lack of anything for Battlelore - FAQ, map builder, tactic guide, painting comp, POD expansion, printed expansion or anything - I am having doubts as to whether we'll see much more on the Battlelore front sadly.
A shame - as the Dust Cerberus expansion, with the urban warfare aspect, throws a different light on Dust in a way I had long hoped expansions might add to Battlelore.
Cheers,
Giles.
(Not that I have a particular interest in another tabletop game - I am already loving the look of A Song of Blades and Heroes and Rise of the Occulites)
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Memoir 44 is the obvious choice - with the expansions it shines apparently. I wasn't a huge fan compared to Battlelore, but others say different, so what can I do!
Tide of Iron might be another worth looking at...
If you're not allergic to chits an counters GMT make some good games (Combat Commander being the prime example) in this period I'm led to believe (I'm not a WW gamer by any means, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt - they're only game names I've seen mentioned quite a bit).
In any case - good luck in your search!
Cheers,
Giles.
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My wife kicks my butt at Battlelore regularly - so I'm very lucky (I suppose
)We both also enjoy Rivals of Catan, Agricola, Fairy Tale, Zooloretto, Stone Age, and so on.
Cheers,
Giles.
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Some of my favourite games are:
Fairy Tale (A small 2-5 player card game by Z-Man Games - lots of little effects - fun)
Carrom (A flicking game somewhat similar to pool, but with flicking - Indian Carrom btw - the American Carrom Boards are rubbish)
Neuroshima Hex (A tile laying battle game - like a knife fight in a phone booth)
Condottiere (The original version (prior to FFG's version) is the best one imo)
Agricola (My wife an I enjoy playing this one together a lot)
Starfarers of Catan (sentimental favourite - always with Daft Punk playing in the background )
Rivals of Catan (two player card game - I like it a lot)
If you're a fan of Lord of the Rings then I think War of the Ring is the best LotR game to hit the market.
If you're a fan of science I also like Erosion, American Megafauna, High Frontier and other games by Phil Eklund - but they are more an experience game than a balanced game - and the rules can be highly obtuse.
If you're interested I have rated and commented on all the games I've played on www.boardgamegeek.com My username is caradoc there.
Here's a link to my rated games if you're interested: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/caradoc?comment=1&subtype=boardgame&ff=1
Cheers,
Giles.
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No worries!
If you'd like me to give a more detailed description of what I think of any of the expansions just let me know and I'll try and respond.
Cheers,
Giles.
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FFG Have had trouble getting this game back on shelves - their stop-gap solution at this stage was to take French copies of the game and repurpose them for the English speaking market - by adding English language components (though not rules books - which are downloadable).
As for expansions - I have them all and enjoy all of them for different reasons.
Epic - a brilliant way of playing the game, adds an almost strategic element to what is largely a tactical miniatures wargame. The impact this has on the use of ranged units, foot and cavalry is very good.
Call to Arms - An engine for building semi-random scenarios. Very good addition to the game. In fact I think it's a necessity because of the way it allows you to bring in the later expansion units.
Heroes - a lot of fun - if you have an opponent you will be playing regularly.
Creatures - Excellent addition to the game as it broadens the options for using creatures - which are always a lot of fun. Plus the final scenario in that book is very good (though you need many other expansions to play it).
Dragons - See creatures - just a whole lot of fun and well worth it in my view.
The others are mainly troop expansions, all good in my view.
Hundred Years War - Adds some excellent units and is often required for scenarios in later expansions.
Goblins (both Marauders and Skirmishers) add some great units and really flesh out the Goblin units. They have some excellent mounted units.
Dwarves (both Scottish Wars and Battalion) also add some great units - Dwarves have some great musical and foot units.
The three latest FFG expansions - (Horrific Hordes, Bearded Brave and Code of Chivalry) are all very very good troop expansions - they add call to arms cards that allow your random scenarios made through the call to arms system to include units from all the other troop expansions - and add some fearsome units to the game.
There is no real way of playing racial armies at this stage - such as a Dwarf Army or Goblin army - there are stop-gap solutions you can find here - even some officially endorsed, but really - you'll usually be playing a mix of the three races - humans, dwarves and goblins.
I probably haven't helped much - but they are all great in my view. In order of best to the merely excellent I'd have to list:
Call to Arms/Epic - they round out the broader game system.
Troop or creature expansions - creature if you want a more fantasy element, troop if you want more unit variety.
Of the troop and creature expansions I really like the Hundred Years War, Horrific Hordes, Bearded Brave and Code of Chivalry - then the 4 smaller troop packs after that. Having said that I think they are all worth having (though I am something of a fan of the game in case you can't tell).
Sorry - I know it's probably not much help, but there are some short descriptions of what I like about each. If you want more detail you can check out my comments at BGG - I'm caradoc over there.
Cheers,
Giles.
Oh - and Troll and Country is worth it if you can find it cheap - it adds a Troll which is fun, the scenarios are good - but require a mix of the other troop packs and expansions.
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Another unit like the Ogres from HoHo could be:
Centaurs: Red Banner Cavalry. May be affected by both tactics (and lore) cards for both Infantry and Cavalry.
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Horse Archers: Green Banner - may move after attacking (but not if they moved before the combat phase - so only one move per turn). Attack with 2 dice at a range of 2 hexes.
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pot the ferret said:
With the rangers of sherwood - for every lore rolled, steal one lore from your opponent in addition to everything else you said. Gotta account for the fact that they're thieves and robbers - lol
Ha! I like it!
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Other unit examples could be:
Elf Path Finders: May be embedded within a unit (replacing a normal unit figure, like a horn blower or spotter). A unit containing a Path Finder does not have to stop when moving through any terrain piece - and may, for it's full movement allowance, cross a cliff hex face.
Apprentice Magicians: May be embedded within a unit (as per Horn blowers). Units containing an Apprentice Magician collect two lore for every lore symbol rolled in melee combat.
Magi: May have spells that operate like the Dragon special attacks, and may be cast on or at units within 2 or 3 hexes for the appropriate lore cost.
Armourers: May be taken as a unit via the normal Specialist Card rules (ie: replace a X colour banner unit). No figures are placed on the board... instead Y units are marked with a token, this token allows them to ignore one hit in melee.
Weapon Crafters: May be taken as a unit via the normal Specialist Card rules (ie: replace a X colour banner unit). No figures are placed on the board... instead Y units are marked with a token, this token allows them to use a rolled lore result to either collect lore, or score a hit (not both).
All Heroic Units would come with their own specialist cards for deployment through the CtA system.
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In another thread TheKingofBlades mentioned having Robin Hood style units - that got me thinking...
It would be awesome to have a box set of Heroic Units - Units that are only slightly better than normal, take hits like any other unit, but who have a special ability that activates on the roll of a Lore Symbol.
Rangers of Sherwood - Green Banner unit, can move 2 and attack, rolls 3 dice when attacking, may attack up to a range of 3 hexes, and isn't limited by the restrictions of forest spaces (forest spaces count as plains for them, but forest limits still apply if the unit is being attacked while in one). Lore rolled also count as hits in ranged combat.
The Stalwart - Blue banner spear unit, behaves exactly as a blue banner spear unit, but also hits on Lore when battling back.
The Biting Wind - Green banner Goblin lizard riders, may, for 1 lore, roll 4 dice minus the current unit strength - on a lore they ignore any terrain restrictions for any terrain piece on the board when moving through or batting from it.
I'm sure there are lots of other examples - each unit would be *special* and players may only have one of each type in play (so no two Rangers of Sherwood units running around). These listed above are only off the top of my head as I write this, but I'm sure that more and better thought out units could be conceived and be a lot of fun to include in play.
Cheers,
Giles.
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Another idea would be a Battleground pack.
A set of cards that include different terrain layouts.
In it's simplest form you'd flip three cards and they would form the battlefield (or you could draw 5 and each player would, in turn, eliminate one.
In a more complex form they could include race/country specific themes
- The dwarf set might include more hills and cliffs
-The goblin set might include more open terrain and forests.
this could be as complex as you would like - different countries might include different mixes of cards or whatever.
This whole concept could be added to the Hero Quest deck idea above - so you not only build a map, but you also add in objectives, quests, and so forth.
Cheers,
Giles.
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I use plano cases to keep everything in. I have the various miniature types and banner types in their own compartments. It certainly makes set-up and tear down much easier in play!
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/6910990#6910990
Above is a link to a BGG thrad on this topic - specifically to my post on how I store my minis.
Lots of good suggestions and solutions in the thread!
Cheers,
Giles.
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Looks great! The minis for this are on my list to get to (eventually) - I don't have a painting table, so I only get my stuff out too infrequently to make too much of a dent in my list!
Post your others when they're done - I'd love to see what you done!
Cheers,
Giles.
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Interesting!
I hadn't noticed that. Seems to me like Creatures was an update to the three main creatures and an additional creature. With the possibility of using the old ones if people really wanted to (though this wasn't well thought out as you point out).
I think I'll just play the newer creatures - or if the older ones, then slight mods to their rules - like the Green Spider poisons (as per it's rule) on 2 lore symbols - no hit required.
Cheers,
Giles.
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From what I recall I don't think they are used specifically for anything.
I don't think I've ever had them out!
Edit: This thread on BGG has some advice on them.
They could certainly be used in home-brew scenarios or rules however.
Cheers,
Giles.
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The creature strikes and causes damage as normal, any lore rolled and therefore any special power unleashed is in addition to the normal combat damage inflicted.
Most powers are not normal combat damage, they force damage on surrounding units, cause creatures to regenerate and other things.
The dragons are an exception - their special powers are their breath weapons - they must be used as an alternative to normal combat, may only be used on units the dragon flies over, and you must spend lore (from your lore cup) to activate them.
Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Giles.
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I'd love to see an expansion with some more characters. A hobbit character would be especially awesome.
There are a lot of little things that could be added to this game, but characters would be great.
It would also be fantastic to have a co-op/solo game mode - highly difficult given the nature of the Sauron player, but it would be great nonetheless.
Cheers,
Giles.
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Awesome Ben!
I posted some of my initial (and probably poorly considered) thoughts over at BGG - would you prefer I post here or there?
Cheers,
Giles.
Just finished beginner game - first impressions
in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
Posted
I finally finished the second game that completed our experience of the beginner box tonight. My players went completely off the reserve. They tackled the Trandoshan before getting the ship unclamped, caused mayhem and destruction including blowing up the junk yard and ramming a speeder into the Spaceport control building. In the end half the party was rescued from the roof of the spaceport control building (on fire and with Storm Troopers closing in), by the rest of the party in the YT-1300. It was a crazy game, but the narrative dice were fantastic and worked really well - everyone had a blast, and we'll be grabbing the full rules.
Great game.
Cheers,
Giles.