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Alabama_Man

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Posts posted by Alabama_Man

  2. Posted

    I'm so **** glad Quachil was released with the Innsmouth Espansion, since he's among my favourite GOOs (Well, I'd say my favourite non-HPL's GOO).

    So, I really love the dust decks thing, but allows the game to be still beatable.

    But yesterday the **** little rugrat managed to awaken and -as you would bed- he beat the heck out of us.

    Is there any possible way to defeat it???

    Even those very rare items which allow cancelling a GOO's attack for a turn (e.g. the Warding Statue) are not that useful.

    Probably the only possible way would be having most of the investigators blessed, with lots of Clue Tokens, Fight skills (and maybe Zoey with a nasty Shotgun?)... But odds would be bad anyway.

    In any case, I kind of like losing this battle: Azathoth is nastier anyway, so you still get a chance. And live the chill.

  4. Posted

    Well, I like drawing random investigators, but we usually allow everybody to keep their own "black list": should you pick an investigator that you really dislike, you're allowed to draw again- up to three trimes.

    You know, If I have to spend 4 hours playing some character that I'd be glad to see drowning in R'Lyeh depths, it's not going to be that fun.

    Also, some friends play so rarely that I'll just be kind and let them choose pick any investigator they wish- just to let them have the fun they expect (well, I always remove Daisy from the game anyway- and now that I got Innsmouth too, I'll have to remove the **** Violinist too, I guess).

  5. Posted

    So, I'm one of those people who's motto is "never less than three".

    I remember playing solo once, just to test if it would work (that's a lie: I was supposed to study English Litterature at University, and wasn't really in the mood :PPP ), and I used 3 investigators.

    I played 2 players games sometimes (me and my fiancée or some other friend), but we always picked 2 investigators each: it used to work, but was slightly messy. But had we used only 1 investigator each, the game would have been impossibile to beat (unless you just play to stock up on guns and blast the GOO away- which is not the funniest playstyle in the world).

    We needed to fix things so that a 2 player game would work fine and quick.

    So, here's Gott's simple rule for two players:

    Each turn, the first player plays twice. Period. It seems crude, but works.

    Example: two players are using Joe Diamond and Leo Anderson.

    Joe is the first player.

    So, after the Upkeep phase, Joe plays his turn (Movement, Encounter Phase and Other World encounters). Then Leo does the same, and after him Joe plays again. Then follows the Mythos Phase, and the Upkeep again.

    I know it sounds odd, but it works fine.

    It's NOT THE BEST way to play a game though: there's a "bug", you know: if the first player has a Find gate spell, he may enter a gate on his first turn, then cast Find gate on his second, and immediatly close/seal the Gate (if able-and lucky enough).

    Unless you really want to allow that possibility, you can simply rule that casting Find gate spells make you losing the rest of your turn.

    Again, let me repeat: the above rule is just meant to play 2 players games where players do not fancvy picking 2 investigators each.

     

    :)

  8. Posted

    Oh, mamma mia, I'm always forgetting the Ashcan loop bug.

    Well, since nobody of us never wants to play Ashcan (Speed 3? Noooooo thanks- Unless your name is Carolyn, Jenny or Harvey), that's not a big problem to us :)

    Even though the rules would allow it, we'd just put some home-ruled limit to that. I dunno, something like "any item discarded by Ashcan is returned to the box", or just "return Eltdown Shards to the box after use (like Elder signs).

    In any case, you're right about that possibility.

     

    I'll not keep discussing whether KH is better than DH or not: it's just a matter of tastes, and I'm sure you'll agree with me :)

    As you could see in my ranking list, I still consider CotDP being more enjoyable than any other big bog expansion- and lots of people would indeed argue about my choice.

    I guess I'll not change my opinion about DH until I see the **** IH monster waking up- it'll meet a nasty Blue Watcher of the Pyramid then angel.gif

  9. Posted

    Dam said:

    Gott said:

     

    4) Dunwich Horror (too many overpowered monsters and overpowered items/spells

     

     

    Care to elaborate? KH has devouring monsters IIRC, as well as items for removing doomers (just as examples).

    Dam said:

    Gott said:

     

    4) Dunwich Horror (too many overpowered monsters and overpowered items/spells)

     

     

    Care to elaborate? KH has devouring monsters IIRC, as well as items for removing doomers (just as examples).

    Well, I'd say both KH and DH hafe their own flaws:

    I'll try to be as clear as I can, but please remember that all below is just my own opinion:

    1) DH adds Items and spells which I can't really stand to see (Fetch Stick, Alien Device, Most missions- which are almost impossible to pass). Also, many monsters (Hunting Horror, Wraith, Mummy, Rat Thing- and I'll not mention the Color Out of Space just because I wish I had it as a pet) are so nasty that unless you're lucky enough to be equipped better than Rambo in First Blood Part 3, you're just going to curse the game developers for creating such unbeatable opponents. Well, the Rat-thing is not *that* nasty, though I see very little thematic sense in discarding items- and if you don't even have one, you're just going to be beaten up like a carpet.

    Also, DH has got some painfully annoying rumors: Riots & Nightmare Pool (the ones where you put 3 SAN/STA tokens per players on them and [...] ): you know, I really like challenges (Otherwise I wouldn't be playing this game and all of its expansions since 3 years now), but I think there's a big difference between a "challenge" and sheer frustration.

    And about the new cards: I never saw anybody managing to get a Sheldon Gand membership in 15 games (well, I'm sure of 15, though I could probably say 25 and still don't lie). I never saw anybody setting the "special" cards on (you know, the "Velma's Favour, Darke's Belssing and such): I just wish they were developed and managed better. Then there are Injury and Madness cards, but I don't really like them. They're a good Idea, but the excessive difficulty to get rid of them sometimes (often?) makes the game frustrating (Especially when you have Speed 3 and break a leg).

    The "Dunwich Horror" monster: it's a very "nice" monster... I just wish I ever saw it awakening. Please. Just once. We never got its track higher than 2 in all our games. Its marker is soooo dusty.

    At least, DH's got some of my favourite GOOs (for both their role in Lovecraftian Mythos and the way they work in game), And I love using Shudde mell's Rubble Tokens as Rift tokens in KH.

    2) KH: well, although I like it more than DH, I recognise its own faults: Rift mechanics being a bit messy (and the "put an Investigator on holiday in Kingsport and everything will be fine" problem), some AWFUL spells and items (even worse than DH, along with the painfully mispelled "Massa di Requiem per Shaggai "), and Aquatic Monsters being just a flavour thing than an actual threat. Also, some allies are a bit overpowered (like those in CotDP), though I don't think Allies have to be as balanced as Investigators should be. Oh, and I really dislike most of its GOOs- which I even refused to play since I got the game, except for Eihort (we even use to give names to each of the parasites we gain :) )

    BUT items and spells in KH are not "overpowered": for example, although the Elephant Gun is more powerful than the Flamethrower in DH, it is flawed by the "Pay $2 to refresh" thing, which makes it quite a worthless item to me.

    I'll list why I like KH:

    -I love exploring locations. I'd say it's the main reason I like playing AH: exploring, uncovering lost treasures, and such.

    -I love all the new investigators (except for Daisy and Lily- the first being as powerful as a GOO and the latter being as Lovecraftian as my English Cocker dog).

    -I L-O-V-E the Tulzscha Herald and Elusive Monsters in general. They're the best invention ever after root beer (which I can't happen to find in my country, so I should start drinking herald juice, maybe?)

    - I love the Epic Battle variant (while I'm not *very* fond of Injuries/Madness cards in DH, as mentioned above). Epic Cards tend to be a bit repetitive after a few times you use'em (you're always expecting, shall we say, "flyind debris" and "wave of madness")- but we cope with that by randomly reomoving one green and one red card before the battle).

    Ties:

    both DH and KH have devouring monsters (2 in DH (Nyarla's Mask and the Horror if you draw the "wrong" card) and 1 in KH (Moon Beast-maybe it is 2x, I'm not sure).

    Powerful books: Gate-closing and Ally-summoning books in DH, vs. Spell-Choosing and Doom-removing ones in KH:

    I'd say none is bad: removing doom tokens is not *that* unbalancing In my opinion: unexperienced and unplanning players will never get to win a game Even if you give them a 30 Doom GOO. And finding all 2 doom-removing books is quite a rare occurrance (though i trimmed the deck by permanently removing one anyway :P I told you I like challenges).

    Anyway, none of those books is as powerful as the Necronomicon,which I would never, ever dare to blame for being a "game breaker".

    Sorry for writing so much and please forgive any typing mistake:)

    You asked :)

    Cheers from sunny-as-hell Italy

  10. Posted

    Here's my personal "recommended purchase order", in termos of quality and enjoyment:

     

    1- The King in Yellow (very nice new items/spells/encounters, and a good boost to difficulty level if you need it)

    2- Curse of the Dark Pharaoh (veeery very well-flavoured, but it tends to make the game easier, just be aware of that)

    3- Kingsport Horror (Some Items/spells suck, but the rift mechanics, well, you either love'em or hate'em: I think they are awesome)

    4) Dunwich Horror (too many overpowered monsters and overpowered items/spells, and I often happen to play entire games without seeing even just one gate opening in the Innsmouth board. Uh, and I NEVER saw the Innsmouth Horror monster awakening in 15+ games I played. So, this is a nice expansion but it could have been done better. A lot better, in my opinion)

    5) Black Goat of the woods (it adds the most pointless items and spells ever. Encounters are interesting, but I don't like the corruption mechanics. Also, I don't happen to see Cult Encounters and Corruption Cards being used/drawn *that* much. I'd rank this expansion with an "I want my money back")

     

    ***Not listed: Innsmouth Horror.

    I just got it yesterday and played just a couple of games.

    I'm quite disappointed of it but I need more time to fully rank and review it honestly.

  12. Posted

    So, I managed to get Innsmouth yesterday and after two games I already have some questions:

    1) Silas Marsh's ability allows him to spend 2 movement points in order to travel to ANY AQUATIC location: does this apply to Ya'Nthlei too?

    2) Innsmouth Jail & Innsmouth Jail Cell: when you are arrested, WHERE do you go exactly? I suppose you'd go to the cell area. Then what is the point in visiting the Innsmouth Jail location, since most of its encountewrs are just bad?

    Also, when you are in jail are you supposed to stay there until you find a way out, or does that last one turn only? How about Mark Harrigan's immunity to being arrested? I remember hearing he gets arrested anyway but I want to be sure.

     

    Tell you what: I had been waiting months for it, I had been drooling since I saw the first cards on BGG... But after my first two games it feels like a kind of a let down:

    basically, most encounters in Innsmouth are so **** negative/dangerous that they just turn the game into a frustrating experience.

    What reall pissed me off are those encounters like "you are delayed even if you are normally immune to being delayed":

    Come **** on, there's no point  in forbidding Mark Harrigan to use his ability: isn't he supposed to be an One Man Army?

     

    Oh well...

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