Thrift Store Score: Stargate SG-1

I really love my local thrift stores. Not only do you get to help someone out but, you also get something shiny into the deal. Last time for example, you may recall that I won big, picking up a copy of Ticket to Ride: Europe for a fraction of it's retail price.

Today was pretty good too.

It's been a while since any new stock hit the shelves as times are pretty tight in the UK and everyone's feeling it, but given what I picked up, I'm going to say it was worth the wait.

But what did I find that was so great?

Well as you've probably already guessed from the pictures and the title of this post, it was the Stargate SG-1 Board game, which funnily enough was the program that I happened to be watching before heading out to the thrift store.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not an uber-fan of the show. I do enjoy it, if it's on and I'm home I'll usually switch over to it but, I don't go out of my way to make sure I never miss an episode. I guess you could say that I'm a casual viewer. The game did peak my interest though, as looking on the back of the box I could see there was an absolute wealth of Risk scale components. I like Risk. I collect Risk, so for me that was reason enough to buy it.

As it turns out the game itself has a lot in common with Risk too. Hell, it's not much more than glorified Risk, so in that respect it was a double score, a treble score if you account for the fact that all of the components where in mint condition. The cards hadn't even had the shrink wrap removed!

So a great find, even better when you consider the price:

Approximate Value: £16
I Paid: £3.99

When it comes to gaming without blowing your fortune, thrift stores definitely seem key. Why not give your local store a go, they could sure use your support.

Amazing Thrift Store Find!

Sometimes you just can't believe your luck, no matter how lucky you are and, this was one such moment.

It even made me run and, well, I'm not the running type. When I spied a copy of Ticket to Ride: Europe half way down the thrift store as I entered the door however, I went all Flash on the situation. ;0).

I'm glad I did too as not only was this the only game remotely like this in the whole store but, it was also complete, in great condition and, cheap!

Granted, I am not 100% sure on what the actual retail price on this product is but when you're only giving up a fiver, which goes to a good cause you really can't complain. Especially when you've been eying up a copy in your local gaming store for a while which would have set you back a damn sight more!

In many ways, I think that little box defines the very meaning of "great find". :0).

Alchemy Bytes #31: More From The Tabletop

Highlight of the episode: Accidental "Nerd Rage".

Crossovers #1: One Way Ticket

A Nuclear War Card Game / Ticket To Ride Crossover created by Rick Loomis, Ken St Andre, and Laura Samuelson. Edited and re-posted here by me. :0).

You are playing Ticket To Ride as usual, with the following exceptions:

• Create a separate draw pile containing all of the Warheads, Carrier, and Antimissile cards from the Nuclear War Card Game.

• On your turn you may draw a card from the "Nuke Deck" in the place of drawing or taking a Train card. Cards drawn from the Nuke deck are treated as train cards, so on your turn you may take any combination of two Train / Nuke cards or, one face-up Wildcard as a draw action.

• Instead of taking your normal action on your turn you may choose to nuke a railroad if you have a Carrier and a Warhead that match. The nuked railroad and all other DIRECT connections between the two cities are destroyed and route markers returned to their prospective players.

• A Nuke may be countered if the player being attacked has an Antimissile capable of taking out the attacking Warhead, and wishes to play it. If not the train markers on the targeted line are returned to their players piles, and no-one may re-build that connection for 1-4 turns, depending upon the yield of the blast:

10 Megatons = 1 Turn.

20 Megatons = 2 Turns.

50 Megatons = 3 Turns.

100 Megatons = 4 Turns.

• These turns are counted down at once the player that launched the nuke has taken their turn, so please note that the player that launches the nuke will be the last to be given opportunity to re-build there! Also please note that Bombers remain in play until they have dropped a full 50 Megatons worth of nukes, or are shot down by an Antimissile.

• Once a Ticket is completed, it is cashed in for points immediately (because that railroad may not be there for long) but, kept by the player who completed it. At the end of the game, the player with the most completed lines receives 10 bonus points.

You can read the original text here or, order your copy of the Nuclear War Card Game here.

Alchemy Bytes #27: Bringing Munchkin To The Tabletop

Well after getting pretty much hooked on Tabletop from the word go, I decided to skip ahead a few episodes to Munckin.. Which in itself is kind of a Munchkinny (being a real word) thing to do.

Having seen the interaction over a game of Small World, a relatively friendly game, I knew that the banter over such a cut-throat game like Munchkin was going to turn Tabletop all the way up to 11, and verge on the brutal. Brutal in a good way though. That is the nature of the game after all.

Kill the monsters, steal the treasure, stab your buddy!

Alchemy Bytes #26: WHEATON!!

Following a suggestion passed over a game of Dominion in my local gaming store, I decided to give Tabletop a whirl. I have to say, well worth a look, and I don't think that I recommend it highly enough.

Previously I have always thought of Tom Vasel, and The Dice Tower as my go to place for gaming info on Youtube. To be fair to Tom, he does put out good quality material on a regular basis, and if I am looking into a game that I may want to add to my own shelf, I'll probably still go there.

That said though, having now been exposed to the Tabletop, I find The Dice Tower somewhat laking. Wil Wheaton is a great showman, and his guests really seem to be having a blast. He's genuinely passionate about gaming and, the banter around the table rings far truer than the comparatively dry and clinical style of Tom Vasel. Speaking for seasoned gamers, I think that we can all agree that when a session really gets going, that inner-child evident in those gathered around the Tabletop in the video above is what really comes out.

Play Report: Shadows Over Camelot: The Card Game - Game #1, Quest #1

Well I have put a couple of posts up about it of late but, tonight marks my first time actually sitting down, breaking the seal and, playing me a game of Shadows Over Camelot - The Card Game.

Not having played the original board game, I couldn't tell you how they compare but speaking for the card game alone, I can say that it is well worth the money and, that despite the fact that I was playing solo, it was still tense.

For the purposes of a play report on a memory game, I decided to note down the cards once I had committed myself to a quest (because writing them all down as I went along would be cheating frankly). So here goes!

My first quest that I embarked upon was for Excalibur. It was a middle of the road quest, granting two swords if I was successful and I had seen a couple of high value Excalibur cards go down as I worked my way through the deck. I had seen a couple of high value Saxon cards pass too but Merlin effects where going to remove those (or at least so I figured), so this seemed like a fairly safe bet.

There was a Morgan card in play that forced me to count cards aloud as I played (which really messed with my mental count) but I felt pretty confident in my decision as her effects hadn't been in play too long and, I couldn't have lost track of what had passed by that much. Could I?

As it turns out, no, but it was close! One more point in the quest for Excalibur and it would have been a failure. Still, a win is a win and none of the other quests reached the failure threshold either, netting me two white swords and no black ones. A good start.

But what does the realm of Camelot have in store for our valiant knights and their new and shiny sword?

Alchemy Bytes #23: Shadows Over Camelot: The Card Game - Video Review

Following on from my recent post I found this stellar video that gives a good overview of how to play the Shadows Over Camelot Card Game but, however leaves me with one question still unanswered, just how on earth is a game with such a strong focus on interaction supposed to play solo?

Plunder For The Cave #2: More Goodies!

In addition to the recent purchase of a rather awesome box of Skeleton Warriors, that I am REALLY looking forward to getting up and running, I also picked up a few other goodies worth noting.

There is a lot of sweet terrain to pick through in my local gaming store but, one small pack had caught my eye a few trips back and the purchase of the Skeleton Warriors gave me the perfect excuse (as if I needed one) to invest in it.

The pack in question contained a staggering 44 assorted gravestones for a meager £8! Throw in a hairy grass mat and that's pretty much a graveyard right there (although I'd like a mausoleum or two as well).

Renedra,who produce these gravestones are the same folks that were able to outfit me with 90 bases for only £5! As far as value to quality ratios go, these folks give you a lot for your money, which is always a good thing and, as far as the actual quality goes, I certainly have no complaints.

On top of all the modeling goodness, I also decided to pick up a copy of the Shadows Over Camelot Card Game by Days of Wonder. As well as the evocative box art, I was also drawn in by the promise that it could be played solitaire.. The fact that my copy came with the free promotional expansion (giving me a couple of extra cards that look like they'll really change the game) also certainly didn't hurt my decision making process in this either.

Although I have only had a chance for a quick flick through the rules, I have to say that I am quite impressed with what I have seen so far. At it's core, it appears to be a fairly basic memory game but, despite the typical Days of Wonder simplicity it actually opens up and encourages (and kinda doesn't work without) fairly deep roleplaying opportunities.

This should be an interesting one to bring to the table but, quite how a game that depends so heavily on roleplay will fair solitaire I really do not know. I sure plan on finding out though, and soon!