DMotivational #48: For One Night Only, The Stars Are Right.

A Little Experiment On A Monumental Scale

It's taken a lot of re-reads and a fair bit of time but, I am finally in position
where I am not only looking forward to playing Race For The Galaxy solo but, I also feel fairly confident so without constantly referencing the rulebook.

Much of the confusion arose as a result of the sheer mass of symbols that the game uses to denote it's functions. It's like trying to read hieroglyphs without a Rosetta Stone to hand. Not easy. Not by a long shot. I'm past that now though (thankfully). I'll still keep the rulebook to hand but, I now feel that I can muster enough basic vocab to order a coffee in a galaxy far far away and not be served with a rusted tin bucket by mistake. ;0).

So with this new knowledge under my belt, something that I thought might be fun would be to build whole empires from my play reports (which I also plan on sharing). It's something that I have done before when playing Munchkin, creating some weird and wonderful delvers, so why wouldn't it work on a galactic scale?

Will the people favor trade, politics, diplomacy or, military might? Let the cards decide.

The only factor that the cards won't really determine is ownership of the empire in question as Race For The Galaxy doesn't really go anyway towards covering such matters. Still, having an instant power block to throw into games like Starfaring and New Khazan seems like a pretty sweet deal.

Just add alien lifeforms. ;0).

At The Table: Castle Panic: The Wizard's Tower

After what seems like an extended lull, our game table has really seen a lot of action of late. Either that or, I have suddenly had a lot more free time for gaming.. Most likely a little of both. Which ever way I look at it though, to get back to leisure of gaming is nothing but a good thing.

Castle Panic: The Wizard's Tower

After long term ownership and what I can only really describe as a fanboy-esque appreciation of it's predecessor I finally got around to breaking out the expansion yesterday and, WOW! Is this ever a horse of a different color.

The mass appeal of the original game I suspect and indeed, it's personal  appeal to me was the sheer speed and simplicity of play.. Which has gone right out of the window. In fact the whole dynamic of the game changes when you introduce the Wizard's Tower.

If I had to compare it, I would say that the original game is a lot about playing a 1st level Warrior. Things are straight forward. You hack, you slash and, more often than not, you prevail. Playing the expansion though is a lot more like playing an epic level magic-user straight after the fact. You have a lot more power (and BOY can you feel it) but, the challenges that the GM throws at you are a lot more life and death, with no clear path to victory.

In fact, I would go as far as saying that the original game would be more aptly named "Castle Don't Sweat It", a claim which I could never make of the expansion. The expansion really ramps up the difficulty level of the game, which isn't a bad thing. It makes victories a lot more meaningful and I always relish a challenge.

The only real downfall with this add-on is the sheer volume of rules it adds. Don't get me wrong, it's not a lot but, to go from what is realistically a casual level game suitable for the whole family to, a gamer level game with a virtually vertical learning curve is going to be a bit too much of a leap for a large chunk of the folks who invested in the original.

That aside though, speaking as a gamer who appreciates a challenge (and a fanboy of the original), I'd highly recommend adding this one to the collection. It's not an expensive buy in and, it's worth every penny.

Over 10,000 Hits!

Which is pretty amazing in anyone's books.. Okay, maybe not Google's or Amazon's or.. Well, let's just say I'm happy!

So, as ever a big thank you to everyone who has stopped by and ticked the counter along one, two or, a few. :0). Also keeping with the theme of 10's I hereby pledge (well sort of) to update the blog at least 10 times a month, with the sort of accounting for times when there is either nothing happening or life precludes me the time to put in timely updates.

See you all at 20,000. ;0).

At The Table: Adventures In Neopia / Flash Point / Pandemic / Power Grid

After commenting in my last post that as a gaming group, we've not really been doing much gaming, things have really exploded over the past few days.

Pandemic: A New Challenge

Despite being a new addition to games we play (along with all of the others in
this post to be fair), Pandemic has fast become a favorite at the games table. It's no surprise either, given that it has so much going for it. Easy to play, quick to learn, variable set-up and, a constant sense of challenge.

The challenge is the thing too. I have become quite tired of games where victory come all too easily and, have certainly set out to challenge myself more on the gaming front.. Which is probably why I have taken to Power Grid.

Power Grid

Building power plants and cities whilst investing in pipelines and raw materials
really doesn't sound like much of a game does it? Unless you're a telegraph pole enthusiast that is but, then again the theme of laying railway tracks isn't exactly riveting but, Ticket to Ride is a great game. So as long as you can put the theme aside, the immersion that this game can offer will likely bring you back time and time again.

The challenge level is just dandy too as you try to balance your finances over auctions, purchasing pipelines, cities and, natural resources. Although I could easily see that this game would bore the hind teeth off of a casual gamer, so this title certainly isn't for everyone.

Flash Point: Fire Rescue

On the complete flip-side of Power Grid, another game that is proving popular
at the table is Flash Point, which even at it's deepest level of complexity is still very welcoming to hardcore and casual gamers alike.

If I were to compare this game, I would most likely suggest that it is very similar to Castle Panic in feel as you play it (so no wonder I love it) and, an ideal addition to any group. Even groups that already own a copy of Castle Panic as despite the feel being very similar, the way the games play is worlds apart.

Adventures In Neopia

Last up at the table is one that was at my own personal gaming table only
yesterday.

It's not big, deep or, complicated but as regulars on the Neopets website, both the girlfriend and I have got a real kick out of this game. Even when I absolutely cheesed a victory. With 7 mini-games inside the main game, Adventures in Neopia is deeper than your standard roll and move.. But not by much. We had a giggle though. :0).

Would I recommend it? Yes, but despite it's simplicity, not for younger audiences as it does contain elements of gambling which I don't think is appropriate for children or young adults.

One Update!? That Just Won't Do!

Only one update in March!? That just won't do.

I really hadn't realised how lapse I had become in updating this blog. That will change though. March was just a quiet month. Next to no gaming, not much in the way of games shopping and, not a lot happening on the development front either.

April has already blown this out of the water though.

We have a new game at the table, our Rolemaster roleplay is finally underway and, I have finally finished sifting through a folder full of incomplete projects, so there will be more from the workbench.

So I hope that you enjoyed the commercial break, and we welcome you back to the Alchemy show. ;0).

Alchemy's Workbench #15: Even More Panic!

It's official, I am hooked on Castle Panic. Tunnels and Trolls, obsessed and, it seems that when I'm not homebrewing for one of late, I'm tinkering with the other.

It's no surprise though. Both systems are elegantly light (although it has to be said that the Wizard's Tower expansion is far too convoluted for it's own good) and, welcome said tinkering.

Convolution aside, The Wizard's Tower expansion has certainly given me some food for thought though. Particularly the new rules that it introduces that allow some cards to strike certain monsters at ranges they normally couldn't given the right circumstances. It's a simple tweak (although you wouldn't think it looking at the rulebook) and, a great idea! It adds some real depth.

This set me thinking, why not go the whole hog and completely redesign the deck, and if I'm redesigning the deck, why not the monster tokens and theme too.

So after a quick brainstorm, I came up with what I think are two ideal candidates. Doom and Resident Evil, of which I decided to run with Doom. Not that Resident Evil isn't a fine game but, with Fireside Games already having a zombie style panic game in the works, creating my own when I had a choice seemed a bit moot. Not to mention, I know a damn sight more about Doom. :0).

The New Board

The board itself won't change much, other than the names of the rings, which will become Short (S), Medium (M), and, Long (L).

The New Deck

The new deck will keep the color codings of the original game but, the actual cards themselves and their capabilities will change vastly. Each card will have a value after S, M and, L, showing how many points of damage that it will deal to any one target within that ring (of the appropriate color). If it has no value, it cannot hit a target at that range and, a value of zero means that it can be expended (should you just want to remove the card from your hand) but, will do no damage.

Each card can be used to hit only one target at one range regardless of the number of various values and ranges listed on the card before it must be discarded.

Weapon cards will include Chainsaw, Pistol, Shotgun, Super Shotgun, Chaingun, Rocket Launcher, Plasma Rifle, BFG9000. Doubling up on the original four "Hit" cards (Swordsman, Knight, Archer, Hero).

The New Horde

Like the weapons, I am still working on the special rules and values for the monsters but, I expect them to include the Zombie Man, Shotgun Guy, Commando, Imp, Demon, Cacodemon, Mancubus, Revenant, Lost Soul, Pain Elemental, Baron of Hell, Hell Knight, Arch Vile, Arachnotron, Spider Mastermind, Cyber Demon.