Last year for our birthdays Rumi and I got a gift certificate for Uncles Games. We were lazy and didnt actually spend it until early this year. What we chose was a theme heavy game: A Touch of Evil.
Ever since Liberty or Death for the Super Nintendo I have been very interested in the American Revolution. I have read books and watched shows related to it whenever possible. We had a few other choices, but I was pleased when this game was our choice.
This game takes a lot from other similar games. Some portions of the mechanics are almost completely stolen from Arkham Horror. It comes with a soundtrack, which is a Flying Frog trademark. Yet, in many ways it is its own game.
Where it really shines is in the presentation. The box and components are all top quality. The art, while a little cheesy, is very consistent and does an excellent job of portraying the mood. The cards also do an excellent job of telling a story.
What the game doesnt do, is play very well mechanically.
Rolling for movement comes off as arbitrary. The cards are quite numerous, which also lends to the luck factor. Combat is just dice rolling as well. If there are too many players it can really drag.
But if you can get in to the mood, it can be fun. Every time we have played I keep seeing a great game living just below the surface.
The Good: The look. Man, it looks good and consistent.
The story. The game does a good job of telling a story. Stuff fits together and makes an interesting plot.
The Bad: Length. It can take forever to play.
Strategy. There is little.
Luck. The game is very arbitrary.
The verdict. If you like theme laden games, its a great one to have, especially in the horror theme.
Homebrew: During our last session we tried a variant where we allowed everyone to move up to 6 spaces on their turn instead of rolling the dice. Anything that increases movement still works, so the drifter can move up to 8. This reduced the game length and increased the fun (and strategy) dramatically. It made a huge difference for us.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
One Week Later
Its been over a week since I last wrote, partially because of my Long Beach vacation. It was good, though there certainly could have been more gaming on my gaming vacation. On the bright side, we did play some new games like Mr. Jack.
But that will not be todays review. So far I have done mostly board game reviews, its time to again delve into RPGs. Todays subject: Deadlands.
In the beginning, Deadlands was a surprise Shane Lacy Hensley pulled on his friends, who thought they were going to play in a historical game, but after they all 'unluckily' died in the same battle, they found themselves the recipients of unlife.
And so, the weird west was born.
I have a love hate relationship with the setting. I really enjoy immersing myself a setting, yet I find it hard to relate to something that finds a way to try and be as crazy in all respects as possible. Lets not just have the undead. How about throwing in a host of crazy monsters, magical rock powered steampunk and magic powered by beings from another dimension?
I ran a Deadlands campaign last year, and it was one of the best games I have ever run. Yet, to do so required a careful attention to the world, and moving the setting backward in time a couple of years. For my taste I had to minimize the steampunk aspect and concentrate on the horror. Not only that, but the horror was just below the surface, the kind of things rumors were made of. No sane person admits to its existence.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
The system itself is pretty good. Characters are made by drawing cards and using them to assign numbers to a collection of stats. These each had dice (d4-d12) assigned to them and a number of each from 1-4. Each action has a target number, generally from 3-11, and the appropriate dice are rolled, highest number determining success or failure.
In the game as written, it works pretty well. As long as everyone plays old west guys who shoot people with guns. As soon as you get a brawny guy with d12 strength and a sabre, things go all to hell.
Why you ask? Well, a good rifle does 3d8 (keeping all dice). That aforementioned sabredude rolls a collection of d12s for strength, keeping the highest, then 2d8 for the sabre, keeping both. This is added for damage. Its pretty easy to do a lot more with a melee weapon than a gun.
Outside of that, the system works fast and fun. The initiative system, using cards and counting down, is good. The skills are decent and there is a good collection of edges and hindrances.
What really makes the system shine are the chips. Each character earns them through play, and they can be used to reroll, cancel damage or roll a new die and add it to the last. This allows the GM to go all out with the danger, and still have little chance of character death. They can spend their chips to save themselves. Players get to experience danger, yet without a bunch of messy damage that somehow miraculously heals after 3 days.
The good: Old west settings are fun.
The chips. They can be as flexible as you, the GM, are creative.
Character creation. Its fun to draw cards and assign them.
The bad: Character creation. Drawing cards often leads to overpowered characters.
Melee combat. As previously mentioned.
The verdict. Read it, try it. Savage Worlds is based on it, but has somehow lost a lot of its soul. Deadlands is an excellent game in many respects, but its also a fragile one. Be ready when you use it.
But that will not be todays review. So far I have done mostly board game reviews, its time to again delve into RPGs. Todays subject: Deadlands.
In the beginning, Deadlands was a surprise Shane Lacy Hensley pulled on his friends, who thought they were going to play in a historical game, but after they all 'unluckily' died in the same battle, they found themselves the recipients of unlife.
And so, the weird west was born.
I have a love hate relationship with the setting. I really enjoy immersing myself a setting, yet I find it hard to relate to something that finds a way to try and be as crazy in all respects as possible. Lets not just have the undead. How about throwing in a host of crazy monsters, magical rock powered steampunk and magic powered by beings from another dimension?
I ran a Deadlands campaign last year, and it was one of the best games I have ever run. Yet, to do so required a careful attention to the world, and moving the setting backward in time a couple of years. For my taste I had to minimize the steampunk aspect and concentrate on the horror. Not only that, but the horror was just below the surface, the kind of things rumors were made of. No sane person admits to its existence.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
The system itself is pretty good. Characters are made by drawing cards and using them to assign numbers to a collection of stats. These each had dice (d4-d12) assigned to them and a number of each from 1-4. Each action has a target number, generally from 3-11, and the appropriate dice are rolled, highest number determining success or failure.
In the game as written, it works pretty well. As long as everyone plays old west guys who shoot people with guns. As soon as you get a brawny guy with d12 strength and a sabre, things go all to hell.
Why you ask? Well, a good rifle does 3d8 (keeping all dice). That aforementioned sabredude rolls a collection of d12s for strength, keeping the highest, then 2d8 for the sabre, keeping both. This is added for damage. Its pretty easy to do a lot more with a melee weapon than a gun.
Outside of that, the system works fast and fun. The initiative system, using cards and counting down, is good. The skills are decent and there is a good collection of edges and hindrances.
What really makes the system shine are the chips. Each character earns them through play, and they can be used to reroll, cancel damage or roll a new die and add it to the last. This allows the GM to go all out with the danger, and still have little chance of character death. They can spend their chips to save themselves. Players get to experience danger, yet without a bunch of messy damage that somehow miraculously heals after 3 days.
The good: Old west settings are fun.
The chips. They can be as flexible as you, the GM, are creative.
Character creation. Its fun to draw cards and assign them.
The bad: Character creation. Drawing cards often leads to overpowered characters.
Melee combat. As previously mentioned.
The verdict. Read it, try it. Savage Worlds is based on it, but has somehow lost a lot of its soul. Deadlands is an excellent game in many respects, but its also a fragile one. Be ready when you use it.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Hotel West Seattle
This week we had our first split game day, playing two games at once. We had 7 people in attendence, which allowed us to play stuff we might not have been able to on a normal week. In the first portion of the evening one group played BSG, while the other played 2 games of Dominion and one of Agricola. They also had 10 minutes to spare.
This leads directly to todays review: Battlestar Galactica.
In typical Fantasy Flight tradition the game is very thematically strong, and the pieces are nice looking and high quality. The board takes up a ton of room, and there are a lot of things to keep track of. The board itself also looks good. In terms of manufacturing quality, its top grade.
The rules are pretty clear and easy enough to understand. We were able to play this with very few mistakes from the beginning. The keys to gameplay are skill checks and information concealment. Players are only allowed to share certain kinds of information and only at certain times.
Secrecy makes the game go. In the beginning each player is given a loyalty card, which determines if they are a Cylon. There is always at least one, and his object is to sabotage the Galactica and prevent their escape. To successfully be a Cylon, however, requires a good degree of subtlety. Its generally good to help them to succeed a few times and only cause failures when it can be done surreptitiously, or when its so important that it wont matter if you are caught.
Another good piece of ammunition in the Cylon arsenal is disinformation. Accusing others of being Cylons, and analyzing everything the players do works right into your hands. This is the most fun part of the game. Without the ability to call each other Cylons (which is a LOT more fun than it sounds) this game would be sunk. Too much seriousness and analysis and the luster is gone.
Around the middle of the game everyone gets a second loytalty card, which can turn a formerly loyal crew member into a Cylon or sympathiser. Late in the game the vital resources the crew are fighting to protect will have dwindled considerably, and the added enemy makes the game much more tense.
The good: Production quality. Everything looks great and is on point for the theme.
Intrigue. You never know who is who or who is telling the truth. This is the majority of what makes the game fun.
The bad: Balance. The Cylons usually win. The boarding party track is worthless and is rarely a threat, but its so easy to deplete one of three resources even with just one Cylon.
Length. You can play two to three other games in the time it takes to play this game. Its just not worth it. The game is certainly fun, but it takes so long to get where its going and drags on much longer than it should. There are plenty of times when the action lulls and the turns are just draw card, play skill check, over and over.
Variety. The card decks are thick, but only have about 4 different cards per deck. Its a whole lot of doing the same thing over and over.
The verdict: I cant recommend buying this game. If you know someone who has it, play it. After a couple of plays you will probably have enough. Its a great game when time is no option and/or there are no other games to play. Its also pretty good for non-gamers. People who like the show will enjoy the thematic elements.
This leads directly to todays review: Battlestar Galactica.
In typical Fantasy Flight tradition the game is very thematically strong, and the pieces are nice looking and high quality. The board takes up a ton of room, and there are a lot of things to keep track of. The board itself also looks good. In terms of manufacturing quality, its top grade.
The rules are pretty clear and easy enough to understand. We were able to play this with very few mistakes from the beginning. The keys to gameplay are skill checks and information concealment. Players are only allowed to share certain kinds of information and only at certain times.
Secrecy makes the game go. In the beginning each player is given a loyalty card, which determines if they are a Cylon. There is always at least one, and his object is to sabotage the Galactica and prevent their escape. To successfully be a Cylon, however, requires a good degree of subtlety. Its generally good to help them to succeed a few times and only cause failures when it can be done surreptitiously, or when its so important that it wont matter if you are caught.
Another good piece of ammunition in the Cylon arsenal is disinformation. Accusing others of being Cylons, and analyzing everything the players do works right into your hands. This is the most fun part of the game. Without the ability to call each other Cylons (which is a LOT more fun than it sounds) this game would be sunk. Too much seriousness and analysis and the luster is gone.
Around the middle of the game everyone gets a second loytalty card, which can turn a formerly loyal crew member into a Cylon or sympathiser. Late in the game the vital resources the crew are fighting to protect will have dwindled considerably, and the added enemy makes the game much more tense.
The good: Production quality. Everything looks great and is on point for the theme.
Intrigue. You never know who is who or who is telling the truth. This is the majority of what makes the game fun.
The bad: Balance. The Cylons usually win. The boarding party track is worthless and is rarely a threat, but its so easy to deplete one of three resources even with just one Cylon.
Length. You can play two to three other games in the time it takes to play this game. Its just not worth it. The game is certainly fun, but it takes so long to get where its going and drags on much longer than it should. There are plenty of times when the action lulls and the turns are just draw card, play skill check, over and over.
Variety. The card decks are thick, but only have about 4 different cards per deck. Its a whole lot of doing the same thing over and over.
The verdict: I cant recommend buying this game. If you know someone who has it, play it. After a couple of plays you will probably have enough. Its a great game when time is no option and/or there are no other games to play. Its also pretty good for non-gamers. People who like the show will enjoy the thematic elements.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Double Whammy
We have said a lot that we definitely prefer Bootleggers to El Grande, well the whole group had never had a chance to play it. Dragonflight, besides what has already been written, offered me a chance to get El Grande, plus expansions, for my collection. It was time for us to give it a whirl and see if this would stand the test of time.
The game looks as Euro as possible, nothing but silly little hunks of firewood, a board and some cards. Everything seems to be high quality, and the board is well proportioned to hold all the pieces for the duration of the game. The rules werent the most clear, another Euro trademark, but Rumi was pretty clear on her memory of how the game is played. After a short explanation we got underway.
We had 5 players, Rumi, Maya, Jason, Corey and me. Rumi took a commanding lead early in the game, choosing cards which allowed her to score in both rounds 1 and 2. After the third scoring round, she had a good lead with Maya close behind.
Corey and Rumi spent a good deal of resources fighting over a few spots, and Maya played strong in a few places and spread her resources effectively to score consistent points. I turtled around my home territory and one other area, while Jason pretty much floundered.
During the middle turns Corey and Rumi both realized almost simultaneously that they were spending significant resources for a difference of only one point, which opened up both of their games as Corey abandoned the space and started assaulting Jason. I started using the king to control the areas I wished and gaining smaller but more consistent points, as well as getting strong in the Castille (as did Jason).
During the late turns Jason began to surge forward, but Maya looked to have an almost insurmountable lead. Rumi was close as well, both getting a double digit lead on the field. With two turns remaining I took a card which allowed me to grab a power card back, and knowing that I had my 12 and everyone else had played their 13, I chose my 1 instead (more caballeros).
I was dismayed, however, during the next turn when another such card came back, and Rumi grabbed her 13. She played it and I played my 12, and she used her turn to make a very strong play for a few valuable territories. But not only did it not doom my plan, it nearly facilitated it. I moved the king to my home territory, where I was now guaranteed to win, and placed all my new caballeros in the second most valuable place on the board, where Rumi was the only player who could possibly challenge me. Now that her turn was over, I was secure in those points as well.
We scored the areas in order, and Rumi and Maya again jumped way ahead, but as we neared the more valuable ones, I began to creep up as did Jason. Eventually I found myself passing Maya and Rumi, and ending with 89 points (31 of which came from my home area 3 times and one low point area I had 1 caballero in the whole game for 3 2nd place scores). Jason had won his home territory, which was last to score, and ended up with 88.
In the end it was a lucky night for me since I won Aladdins Dragons as well.
The Good: Quick Play. Once the game gets rolling, it moves right along.
Competition. Unlike most Euros, this game is very directly a competition between players, rather than a player competiting against the mechanics and winning based on who was most successful at that. You win this game by outmaneuvering the others.
The Bad: Monotony. I dont see a lot of replay value here. There are quite a few cards, and maybe they will make the game quite different, but it looks like the games would be pretty similar.
The Verdict: This is an overrated game. I cant believe its in the BGG top 10. Its a decent game, and Im pleased to own it, but the $15 I paid is about right. Ill play it again, but I cant see myself getting all jazzed for a game of El Grande.
The Bootleggers comparison is somewhat valid. This game is like taking the 'Send In The Boys' phase and playing an entire game based on that. I still prefer Bootleggers wholeheartedly. The interaction is more dynamic, the cards more interesting and the theme richer and easier to have fun with.
The game looks as Euro as possible, nothing but silly little hunks of firewood, a board and some cards. Everything seems to be high quality, and the board is well proportioned to hold all the pieces for the duration of the game. The rules werent the most clear, another Euro trademark, but Rumi was pretty clear on her memory of how the game is played. After a short explanation we got underway.
We had 5 players, Rumi, Maya, Jason, Corey and me. Rumi took a commanding lead early in the game, choosing cards which allowed her to score in both rounds 1 and 2. After the third scoring round, she had a good lead with Maya close behind.
Corey and Rumi spent a good deal of resources fighting over a few spots, and Maya played strong in a few places and spread her resources effectively to score consistent points. I turtled around my home territory and one other area, while Jason pretty much floundered.
During the middle turns Corey and Rumi both realized almost simultaneously that they were spending significant resources for a difference of only one point, which opened up both of their games as Corey abandoned the space and started assaulting Jason. I started using the king to control the areas I wished and gaining smaller but more consistent points, as well as getting strong in the Castille (as did Jason).
During the late turns Jason began to surge forward, but Maya looked to have an almost insurmountable lead. Rumi was close as well, both getting a double digit lead on the field. With two turns remaining I took a card which allowed me to grab a power card back, and knowing that I had my 12 and everyone else had played their 13, I chose my 1 instead (more caballeros).
I was dismayed, however, during the next turn when another such card came back, and Rumi grabbed her 13. She played it and I played my 12, and she used her turn to make a very strong play for a few valuable territories. But not only did it not doom my plan, it nearly facilitated it. I moved the king to my home territory, where I was now guaranteed to win, and placed all my new caballeros in the second most valuable place on the board, where Rumi was the only player who could possibly challenge me. Now that her turn was over, I was secure in those points as well.
We scored the areas in order, and Rumi and Maya again jumped way ahead, but as we neared the more valuable ones, I began to creep up as did Jason. Eventually I found myself passing Maya and Rumi, and ending with 89 points (31 of which came from my home area 3 times and one low point area I had 1 caballero in the whole game for 3 2nd place scores). Jason had won his home territory, which was last to score, and ended up with 88.
In the end it was a lucky night for me since I won Aladdins Dragons as well.
The Good: Quick Play. Once the game gets rolling, it moves right along.
Competition. Unlike most Euros, this game is very directly a competition between players, rather than a player competiting against the mechanics and winning based on who was most successful at that. You win this game by outmaneuvering the others.
The Bad: Monotony. I dont see a lot of replay value here. There are quite a few cards, and maybe they will make the game quite different, but it looks like the games would be pretty similar.
The Verdict: This is an overrated game. I cant believe its in the BGG top 10. Its a decent game, and Im pleased to own it, but the $15 I paid is about right. Ill play it again, but I cant see myself getting all jazzed for a game of El Grande.
The Bootleggers comparison is somewhat valid. This game is like taking the 'Send In The Boys' phase and playing an entire game based on that. I still prefer Bootleggers wholeheartedly. The interaction is more dynamic, the cards more interesting and the theme richer and easier to have fun with.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Who Are We?
When I first envisioned this blog the first thing I conceived was an examination of the personality types that exist among gamers. I dont want to get all Meyers-Briggs; what I mean are play styles more than anything. I felt like it would be interesting to include in my reviews how certain games might appeal to particular personality types. Since I am doing this from scratch, without a lot of research or preparation it might not be as exacting the first time around as it could be, but I do hope to refine it and make it useful.
Todays entry: The Analyst
Analysts tend to calculate odds on every move they make. They determine the probability of events occurring and base their decisions almost exclusively on this. Analysts tend to prefer mechanics over theme. Negotiating in games is done almost exclusively based on positions of strength. Analysts tend to be strong on Euro games and tactical games where the odds are less obvious to the casual player.
Games an Analyst is likely enjoy: Power Grid, Puerto Rico, Caylus
Games an Analyst is less likely to enjoy: Betrayal at House on the Hill, A Touch of Evil
Todays entry: The Analyst
Analysts tend to calculate odds on every move they make. They determine the probability of events occurring and base their decisions almost exclusively on this. Analysts tend to prefer mechanics over theme. Negotiating in games is done almost exclusively based on positions of strength. Analysts tend to be strong on Euro games and tactical games where the odds are less obvious to the casual player.
Games an Analyst is likely enjoy: Power Grid, Puerto Rico, Caylus
Games an Analyst is less likely to enjoy: Betrayal at House on the Hill, A Touch of Evil
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
By The Power (Grid) of Greyskull
Now that everything has calmed down from the weekend I can again focus on the subject matter of this blog: games. Our weekly games were planned to be Power Grid and Puerto Rico, yet because of time constraints PR became Guillotine. In the future we have decided we might just do a single heavy game with a garnish of lighter fare.
Power Grid is a game of planning. The numbers are small and relatively easy to manage, but deciding how to allocate them is crucial. Each turn you will be given one opportunity to purchase a new plant, one opportunity to buy resources to power your plants and one opportunity to expand your network. The game ends when one players network contains 17 (in 4 players) cities, and whoever powers the most on that turn reigns victorious.
Its crucial to determine when to buy which plants. In my first game I made the mistake of being too efficient. My plants were producing power at an exceptional rate, yet in the end I never had enough money to expand my network far enough, and I also could not power enough cities. This time I didnt worry about efficiency except on one of my plants. I was lucky to get the 20 (3 coal powers 5 cities) plant very early in the game, and could then go crazy expanding my network each turn. I led the game every turn but two. Alas, one of them was the final, victory, turn.
In the last turn everyone was sure I would win. In fact, they were so sure that some players wanted to give it up. But we soldiered on, and with everyone against me another player snuck in and snatched the victory from me by buying all of the garbage (I had made the mistake of bidding on the wrong 6 city power plant). I could only power two of my plants, and after leading the whole game I ended up powering only 11 cities and barely missing last place, even though I had almost 100 Elektro banked.
This could be the first time in history that someone was whining because there wasnt enough garbage.
The good: Auctions. I like bidding on stuff.
Strategy/planning. Its a long-range thinking game. Given how deterministic things are, it rewards planning and budgeting.
The Bad: Replayability. Without expansion cards I think the game would lose its luster relatively quickly. If you like buying more cards, which are available, this can be mitigated.
The Verdict: This game is a solid player. I recommend having access to it.
Power Grid is a game of planning. The numbers are small and relatively easy to manage, but deciding how to allocate them is crucial. Each turn you will be given one opportunity to purchase a new plant, one opportunity to buy resources to power your plants and one opportunity to expand your network. The game ends when one players network contains 17 (in 4 players) cities, and whoever powers the most on that turn reigns victorious.
Its crucial to determine when to buy which plants. In my first game I made the mistake of being too efficient. My plants were producing power at an exceptional rate, yet in the end I never had enough money to expand my network far enough, and I also could not power enough cities. This time I didnt worry about efficiency except on one of my plants. I was lucky to get the 20 (3 coal powers 5 cities) plant very early in the game, and could then go crazy expanding my network each turn. I led the game every turn but two. Alas, one of them was the final, victory, turn.
In the last turn everyone was sure I would win. In fact, they were so sure that some players wanted to give it up. But we soldiered on, and with everyone against me another player snuck in and snatched the victory from me by buying all of the garbage (I had made the mistake of bidding on the wrong 6 city power plant). I could only power two of my plants, and after leading the whole game I ended up powering only 11 cities and barely missing last place, even though I had almost 100 Elektro banked.
This could be the first time in history that someone was whining because there wasnt enough garbage.
The good: Auctions. I like bidding on stuff.
Strategy/planning. Its a long-range thinking game. Given how deterministic things are, it rewards planning and budgeting.
The Bad: Replayability. Without expansion cards I think the game would lose its luster relatively quickly. If you like buying more cards, which are available, this can be mitigated.
The Verdict: This game is a solid player. I recommend having access to it.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Triumphant Return, or beeline for the closest soft reclining ass receptacle
As previously mentioned I have never been to a gaming con until this weekend. As a complete rookie, I didnt play any games. Thats not why, however. My company, Spiff and Swag, had a booth at the show. Charles and I manned this area for 3 days starting Friday.
I have done a lot of cons in the past, both card and comic related. I had any idea what it might be like in the dealer room, but still was a bit apprehensive. Close though they may be, comics are not games, or vice versa.
I am a former Overstreet Advisor. I wrote an article that was published in the 2002 Overstreet Price Guide market report section, and contributed to 2 other issues. Yet, when it comes to comics, I am pretty much a newb compared to a lot of those people. I never read a thousand obscure titles or memorized every little thing. I know Valiant pretty well, have an eye for value, and am an accurate grader. I also have a solid business foundation for the shows.
That leads directly into the gaming show. Charles and I have had a plan from the beginning. We split the work in a way that makes sense: he does the online marketing and auction listings and I buy and advertise for buying. Nothing else would actually work.
At a comic, or magic card, show I can talk a bit about the product. I know how hard they are to find, what the condition is, and things like this. My knowledge of the deeper aspects is often less than it should be. With games that is not the case.
I should have known it would be very different when on the first day, one of our first customers bought a Space Opera book, and we were able to discuss files we downloaded from the fumble.org Space Opera mailing list from the late 90's. My suggestions for streamlining the game and using the supplements had value for him. These people could use my information, and this was not just info on how to buy something or get a good deal.
All three days I got to use the sales skills from my old retail days, and I really got a chance to remember how much I like working with games. Its a tough business, but I hope to find my way back into it.
On Saturday a guy I recognized came in and I struck up a conversation with him. This led to him mentioning that he wanted to sell his collection. So, I offered to take a look. Twenty minutes later we had a deal and I was placing his stuff out to sell.
The Secret at work: He brought in my #1 and #2 items on my want list in his collection.
On Sunday I spent the first few hours at the auction. It was my first live auction. I won about 4 lots, and was in on many others. If I am more prepared next time Ill do even better.
Beyond the buying, I think I made some good relationships with local business people, some who I had seen a bunch of times previously. This is going to be a big help.
On to the review:
Space Opera
This RPG was published in 1979 by FGU. The writers all lived in different parts of the world, and coordinated their work remotely, which in the time before real internet access must have been ridiculous. Its clear from the finished product that this is the case.
The game tried to be the most complete science fiction RPG on the market, and given its time the only competition was Traveller. For my money, Space Opera blows Traveller away. At least you cant die during character generation...
Traveller has Space Opera trumped in the 'lots of stuff to buy' area, but in terms of quality, Space Opera made some pretty good supplements. The Star Sector Atlases are great, and I love the space navy supplements, Seldons Compendium of Starcraft 1-3. I have been trying to create a spaceship combat game based on this for years.
The Good: Rich theme. Its clear they tried to find a way to simulate all of the popular literature and film in the genre. The character generation, though clunky, adds something to the game.
Great ships. The ship books are awesome, and many have scale maps of the ships, which can easily be blown up to any scale and used in whatever game you want to run.
Varied equipment. You can buy anything from Immortality Alpha (which does pretty much what it says) to Power Assisted Personal Armor, if you want to be in Starship Troopers.
The Bad: Editing. There is no coherent theme in the writing or presentation.
Editing. These books really poory edited. Typos, no tables to reference important things but too many tables for minor stuff, and generally unprofessional looking layouts.
Character Generation. This is one place where a single table would save you an hour every time you make a character. It only took me an hour or so to make it, and its a godsend. But this isnt the only shortcoming. It completely needs an overhaul.
Editing. Seriously, this book is not well edited.
The Verdict: If you love sci-fi, read the Star Sector Atlases and Seldons books. If you want a game to actually play, look elsewhere unless you like taking a slim framework and doing many hours of customization work.
I have done a lot of cons in the past, both card and comic related. I had any idea what it might be like in the dealer room, but still was a bit apprehensive. Close though they may be, comics are not games, or vice versa.
I am a former Overstreet Advisor. I wrote an article that was published in the 2002 Overstreet Price Guide market report section, and contributed to 2 other issues. Yet, when it comes to comics, I am pretty much a newb compared to a lot of those people. I never read a thousand obscure titles or memorized every little thing. I know Valiant pretty well, have an eye for value, and am an accurate grader. I also have a solid business foundation for the shows.
That leads directly into the gaming show. Charles and I have had a plan from the beginning. We split the work in a way that makes sense: he does the online marketing and auction listings and I buy and advertise for buying. Nothing else would actually work.
At a comic, or magic card, show I can talk a bit about the product. I know how hard they are to find, what the condition is, and things like this. My knowledge of the deeper aspects is often less than it should be. With games that is not the case.
I should have known it would be very different when on the first day, one of our first customers bought a Space Opera book, and we were able to discuss files we downloaded from the fumble.org Space Opera mailing list from the late 90's. My suggestions for streamlining the game and using the supplements had value for him. These people could use my information, and this was not just info on how to buy something or get a good deal.
All three days I got to use the sales skills from my old retail days, and I really got a chance to remember how much I like working with games. Its a tough business, but I hope to find my way back into it.
On Saturday a guy I recognized came in and I struck up a conversation with him. This led to him mentioning that he wanted to sell his collection. So, I offered to take a look. Twenty minutes later we had a deal and I was placing his stuff out to sell.
The Secret at work: He brought in my #1 and #2 items on my want list in his collection.
On Sunday I spent the first few hours at the auction. It was my first live auction. I won about 4 lots, and was in on many others. If I am more prepared next time Ill do even better.
Beyond the buying, I think I made some good relationships with local business people, some who I had seen a bunch of times previously. This is going to be a big help.
On to the review:
Space Opera
This RPG was published in 1979 by FGU. The writers all lived in different parts of the world, and coordinated their work remotely, which in the time before real internet access must have been ridiculous. Its clear from the finished product that this is the case.
The game tried to be the most complete science fiction RPG on the market, and given its time the only competition was Traveller. For my money, Space Opera blows Traveller away. At least you cant die during character generation...
Traveller has Space Opera trumped in the 'lots of stuff to buy' area, but in terms of quality, Space Opera made some pretty good supplements. The Star Sector Atlases are great, and I love the space navy supplements, Seldons Compendium of Starcraft 1-3. I have been trying to create a spaceship combat game based on this for years.
The Good: Rich theme. Its clear they tried to find a way to simulate all of the popular literature and film in the genre. The character generation, though clunky, adds something to the game.
Great ships. The ship books are awesome, and many have scale maps of the ships, which can easily be blown up to any scale and used in whatever game you want to run.
Varied equipment. You can buy anything from Immortality Alpha (which does pretty much what it says) to Power Assisted Personal Armor, if you want to be in Starship Troopers.
The Bad: Editing. There is no coherent theme in the writing or presentation.
Editing. These books really poory edited. Typos, no tables to reference important things but too many tables for minor stuff, and generally unprofessional looking layouts.
Character Generation. This is one place where a single table would save you an hour every time you make a character. It only took me an hour or so to make it, and its a godsend. But this isnt the only shortcoming. It completely needs an overhaul.
Editing. Seriously, this book is not well edited.
The Verdict: If you love sci-fi, read the Star Sector Atlases and Seldons books. If you want a game to actually play, look elsewhere unless you like taking a slim framework and doing many hours of customization work.
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