Game of the Week
First of all, my apologies. I've had a number of medical issues over the past couple months that have made these game of the week posts sporadic at best. Now that the doctors are finally working on figuring out what's wrong, posts should start to be more frequent and cover something besides strictly 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons... starting with this week's Game of the Week - a modern classic, Are You A Werewolf?
Okay, so it's a not particularly original take on the classic card game Mafia, which is played with a standard deck of playing cards. That doesn't make it any less fun. A few things: the game is short and sweet, skill counts (especially the ability to bluff), and you can play with a whole ton of people (the game maxes out at 15 players).
This isn't a game to play with a very small group as you need a certain critical mass - eight players is really just about as small as you can get, but its relatively short playtime and ability to accomodate large numbers of players makes it an ideal quick party game.
Sure, play Mafia instead if you want, but for a fantasy twist, check out Are You A Werewolf? from Looney Labs.
Whether grognards like myself like or hate the new edition (and there seems to be quite the mix), the fact remains that Wizards of the Coast is the big fish in the small pond of the role playing game industry. The flagship rpg product, the one everyone knows and everyone recognizes, is Dungeons & Dragons. As I mentioned in my last entry, I tried the game this past weekend with the introductory adventure and quickstart rules, having only the Players Handbook in hand. I'll discuss that experience later and in some detail because I think there are probably a lot of gaymers who are still in the process of making a decision on 4e.
Today I surrendered and bought the books - cancelling my online order (it was delayed in shipping until at least July 10th) - and buying the books from my friendly local gaming store (which, as I've said before, is not all that friendly, though at least the cashier is a hot little number). They kindly gave me a substantial discount as a longtime customer, for which I'm grateful, since the cost of the books is hurdle to starting in the new system. For what it's worth, while I always support my local gaming stores when I can, you can probably already find cheap copies on Ebay. Why? Because while I rather like a lot of aspects of the new edition... most particularly that I think my players have more fun playing it than 3.5... many others who had high hopes have not.
So if so many people hated it, why am I making it the game of the week? Because there must be some balance. For every person who has told me they hate 4e, I've also had someone tell me why they love it. It's not perfect, and thanks to Paizo, it doesn't need to be. Those who want to continue with the 3.5 system and rules that flow from that system can continue with Paizo's Pathfinder system, or just use 3.5 as is or with Monte Cook's book of his own house rules (which I featured here some time ago). For those who need the official system, who must have only what is endorsed by Wizards of the Coast - congratulations. I pronounce the system somewhat sound, playable, and fun. It may not be perfect, substituting streamlining of effects for flexibility in places, but it has its own qualities to recommend it, which I'll discuss in depth in the coming weeks in a new feature that will replace Scrying the 4e Crystal Ball.
This game will not be D&D for everyone. It slays sacred cows (magic missile can miss, and yes that just feels wrong to me, too), and it changes many aspects of the game. Wizards seem more playable at low levels than they were, fighters seem more playable at high levels than they were. Much of the game is now about the team rather than the character, and you'll have to work at making your character unique, because the rules will not do it for you. But I think, despite great early trepidation, that the game is a good one. Try it out if you can. If 3.5 is definitely your choice... think about trying Pathfinder. I'm still reading the alpha release of their rules, but they look like they're doing something interesting over at Paizo too.
For those sick of bunnies from jupiter, I have the next best thing -- mecha! That's right, giant fighting robots from my personal favorite setting for futuristic mecha battling fun. I wanted to put a spotlight on this when it first came out about a month ago, but somehow I missed it, and none of my local gaming stores had it on the shelf. I stopped by the best FLGS in the area this weekend, and lo and behold, there it was. Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles.
Easy to miss, not because it's cool, but because, unlike the previous robotech rpg books, this one is tiny (not in overall size, but in dimension - I'm used to something approximating 8 1/2 x 11 for these books, and this one is pocket-sized)! Great game though, my caveat (as always) - the Palladium rule engine take getting used to. You will love them or hate them, and if you hate them, this game is definitely not for you as the game is very much in the Palladium mold.
Anyway, full details can be found on the Palladium Books site.
For this week's game of the week, we have a special treat, just for Easter: BUNNIES. That is, Killer Bunnies, who are due to launch next month their next adventure, Killer Bunnies and the Journey to Jupiter. I love the bunnies games so much that I'm going to give this one my unbridled recommendation sight unseen. Playroom Entertainment does a fantastic job with this franchise in gaming, and I can't help but be pleased at the news of the new installment.
Journey to Jupiter is NOT mixable with Quest for the Magic Carrot (as Kinder Bunnies was), it is a standalone game with similar mechanics. Just like Quest, however, Journey to Jupiter promises to be the gift that keeps on giving... as there will indeed be expansion sets to further drain your wallet. For more information on the game feel free to take a look at the website located here.
I remember when Ravenloft came out. It was beautiful, and incredibly well done. One of my favorite aspects of the module was the fact that the underlying story could vary depending on the results of a mock "fortune teller" session. Paizo has reinvigorated that fortune telling aspect with a product that is both a gaming aid, a prop, and a stand-alone game. I'm anxiously awaiting picking this one up myself, and not just because I'm nostalgic (though that copy of I6 on my shelf is looking awfully tempting).
Paizo tapped Downer artist Kyle Hunter, whose little cartoon monsters I loved so much that I commission him to do our Christmas cards every year, to do the artwork for the cards. I'm drooling over it already, and I don't even own it yet! For more about the Harrow deck, check out its product page on the Paizo site.
PS - okay, so the isometric maps were pretty cool too.
As most of you probably know by now, Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, died today. I had been intending on posting the game of the week earlier today when I first learned the news, and wanted to get that news out on the velvetdicebag.net first. As I thought about it, I felt any game I might post would get lost in the inevitable posting to follow such news, and I decided. In honor and memory of Gary Gygax, this week's game of the week is Dungeons and Dragons. We take this game, for many of us our first or favorite RPG, too much for granted sometimes.
Even if you already play D&D, take the time to look through the history of the game. We've been playing Dungeons & Dragons for so many years and through several editions... unless you're a grognard like me, chances are there's some aspect of the game that you've missed. Cherish this game - even with no new editions, it can bring you happiness and entertainment for many more years.
I started playing D&D when I was six years old. It is the iconic RPG, and it has brought me and my friends thousands of hours of entertainment. I know I intend to take out some of those early modules and adventures that I ran through, and remember fondly why I love this hobby of ours.
Avalon Hill celebrates their golden anniversary this year... and they're celebrating by re-releasing some of their coolest and most enduring games. This week's Game of the Week was always one of my favorite board games... Diplomacy.
I don't know that you can really say much about this game... it's a legendary game for a reason. Perhaps the intrigue and deal making aspect are what draw me to it, since I'm an rpg guy. But the fact remains, this re-release is a chance to get into the game of international intrigue that has been going on for ... well, ages! Avalon Hill has scheduled the re-release for mid-March. For those who have never played the game, here's a tidbit from their website:
At the turn of the 20th century, the seven Great European Powers engage in an intricate struggle for supremacy. Military forces invade and withdraw, shifting borders and altering empires with subtle maneuvers and daring gambits.
Form alliances and unhatch your traitorous plots as you negotiate and outwit—in a delicate balance of cooperation and competition—to gain dominance of the continent! In Diplomacy, your success hinges not on the luck of the dice, but your cunning and cleverness.
I'm a big fan of word games, and when they mix in a bit of Lovecraftian goodness, so much the better! I remember from reading that now somewhat rare early edition of Dieties & Demigods and being fascinated by the Cthulhu Mythos... the idea that saying the wrong word could summon one of the Elder Evils really tickled some deep corner of my mind. Since then I've had the experience of getting to read many of Lovecraft's works - and I'm always psyched to see references to him in gaming. A word game? That caught me by surprise. I think Playroom Entertainment has itself a winner with Unspeakable Words... take an opportunity to play sometime soon! (Oh, and by the way... we disavow any responsibility if the Hounds of Tindalos do show up!)
Deep in the corners of letters, the Hounds of Tindalos wait for the unsuspecting! In this devious Call of Cthulhu-themed word game by James Ernest and Mike Selinker, players use their card hands to form words based on the number of angles in the word. Succeed, and you're safe -- fail, and you're one step closer to madness!
I found this game by accident, just sitting on the shelf at my friendly local gaming store (which is friendly, but frankly more of a comic book store than a gaming locale), and I confess, while many of the games I see there don't draw me in, this one did. It combines a lot of game aspects I enjoy - from word games (plentiful, but difficult to find good ones) to card games (something non-collectible... please, my wallet needs a break!) to Lovecraftian influences (almost always cool).
Okay, it's here... slightly delayed by a bad internet experience, but hopefully back up and strong. This week's Game of the Week is from Titanic Games which has just released their next game. I rather liked the idea of Stonehenge, but Key Largo, already a hit game in Europe, seems to be more of a "hunt for the treasure" sort of game. It must be all the Disney pirate movies... but pirates are in. Hmmph. I'm in the ninja camp myself, but for those who like pirates - Go get thee some booty!
Here's what their website has to say about the game:
As the new century dawns, players ply the thriving trade of finding treasures in shipwrecks around the island. Before a hurricane hits, players need to search the many shipwrecks and sell the lost treasures to the island denizens for as much cash as possible.
[via Titanic Games]
We cover a lot of different types of games in the game of the week here at the Velvet Dicebag... but this one made me think for a bit before posting. Ghoulash? I mean... it's played entirely on paper. That's right... no dice, no pieces - just something to write with and what they call a scenario chart. You know all those games you played to pass the time in school, back before you needed fancy boards and pieces? This is a ramped up version, after a fashion.
It caught my attention mostly because of their ambassador program. Trying to get attention for the game by getting people to play it in friendly local gaming stores is a worthy goal. Now, I have a soft spot for the old FLGS, and I have to give them credit for both using the internet (their website, aside from a dreadful color scheme that makes some of the links hard to see, actually provides some excellent information about the game) and trying to support activities at the local gaming stores - in this age of Amazon.com and big box stores, the FLGS is a dying breed.
Not convinced... go to their website and check it out... they even have a demo you can download and try it out... something else I have to respect.
So, sometimes games are a little silly. Certainly that's the case with this little gem from Mayfair Games. You gotta love a simple fifteen minute game that's easy to play but deceptively strategic, and this game certainly fits the bill. Hey! That's My Fish! sends your penguins on a quest to collect fish.
As a kid I always hated games like hungry hungry hippos... They always seemed to be entirely luck. The best games rely on both luck and skill, and this one fits the bill well. Silly premise, but fairly cool game play. The board, like many modern games, is not static, but it's still fairly simple, a random layout of hex pieces. It's not a deep thought game - and I imagine it's probably easy to get a little sick of it if you play it too often, but it makes a nice filler game while you're waiting for one of those massive 3 hour games to start.
Ever want to fight without coming to blows? This game might just give you a way - a way, as its website at Atlas Games points out, "without all that slippery blood."
The idea is that you're beating someone up for their lunch money... sounds like a wonderful concept for a game eh? Well, at least it's realistic! I know this one may seem a little weird, or even a little mean. I'll confess I'm a bit skeptical, but it's been out for a while, and my brother swears the game is fun. That may just be because he's a bit of a bully himself sometimes, but he also owns a gaming store and has to know what the fun games are to stay in business, so I'm inclined to trust him.
And girls who like girls who like breastplates!
Game of the Week
Are you the werewolf?
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