Test Drive Update - Bang!

Bang! is a great game with some quirks and our latest test game bore this out. In the game of Bang! people sit in a circle and are assigned roles- sheriff, deputy, outlaw, and renegade. The roles are secret, only the sheriff identifies themselves. The person sitting next to you could be an outlaw or a deputy, there's no way to know. The sheriff wants to survive the game. The deputies want to protect the sheriff. The outlaws want to shoot the sheriff. The renegade wants to be the last player. As you can see, each player may have a different objective for winning.

In our recent game the play started out awkwardly. The players weren't really sure what to do. I realized that I needed to get the ball rolling and play to teach rather than play to win. I was an outlaw so I played a "Bang!" card and shot at the sheriff. At that moment people began to get it. The players who were deputies realized they probably had to shoot at me but knew that then the other outlaws would shoot at them. The outlaw players realized they probably should act to help but also knew than once they did the deputies would know who was who. The renegade player decided to sit low until the dust cleared and then go after the survivors.

Quickly the flow of play began to speed up and the fun began. One player played the "dynamite" card. This card is passed around the table and each round it may or may not explode. Of course when you're the one holding the card things are quite tense. Then you pass it to the next player and hope it goes off on their round! The dynamite made its way completely around the table and blew up the person who had played it in the first place. Truly if you live by the dynamite you die by the dynamite.

Bang! is a well designed game in that no one can win or lose suddenly. You can play a "beer" card to heal yourself and each player can be shot at several times before they are out. In our game we took unsuccessful potshots at the sheriff but eventually the deputies removed the outlaws from the game. At the end there were two players and the sheriff. One player was a deputy, one was the renegade. The sheriff held his fire and waited to see who would be the last standing. At last one man fell. He flipped his identity card for us- it was the renegade! The forces of law had triumphed in Malden that night.

Once the players understand Bang! they have a lot of fun with it. I would tell new players "look, this may seem odd, just follow my lead," and then do Something. If you're an outlaw just shoot at the sheriff. If you're a deputy then decide someone looks shifty and announce that you think they're an outlaw and open fire. Just by demonstrating a role you may get the action started. This is absolutely a learn by doing game. Get over the first hump and people will want to play again.

Test Drive Update- Race for the Galaxy

I've played Race for the Galaxy (RftG) about seven times in the last week or so. This game is just much more fun than first impressions would imply.

On one sense I love the theme of the game. You develop your own galactic civilization and try to improve it over time. One player might seek to make the biggest civilization. Another might make the most luxurious, or the most militarily powerful. It's fun to imagine the lives of the people in your worlds in each case. It's fun to say "hey, my civilization has contacts with ancient alien races and now I've discovered yet another." Or, alternately, "my empire is so powerful that now I can add pirate bases and rebel worlds without blinking an eye."

The course of the game remains pretty simple. You get a hand of cards at the start. As game play progresses you get new cards. Through the entire thing you basically try and make the best combination you can. In this sense RftG has all the best aspects of poker. And like poker, once you get the idea the rest of the game follows easily. You have three aces? Maybe it's time to aim for three or four of a kind. In RftG it's "you have three mining worlds, maybe it's time to create a mining empire." There's more subtleties to the game but the essence is straightforward.

I introduced an adult to the game who was not a routine gamer. We managed to finish games in thirty minutes and by the second or third round he had the rules down pat. Judging from our experience I don't think I'd throw this at anyone younger than 12 but for teens and up this is a simple fun game with huge replay value and extraordinary room to develop strategies and tricks. Highly recommended.

Mystery for Kids- The Secret Door

For whatever reason I'm not feeling like wrestling with sixty dollar Euro games so let's aim small scale and young with The Secret Door. This simple game has a lot of appealing qualities and could be good fun for a wide range of ages.

The Secret Door plays very much like Concentration. Players begin the game with twelve cardboard tiles with clock pictures on them. They also get twenty four tiles with pictures of various valuables on them, two tiles per item. The tiles with the valuables are turned face down and mixed up. Then three are removed from the group and set aside. The clock tiles are then turned face down and the whole mess of tiles are mixed up. Finally they are all placed onto the game board, still face down.

The object of the game is to guess while tiles were set aside. Players take turns flipping two tiles. If the tiles match they are set aside. If any of the tiles are clocks they are set up at the top of the board. Then the next player takes a turn. When all twelve clocks have been revealed the game is over and the players have to guess, as a group, which valuables were drawn at the start and set aside. The clock element adds a nice time limit to the game, not to mention a bit of drama. Players may wait eagerly to see whether later tile flips reveal a helpful item or a dreaded ticking clock.

The Secret Door is played cooperatively and thus is a perfect game for a gang of children. Imagine one child flips a tile with a ruby on it. You may recall that the other ruby was flipped earlier and where it is. But you give the player a chance to remember, then wait and see if anyone else remembers, then jiggle their memories a bit, and if all else fails just step in and help. There's a lot of opportunity for success and pride in this game and really not much chance of bad feeling of any sort. Players win or lose as a group as well and if they lose then it's just time to try again. Finally, the game does reward logical thinking and strategy so children will have some motivation to try and solve the mystery rather than playing randomly.

The Secret Door is a small press game and may have to be special ordered from Family Pastimes games. Its components are likely to reflect its humble origins so don't expect the sort of fantasmagora that accompanies opening a Days of Wonder game. Nevertheless this is a very solid piece of game design and well suited for a wide variety of ages. Further, it's a cooperative game well suited to younger players who may find competitive play emotionally trying.

Pros: Simple and Fun, some strategy

Cons: kind of bland, but it's for younger kids

Beyond the Basics: Well, it's Concentration, so a pretty basic system

Slamwich- Mayhem and Fun

Let's look to some more reliable Gamewright games. Today's buy-twelve-for-upcoming-birthday-parties entry is Slamwich. My testing crew says it's a lot of fun but sometimes ends with fists being thrown. Could this be true?

In the game of Slamwich each player is dealt a hand of cards. The cards start out face down so no one knows what's in their hand. The players take turns flipping cards from their hand onto the center of a table. The cards generally have illustrations of sandwich items on them. The players look out for various patterns to appear. If two of the same item are flipped in a row this is a "double decker." For example, the player to your right flips a tomato card and in your turn you do the same. Likewise if two cards of the same type are flipped with one card between them this is a "slamwich." An example might be if one player flips lettuce, the next flips a tomato card, and then the next flips another lettuce card. If a double decker or a slamwich appears then the players must slap the center pile, the first person to slap winning all the cards. Parents with some imagination may already visualize how this game can spiral if the slaps start to wander or get too energetic.

Recognizing patterns and slapping with a vengeance are the basic rules of Slamwich. There are a few special cards and they vary the play a bit but it's still basically a reflex game. As in the case with most Gamewright games, Slamwich is pretty simple and is likely to entertain a gang of children for a decent amount of time. I think Gamewright has noted that traditional games like "Simon Says" or Freeze Tag are noteworthy for giving kids simple guidelines to do things they like to do anyway. Kids likes the concept of games, they like surprises, shouting, and slapping things. Slamwich offers all of that.

I don't have the love for Slamwich that I do for Sleeping Queens, and the design isn't as clever as Tiki Topple. It's simply fun, fast and cheap. There's a lot to be said for a fun fast and cheap game. Slamwich is available in most toy and game stores.

Pros: Simple, fun

Cons: physical game, slapping involved, slaps could spread onto sister or brothers

Beyond the Basics: Looking for these patterns reminds me of playing the slots. I'm sure there's no connection though.

Science Fiction Month! Federation Commander

Starfleet Battles was one of my first important games. I purchased it in my teens and played the heck out of it for the next ten years or so. In hindsight I might put it high on the list of the top 5 games of my past (alongside Dungeons and Dragons, Melee, and Squad Leader perhaps). Federation Commander is an updated version of Starfleet Battles. The publishers were kind enough to send me a review copy and I was pretty excited to see how it compared to that special game from my past.

In Federation Commander (FC) you pilot a starship from the Star Trek universe into combat. Battles can involve two or more ships, space creatures, or other large menaces. Interestingly the license to publish a Star Trek game didn't allow including material from the later series' and movies, but does allow the publishers to include new aliens or ones glimpsed briefly in the animated show (the kzinti for example, otherwise known only to Larry Niven fans). The result is a highly detailed but separate Star Trek universe with dozens of ships types, various aliens and factions, and lots of opportunity for battles and engagements.

The rule system of the game is fairly simple. Each ship has engines that generate an amount of energy. For example the Enterprise might generate 30 points of energy. In a given turn you decide how to "spend" that energy. Moving, firing a weapon, and powering defensive shields all have energy costs. If you choose to move a great distance then you may not have enough energy left to do some other task. The key to the game is to spend your limited points of energy wisely.

The second basic principle of the game is that each ship has a number of components. Just like a home may have a kitchen, a water heater, and air conditioning, a starship might have engines, phasers, and science labs. If a ship is damaged by weapons it begins to lose some or all use of these components. For example a ship might have three phaser banks. If it is damaged by an attack it could lose the use of one of these and have fewer weapons to fire in future turns. Or it might take damage to an engine and have fewer energy points in future turns.

In the course of a game the players place counters representing their ships down on a map marked out into spaces. In each turn the players allocate their available energy and move their ships around the map. When you near an enemy ship you may choose to fire a weapon. Your opponent may fire back or "divert power to the shields!" If a ship's energy shields are damaged the player may turn in order to protect that shield until it can be repaired. Throughout all this the players keep track of their finite supply of energy and make sure that they have enough to do all the things they want to do.

In short, FC is a game of maneuver and a game of energy management. Good players conserve their resources until they are needed. They may circle and shift their ship to prevent accumulating damage on one side's shield. When the time is right they zip in at full speed and unleash photon torpedoes, disrupters, and various other Star Trek weapons.

My gaming group gave FC a test drive and I was happy to see that the game was even better than the original Starfleet Battles. Many of the rules and systems have been streamlined to speed gameplay and improve realism, not an easy thing to accomplish. For the old Starfleet players, I was struck by improvements in plotting movement, shield management, and damage resolution. Charts and information are presented in attractive and easy to read formats. The publishers have really responded positively to fan input and the result is a series of elegant tweaks to an already fun game.

My game group's response to the game does illustrate its strengths and weaknesses. The players who were motivated to learn, either through an interest in Star Trek or through an interest in battling starships, ended the session excited and wanting to play more. The players who were looking for a lazy way to spend an hour got frustrated by the rules and ended up playing Mario Kart on the Wii. I think that sums up FC. This is an awesome game for players who are excited and motivated to have Star Trek starship battles. Players need to be old enough to follow a decent number of rules and stick to them pretty closely. This is not a light or filler game, it's a fully developed wargame and needs a bit of attention to learn how to play. For players who are interested, however, it's perhaps the best space combat game available.

As an aside, the game is also playable with miniature lead and plastic starships. I can barely restrain myself from ordering dozens and starting to paint them as soon as possible. The miniature ships are certainly not for everyone but for the folks who like minis, they look pretty great.

Federation Commander is available through the company's website. I'm sure it can be ordered as well through stores like Pandemonium Books in Central Square.

Pros: One of the best space battle games available, if not the best. Star Trek ships!

Cons: Not a simple game, teens and up

Beyond the Basics: Buy miniatures, supplements, clear off twenty feet of table space and stage massive fleet battles, the sky's the limit!

Science Fiction Month! Star Wars RPG

Well I was impulsive enough to buy this thing so let's talk about the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Keep in mind that I haven't actually played it and so it's possible that if I did the fabulous nature of the game would be revealed with a burst of trumpets and fireworks.

In the Star Wars Roleplaying Game (SW) players get to play characters from the Star Wars universe. Your character may be active in the last days of the old Republic (roughly the time depicted in the fourth through sixth movies released), in the the days of the Empire (as seen in Star Wars and its two immediate sequels), or in the days of the New Jedi Order (as described in various comics and novels). The rule set describes how to make characters for the game and then gives rules for playing in the three eras. There are rules for using the force, flying space vehicles, and descriptions of various creatures and beings one might meet while adventuring.

The summary for beginner role players is that SW is a tolerable game. The rules are a little complex for my taste and are probably best suited for teens. The game seems strongly oriented towards combat and the system itself really demands the use of miniature figures to represent characters, enemies, and terrain features. I didn't walk away from the rules with a clear sense of how to start the game rolling although that may be because I'm not a huge Star Wars fan. This may be a game best suited for fans of the franchise, teen and up, who are looking to do some miniatures oriented role playing with a strong emphasis on combat.

Now, for those who care, let's get detailed. The SW game uses modified late edition Dungeons and Dragons rules and, coincidence or not, reads like space D&D. Players have a few character classes to choose from: soldier, jedi, noble, scout and scoundrel. Classes have a huge effect on character strengths, so much so that the noble and scoundrel should really never bother picking up a gun. The noble excels at providing support to other characters which allows them to perform better in combat. Like a cleric, for example. The scoundrel seems best suited for sneaking, gambling, hacking computers and being generally lucky. Kind of like uh, a thief. And the jedi has amazing powers with a limited number of uses per encounter, just like a magic user! In 2009 I think a worthwhile game setting deserves a game system tailored to the setting's qualities and simply using the d20 system seems a little lazy. Oh, and the scout is a space ranger basically.

From a personal point of view I'm also an "old school" style role playing gamer. I prefer resolving issues through role playing and a few impromptu die rolls instead of using lists of skills, talents and feats. SW provides an extensive lists of special abilities and stunts that characters can perform. In my experience having lists of special abilities acts to limit your choices just by suggesting that if an action is not on this list then it's out of the question to try. It would be myopic to ignore the appeal of the new school game but for my purposes it seems to stray from role playing to miniatures-based skirmish gaming.

The game does allow some crossover potential. For example you could play a noble who joins the military, lives as a soldier, and then gets her discharge and becomes a scoundrel. But that requires multiclassing and going through an experience level per class at minimum. So no interesting characters at first level. Of course with 1st edition D&D you could do such a thing by simply role playing it. Experienced players know by now whether they like lists of feats and directive class systems.

Let's move on to other irritating issues. The book covers character generation and basic rules but lacks any acceptable details on setting. I can't find anything about what nobles do, for example. If your character is a noble can they command troops? Do they get a castle, or a planet? If your character is a soldier how are the military orders organized? How does a scoundrel make money? Are there police to chase the scoundrels? Also lacking is any information on how ordinary citizens live. I suppose the message here is to read the novels, see the movies, and then play the game. From looking at the web site it appears like the message may also be to buy the rules and then buy four more supplements.

I think that covers the basics of why the Star Wars Roleplaying Game is such a disappointment. Space precludes complaining about the boring weapons list, short list of vehicles, lackluster space combat rules and minuscule creatures list. We'll also skip over how dull the jedi seem to be when in reality they should be a non-stop rocking good time to play. I am struck by the contrast between this product and the previously reviewed Starblazer Adventures. I think I could run a much more exciting Star Wars game with the latter. At least Starblazer gives you plot seeds, planet generation systems, and campaign ideas.

The Star Wars Roleplaying game is available in many locations. I got mine at Your Move Games in Davis Square.

Pros: combat oriented miniatures based role playing game

Cons: Dungeons and Dragons in space, lackluster, skimpy on setting details

Beyond the Basics: beyond the basics you try either a real skirmish wargame like Chain Reaction, Necromunda or even Warhammer 40K, or a real character driven role playing game like Starblazer Adventures.

Science Fiction Month! Star Munchkin

In the role playing crowd a "munchkin" is someone who plays in a ridiculously aggressive fashion. Munchkins try and amass as much loot, magic items, and super weapons as possible, willfully ignoring the role playing aspect of the game. Steve Jackson Games satirizes this type of player with their bestselling line of Munchkin products. Lets talk about Star Munchkin today.

Star Munchkin is a card game. Players draw and play cards from a deck with the goal of killing as many monsters as possible and stealing all of their treasure. Players may also help or (more likely) hinder other players who are trying to do the same thing. In a given turn a player draws a card from the "encounter deck." This card may have an illustration of a silly space creature similar to the ones pictured at the left. Through a very simple mechanism the player can kill the monster and then "steal its treasure" by drawing a card from the "treasure deck." Each time a player kills a monster the player goes up a "level," becoming more powerful. If you reach tenth level (ie. kill ten monsters) then you win.

The challenge and fun of Star Munchkin comes from several elements. For one, the treasures, weapons, and monsters are all pretty silly. You can have a laser or a bazer or a bananafanafofazer as a weapon. I think there is a "fart grenade" but if there isn't it's probably oversight on the author's part. Monsters include space goats and space vampires. I'm not sure it's a funny game per se, but it is silly.

Players in Star Munchkin may work together, or they may try and sabotage each other's efforts. Say the monster you're facing is too tough. You may ask a friend for help and promise her half the treasure as a reward. Or say the monster you're facing is very weak. Another player may suddenly play a card that makes the creature "radioactive" and causes it to be much more fierce. You can imagine that if five people are playing a given encounter could get pretty crazy as some players act to help and others throw in additional challenges and difficulties. I like this element. It keeps people from getting bored as other players take turns. Further, an attentive parent can subtly step in and aid a child who's doing poorly.

Finally, Star Munchkin is simple. It has two pages of rules and you can learn the game in minutes. This is not a "minutes to learn, lifetime to master" game. It's a "minutes to learn, minutes to master" game. For some purposes this is a nice feature. A casual group of players can sit down and be rolling in minutes. If the group includes children or childlike adults who enjoy silly science fiction references and cartoons then all the better.

Of course, this is also a potential bug in that there are no "expert" Munchkin players. This is a light game at best. Further it has some non-pc issues, amongst them being the fact that you are killing monsters as opposed to reasoning with them. And then stealing their treasure. So folks bothered by that should steer clear. Finally, it uses the word "bimbo" on occasion which bothers me because it's such a dated, dreary concept. I've met foolish and good looking people of both sexes and I'm waiting for a pejorative term that's gender neutral.

In summary, parents looking for a light game that's good for a group may be very happy with Star Munchkin. Each time I've run the game I've had players announce plans to buy their own copies and that's always a positive sign. I got my copy at Hobby Bunker in Malden.

Pros: simple, fun, interactive

Cons: pretty non-politically correct.

Beyond the Basics: this is a pretty basic game. You can buy fantasy, Cthulhu, and pirate variants, as well as a board game and role playing game, but it's all basically Munchkin.