Sunrise Chronicles

Yay! I was looking forward to this week's post to discuss the Fantasy Frontier kickstarter. I think your description is very apt: the game's mechanics seemed a little busy to me, with the map-building/pattern-matching and worker placement and dice-rolling for resources, but what I wanted to say is that I LIKE this particular model of worker placement, where the direct competition between the players for resources is minimal and reduces as the map expands, and the player places all workers in one go (with the fish potential for reassignment). I also think I have green/brown colorblindness.

I've starred the project, even though it's a multiplayer game. My frugality will probably win out in the end, because the stretch goals aren't kickstarter-exclusive (though I do hope they make the ?? player board upgrade) and the add-on is lame. Dude, nobody wants to pay you for your branded swag bag and dice. Make it pretty, not logo-y.

However, I think I'm starting to get the idea for what makes a good game kickstarter project, and I think what Incredible Expeditions needs are some 3rd party live plays. I really like the GreyElephant videos I've seen on kickstarter. These two have a way of making me feel enthusiastic about the games they're playing...I almost succumbed to Magnum Opus thanks to their run-through.

Edited Date: 2013-09-01 03:31 am (UTC)

From:

spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com

I LIKE this particular model of worker placement, where the direct competition between the players for resources is minimal and reduces as the map expands, and the player places all workers in one go (with the fish potential for reassignment).

I don't mind the minimal competition. However, it bugged me that the first player got to place all his workers first, before the second player got to do anything. That seems like an unfair advantage, particularly given that there is no way to change the start player during the game.

Not only is it unfair in that regard, it makes for really long turns, during which the second player has to sit there and wait for the first player to resolve five actions.

I think it should at least have alternated players for every phase (green/yellow/red). That would make for shorter turns and less wait time, and it would allow the second player to respond more easily to whatever the first player is doing.

My frugality will probably win out in the end, because the stretch goals aren't kickstarter-exclusive (though I do hope they make the ?? player board upgrade) and the add-on is lame.

I agree about the add-on. I would never order that. Some gamers really love custom dice, though.

I generally don't let stretch goals affect my decision to back a game, though. I decide based on whether I like the game or not, and then the stretch goals are cool extras.

I really like the GreyElephant videos I've seen on kickstarter. These two have a way of making me feel enthusiastic about the games they're playing...

I agree, I think they do a good job. I pledged for Princes of the Dragon Throne (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gamesalute/princes-of-the-dragon-throne-by-clever-mojo-games) based in a large part on their video. (Well, that and the dragons.)

From:

Wow, I haven't watched the play-through video yet, so I didn't realize the start player is the same the whole game and the whole turn happens at once. That does seem really unfair. It would probably be easy enough to fix with a house rule, though.

From:

If you decide to watch the video, let me know what you think about this issue. There's so much randomness in the game (tile and card draws, dice rolls). Plus, the board is always expanding, workers can only occupy tiles adjacent to their ship, and the other players do not clear the board between rounds. I don't think going first provides an enduring advantage except for the ability to select any airship you want. (I don't know why anyone would ever want the red airship.)

There is one rule that struck me as odd (completely unrelated): in the event you earn a resource that is no longer available in the supply, you can simply take it from the ship of any player you choose. I think this would only happen in a 4-player game, and that's why I think it's especially odd. If filching resources and making enemies is part of a 4-player game, then the resources should be proportionally reduced for 3- and 2-player games to create the same scarcity.

Also, they really need to replace the cheesy ship tokens with miniatures.

From:

OK, having watched the video, I see what you mean: there doesn't seem to be any particular advantage to going first.

It seems to me that the resource rule is to discourage hoarding resources, and you would only be stealing from others if someone was doing that. So that doesn't bother me so much.

I'm still not entirely sold on the game; I wouldn't mind playing it but I'm not sure I need to own it. Also, I worry that I would have a lot of trouble getting the tiles right for the map cards; I can barely handle the three colors in Takenoko.

This Grey Elephant video was a lot more fun than the one for Smash Monster Rampage (which had been the only one I'd seen). That one seemed like a lot of Carmen being quiet and Tim bossing her around. This one had more conversation and laughing, and made me want to watch more of their videos.

From:

it makes for really long turns, during which the second player has to sit there and wait for the first player to resolve five actions.

I don't think I would feel this in a 2-player game, because I really would need all that time to study the map patterns. But you're right: a 3- or 4-player game could feel sluggish, except when your opponents attack you.

I decide based on whether I like the game or not, and then the stretch goals are cool extras.

My assumption is that the game will be made available through retail channels, so I need a reason to pledge now when I could just as easily buy later.

I pledged for Princes of the Dragon Throne

Oooh, I like that board. I'll have to watch their game.

From:

spacealien-vamp.livejournal.com

My assumption is that the game will be made available through retail channels, so I need a reason to pledge now when I could just as easily buy later.

I'm assuming that I'm pledging for a game that hasn't been funded yet, in which case my money is going toward ensuring the game gets made. Also, some games have limited print runs (500 or 1000 copies), which would make them harder to obtain otherwise, or they are offered to backers at a significant discount.

If it's something that has already funded and is likely to be readily available later for the same price, then I agree I'd probably wait.

From:

I'll have to go check it out. Re: other recent candidates, I managed to refrain from Chaos and Alchemy (and now I'm just a little sorry... those stretch goal star dice are so nice!), but King's Forge just got me (curse you, pretty dice and Grey Elephant video!), and I already pledged for Fleet. Why do I do this to myself?

BTW, are you guys aware of the gaming coins project?

They were advertising at the same GenCon table where I stopped to pick up Freedom and viewed Kill the Overlord. I'm in for two sets - the Greek coins that are the centerpiece, and the original doubloons - but I have a feeling I might be increasing the number of sets. Why are little things like dice, coins and meeples so attractive to me? I'm a magpie.

From:

LOL!! I was just looking at the coin kickstarter and wondering what games you play that require coins when the LJ email notice hit me.

I hope they unveil the design for the mythological creatures set before it's too late to pledge. I don't have any games that require coins, but I'll regret not having these when I do.

ETA: oooh, did you pledge King's Forge at the optional game board level?

Edited Date: 2013-09-01 04:04 pm (UTC)

From:

I did! My OCD side likes having nice places to put everything.

From:

FWIW, I think their intent is go on selling sets in the future (the original doubloons were from a previous kickstarter), so you might be able to get mythological creatures eventually even if you don't pledge this round. The appeal they're making for kickstarter folks is that you can customize your pledge - for instance, if you need all large or all small coins, you can request sets of those instead of the standard breakdown from large to small. They won't do that for people who buy sets from them post-kickstarter.

The amount of updates and surveys they've been sending out is kind of ridiculous, but hey, at least they're excited about the project. ^_^;;

From:

I could actually use them in Freedom, which has 1/5/10 denominations (if I didn't mind them being a little jarring with the theme), but I suspect in general that once you build up a larger collection of games, coins would come in useful for a lot of things. But even if I never used them in a game, I wouldn't be able to resist those Greek coins. They are GORGEOUS.

From:

The doubloons could work in Lords of Waterdeep, too, instead of the cheez-its.

From:

Aww, those star dice are really cool. I'm glad I didn't see them in time to be tempted to get the game just for the dice.

You're also right about the Greek coins being gorgeous, and I'm pretty interested in the mythological monster/creature stretch goals. Ugh, Kickstarter, why do you hate my budget so much? ;_;

From: