On the weekend I played...

Remove this Banner Ad

I've just realised I can't even remember the last time I played something on the weekend.

Pre-pandemic I'm guessing.
More a Wednesday nighter?

I still have the Cthulu game to crack open.
 
Last edited:
More a Wednesday nighter?

I still have the Cthulu game to crack open.

The last time I played a miniature wargame was January 2020 at CanCon, and on the TVs at Canberra airport before my flight home there were reports about a mysterious new Chinese flu arriving on our shores. I've meant to go back to the place I play semi-local Kings of War tournaments at, but the last 3 tournaments have been held on Saturdays/Sundays when I was working and couldn't get off.

The last time I played a board game was probably before then - had a few times in 21/22 where I took some games with me to friends intending to play, and instead all attention was paid to the kids until bed time, after which the parents only watched TV, some of which was even for adults. I recall when the first kid arrived a game night once a month was promised to keep everyone in touch, and it didn't even make it to the first month. Now they all catch up for kid things in the middle of the day, and I rarely see any of them anymore.

At least I have a nice collection.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Friday night Zombicide season 2 with wife and youngest. A success.

A65817DC-24E1-4198-90C8-7197085EDBCD.jpeg

Saturday night tried out a gaming meetup hadn’t been to before. First time there so didn’t join others for games, but we got in a few games, including teaching youngest Ticket to Ride Europe (an edition we don’t have). By half way through he was doing without help. And then he beat us 😒

Then tonight wife, eldest and I played eldests Evolution: New World for the first time.

ACB89D31-D5B9-4BF2-B355-D8DAEFCC9E0A.jpeg
 
Last night finally took the Scythe expansions, Invaders from Afar and The Wind Gambit off the shelf of shame, after about 3 years on it. Wife and I each played one of the two new Factions. I won blocking her in near her Base. She called me several things that would get filtered here, but after she overloaded my animals with parasites in Evolution New World the other day I feel no guilt 🤪 4433B67B-6F49-4FBB-8EBC-2FCF9A6B1F70.jpeg

Today games day. Firstly Jaws. This time the shark (not me, I was Brody), ate us all.

506EC87B-7FF1-4BA6-B073-A36489C2C6BA.jpeg

Then we had our first success with Return to Dark Tower in a 4 player game. Gravemaw defeated.

DBE01C4A-B174-4AC1-A1F3-823E5E906DEE.jpeg 1F9AAD35-0DF9-4F6D-B636-443ADA0FC090.jpeg
 
Last night I played a couple of 4-player games of It's a Wonderful World with the Corruption & Ascension expansion. In the 2nd game I came a very close 3rd (top 3 were only 3 points apart). One more General and my General + Financier multiplier would've gotten me the win.

I like the expansion. Some of the high point cards look impossible at the start but you can get them in the end.

Most of my recent plays of IaWW have been on BGA (only the base game is available) so it was a somewhat strange experience playing the physical version. It made me really appreciate the calculations the online version does for you.

20230407_224440.jpg
 
Got my 11yo a couple games for his birthday.

7 Wonders. A classic, cant wait to get into the strategies with the kids. I won by a point!

8921e891d808674443b4264ab9ee16f0.jpg
 
7fb3a6c8895b0a2424fb06ab395a8978.jpg


Also got him Space Base. The kids loved it. Lots of similar mechanics to other games we have so they picked it up quickly. Cool game!

And also digging deeper into Final Girl. Really like this. Need to play it more often.

fb26e59ac1222c35042c8c1056d52c31.jpg
 
You get to die, you get to die! Everyone gets to die!

Yes, it was time to get Frostpunk the board game to the table. A board game version of the computer game, where you are survivors of a steampunk/Victorian ice age relying on a generator to keep your last bastion of civilisation alive.

A beast to setup, then many things to track. Weather, population, sickness, food, generator, shelters, hope and discontent - then you actually need to try and build and get resources to do things. Six ways to die and only one to win. Two goes, for first time discontent got too high, the second hope was lost. Each game took around 4 hours. This on the easiest normal setting and first scenario. This is the general experience of people playing, with it usually taking 5 or 6 tries before you succeed. It’s brutal. You never have enough people to do anywhere near as much as you need to, so do you let them starve, freeze or try to avoid both and then not build or explore and your settlement not go anywhere?

Despite dying and the head hurting the first game from overloaded with info, it was fun and will attempt again, hopefully not too distantly.


IMG_0679.jpeg IMG_0678.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Tiny Epic Vikings first run through by the wife and I yesterday. Both give it a Meh. Not ‘I want those hours back’ and we’ll do with the mini-expansion and expansion to see how those are, but not an immediate hit like Tiny Epic Pirates was for us both.

IMG_0681.jpeg

Then today games day. Cat Lady (not the craziest), Blockbuster (a movie trivia game) and then Forgotten Waters as the main game. 4-5 hours of piracy later we were a (somewhat) successful bunch of misfit pirates, completing the scenario chosen.



IMG_0683.jpeg IMG_0684.jpeg IMG_0685.jpeg
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

6mm Spearhead wargame: ww2 Soviet versus German​

renderTimingPixel.png

I recently played a WW2 6mm Spearhead game that pitted a re-enforced German Battalion against 2 Soviet Infantry Battlions re-enforced with a company of T-34s.

SETUP

German:
#1 company in a BUA (3 stands & 1 HQ stand)
#2 company entrenched (-1 to dice for Soviets) (3 stands & 1 HMG stand)
#3 company entrenched (-1 to dice for Soviets) (3 stands & 1 HMG stand)
#4&5 2 hidden Stug III with long barrel 75/48
#7 81mm mortar

Soviets:
#8 Soviet Infantry Battalion with supporting ATG (about 12 stands INF & 81mm mortar)
#9 Soviet Infantry Battalion with supporting ATG & 4 T-34's (about 12 stands INF & 81mm mortar)

Soviet Plan: Follow the arrows taking the hills and then turning to the town and hills.

German Plan: Utilise the terrain, entrenchments, knock out and the ability for platoons to provide supporting fire to counter any Soviet advance. Use the 2 hidden STUG III to knockout the supporting T-34's.

Turns 1-4 :
Soviets pre-prepared bombardment on the hill on the other side of the river hoping to catch Germans entrenched and to either destroy or suppress (unable to fire in turn). Germans are unharmed and the Soviets advance along the required arrows.

Turns 5-7:
Soviet Battalion (#9) advances to within ambush range of a German INF platoon (#2) that suppresses 2 of the Soviet INF stands, whilst a pre-prepared Soviet bombardment lands directly on Ivan killing 1 & suppressing another Soviet INF stand.
Soviets Battalion (#9) assaults the entrenched German company (#2) and kills 1 German INF stand, losses 2 of their own, and support fire from another German company (#3) suppresses an advancing Soviet T-34.
3 unsuppressed Soviet T-34 assault the German company (#3) losing 2 in quick succession, whilst a hidden STUG III takes care of the supporting Soviet ATG.

Turns 8-11:
Soviets Battalion (#9) assaults the entrenched German company (#2) again with the -1 to dice role due to the Germans being entrenched. Soviet Battalion at the start of turn 8 hits a 50% loss and makes its morale dice throw, but then hits the 2nd morale break point test of 66% when it losses the remaining T-34 and supporting ATG are destroyed. Soviet Battalion (#9) breaks and leaves the field.

The 2nd Soviet Battalion (#8) swings around the battlefield and advances toward the BUA occupied by a German company (#1). As it advances towards the BUA the 2nd hidden STUG III (#4) uses ambush fire and destroys an ATG being towed by a truck, the now free German company (#2) also provides crossfire into the advancing Soviet Battalion (#8). The Soviets lose 3 stands (1 ATG & 2 INF) before closing to the BUA.

3 Soviet INF stands now move to assault the now visible STUG III, Soviets lose 1 INF stand and the STUG III is suppressed by the remaining 2. 6 Soviet INF Stands assault the BUA (#1) line up against 3 German INF stands. After the initial fire 1 Soviet INF stand is destroyed, 2 are suppressed, and we have 3 German stands in a close assault against 3 Soviet stands. The Germans lose 1 INF stand, we then have tied dice rolls, and the re-rolls see the Germans destroy the 3 Soviet INF stands. The Soviets reach their 50% morale break point check, fail and the 2nd Soviet Battalion streams off the table.

Final Score:

Soviets lost 2 INF battalions & 4 supporting T-34's.
Germans lost 3 INF stands.

Battalion Advance5 - Copy.jpg Battalion Advance8.jpg Battalion Advance2.jpg Battalion Advance.jpg
 
Last edited:
I’m really impressed with Destinies, a well made game were the app integration is on point


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I’m really impressed with Destinies, a well made game were the app integration is on point


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Yep. I got it the base game for my birthday last September (with games backlog took awhile to get to) and now disappointed didn't back the all in expansion that was on Gamefound not long after. Hadn't played it yet at that time, so didn't want to take the risk we wouldn't like. I'm hoping they do yet another expansion down the track, with the option to get all of them. Would snap up.
 
Yesterday games day. Firstly next Charterstone. Then a TV/Movie trivia game. Then Distilled, this time making sure to have some spirits whilst playing. Then Point Salad and Just One to finish off. A couple of shitty scores for Just One that may be related to earlier drinking 🤔

IMG_0772.jpeg IMG_0773.jpeg IMG_0775.jpeg

Destinies campaign completed today, with the wife winning, to split the 4 scenarios at 2 each. We’ll try the community scenarios, but after other games for awhile. Then a game of Flamecraft.

IMG_0776.jpeg
 
Yep. I got it the base game for my birthday last September (with games backlog took awhile to get to) and now disappointed didn't back the all in expansion that was on Gamefound not long after. Hadn't played it yet at that time, so didn't want to take the risk we wouldn't like. I'm hoping they do yet another expansion down the track, with the option to get all of them. Would snap up.
They did do a new expansion this year: Gamefound Destinies Witchwood

Hopefully there'll be more to come which will allow ordering the other expansions.
 
They did do a new expansion this year: Gamefound Destinies Witchwood

Hopefully there'll be more to come which will allow ordering the other expansions.
Yep, that's the one referring to. They did an all in pledge for that, to get base, plus the earlier expansions as well, so if they do another expansion I expect I could get an all in. Given it made over half a million Euro's I expect they'll do another expansion at some point.
 
tried to learn Scythe last night & teach the partner as we went - bit complex at first for her she was struggling a bit. just a few too many things to keep track of upfront. got halfway through a game which we will finish off tonight.
then i think i'll play a few games solo with an automa opponent - dont think she will play this one again.

after that i'll probably go back to marvel champions for a few rounds - bought some new decks and an expansion so looking forward to that. i just play that solo regularly - really like it.

Jaws of the Lion is sitting there eyeing me off waiting to be unwrapped - will be playing that solo but pretty keen. heard it was better to play that first if interested in Gloomhaven
 
tried to learn Scythe last night & teach the partner as we went - bit complex at first for her she was struggling a bit. just a few too many things to keep track of upfront. got halfway through a game which we will finish off tonight.
then i think i'll play a few games solo with an automa opponent - dont think she will play this one again.

after that i'll probably go back to marvel champions for a few rounds - bought some new decks and an expansion so looking forward to that. i just play that solo regularly - really like it.

Jaws of the Lion is sitting there eyeing me off waiting to be unwrapped - will be playing that solo but pretty keen. heard it was better to play that first if interested in Gloomhaven
Wife and I are still only half way through Jaws of the Lion (we've completed Gloomhaven and it's expansion Forgotten Circles), as we only get to amongst other campaign (and non-campaign) games every few weeks for a scenario. If you haven't played any Gloomhaven, then it's a good starting point. Gloomhaven we played 4 characters at 2 each, which we'll do for Frosthaven when we get to that, but doing Jaws of the Lion at just the one each. It has a good tutorial set of scenarios introducing each concept in turn and leaves out a bunch of stuff like enhancements from the full game to keep it more streamlined and less complex.

It's definitely less of a beast, if you can tempt / bribe / beg your wife into trying as a 2-player, than Scythe is. It's not a light game, but not it's not so heavy (like Scythe can be) to be non-gamer unfriendly. Plus being co-op the pair of you winning or losing together, is much less frustrating then losing a competitive game.
 
Played Bloodborne and Steamwatchers on the weekend (4p for both). Enjoyed both. Bloodborne is a really good remake of a videogame, quite well balanced making each chapter a tight finish.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top