Category Archives: On the Tabletop

Adventures from cards, miniatures, pencil and paper RPGs, and other old fashioned games from before the internet ruined everything.

On the Tabletop

Dice, Dice, Baby!

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(Editor’s Note: I avoided making the obvious inappropriate joke title for this article because we are trying to cultivate a family image here. Plus, nothing brings in the youth audience like a 30 year old white guy rap reference!)

A couple of months ago, I was feeling the loneliness of the gamer who lost his usual gaming buddies. I went through the usual stages of grief before Chris and I finally just said “Eff it” and got together a few times. Kevin and I have talked about a gaming night here and there, but still haven’t been able to actually make it happen. Part of it is that I’m not sure if the new computer can handle some of the games we play and I can’t yet afford a new laptop. Oh well, it’s only a matter of time.

During my lonliness, I started researching games that I could play solitaire. I tried to do a D&D campaign solo. It was fun, but the real magic of RPGs is the interaction between different personalities. However, during my search, I found an entire page dedicated to dice games that can be played solitaire. Apparently, I’m not the only gamer who gets the shakes when I haven’t been able to meet with my buddies regularly.

I went to Amazon to buy another “pound o’ dice” since I only had about an eighth of a pound or so left from the original that I got a couple of years ago. I downloaded a few of the game boards. Yes, all of them were free to download! I took a day or two to familiarize myself with the rules. Then, I got to playing a few of them.

I typed “rolling dice” into Google and got this picture because, apparently, the only dice that exist are d6.

The Long Road to Reno

The Long Road to Reno (even though you’ll probably not make it!)

Okay, so this one uses only d6s, but I promise that they aren’t the only types of dice out there. In fact, I have all manner of dice in my pound of dice. There are d10s that I can use to play Marvel Super Heroes RPG. There are d20s that I can roll initiative, saving throws, or THAC0! There are d4s that I can use to stab you with my trust dagger in D&D if you don’t watch your mouth! Wait, no, come back, I’m sorry. I’m just trying to justify an insane purchase of a “pound o’ dice” and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.

This game is tough! I mean, I understand that games are supposed to offer a challenge, but I have played this game 3 or 4 times, and I rarely make it to that second green square. I don’t know if I have the instructions wrong, I’m just unlucky on my rolls, or it is intentionally demoralizing, but my party gets gunned down, dies of starvation or heat stroke, or just wanders off into the desert in seeming record time.

For the record, I also played the sequel and lost badly in that one, too. I mean, I like the games, and I have fun with the various scenarios presented by the die rolls. However, I have yet to approach anything even remotely resembling a victory. Perhaps I will try again when I got through another dry spell.

Dice of Arkham

The madness of the old gods beckons. Do you have what it takes to resist?

I’ll admit it. If there were actually old gods who whispered sweet crazies into our ears, I’d probably eventually succumb to their madness. I’m already pretty crazy as it is, so it wouldn’t take many “your family will abandon you” or “your toaster is plotting your demise” before I threw out the toaster and started walking around with an emergency blanket like Chuck from “Better Call Saul”.

In all seriousness, though, this game seems a bit more balanced than the d6 Shooters games. I felt much more comfortable playing the game, that I actually had a chance to win, and that added to my enjoyment of the game. I think that, between the three games that I got to play, this one was my favorite. Maybe it was also due to the fact that it was a setting that I preferred. I like cowboys, but I’ll always go for the fantasy/horror game.

Random Zombie Related Dice Names

There were a few games that revolved around killing and/or becoming zombies, depending on your preference, but I didn’t get around to playing them. I will say that they all looked very entertaining and I will probably give them a chance in the future. I’m a bit burned out on zombie stuff recently. However, in the comic book store, I was trying to find where I left off on The Walking Dead comic. I thought that I had sworn that one off for good. But, it appears as if the bitey folk virus is infecting my brain yet again.

If you want to check out any of the games yourself, you can download them atDice Game Depot(a good starting page) orBoard Game Geek(a good resource overall for table top games).

On the Tabletop

Revisiting Amonkhet

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(Editor’s Note: When we last left Noob of All Trades in Amonkhet, he was losing multiple limited events in new and interesting ways. Has that trend continued? Tune in now to find out!)

Like the zombies that have become so revalent in the wake of the set, I rise from teh dead of my 0-2 draft and 1-2 sealed against Chris to find success in Amonkhet limited. Writing my previous article inspired me to log back into MtGO and try my luck at another draft. I’m glad that I did. Having actually seen and played with and against the cards, I had a much better idea of what worked and what didn’t and why.

First, zombies are good. Standard and limited events on the PT have shown that. Because of that success, everyone knows and seems to draft accordingly. Secondly, exert is probably the second easiest strategy to put together behind zombies. -1/-1 counters can be good, but tough to make happen. Then again, I did play against a guy earlier in a sealed event who both got the nut -1/-1 pool and then the appropriate hand to make it all happen in game 1, so it is possible. I’m not entirely sure what the other color combinations might offer, so I’m no help there.

Apparently cycling is a thing? But, exercise and nerds just seems like a bad combination.

Still, armed with my little bit (you didn’t think I’d use the limited pun again, did you?) of knowledge, I put together a solid GW exert deck. There were no bombs that I saw, so it was just the type of draft where you have to find the value cards. Luckily, I found it in abundance in this draft. I don’t remember how it started. I think maybe GB or RB?

Pretty quickly, I pivoted and by pack 2, I was solidly in GW with a focus on exert. That allowed me to keep a lazy eye on any possible zombies. However, like I mentioned, there weren’t many to be found in the draft. So, I just went with Plan A and it worked. I blew my first opponent out of the water and beat the other in pretty convincing fashion, too.

I guess you could call the Sandworms or Angel bombs?

Buoyed by that success, I jumped into xMage for another draft. I didn’t want to follow up my good mojo with potential bad mojo and actually spend “money” (new player points) to do it, so xMage seemed like the logical choice. However, there was no bad mojo to be found that night. I was so happy about this draft that I texted Chris about it. “Damn, just drafted a sweet GR deck on xMage, but the game got corrupted. Think I finally have the hang of this format.”

It’s too bad that the game did get corrupted because this deck was seriously insane. I also texted to Chris that I had no idea what anyone else was drafting because there several packs where I had a tough decision to make and the card that I didn’t pick wheeled back around to me. In this draft, after pack 2, I could have easily pivoted and started grabbing black value and put together any combination of green, red, or black and most likely gone 3-0 with the deck. It truly was an embarrassment of riches.

I mean, just beautiful, isn’t it? *single tear of joy*

As I said, I really think I’m starting to get the hang of the format. I still agree that it is a great set for drafting or sealed. I will most likely use the rest of my new player points on two more drafts and I might even spring the cash for a sealed event. I’ve enjoyed it that much. If you’re not doing Amonkhet limited, you are missing out!

On the Tabletop

Amon”Khetting Off on the Right Foot”

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(Editor’s Note: Okay, I fully admit that it might be time to retire this terrible dad joke headline gag that I’ve been milking for the past few articles. This one really does go too far and I almost want to apologize for it.)

Chris already gave you his impression of Amonkhet, the new Magic the Gathering set, via his recap of the prerelease he attended. Yes, you read that right. We had 2 Guys Gaming! We almost had another episode of that podcast in the can, too, but I wasn’t able to go over there because I wasn’t feeling well. But, we will take any positives and who knows? The podcast may be back soon enough.

I was not able to make it to this prerelease because it was Liam’s big weekend as Eugene in the local high school production of Grease. But, no regrets and I got to live vicariously through Chris. He kept me updated about his exploits via text. you can read about ithere. Spoiler Alert! He split the pot, but would have won.

While I wasn’t able to make it to the prerelease I was still very excited about this set. As a filthy casual, I didn’t care much about cards, so I didn’t keep up at all on spoilers. However, the lore based on ancient Egyptian civilization intrigued me. I’m a sucker for ancient civilizations and their stories. Therefore, I wanted to experience the set one way or another.

Then again, there are stories of Zeus dating his daughter, or some nonsense like that, so maybe those stories need to stay in the past.

Unfortunately, another obstacle stood in my way. Spring semester has ended. Summer hasn’t started yet. So, I’m in between checks and can’t afford to join events either in real life or on Magic Online right now. Luckily, I am practiced in the arts of cheap ass gaming. I created a “new” account on MTGO, which gives new player points that can be used to join phantom drafts. I don’t get to keep the cards, but I do get to play with them.

I did one draft this way. Without having looked at spoilers much, I went into the draft mostly blind. Armed with the limited (get it?!) knowledge, I went with the little bit that I did know. Zombies are decent this block. I forced BW embalm even after P1P1 a Glorybringer. Yeah, I know. Hear me out.

First, I find it humorous that both Chris and I pulled the dragon in our limited events. He’s lucky to have an actual card in hand (well, deck, actually), while I only have memories of an 0-2 performance. Should have done more research, I guess.

Draft is a cruel mistress.

So, how did I end up BW after drafting one of the great limited bombs of this set first? Well, it’s a tale s old as time. As old as people have been drafting, at least. Red just dried the eff up. I don’t know if there were to red bombs in the draft and the other guy just bullied me off. When I say dried up, I am talking Sahara desert dry. Sure, there was the oasis of the occasional good red card, but by that time I had switched gears to the zombies.

Don’t get me wrong. The deck was decent. Sure, I went 0-2, but the games and matches were all close. Ever since I started taking Magic a bit more seriously, I can hold my own in most games. But, it just wasn’t the “draft a bomb and win” that I thought it might be after the dragon. It’s never that easy, is it?

More recently, I got to experience the prerelease life (sort of) by doing a sealed with Chris. I bought my usual box and bundle. So, instead of doing our Winchester draft as we had been doing recently, Chris suggested the sealed. Neither of us opened a Glorybringer this time, but I got to finally see actual cards in action.

He went Naya exert for his deck. I probably tried to do too much with BG counters/cycle, but it worked out for me game 1. I flooded big time in game 2 and then saw a major threat pacified in game 3. but, and let’s say it all together now. “All three games were close.”

You know what losing makes you, right?

I had considered rebuilding or swapping pools, but Chris asked to play some modern, so I obliged. Again, he beat me 2-1 with a Boros aggro against a “Fun Police” deck. Apparently, it just wasn’t my night. That’s okay, though. I’ll get him the next time. That’s how our matches seem to go. Back and forth like that.

Also, I had fun. The set is a good limited set. There are a wide variety of viable archetypes in draft and sealed. Heck, I think this is the first time that I was able to pivot from a bomb and put together a decent secondary plan. Maybe that’s a result of me improving as a player? Perhaps, but I do think that this is a great limited set. I do have new player points for 3 more drafts. We’ll see if I still think that after them.

On the Tabletop

Star Wars X-Wing: A New Hope…(that I get better at this game..)

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A month or so ago I was chatting with Shawn through text and he mentioned that he had purchased a new game for him and the Gamer Bros to try, Star Wars: X-Wing. At the time I wasn’t too intrigued as I knew it was a miniature game and our first foray into the genre wasn’t exactly a rousing success. Heroclix had proven to be rather slow-paced due to our inexperience with the rules and all of the different powers. Relax, all you Heroclix fans out there, I do think the game is probably really, really good once you get a feel for the rules, and opening up booster bricks is a blast. Maybe one day we will revisit the game and give it another go. We had also talked about trying Warmachine/Hordes but the price point is nuttier than squirrel crap and the rules seem a bit..intricate, yeah, we’ll go with that. I do believe Shawn bought a starter set however so that’s something we will try as well. So many games, so little time.

Where was I? Ah, yes, X-Wing. Well, Shawn had told me that the games were essentially quick for the most part and that him and his boys really enjoyed it. At the point my interest peaked and I made the comment that he should bring his starter set over the next time we had a nerd night. I watched a couple tutorial videos on the game and was surprised at how much strategy was involved and yet the game mechanics were fairly simple. Last Friday, Shawn stopped over and true to his word, brought the game with him. I had honestly forgot about it and had my bag of Dicemasters rarin’ to go. Once I saw the little Tie Fighters I was sold. The detail on the ships is amazing and with Dicemasters now a distant memory, we quickly got a game underway. I chose the Tie Fighters because, well, they’re frigging’ Tie Fighters and he took the X-wing. Since it had been a week since I had watched videos on the game, my head was still jammed full of budgets and accruals from work and I remembered a fraction of the information. After a few turns I had the hang of it and was feeling pretty confident, until Shawn started referencing the rule book and we realized that we were playing with maybe half of the actual rules and were ignoring special abilities and maneuvers. Which would explain why it took so long for us to really get into any sort of meaningful combat. I mean if I had known about Barrel Roll, I would have absolutely…still lost the game. But to be fair it would have went faster. We had basically flown past each other the first 4-5 turns with little to no action, but this would have been remedied by using all of the rules.

After he creamed me and left to go home, I hopped in my car to run an errand (ah, adulting, so much fun) and thought about the game on the way. Truthfully, I wasn’t all that impressed with the game. Then I found myself reflecting on some of the maneuvers I had made and realized the misplays I made. It was at that point that I realized the potential the game had. It was actual pretty entertaining and something I wanted to try again. I ended up spending some time on Youtube polishing up on the advanced rules and then went on EBay to see if I could get any decent deals on some pieces for it. Unfortunately, while it doesn’t have the price point of games like Warhammer and Warmachine/Hordes, it’s still on the pricey side. I’m still eyeballing the Slave-1, but it’s $30 for a little model; a very cool, detailed little model, but that’s quite a bit to drop on one piece. I’ve told myself, as well as my bank account, that I’m going to wait to play a few games using all of the rules before I decided to buy in. So will X-Wing make it into our regular rotation? Well only time will tell, with so many good games out there and not a ton of time during our nerd nights, it takes a really solid game to make a repeat appearance. However, from my time with it, X-Wing is a contender for a spot.

Digital Playground, On the Tabletop

Star Wars Potpourri

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I have a couple of articles that ended with “to be continued”. While I, myself, hate the traditional cliffhanger, in this case it was unavoidable. “Okay, Buddy, that’s the argument that every hack writer makes.” You’re probably thinking at this point. “I really hate this hacky writing device, but I had no choice.” First, I won’t argue that I’m a hack. Second, you must understand. It is the end of the semester and things are insane right now. I am actually impressed that I’ve more or less kept up with my schedule as I can’t do that even during the best of weeks. So, while it was avoidable, I did not exert the extra effort to avoid it. Therefore, without further ado, I present the thrilling conclusion to 2 Generations Gaming Star Wars week.

Lego The Force Awakens

I have no update on this game because I haven’t been able to play it. Both our Wii U is not fond of the television in the playroom (it is an old tube TV, so doesn’t play well with the new fangled HD gaming systems) and the disc is behaving funny. I did watch some gameplay videos on YouTube to be able to discuss it shortly on the podcast, but I can’t report on my own experience right now.

I know, Chewy. Believe me, I’m disappointed, too.

Star Wars Battlefront

I’ve only loaded this one up once or twice since the original article, but I’m here to report that I still enjoy the game very much. I’ve gotten over my initial skepticism about the tutorial level that was only an FPS and the seemingly overly long X-Wing level to settle on a mostly positive impression of the game.

I played through some of the speeder level and it is even cooler than the Lego level. You don’t have the secrets (at least I didn’t find any secrets during my run) that you do in the Lego level, but the graphics are top notch and it really feels like you are in the movie. I want to play some more to try to finish the level as I was terrible at controlling the speeder and kept running into trees. So, I suppose, it was more or less canon.

The game does not mince words when you are bad.

I also did a bit of the escort mission to take the AT-AT to take over the rebel base in order to wait for Darth Vader. So, I guess I played those levels out of order. Oops. Well, really, who among us wouldn’t have done the same. You get to play as Vader or you get to escort an AT-AT? Really, that’s a no brainer. Regardless, I didn’t get very far in this level because the computer couldn’t handle the graphics. Wait, let me see if I can tune down the settings. Why didn’t I think of that earlier? And, nope, at the lowest level and only pulling 10 FPS. Well, this computer was never meant for gaming. Just a happy accident that some games are not as graphic intensive. Well, maybe if I get a full time job, I can pick up yet another gaming PC for myself. In the meantime, I’ll stick to what works on this computer.

X-Wing Miniatures

Of the games that I promised an update, I have played this one the most. First, I played against Liam to prepare for the podcast. Then, Chris and I played a game last Friday during our latest abbreviated nerd night. Even so, I might yet have to do another quick update on the game in the near future. You see, both games were played without the advanced rules because both times I was introducing the game to them. We may have been able to use the advanced rules in the game against Chris, but more on that in a minute.

When playing against Liam, the first thing he asked was how long a game might take. I found this a bit odd, as it’s not like he would have a hot date that night. He clarified by saying, “It’s just some games take a long time to play like Monopoly.” This time, I found his choice of simile odd. We almost never play Monopoly in this house. Perhaps he was trying to Muhammad Ali me with a bit of rope a dope.

Actual footage of my brain as Liam played his mind games on me.

If that was in intention, it worked. He beat me pretty handily. Maybe I just stink at the game and I’m making excuses. Granted, there is precedent for me being terrible at games. However, and this is the important part, I’m not one to make excuses. If i stink, I will fully admit that I stink. Besides, I beat Chris the next day, so if I stink, he’s even worse.

Speaking of Chris, I mentioned earlier that we probably could have played with the advanced rules. That’s because during our game, I found myself referring to the rulebook often to look up what a particular symbol meant. More often than not, my response was, “Oh, that makes sense” or “Yeah, I can see how that fits into the flow of the game.” So, while the basic game is fun, I think we’re ready to move on to the next level.

On the Tabletop

Tiny Pilots

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(Editor’s Note: Not very long ago in a teeny, tiny galaxy very near…)

More specifically, about a year ago and right here in this town, my friend introduced me to the X-Wing miniatures game. Long time readers know that I’ve been trying to get into miniatures for a couple of years. I even went as far as taking a painting class to try to jump start the process. It got me to purchase some of the models and even prime them. Then, I got no farther. Maybe this is finally the year that I branch out into the world of Hordes/War Machine. I have been reading the magazine quite a lot lately.

I also finally purchased my own copy of the X-Wing miniatures game. So, I am currently at the point in the process where I play prepainted miniatures and try to find the time to paint some of my own. It remains to be seen if I ever take the next step, but I am anxious to do so. We currently have nothing planned for the webpage and podcasts for August, so there’s a chance to motivate me to get the models ready for then.

While my friend had models from the original trilogy, the set that I ordered from Amazon because it was on sale has models from The Force Awakens. That doesn’t make a difference unless I go crazy and decide that I want to collect the various models. I don’t anticipate that happening because I’m a cheap ass gamer.

I was talking to Chris about the game and he texted me from one of the gaming stores, “They have Slave I!” There are a ton of ships for it, so maybe I won’t be able to keep that promise of not going crazy.

The reason that it doesn’t ultimately matter which set I got is that both sets come with the same types of ship models. There are two tie fighters and one X-wing. The box also comes with attack/defense dice, tokens, movement cards, and a rule book. You know, everything you’d expect in the box. It also has a learn to play book and a mission book. The game is very noob friendly and has a ton right out of the box to keep you playing even without spending money on the expansion ships. That’s good because those can get expensive.

Before we move on to the actual gameplay, I have a humorous (at least to me) story about my unboxing of the game. I’ve already told you most of what’s in the box. As I took each piece out, I gave it the obligatory “cool” or “neat” and the appropriate amount of attention. Look over the models for a few minutes after putting the tokens off to the side. Set aside the directions to read after inspecting the models. Then, “Oh wait, what’s this?” A book containing many of the other Fantasy Flight games? That’s interesting.

Interesting? I’ll say. I spent more time thumbing through the catalog and mentally making a list than anything else, the instructions included. I even texted Chris how excited I was to look through the catalog. I felt like a poor kid going window shopping at Christmas.

It’s almost as if they include the catalog intentionally to get people to buy more games….nah!

Okay, so maybe the story wasn’t that humorous, but you have to admit that it’s a bit silly that I spent money on this game and the thing that excited me most was the prospect of spending more money. Score one for the capitalist pigs!

Now, we’ve covered my background with the game and what’s in the box. All we have left to discuss is the actual gameplay. As mentioned, I don’t have extensive experience playing miniature games. Therefore, I don’t have anything to directly compare to the experience. However, I have read the rules to Hordes several times over, so I can more or less give an indirect comparison for those who have played those games. That will hopefully give you enough information to decide if the game is for you.

It is my understanding that X-Wing is a simpler and more streamlined version of a miniature game. I’m not sure how true that is becaues both Warhammer and Hordes have been working to simplify their rules. Still, there are only 4 defined phases in X-Wing and each of them requires only one or maybe 2 actions to resolve. Even when compared to an easier Hordes or Warhammer, X-Wing seems to be the more straight forward rules set. I know that we were able to finish two games in a half an hour to 45 minutes. I don’t think you can complete even one of those other games, let alone two in that time frame. I’m not saying that’s good or bad. I’m just trying to give an idea of what to expect. If you only have time for a quick game, X-Wing is the obvious choice.

I mean, look at that battlefield. It would take a half an hour simply to get through the move phase of all those troops!

So, the games are quick. But, are they fun? Spoiler alert: yes. that spoiled conclusion should come as no surprise. I liked the game enough to play it twice and then order it for myself and the boys. Yes, this game is a ton of fun.

The strategy element comes in right from the beginning of the turn because you have to anticipate your opponent’s movement and try to plan accordingly. Usually the first few turns are getting a feel for what the other player wants to do and use that to build your own plan. It is a game of cat and mouse that captures the feeling of discovering an enemy and initiating battle very well.

Once the feeling out process is completed and you settle into the main game, it is time to put that hard earned intel to the test. For the most part, I did well. There were a couple of times, though, that I made the wrong move. Being so new at the game, though, I can’t say which were mistakes on my part or whether my friend outmaneuvered me. I’m going to play again with the boys and try to keep track of the games better and the next game report will be more complete.

Until then, rest assured that the game is quick. It is fun. It is easy to pick up and play. It doesn’t require a huge time or money commitment simply to get all of the models set up. In short, it is the perfect way to get started in the hobby or take a break from the more grindy games.

On the Tabletop

We’ve Got a “Ticket to Ride”

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(Editor’s Note: That title works on two levels. First, it is accurate. Second, it is a cheesy Beatles reference. Aren’t we so clever?!)

I don’t remember either how we ended up on the subject of the game “Ticket to Ride” nor how we got someone to buy it for us. Wait, that last part sort of makes it sound like a con, which it isn’t. I mean, I know that her mother bought it for us for Christmas, but that’s not the point. It’s just that we had never discussed the game, it came up in conversation once, and then her mother agreed to buy it for us for Christmas. The whole sequence of events happened so rapidly that it felt sort of surreal. It was like an episode of the X-Files except the big reveal at the end is that a chain smoking conspiracy theorist purchased a popular board game for our family.

I do remember that I read about the game through my various online gaming groups. As with anything on the internet, some enjoyed it and some hated it. However, many more enjoyed it than not. In addition, those that enjoyed it almost universally loved it. It seemed like a good game and one that we could play as a family. It must have gotten stored somewhere and not accessed for some reason or another. Then, we got to talking about Christmas, the Cigarette Smoking Man intervened, and we own a copy of “Ticket to Ride”.

Unlike some of the other games we own, we specifically put aside a family game night to play this one. During that first play through, we experienced some of the growing pains mentioned by people who didn’t like the game. However, instead of letting it affect our enjoyment of the game, we adapted the rules slightly to learn some of the nuance of the game. For instance, we played with all cards face up, helped one another make decisions on each turn, and probably messed up the final scoring a bit.

However, the game was fun. In our house, ultimately, that’s all that matters. Sure we have our competitive sides, but we try to temper them during family game night. The last thing we need is another ER visit, especially one due to a fist fight over Connect 4. So, sometimes we play by house rules to add to the fun and enjoyment of the game. Thankfully, understands this and he is also willing to put some of his competitive streak to the side when we play Magic. Otherwise, he’d wipe the floor with me using his more finely tuned Modern decks that he put together to hang during Modern nights with his other play group.

My gaming buddies, I’m thinking of you!

While it isn’t quite so dramatic as Brokeback Mountain, can you tell I miss the other guy gaming? I think I’ve mentioned him at least once in each article that I’ve written since this attempted reboot. We tried to get together a couple of weeks ago for some AER draft and Modern action (I’ve built 2 semi-viable decks), but life got in the way. Life seems to get in the way of far too much. I think I think life needs a solid punch in the face. Maybe I need to stop making excuses and just put “game time” into the schedule. Ugh, I just miss my gaming buddies. But, I digress.

Perhaps “But, I Digress” should be the name of a podcast. File it away if I ever get so popular that this is my job. So, look for that in my next life. “But, I Digress”, streaming–or whatever they call that technology–into your brain in whatever year I’m old enough after having been reincarnated. I smell a hit.

For now, I need to focus on “Ticket to Ride”. In case you don’t know, the game involves up to four players who attempt to build a railroad between cities on a map of America. I know! Sounds thrilling, right? You’d be surprised. The version that we have is America. The game is so popular that it has spawned several expansions (sequels? I’m not sure what to call them.) that take place all over the world. Crazy, right?

Heck, they even have trains on boats!

Believe me, I thought the same things as I did research after hearing how popular it was. You build trains cross country? Really? That’s the game? Well, okay, if you insist. I fail to see how that will sustain a family for one game night. Forget the multiple plays necessary to justify the price tag. As you read this, also consider that our family are some of the biggest train fans that you will meet. I mean, we’re not on par with Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory, but we do attend an annual train hobby show and have taken a couple of trips by train. The second trip was much better than the first.

So, when I tell you that was my initial reaction to the game, you can believe me when I say that I understand your skepticism. The concept is very simple, almost to the point that you wonder if there is enough to sustain a game. Well, put that thought to rest. This game might be simple, but it is fun.

Well, you might argue in an attempt to play devil’s advocate, some of the best and most fun games are simple. Isn’t Hearthstone’s motto, “Deceptively simple, insanely fun”? Well, first, that’s a terrible example, because we barely tolerate Hearthstone around here. I certainly don’t find it insanely fun. Second, that motto seems to follow the rather dubious Blizzard tradition of stealing ideas and changing them only ever so slightly to avoid litigation. Seriously, that sounds very much like the slogan on the Othello box. Not exactly, but close enough that’s immediately what I thought when I first heard it.

Completely random and unnecessary Hearthstone slam. *air guitar*

Nevertheless, your point stands. Games that you can play right out of the box with little to no reference to the rules are some of the most fun. While our initial play through of Ticket to ride led to more than one glance at the rulebook for clarification, it didn’t interrupt the flow of the game much and we were back in business quickly.

The fun in the game comes in the form of strategy. Do you build your own routes? do you attempt to block your opponents? Do you split the difference? Furthermore, how do you execute your strategy once you settle on one? It all makes for an intense game experience and one that we recommend.

One final thought. Maybe the price tag is too intimidating for you to invest in just for “a try”. I can appreciate that. It is quite the investment, especially if you don’t like the game. You are not guaranteed to get any return on your investment if you have to resell it. Luckily, an app has been developed that lets you play the game solo or in a group using play and pass. I bought the app because I like the game and so that I could play and practice, but you could buy it to see if the game is something you’d enjoy. At only 2 bucks, it’s a lot less money than the actual game.

On the Tabletop

Exodia X Pikachu

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(Editor’s Note: That title just made me wish that Namco/Bandai and Nintendo/Game Freak make that game.)

Last week, I faced a bit of a dilemma. I could use the remainder of the tax refund to either get caught up on our mortgage or buy a new laptop. Yes, I am in the market for yet another new laptop. This time, though, it actually isn’t entirely my fault. I think I already told this story, so I won’t go into much detail. Just know that one laptop stopped charging and I screwed up trying to fix it. Then, my backup fell off of the ottoman and busted the screen. Yes, that truly seems to be my curse in life.

Of course, I made the correct and adult decision of replacing my laptop. Seriously, though, for those of you worried about me and the future of my children, I paid the mortgage. It would have been a very different story if the bill to be paid had been my student loan. Those guys can suck it.

I’m not entirely sure why I tell that story other than as another example to illustrate my commitment to gaming. I mean, it’s not relevant to the topic of this article. But, hey, non sequitur is one of the things we do best around here. Something else we do around here is awkward transitions from the non sequitur. In keeping with both of those traditions, allow me to continue.

Because, without tradition, what are we? No, seriously, what are we. With tradition, we stuff chocolates in socks, so I think it’s worth a shot.

I got the idea for this article a couple of days ago. I knew that I wanted to write another Pokemon article to finish out that game until our next podcast about the game in a couple of weeks once Aiden and Quinn are able to play Sun and/or Moon. Well, Quinn has played it, on my file (and I recently found out that was never saved, so progress was lost!), but Aiden hasn’t played it at all, so we have to give him a chance.

But, that is in about a month, so I have time to come up with more articles then. For now, though, let’s get this one written. The other day, we found ourselves int he middle of a blizzard. I was already home on spring break (yeah, a bit of irony there from Mother Nature) and the rest of the family was also home due to the snow.

For once, I’m not talking about this Blizzard. Except, now I am. But, earlier, I wasn’t. Why can’t I quit you?!

We’ve been trying to ween Aiden off of his “addiction” (I’m not sure if that is the proper word, but he acts like a junkie glued to the screen at times) to technology. The latest attempt has been absolutely no technology until he can show that he can function without it. Yes, we are those parents.

But, I have to say, it seems to be having the intended effect. He’s been reading more. He’s played with Legos (that’s not new, but he’s showing off his creations on Instagram. See themhere), and during the snowstorm he asked to play YuGiOh. I thought this was interesting because I found one of his decks a few weeks ago and remarked on Facebook how I missed the time when he was so into the game. He never saw that post, but still we ended up playing. Sometimes if feels like there might just be a Creator watching over us after all. (S)He certainly answered that prayer.

I know what you’re thinking. YuGiOh? The answer to a prayer? Well, it wasn’t entirely about YuGiOh, okay. It was about father and son time and doing something that he once loved. Judging by our game, he still does. Not only did he ask to play, but he used the deck that I found. What’s so special about this deck? Well, this time it is mostly about the deck. But, it’s also about that coincidence that may have been more.

Okay, I certainly questioned the existence of God after he played this card against me.

When he was really into the game, I got him one of the 1000 assorted card lots. He was so grateful and overwhelmed by the cards. He still talks about it to this day. Both Quinn and Liam asked to make decks and he replied, “Sure, I have over a thousand cards!”

After getting the cards, he spent some time researching decks until he found the perfect deck. He built that deck–Yugi’s deck, he calls it–and put it into a holster like pouch. That’s the deck that I found and that’s the deck he used to pound me into submission the other day.

The most encouraging sign came at the beginning of the match before we even started playing. As I built my deck, he spent the time trying to set up his Kindle to record a video of our match. When that didn’t work, we were going to use Liam’s new camcorder to record. That didn’t work either because the SD card that he got with it malfunctioned. Okay, so where’s the encouragement?

First, and this is total proud parent stuff, he didn’t quit in spite of adversity. He kept trying and that is to be commended. Second, and this is related to the game, he said that he’d be willing to play again once I got a new SD card for the camcorder. With my newly found commitment to the web page, look for that video soon.

I wouldn’t use this much, but it would come in handy for times like this.

So, ostensibly, this article was to compare the two card games that I have played with the boys over the past month. It has taken almost a thousand words to get here, so let’s take at least a couple of paragraphs to explore this. First off, I think that I prefer Pokemon. That’s not a slight against Yugioh at all. I enjoy playing YuGiOh and I can’t wait to play against Aiden again and get our video recorded. The main problem that I have with it is that there are seemingly too many rules that aren’t as intuitive as Pokemon or Magic. I mean, I haven’t played Pokemon in months, either, but I was able to pick it up and play through with only a few questions about mostly status effects. Those always get me. We are never able to keep the tokens around, so it makes it even harder to keep track.

I feel like every time I play YuGiOh, I have major questions about every aspect of the game. The turn structure is similar to Magic, but I just can’t seem to wrap my head around them. I completely forgot about my trap and spell cards because they are played face down and I had a lot of them on the field at one point in the game. Maybe that’s a flaw in my deck design. See, that’s the kind of thing that I mean. I can’t tell if it is my own incompetence or the design of the game. Oh well, I won’t let that get in my way and I will continue to play through as many times as it takes to get to the point where I feel at least competent. I owe it to Aiden to try.

On the Tabletop

Proof of Evolution

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(Editor’s Note: Poke A Man? Poke E Mons? I don’t understand any of these names.)

We are scheduled to get back on…well, schedule…with our podcasting this week with a new episode about Pokemon Sun and Moon and a look at the latest (as far as we knew at the time since I’ve recently learned that they are releasing Sun and Moon cards) card set, Evolutions. I already did an article a couple of weeks ago on my experience in Sun and Moon tutorial. However, I have to update that article because I hadn’t even made it through the whole tutorial as of the writing and I have made it considerably farther into the game. Look for that update in a couple of days. This article will focus on our recent adventures in the card game.

One of my favorite formats in Magic has become limited, as evidenced by my drafts with Chris. I am less fond of sealed than I am of draft, but sealed seemed like a better format to play with the boys as they have a little bit of experience from doing a Magic prerelease with me. There were some issues with the plan. First, how to compensate for the fact that Pokemon packs contain less cards than Magic packs. That one was easily remedied by mathing the situation. 6*15 = 10 * x.

I wasn’t told that there was going to be a quiz today!

(Spoiler Alert: x = 9. Give yourself a gold star if you got it right.)

That brings us to the second potential dilemma. We needed 36 packs, which is a whole booster box. Okay, no problem, I buy booster boxes of Magic all the time. Hop onto Amazon, eBay, where ever you can get the best price for a box, and get that box. Wait, what’s this? Pokemon boxes run about 110 dollars. That’s odd for two reasons. One, that’s about 20 to 30 dollars more than I’ve ever had to pay for a booster box of Magic. Two, and I already mentioned this, Pokemon booster packs come with only 10 cards as opposed to 15 (well, sometimes 14 because of lands in packs), so that makes them more expensive on two levels.

I hemmed and hawed and went back and forth. I will pick one up because it will be fun and maybe it will get the boys interested in their Pokemon and Yu Gi Oh cards again. No, that’s too expensive and we already have so many cards. Maybe it will get me interested in Magic again. The return on investment is nowhere near what a Magic box potentially offers. The boys are only young once, we haven’t had nearly enough time to game together, and it’s only money. Okay, fine, you win.

I don’t care. Even as a “good dad” who makes ample time for his kids, I can’t escape the feels from this song.

I ordered the box and it sat in storage for a month or so until we were able and willing to go through with the “event”. Since Christine has little use for our silly games, we chose a night when she was out. Or, maybe she locked herself into her room to watch Grey’s Anatomy or some other such nonsense. Whatever her excuse, we also had to work around the fact that when you have 3 children, often you have varied interests and each night of the week becomes a battle to get everywhere that they need to be on time and in a proper mood to conduct themselves.

We finally won that battle one night a couple of weeks ago. I pulled out the box, we distributed the packs, and opened them. The first thing I noticed, and this was a huge positive for me, was that the cards mostly were the original Pokemon. More than that, they were the original art. I said to Chris that it was almost like opening an original art Ancestral Recall. Almost, but not quite. Let’s not get carried away. It was cool seeing all of the old cards and the original art and it took me back to when I first introduced Liam to the game, but we were only opening Charmanders and Squirtles, after all.

What have you got against Charmander? Huh, buddy? I bet you wouldn’t say that about me if I was a Charizard or a Charmeleon, would you? You just wait. You will get yours.

After opening the packs and admiring the cards that we all opened, we got to building our decks. Before I talk about that process, though, let me speak a little bit more about the minor treasures that we pulled from the box. Remember when I was a bit surprised that Pokemon cards were more expensive by the box on two levels? Well, one of my theories was that it might be that the game was more popular at the international level (especially in Japan where Nintendo and Pokemon are very popular) that maybe there might be some return on investment into the box through resale of singles. While we got some good cards and some interesting cards, none of them approached the level of the cards that I’ve been able to resell out of Magic packs.

Mind you, I’m not complaining. I didn’t buy the box for that reason. I bought it strictly to play Pokemon cards with my kids. Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tiny bit disappointed. Okay, with that out of the way, let’s get into some of the specifics. Aiden, Liam, and I all have some experience with sealed Magic. I’ve done two prereleases, one with them, and many, many other rounds on xMage and a few on MTGO. Quinn, of course, hasn’t done any partly because he’s only 5. Still, he is remarkably good at building decks for Pokemon, so he more than held his own.

Having done some research on the topic before diving right in, I expected it to be more difficult to find a strategy for my deck. Pokemon has 9 (? Okay, I didn’t do a ton of research) types while Magic only has 5 colors. So, I thought that the cards would be more spread out and it would be harder to build a 2 type deck (similar to the 2 color deck that is most common in a Magic limited setting. In fact, it was a bit harder to fill out the deck because of there being less of each type of Pokemon. However, Pokemon has more colorless trainer cards that made it a little easier to get a good amount of cards in the deck. It made the overall power of the deck lower, but that can be fixed with time and more experience.

Ultimately I got a Charmander and Charizard, so I started with fire type. I also got a Squirtle and Bulbasaur, so I complemented fire with water. It’s not a strategy that I usually play when I play Pokemon and it showed. I lost 2-1 to Aiden and then got destroyed 2-0 by Liam in the second round. Our impromptu tournament ultimately fell apart because Quinn lost in the first round and then threw a bit of a 5 year old temper tantrum about it. We almost talked him into playing again, but he refused. So, Liam and Aiden should technically play in the finals to see who is the Lucas-Mullen Pokemon Evolutions tournament champion.

The grand prize is neither a trophy nor a cash prize. We just play for the love of the game. (Actually, we just don’t have money for such luxuries.)

Overall, the experience was a good one. Even though I lost fairly convincingly, I can’t wait to try it again with Pokemon Sun and Moon, which I noticed has released over at Wal*Mart. So, I just have to order a box, figure out a time that will work with every schedule, and try again. I also did a little bit of research to put together a Pokemon cube that will allow us to practice more with the sealed format. We will have plenty of Pokemon fun to keep us busy over the next few months.

On the Tabletop, Uncategorized

Lessons From The Kitchen Table: A Fond Adieu

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It wasn’t that long ago (about a month) when I was singing the praises of Modern MTG. Since then real life has stepped in and the time I had to go to Modern on Monday nights has stepped out. Admittedly, this “cooling off” period happens this time every year. It’s usually driven by work and Shawn’s family obligations and prevents our nerdy nerd nights from happening, which in turn causes my decks to collect dust. This year is different however. I’m actually not upset about my decks collecting dust.

So what happened? Well I won’t recycle Shawn’s thoughts in his article “I’m on a Boat”, but his assessment of Modern is essentially spot-on. It is basically a format of unoriginal ideas and mechanic abuse. I play against Tier One decks like Jund, Grixis, Dredge, ..etc, where I see the same cards over and over again. Your opponent splashed white? Path to Exile is coming. Multiple times. First turn Swamp? Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek will make an appearance in a second. Blue? Remand. Baby Jace or worse, JTMS. You get the point. The games are predictable. The guys in my group tend to stick with Tier One decks, so there isn’t much that catches me by surprise anymore. It has slowly turned me to other formats that offer a more intriguing experience. As Shawn pointed out in the aforementioned article, we have drafted a couple of times and it is now my format of choice. Standard, once considered a money pit to me, has me actually reading daily articles about deck strategies. Although, it does seem like a slight waste of time as no one in my group plays standard. They are firmly embedded in their modern world. To each their own, and who am I to say what format is better or worse? I just know that my Modern days are behind me at this point. Drafting puts Shawn and I on equal footing, instead of him trying to deal with Modern decks, or more accurately, not wanting to play at all. It makes every game more interesting and even more strategic.

It hit me a few weeks ago. After writing my “Modern Night” article, I said “eff this” and decided that my losing days were over. It was time to brew a broken deck. After going back and forth between building Infect or Mill (both of which are in the shallow end of the proverbial strategy pool) I decided that I was going to build a B/U mill deck. I had gone to the dark side. Suddenly I was very focused on having a strong showing at the next Modern Night. This wasn’t about a game. Or even about having fun. I wanted to win. I was tired of losing to my friends. I bounced my deck list off of one of my friends and he took the deck to task, not because it essentially craps on the spirit of the game but because he felt like it wasn’t built right. It wasn’t a top 8 deck essentially. I had added my own creative twist to the deck which made him believe that it was no good. After going back and forth on it via text, I realized that the debate had gone from if my deck was competitive or not to me saying that I didn’t care if it was a Mill deck, I just wanted it to be fun and my idea, not a net deck. And that’s when I realized that it’s tough to build a creative deck in modern and hope to be competitive.

So, where does that leave me? The bimonthly drafts as well as the collecting aspect of the hobby are what keep me going. I often find myself watching videos of drafts and of Standard games in general. I’m also a big fan of Tiny Leaders. So, even though my Modern days are over with for the foreseeable future, the game is not over for me. I do not regret my time dabbling in competitive Modern tournaments. I met some really cool people, built up a huge collection, improved my game and well, that’s good enough for me.