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Favorite out of print games?
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The BGG faithful have a tendency to always focus on what is coming next, to be looking for the next great fix. On one hand, that is no surprise because most people here consume games faster than Jughead devours burgers... but it did make me stop and wonder whether older games get the appreciation they deserve. So consider this list a celebration of the classics! Post one or more of your favorite older, out of print games. Take a minute to share with the new gamers what made you love that game so much. (I'll start out with a couple of favorite old games, just to get the ball rolling.)
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Posted On: 2008-10-08 10:18:28
Edited On: 2008-10-08 09:59:53
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1 , 2 , 3 , 4 Next »
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This is the title that made me think of this list.
The Fantasy Flight remake (with the same title) gets all the attention these days, and will probably be a popular gaming choice as we get closer to Halloween... and with good reason because it is still a fun and atmospheric game.
But there is something about the original that was lost in translation. Despite adding some cool new mechanics, the new version has lost much of tension and sense of danger that was originally seen as your group of hunters try to track and eventually trap the devious dark lord.
The entire pace of the game has changed, creating a very different expereience. The best analogy I can give is the difference in feeling between the classic movie Alien, and it's (still very good, but very different) sequel Aliens. |
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9 Comments []
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Posted On: 2008-10-08 10:06:33
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Another long out of print game that everyone should play, but one that can still be found easily (at usually at good prices) via eBay.
Racing games aren't really my thing, but this surprising title merged a couple of great Euro-mechanic into a mass market gem long before the term "Euro" was commonly used.
Players are dealt a hand of cards that are used to move cars during each turn of the race, and then have an auction to determine which cars they will back during the race. The trick is that each card lists several cars that must be moved, and you need to balance moving your own cars with advancing those of other people. With simple rules added for drafting and passing, this game suddenly becomes much deeper than most people expect.
With clever play, you can control positions on the track and force other players either to help you, or to waste big cards by passing on a corner. Check this title out if you haven't already... it's well worth it! |
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9 Comments []
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Posted On: 2008-10-08 10:17:13
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Posted On: 2008-10-08 11:27:48
Not bad to own both I guess.
The old game can have pacing problems. If the hunters play poorly (which is easy to do, especially until you gain some experience) then they might never find Dracula for the entire game! If the hunters play well, but the Dracula player is a weenie who chooses to work the system then it can still be unbalanced and not enjoyable for either side.
However, if played with people who take the game in the right spirit it is tremendous. Hunters are really forced to search for Dracula's trail, never quite knowing how close they are or what evil might lurk in a nearby city. Finding him is hardly a relief, however, as battle can be brutal and unforgiving - especially if you aren't well prepared. Dracula is more powerful because his movement on the board isn't limited, but he is also more fragile and can (potentially) be dusted much easier if the hunters do stumble into battle with him.
In my experience, the cat-and-mouse game is much more satisfying in the original. Playing as Dracula really does give you a sense of superiority, as you try to both confound and eventually destroy the hunters on the board. As hunters you really need to put together a strategy about how to limit movement on the board, and then work together to discover and defeat Dracula.
The new game is good, but turns a tension-filled hunt into an adrenaline-laden chase. For the hunters, it is actually difficult to avoid stumbling onto Dracula's trail just through normal movement. The card-based trail overcompensates for the difficulty in finding Dracula in the original game (IMO) and also introduces some oddball situations that required significant errata to be introduced. Death is no longer as severe or as sudden as it could be in the original version, and battle is more predictable because of the Day-Night cycle. Dracula is still powerful, and his special power cards are wonderful tricks to play, but somehow I never had the same sense of control when playing the new version.
Both games are good, but the feeling you get when playing is very different. I personally find that the original game is better suited to the horror theme, and it will always be my favorite. Others are free to disagree.
You've got to be kidding. I played as Dracula in the old version once and after a lot of (what I thought was) clever outmanoeuvring by Dracula he was killed with a single confrontation. Almost four hours for what can only be described as thoroughly anticlimactic - instant death at the hands of a hunter. The worst part of all was that the hunters would not have found him during daylight if it wasn't for the turn of a poxy event card.
I'd give it another chance but I'm not sure it's worth the time invested.
If you rolled day then you pretty much were going to vapourise him in short order(as with post above) and if you rolled night...then you had a fight on your hands.