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Ameritrash Game Ratings 300
Matt Thrower
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Thanks for the generosity of the BGG admins in giving away free microbadges for the New Year, we've now broken the barrier of 300 Ameritrash Microbadge Holders. So I figured it was time to do one of my periodic updates on games ratings by these users.

I shifted the minimum number of ratings upward to 30, in line with the overall increased number of badge holders. Expansions are discounted, although for games which have very highly rated expansions I've made a note in the entry accordingly.

Here's the results: new this year is a seperate entry for every game, overall chart changes from last year, expansion ratings, highest moves and new entries and high-profile games off the list.

Who will be the big winners and losers this year? Time to find out ....
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1. Board Game: Acquire [Average Rating:7.43 Overall Rank:99]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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Dropped Off

This venerable Euro which squeezed into the list last year at #23 is the first high-profile casualty. It's dropped down into the low sixties this year, missing my usual cut of the top 45 games.
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mike majorowski
United States
Quincy
Massachusetts
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How is this a Euro? it was made by a U.S. designer, and published in the U.S.. I find it funny that one of the first euros, if not THE first euro is an american game by an american designer published in the U.S.. Ameri"trash"?
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 3:51 pm
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Mike Pranno
United States
Chardon
Ohio
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I'm not so sure I would qualify Acquire as a Euro but rather simply NOT Ameritrash. I could be persuaded otherwise... where is that glossary list that defines a Euro?
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 3:54 pm
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Tom Hancock
United States
Charleston
West Virginia
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mcpranno wrote:
I'm not so sure I would qualify Acquire as a Euro but rather simply NOT Ameritrash. I could be persuaded otherwise... where is that glossary list that defines a Euro?


Oh Aqcuire is definitely not Ameritrash, its just a game AT badge holders rate highly.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 10:52 pm
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Vaughn Sandor
United States
Eastlake
Ohio
The BBC series is far better than the excellent NBC one. Now go watch it.
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hancock.tom wrote:
mcpranno wrote:
I'm not so sure I would qualify Acquire as a Euro but rather simply NOT Ameritrash. I could be persuaded otherwise... where is that glossary list that defines a Euro?


Oh Aqcuire is definitely not Ameritrash, its just a game AT badge holders rate highly.


Not this AT badge holder.

I think the decline in rating is due to the poor quality of the reprint.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:52 pm
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Gregory Bay
United States
Wake Forest
North Carolina
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I agree. The poor reprint does not help. A great game!
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 5:54 pm
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2. Board Game: Hive [Average Rating:7.37 Overall Rank:111]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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Dropped Off

From the heights of #11 last year, Hive has dropped into obscurity. It's now down around #60, making it the biggest fall of the entire list.

Good riddance too if you ask me. I can't abide abstracts and I thought it faintly embarrassing this ever made one of these lists!
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Stephen Sekela
United States
Camp Lejeune
North Carolina
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Well, I guess I have to be embarrassed that I really like this game blush I mean, I hate chess, othello, chinese checkers, and other such abstracts, but something about this game just really makes me enjoy it. Maybe it's the cute little bugs, maybe it's the cool way that the hive can morph throughout the game, or maybe it's just the sound and motion effects I get to make as I make my buggies creep and crawl around the table...
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 5:42 pm
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Raul Catalano
Italy
Pordenone
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Vaughn wrote:
Abstracts are Euros gone horribly wrong. Good riddance.


What ? You are confusing tha cause with the effect !

Euros are abstracts gone redundant.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 10:20 am
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Chris Tuxford
Australia
Wollongong
NSW
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The greatest thing about this game is the continually morphing game space as well as the interesting piece play. The components are rock-hard and great for my classroom, especially if the kids have dirty hands or one of them treads/trips on the game while it's played on the floor.
 
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  • Edited Wed Jan 7, 2009 11:49 am
  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 11:47 am
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Joey Konyha
United States
Terrytown
Louisiana
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MrSkeletor wrote:
Great game. I prefer abstracts over most euros, which are kind of wannabes.


Hmmph...can't tell the difference most of the time.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 3:21 pm
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Gary Bacchus
United States
Altamonte Springs
Florida
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hancock.tom wrote:
I'm also a fan of this. It is an abstract, but the bug thing draws people in. One of my favorite games to touch. (that was a little creepy, wasn't it?)


It's ok. You're among friends. "My name is Gary and I am a bakeliteaholic."
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 4:40 pm
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3. Board Game: Fire and Axe: A Viking Saga [Average Rating:7.06 Overall Rank:343]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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#45 Rated 7.48 by 36 users
New Entry

This viking game from the maverick Ragnar Brothers just squeezes in to the lowest position in the list.
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Tom Hancock
United States
Charleston
West Virginia
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Although this one has some euro elements, it is very heavily themed so I'm not that surprised to see it on the list.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 2:21 pm
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C Lloyd
United States
North Reading
Massachusetts
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Great game. A very nice mix of some Euro elements with a cool theme and a bit of randomness mixed in. And there are lots of different ways to score points. Thus far, everyone I've introduced this game to has really liked it. It's no surprise to me that it made the list.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 5:04 pm
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Stephen Sekela
United States
Camp Lejeune
North Carolina
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Agree with the previous comments. I had never even heard of this game until a friend brought it over and suggested we play it, and I sure am glad we did! What a fantastic game - the fact that you earn bonus points for sacking the most cities more than makes up for the abstract combat Not at all suprised to see it made this list.
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 6:06 pm
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Alan Richbourg
United States
Arlington
Texas
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Very cool game.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 12:45 am
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Paul D.
United States
Stratford
Connecticut
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Cloth map baby!

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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 8:32 pm
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Jeb Adams
United States
Agoura Hills
California
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PAYDIRT wrote:
Cloth map baby!
That is pretty cool. This would be the #1 game at ClothGameGeeks.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:23 pm
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4. Board Game: Britannia [Average Rating:7.32 Overall Rank:200]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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#44 Rated 7.49 by 31 users
New Entry

One thing I noticed when compiling the list this year was that a number of fairly well-known wargamers on BGG have now purchase an Ameritrash badge. Whether this is evidence of wargamers looking at a wider field of games, or whether there's simply more and more synergy between the two groups I don't know. But wargames have certainly done pretty well in the list this year starting here, with this new entry.
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Colin Hunter
New Zealand
Auckland
Stop the admins removing history from the Wargaming forum.
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Most wargamers on BGG are diverse gamers, who play euros, AT, abstracts and wargames.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 1:07 am
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Brian Morris
United States
Raytown
Missouri
2nd, 6th & 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, 24th Michigan
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ibn_ul_khattab wrote:
Most wargamers on BGG are diverse gamers, who play euros, AT, abstracts and wargames.


I would strongly agree. I myself play everything under the sun from wargames like Panzer Grenadier and Shifting Sands to general euros like Agricola and Caylus.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 2:12 am
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Stephan Rasmussen
Denmark
Odense C
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Great game.. I have only played it once but enjoyed it immensely. I can see how it will only get better and better with each play.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 6:41 pm
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Andrew Carlstrom
United States
San Marcos
California
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I'm very much a wargamer/Ameritrash crossover gamer. Sitting next to all the boxes from GMT, MMP, and Columbia is a small mountain of games from FFG.

Euro's, though, just haven't grabbed me. Every time I play one I think, yeah, that is really clever. And yet I walk away unsatisfied. Its like eating a salad. It tastes good, and I know its good for me, but I never look back later and think "man that was a great meal."

If a game does not develop a strong narrative, I'd rather spend my limited game time with something else.
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  • Edited Tue Jan 6, 2009 7:01 pm
  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 6:52 pm
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Jim Miller
United States
Juneau
Alaska
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Yep finally got a hold of this one... and it hasn't disappointed, Yellow is still tough to win with... some new rules, but this game draws you in
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 4:19 am
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Eric Grutz
Serbia
Beograd
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Wow, it's great to see my newly purchased microbadge helped push this into the rankings. A great, great game.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 10:24 am
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5. Board Game: Die Macher [Average Rating:7.76 Overall Rank:46]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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#43 Rated 7.52 by 38 users
Down 9 places

Game ID #1 isn't number one on our list. But it continues to cling on, presumably because of the relatively high level of interaction and thematic rules.

Really must try this one of these days.
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  • 18 comments [Hide]
Chester Ogborn
United States
Albuquerque
New Mexico
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Die Macher is a prototypical Euro, a giant in that genre.

This rating is more indicative that there is less distinction between the two subsets (American and Euro) than some would like to believe. I wager most of us play games across the broad spectrum because they're all fun, and variety is even more fun than niche-i-ness.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 4:12 pm
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Ken Bradford
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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unixrevolution wrote:
franklincobb wrote:
hancock.tom wrote:
Certainly Agricola might have a few AT traits (I haven't played it yet, I don't know). Is the interactivity really that high? Like I said I haven't played it.



No, the interactivity is NOT that high. It's the "choose an action before your opponent does" style of interaction, which is fairly low on the scale of interactivity.

It does have some AT traits, such as having some chrome that is only there to serve the theme, along with a strong visual appeal linked to its actual subject matter. It is very thematic for a Euro.



Power Grid is another euro with a very strong link between its gameplay and theme.



Totally agree. I really like Power Grid, much more than Agricola due to the very direct nature of interaction. Yeah, you get that "Hey! You took that before me!" but there is also spatial blocking on the board as well.



 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 3:55 pm
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Chester Ogborn
United States
Albuquerque
New Mexico
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To be fair, there is a lot more interaction in Agricola depending what decks you're using. The "interactive" deck generates a lot more direct screw-you type of situations than just competing for an action. You siphon off goods from others, get a benefit when they perform certain things (which may or may not hurt them directly), etc. Its not like a flamethrower, but its more than the passive aggressive competition of the base game.

I enjoy Agricola, but it doesn't rock my world.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 5:17 pm
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Ken Bradford
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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cornjob wrote:
To be fair, there is a lot more interaction in Agricola depending what decks you're using. The "interactive" deck generates a lot more direct screw-you type of situations than just competing for an action. You siphon off goods from others, get a benefit when they perform certain things (which may or may not hurt them directly), etc. Its not like a flamethrower, but its more than the passive aggressive competition of the base game.

I enjoy Agricola, but it doesn't rock my world.



I will sheepishly admit to not using the "I" deck as of yet. All the cards seem to be "if your opponent does this, get a free something."

 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 5:34 pm
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Tom Hancock
United States
Charleston
West Virginia
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A lot of games need an I deck.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 8:30 pm
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6. Board Game: Doom: The Boardgame [Average Rating:7.02 Overall Rank:344]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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#42 Rated 7.52 by 76 users
Down 17 places

Doom has suffered badly to the new games on the block, perhaps unsurprisingly since it's often quoted as a clunky system that works better with it's cousin, Descent.
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Dan Poole
United States
Goldsboro
North Carolina
Ph'nglui Mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!!
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We're charging our battery. And now we're full of energy. We are the robots. We're functioning automatik. And we are dancing mechanik. We are the robots
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I am the minority: I like this game way better than Descent...Talk about clunky!!
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 9:36 pm
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Jeb Adams
United States
Agoura Hills
California
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Cleitus the Black wrote:
They serve to keep it fresh, which is a huge advantage, but the system, like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, is getting way overburdened with chrome.

This metaphor wins the thread. We can shut this down now.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:26 pm
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Sneaker
Greece
Athens
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Another one here who thinks that DOOM is much much much better than Descent!

(we need more expansions FFG... please? )
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 10:13 am
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Nick Daley
United States
Gloversville
New York
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Yea.. unfortunately this game falls short due to Descent's improved game mechanics, weaponry, and unique character abilities naturally granted to each player.. although skills can be achived similar to Descent's.
Personally I love the Doom video games but Descent definitely takes the cake (perhaps the reason why Doom is 30 bucks cheaper.)
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 11:37 am
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Gregg Lewis
United States
Abilene
Texas
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jeblucas wrote:
Cleitus the Black wrote:
They serve to keep it fresh, which is a huge advantage, but the system, like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, is getting way overburdened with chrome.

This metaphor wins the thread. We can shut this down now.


Yeah, but everyone loved Chuck's tree more, after it was all gussied up with Snoopy's over abundance of chrome.

come on,
you never thought these were bad little games. They're not bad at all, really. Maybe they just need a little love.

okay, my non-sequitir is done, thank you ....
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 7:12 pm
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7. Board Game: Tigris & Euphrates [Average Rating:7.89 Overall Rank:15]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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#41 Rated 7.53 by 94 users
Up 3 places

T&E has done well this year, rising slightly. As a fairly high-interaction Euro that benefits from excellent depth of play I hope we continue to see this hanging round the list in years to come.
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Diz Hooper
Japan
Osaka
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The conflict and push your luck elements of this grand Euro will keep it a fan favorite with Ameritrashers. In fact this may maintain it's popularity with Ameritrashers longer than it does with Eurogamers.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 4:43 pm
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Stephen Crouch
United States
Chapin
South Carolina
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Stradk wrote:
I admit I have never had any interest in this game what so ever. But your comments have really peaked my interest.

But I just dont see any connection between theme and gameplay.. (well I do see the typical euro connection where the theme could have been anything really)

Will I enjoy this even if I normally hate abstracts?


I do. Normally I prefer theme, but in this one it could just be 'green versus green' or 'red versus red' and the game would be the exact same. It just works, and very very well.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:12 pm
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Tom Hancock
United States
Charleston
West Virginia
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The game makes Chess look well themed. Its got more of a theme than Go or checkers but really is right on par with Chess.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:22 pm
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Chester Ogborn
United States
Albuquerque
New Mexico
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Funny, I used to see very little theme there....but the more I played and played, the more I felt like I was influencing the development of civilizations over long epochs of time. I guess that makes the players god-like (what could be more Ameritrash than that?!) Anyway, when I play T&E now, I really feel that theme. I know Knizia maintains that the theme came first and the mechanics followed. I don't think he's lying, although I don't think that's the usual pattern for his designs.

I agree that the conflict in this game is a lot more aggressive and direct than you usually see in a Euro design. If there were player elimination and flamethrowers, I'd buy that this is a more American-style game. I think Clash of the Gladiators is probably Knizia's most Ameritrashy title. Sadly panned by lots of Knizia fans, CotG is a great game. Actually, I guess its panned by most everyone (except Joe Gola, Tom Vasel and myself) as far as I can tell.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 7:37 am
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Geoff Burkman
United States
Kettering
Ohio
"Punk is not dead" by daughter, Emily
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I like this game immensely, having picked it up after reading numerous reviews and session reports on BGG, but have had no luck getting my Euro-centric crew to play it more than a few times. It seems to be the direct conflict that irks them. Oh, well....
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 9:50 pm
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8. Board Game: BattleLore [Average Rating:7.55 Overall Rank:73]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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#40 Rated 7.53 by 105 users
Down 24 places

How the mighty have fallen! This game once competed for the number one spot on this list, and it's now threatening to disappear completely. Quite why is open to debate - poor marketing, or poor game? Can FFG turn this around, or have they inherited a turkey?
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Blake Phillips
United States
Montague
Massachusetts
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I love this game... but quit simply I have become bored with it of late. That does not diminish its worth in my mind... and I am sure I will play it many more times but for now it has been shelved in favor of other conflict games such as Tide of Iron and Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! - Russia 1941-1942. Maybe others have also reached some sort of saturation point with BL and are taking a break from it. I am very much looking forward to FFG coming out with some new material for BL... and I am confident that my interest will be rekindled with the addition of heroes, other races, new magic decks and whatever else FFG might dream up. One of my all time favorite games.
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  • Edited Mon Jan 5, 2009 6:38 pm
  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 6:36 pm
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Andrew Carlstrom
United States
San Marcos
California
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Cool, I get to use my Charlie Brown Christmas Tree metaphor twice on one list!

This is the game (a simple system overburdened by chrome) that first put the image in my head.



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  • Edited Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:33 pm
  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 7:16 pm
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Dan
Canada

Alberta
Yeah... I see what you did there.
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Awesome.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 1:23 am
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Paul Brooks
Scotland
Stirling
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This was let down horribly by it's theme. It couldn't decide if it wanted to be a fantasy game or an historical one. Trying to be both was a bit lame. Plus the fantasy elements were very poorly implemented; Scottish Dwarfs? (boring) and Ostrich-riders? pretty lame.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 4:09 pm
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Rolling bad dice in wargames since 1977
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Personally, I love BattleLore. Days of Wonder went all-out on this for the first year and then had to scale back. For about a year, there was nothing, and I was prepared to wait even longer. (That first year saw seven expansions and it was all I could do to keep up with it.) But now the game is with FFG. I hope they go great guns with it.

I don't know what went wrong with it. It's an extremely lavish game. I can only guess it didn't meet quota for all that lavishness.
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 7:24 am
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9. Board Game: A Game of Thrones [Average Rating:7.45 Overall Rank:108]
Matt Thrower
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#39 Rated 7.56 by 79 users
Down 22 places

AGoT continues to wane in popularity in spite of some very vocal supporters. Is it because the books are becoming less popular, or because the game is seen as staid and lacking in action?
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Michael Buccheri
United States
Glen Arm
Maryland
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It is because this game sucks.

-M
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 2:56 pm
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Dan Taylor
United States
Unionville
Virginia
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malloc wrote:

why bother when diplomacy does a much better job at that.

-M


I like Diplomacy, but you need seven people to block off the better part of a day for it. Plus the potential (potential, mind you) that they fellow wearing the "AH" namebadge might be suddenly free from responsibilities in an hour or so.

Plus in this one the knives come out immediately. Takes a few turns in Diplomacy (at least when I've played) to have things start moving around.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 5:25 pm
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Greg Williams
United States
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I have at least ten unlogged plays of this game. It is best with five or six with both the expansions or as a four player with the A Game of Thrones: A Storm of Swords Expansion board. If you're not playing it with at least A Game of Thrones: A Clash of Kings Expansion then it will get old.

 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 6:51 pm
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Patiently waiting for the zombie apocalypse...
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stove wrote:

I like Diplomacy, but you need seven people to block off the better part of a day for it. Plus the potential (potential, mind you) that they fellow wearing the "AH" namebadge might be suddenly free from responsibilities in an hour or so.

Plus in this one the knives come out immediately. Takes a few turns in Diplomacy (at least when I've played) to have things start moving around.



I agree totally with this comment. I will also echo the sentiment that GoT must have 5 players to play and I prefer 6 players. It does not scale very well at all.

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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 2:26 am
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personaly me and my group love this game.

but we love it so much that during almost 2 years time I have it, we played it only twice.

why?
because it is not too nice on the newbies and playing time might be long.

with the right group that played this game already it is a blast!
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 6:38 pm
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10. Board Game: Heroscape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie [Average Rating:7.38 Overall Rank:146]
Matt Thrower
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#38 Rated 7.59 by 110 users
Down 17 places

The Heroscape line isn't holding its position well. Possibly the lack of depth in what was, after all, marketed as a childrens' game is showing?
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Mr. Bistro
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The depth is there. WotC's support isn't. No new product is killing the game.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 3:51 pm
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Ken Bradford
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out4blood wrote:
Octavian wrote:
cornjob wrote:
mrbistro wrote:
The depth is there. WotC's support isn't. No new product is killing the game.

Surprising comment. I'm not disputing it, but most of the games on here are single one-time purchases....and they're holding up just fine.


Really? About half of the games on the list already have expansions out or soon will. Not saying most of those games need the expansions to be fun, but the expansions do help tremendously in keeping the base game salient.

-MMM

Is that symptomatic of AT games? They need constant refreshing to remain in good standing?




At least they get played years after release...think Notre Dame or In the Year of the Dragon will see much table time in a few years? Hell, people have stopped talking about those already. This is a 2004 release and people STILL talk about it, it even has a website with a fairly large fanbase talking about it daily.




The expandability is inherent in this game--it's all about army constructing and drafting. Variety gives such activities more appeal. If that variety appears to dry up, even though there are already tons of stuff to choose from, it can have the mental effect of causing the whole thing to lose luster. It isn't rational, but it happens.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 2:03 pm
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Mr. Bistro
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cornjob wrote:
mrbistro wrote:
The depth is there. WotC's support isn't. No new product is killing the game.

Surprising comment. I'm not disputing it, but most of the games on here are single one-time purchases....and they're holding up just fine. Why would a good game need to continue to release items to hold interest?

I think Heroscape is rated higher than the game itself warrants because it also offers collectibility to those who enjoy that. Part of the rating is credited to how much fun folks have assembling their collections.

Well, for a game to survive you have to be able to buy it.If you really want some Scottish clansmen and can't buy them anywhere but ebay, then your interest is going to vanish.

I'm not talking just about expansions here. I'm talking about an ability to buy what's been previously released.
 
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  • Edited Wed Jan 7, 2009 2:58 pm
  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 2:57 pm
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Barry Kendall
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Lebanon
Pennsylvania
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Whatever else it's good for, it's given me the terrain components to make my own Full Metal Planete game.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 8:29 pm
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Rolling bad dice in wargames since 1977
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I love Heroscape but I'm dead tired of Marro crap.

Can't we move on to more historical stuff???
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 7:30 am
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11. Board Game: Cosmic Encounter [Average Rating:6.99 Overall Rank:361]
Matt Thrower
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#37 Rated 7.6 by 63 users
Down 12 places

I suspect this game is the victim of the split in entries between the older editions and the newer FFG edition. It'll be interesting to see if the latter comes bouncing in next year.
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Considering the new edition is currently scoring 8.3 among the general population, I think it's in with a bullet.

CE is my #1 game, and has been for years. The FFG reprint is excellent, and is surprisingly accessible for new players. That they managed this without upsetting the "I remember when" folks is no small feat.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 3:56 pm
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Chester Ogborn
United States
Albuquerque
New Mexico
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Cosmic Encounter is one of the original proto-typical American games. I'm glad to see it getting reprinted. Again.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 4:17 pm
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C Lloyd
United States
North Reading
Massachusetts
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I passed on this when I could get the AH version at a reasonable price. I'm glad I did, and now have the FFG version. Looks great, and can't wait to get it to the table.
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 5:15 pm
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Tom Hancock
United States
Charleston
West Virginia
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MrSkeletor wrote:
The FFG edition will be top 10 next year, guarenteed.


If it gets enough votes, it will easily be in the top 20. I think a lot of people will play the FF version, love it, but will come on BGG and rate this one. Also, some people simply won't change their old good rating of this game after playing FF's. Assuming the FF version gets around the bayesian vote number hurdle, it should really rocket up the charts.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 2:09 pm
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12. Board Game: 1960: The Making of the President [Average Rating:7.66 Overall Rank:52]
Matt Thrower
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#36 Rated 7.6 by 68 users
Down 30 places

The biggest fall on the list, from the heights of #6 this time last year. It's reflecting a general trend in the decline of the popularity of this game. Can't say I'm surprised either - I didn't think this one had the depth of appeal to last.
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Joel K
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St Louis Park
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This squares with my experience. I played this game a decent amount in 2008, and have soured on it in comparison with Twilight Struggle. It's still decent, but the clunkiness of the debate phase in particular knocked it down a few pegs.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 4:40 pm
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M C
United States
Orem
Utah
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Stradk wrote:
It has better production value than Twilight Struggle but that is the only thing that this game does better than Twilight Struggle.


I wish someone would sell a Twilight Struggle upgrade kit.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 2:48 am
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Jim Miller
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Jumped on board after I heard it compared to TS, and it was fun, but went back to TS and realized the excitement level is so much higher in TS, thus so is the fun factor
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 4:25 am
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Ken Bradford
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Fayetteville
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craniac wrote:
Stradk wrote:
It has better production value than Twilight Struggle but that is the only thing that this game does better than Twilight Struggle.


I wish someone would sell a Twilight Struggle upgrade kit.



Already thumbed, but a hearty +1 to this as well. I'd gladly pay for a mounted board for this.

 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 2:05 pm
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Chris
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franklincobb wrote:
craniac wrote:
Stradk wrote:
It has better production value than Twilight Struggle but that is the only thing that this game does better than Twilight Struggle.


I wish someone would sell a Twilight Struggle upgrade kit.



Already thumbed, but a hearty +1 to this as well. I'd gladly pay for a mounted board for this.



Agreed. After introducing my friends to Nexus Ops, War of the Ring, and The Queens Gambit, it's almost embarrassing to pull out a board printed on the quality of a cereal box. At least I enjoy the irony that a board that doesn't lay flat is stored in the most sturdy box in my game closet.
 
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13. Board Game: Imperial [Average Rating:7.72 Overall Rank:43]
Matt Thrower
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#35 Rated 7.61 by 46 users
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I'm delighted to see my all-time favourite Eurogame make the list for the first time. If you've not played this, you really ought to check it out - here's why:

http://fortressat.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view...
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Jim Patterson
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Iowa City
Iowa
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A truly outstanding game.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 12:44 am
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Chester Ogborn
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Solid game, but I still wish there were a way to unload your investment in a country. Of course, then it would take much longer to play and would be called 1830.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 2:12 am
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J. Green
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MrSkeletor wrote:
Another shit sandwich makes the list.


With all due respect, you are stupid. Imperial is one of the best, fastest paced world conquest games I've ever played. The fact you can play Illuminatus or World Dominator and even win without owning a country is brilliant. The theme and mechanics mesh brilliantly. Playing this game with six is a joy few games rarely achieve in the same time frame, and I am an avowed Ameritrash fan, owning or having owned most of the greats. Our group loves Imperial just as much as we love Dune, which takes all day to play as opposed to Imperial which takes just about 3 hours usually. So much trash talking and backstabbing and diplomacy, I don't see how you can possibly label this gem a "$#it" sandwich. Unless you somehow enjoy turds on rye, which would explain why Imperial is indistinguishable from other great games for you.gulp

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  • Edited Tue Jan 6, 2009 12:45 pm
  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 12:44 pm
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Tom Hancock
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MrSkeletor wrote:
Another shit sandwich makes the list.


Did you play it in complete silence?

Did the rondel burn your skin when you touched it?

This is a pretty good euro/wargame hybrid... the combat is oversimplified, but thats not really where the game is. The game is in the stock market stuff, backstabbing, stealing countries when they are about to pay out big. Its like Risk combined with stocks you use to bet on the countries. The Rondel is a euro mechanism for sure but it works well in this game as both an action selector and a timing mechanism. The timing mechanism creates great tension.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 2:12 pm
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Tim Seitz
United States
Glen Allen
VA
Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him. 2 Sam 14:14
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hancock.tom wrote:
MrSkeletor wrote:
Another shit sandwich makes the list.


Did you play it in complete silence?

Did the rondel burn your skin when you touched it?

This is a pretty good euro/wargame hybrid... the combat is oversimplified, but thats not really where the game is. The game is in the stock market stuff, backstabbing, stealing countries when they are about to pay out big. Its like Risk combined with stocks you use to bet on the countries. The Rondel is a euro mechanism for sure but it works well in this game as both an action selector and a timing mechanism. The timing mechanism creates great tension.

One of the few games I've had someone swear at me after I made my move.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 4:02 am
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Dominic Crapuchettes
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MrSkeletor wrote:
Another shit sandwich makes the list.


I usually agree with everything MrSkeletor says. Not so this time.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 2:24 pm
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14. Board Game: Galaxy Trucker [Average Rating:7.52 Overall Rank:66]
Matt Thrower
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#34 Rated 7.64 by 40 users
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Absolutely no surprise to see this light, exciting, theme-heavy game make a new entry into the list this year.
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Chester Ogborn
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Fantastic game that kind of defies classification. One of my favorite new games from this past year.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 4:18 pm
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Claus Jensen
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This hits the trashy sweetspot for me... I get to play light, fast and furious.

I can point fingers and laugh like a madman, all the while spouting crappy (and wrong) movie quotes and I can do all of the above AND play the game, while drinking beer, snacking on chips, and shoving the guy next to me, to screw up his construction.

Wonderful, wonderful game which defines fun
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 11:45 am
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Ken Bradford
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Fayetteville
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NetSapiens wrote:
This hits the trashy sweetspot for me... I get to play light, fast and furious.

I can point fingers and laugh like a madman, all the while spouting crappy (and wrong) movie quotes and I can do all of the above AND play the game, while drinking beer, snacking on chips, and shoving the guy next to me, to screw up his construction.

Wonderful, wonderful game which defines fun



That was beautifl, Claus. If I don't find this during my trip to Atlanta this weekend, I'm ordering this ASAP.

 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 2:06 pm
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Rolling bad dice in wargames since 1977
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I've played it twice. It was alright. I'm surprised it's on the list.
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 7:34 am
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Dan Bates
United States
Saratoga
California
thdizzy wrote:
I'll have to add this to my shopping list. It reminds me so much of the old movie Space Truckers, a cinematic tour-de-force.


Isn't Dennis Hopper in that movie? I saw the last 20 minutes of that movie and promised myself I'd tie one on and watch the whole thing someday.

As for Galaxy Trucker I think it's a great game that will start to creep up the ratings a little bit once people pick it up on the cheap or trade for it.
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 10:32 am
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15. Board Game: Race for the Galaxy [Average Rating:7.88 Overall Rank:13]
Matt Thrower
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#33 Rated 7.64 by 66 users
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Highly-rated Euros often manage to make the list and RftG is no exception. The theme, thin or otherwise, has probably helped to boost this a little.
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Anthony Santiago
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yuk
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 2:15 pm
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Tom Hancock
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West Virginia
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I think I'm waiting for them to release the I deck for this
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 8:33 pm
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Chuck Pierce
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I was going to make snide comments about color-blind guys not being able to play this game, it having hardly any theme at all, and it having too many stupid little symbols to try to figure out...

Instead, I'll just think it and keep my goofy opinions to myself... :-)
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 6:22 pm
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wodan wodan


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The main reason its so popular is because it is fast and shiny. Fast and shiny games can get away with quality issues that slower and uglier games would be sunk by.

Also, the second expansion reportedly allows you to do military takeovers of enemy military worlds, and otherwise add more player interaction.
 
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  • Edited Fri Jan 9, 2009 12:33 am
  • Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 12:32 am
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Shannon McNair
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Beaverton
Oregon
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MrSkeletor wrote:
I love San Juan but really couldn't care less about even trying this one.


This pretty much sums it up for me. Actually, I'm usually willing to give something a try, but I really like San Juan and have no interest in trading it away. It keeps coming out to the table with friends who don't play Ameritrash titles.
 
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  • Posted Fri Sep 11, 2009 6:21 pm
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16. Board Game: Memoir '44 [Average Rating:7.56 Overall Rank:61]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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#32 Rated 7.64 by 119 users
Down 2 places

This game continues to hold steady, in contrast to the rapid descent of Battlelore. It'll be interesting to see if the campaign book gives this much of a boost next year.

The Memoir '44: Eastern Front expansion didn't have enough ratings to show up on the list. But if it did, it'd catapult Memoir way up to #12. If you've not tried it, perhaps you should check it out.
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Derek J
Canada
Brampton
Ontario
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One of my very favorites... the one game I've played with 10 different people, and none of them hobby gamers. So fun and accessable, best of the C & C games by my count. And after 2 years I still enjoy the base game scenarios!
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  • Edited Tue Jan 6, 2009 2:29 am
  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 2:28 am
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17. Board Game: Nexus Ops [Average Rating:7.27 Overall Rank:174]
Matt Thrower
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#31 Rated 7.65 by 131 users
Down 11 places

Not a good outing for the oft-considered introductory AT game of choice. Lack of replay value may be hurting this, as might the fact it's now out-of-print and unavailable to a new audience.
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C Lloyd
United States
North Reading
Massachusetts
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MattDP wrote:
as might the fact it's now out-of-print and unavailable to a new audience.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. Too bad, as it's a very nice game. I'm still scratching my head at some of the decisions of Avalon Hill (aka Hasborg), but that's a story for (an)other thread(s)...
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 5:09 pm
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Stephen Sekela
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That's awesome! Please keep us posted - my bro has FA so we could use the pieces, too!
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 10:00 pm
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Mike Ditchburn
Canada
Montreal
Quebec
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Somebody PLEASE give the rights to this game over to Fantasy Flight and have them completely redo the artwork from the ground up and then start releasing expansions!
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 11:44 pm
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Chris Long
United States
State College
Pennsylvania
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Zordren wrote:
Saw a couple copies at Toys 'R Us a couple days ago on clearance for $10...


Would you buy one for me? Pretty please?
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 10:01 pm
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Rolling bad dice in wargames since 1977
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Quote:
Not a good outing for the oft-considered introductory AT game of choice. Lack of replay value may be hurting this, as might the fact it's now out-of-print and unavailable to a new audience.


Maybe the early bad buzz has worn off of this one. But that bad early buzz scared off a lot of potential players and purchasers and so it went OOP.

Think twice before trashing games aimed at AT'ers!
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 7:41 am
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18. Board Game: Runebound (second edition) [Average Rating:7.00 Overall Rank:319]
Matt Thrower
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#30 Rated 7.68 by 78 users
Up 2 places

Although up slighty, Runebound continues to be the whipping-boy of the big fantasy adventure games.
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Tom Hancock
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Charleston
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I have trouble getting into these fantasy adventure types of games because of the lack of interaction. The story potential and RPG-ness of it appeals to me, but its pretty rare to actually interact with the other players.

I've played a couple of the newer ones over the last month: WOW: the adventure game and Tomb. Both were fun but not something I would buy.

Am I missing something?

Do I need to try Descent?
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 2:21 pm
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Wouter Dhondt
Belgium
Anzegem
Brother Leviticus, Deathwatch (former Imperial Fists)
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When I now saw this Coppelius, the frightful and terrific thought took possession of my soul, that indeed no one but he could be the Sandman.
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Quote:
The story potential and RPG-ness of it appeals to me, but its pretty rare to actually interact with the other players.


That's cause it's not an RPG. It's an adventure game.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 3:14 pm
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Andrew Carlstrom
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San Marcos
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The only FFG game I've ever traded away. Didn't like the movement mechanic, combat too colorless. Very different games, but I can't see playing this when Doom and Descent are around.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 7:46 pm
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Josh Look
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Coventry
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Overall, I like the game. It has a huge customizable aspect that I really dig, thought I can easily see why some folks don't care for it. The movement system is clunky, and the first time I played it, my brother said, "We've GOT to be missing something in the combat rules." But we weren't missing anything.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 12:22 am
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Fenômeno
United States
Fitchburg
Wisconsin
Button Soccer
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MrSkeletor wrote:
This game is the little engine that could.
Where is Return of the Heroes now bitches?


A list that doesn't have neither Magic Realm nor Dungeonquest reveals more about the raters then about the Fantasy boardgames included in here.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 3:01 am
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19. Board Game: Power Grid [Average Rating:8.09 Overall Rank:5]
Matt Thrower
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#29 Rated 7.68 by 102 users
Down 10 places

I dislike this game immensely. Can't you lot get your act together, downgrade it and banish it off the list forever?

Okay, it's probably quite thematic. And vaguely interactive. But I still don't like it.
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Anthony Santiago
Canada
Vancouver
BC
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Again, I say add nuclear reactor meltdowns or riot inducing power outages and I'd be all over this!
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 2:13 pm
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Stephan Rasmussen
Denmark
Odense C
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Cleitus the Black wrote:
The only euro I've been interested to try.


EVER?! Your previous comments lose a lot of meaning then.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 8:08 pm
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Andrew Carlstrom
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Stradk wrote:
Cleitus the Black wrote:
The only euro I've been interested to try.


EVER?! Your previous comments lose a lot of meaning then.


While you have every right to discount my opinion, I think you misunderstood me. I have played a handful of euros, but never at my own request. This is one I am interested in trying, but haven't yet played.

Regarding me discounting euros in general having only played a few...

Perhaps I am missing out on some gems, but I have a limited amount of time and money for gaming, and more games than I can possibly play right now. And so far, every euro I've played (even Shogun which is close to a euro/wargame crossover) has left me cold. So I avoid them generally.

Its sort of like chick-flicks. I don't generally like them, so when I get a movie night out with a buddy, I won't go see one. I will, however, watch one when out with my wife, and some of those I might even enjoy. But, given a choice, would I watch Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan? Not likely.

And yet Shakespeare in Love is rated #1 on the 'geek, won the oscar for best picture.

To each their own.
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  • Edited Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:27 pm
  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:18 pm
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Tom Hancock
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Charleston
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malloc wrote:
I downgraded this from a 9 to a 7 earlier and I think I may put it down another notch.

I am sick of the game comming down to that last turn, why were we all playing for the 1st 90 min? to eliminate that one moron who bid too much in round 3.... great!

Now onto the bidding, lets see these all suck but I will take that 5 plant there cheap.. great..... lets see the top deck... oh look the only plant in the deck that you can beat me with..... better luck next time.


There is a problem with the endgame here, a big one.

-M


This is a definite problem. My last game came down to "will the next plant to drop support 7 cities or 6?" It was a 6 and I lost. If it was a 7, I would have won. The alternate plant deck takes care of this somewhat by improving some of the middling plants and changing the endgame. The alternate maps change the flow too.

The game before that, my opponent had in the bag, but another player didn't realize the game would end that turn and stocked up on coal, allowing me to buy all the coal even though I didn't need it and screw the should have been winner out of the game. This is probably more rare than the first scenario, but I dislike any game where you have to remind people not to play kingmaker.

I like the game a lot, but it isn't perfect by any means. Games won by last turn plant random draws are annoying.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:31 pm
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Chuck Pierce
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Huntsville
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Although I usually don't like highly-rated euros, I'm a sucker for train games. After all, train games have theme. :-)

I really, really like Powergrid.
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 6:27 pm
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20. Board Game: StarCraft: The Board Game [Average Rating:7.37 Overall Rank:150]
Matt Thrower
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#28 Rated 7.70 by 64 users
Down 19 places

Deary me, another big drop by what was probably the most celebrated new Ameritrash game of last year. I suspect this might be suffering by being an "in-between" game: it's not quite TI3 and it's not quite Nexus Ops and the other two might be chosen in preference. But not having played this game I can't say for sure.

We'll see if the new StarCraft: The Board Game - Brood War Expansion expansion has any effect on this game in subsequent years.
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I think that the price tag scares some.. but its worth every $. Its more a euro than its pretty ameritrash dressing shows.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 7:16 pm
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Tom Hancock
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It has some euro influences, but is probably less euro than TI3. The action chit mechanic (similar to AGOT) is brilliant, but I found the combat boring and predictable.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 9:51 pm
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Michael Buccheri
United States
Glen Arm
Maryland
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I can't say I play this much.... KingPut likes it but every time I fell as if it is missing something. Not bad, but not the best either.

-M

 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 6:15 pm
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Chris Long
United States
State College
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hancock.tom wrote:
It has some euro influences, but is probably less euro than TI3. The action chit mechanic (similar to AGOT) is brilliant, but I found the combat boring and predictable.


QFT
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 10:02 pm
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Stephen Crouch
United States
Chapin
South Carolina
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Good game, but I blame price, 'busy look', and possibly play time. I think you're right with it not being TI3 and not being Nexus Ops, but somewhere in the middle. And I'm not really sure we need something in the middle. I say this with a hint of affection and the game sitting behind me looking sad. Fun game, but not oft played.
 
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  • Edited Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:27 pm
  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:26 pm
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I think that this game plays much faster than one might expect. If everyone knows the rules, and the game pace is kept up. This one can be banged out in under and 2 hours. The 'timing' mechanics in the game scales well between 2 and 6 players.

I have to disagree with combats being 'predictable'. For me, they are always a gamble. Maybe b/c the people I play with are very aggressive and good hand management is key.

I agree about AGOT (a game that I love), Starcraft has its roots there. Aside from all the chrome, all the game mechanics are very euro like. The new expansion just looks awesome. I love all the new faction 'customization' that it provides + the new units. very impressed with this one.

Quote:
I know I don't speak for everyone who hasn't tried this game, but here's why I didn't get it: I read the rules and realized it wasn't like the game of Starcraft at all. It's just a space game. So with that, it competes with every other space game out there (granted, not many), and the Starcraft name is really only a title, not a theme.


What are you talking about? This game *is* Starcraft! It is really true to the computer game, much more so than most other games. The resource management, technology, building of units and modules and even combat (which is similar to Starcraft in its paper rock scissor nature). This is one of the best (if not the best) and faithful interpretations of a computer game!
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  • Edited Wed Jan 7, 2009 1:52 pm
  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 1:47 pm
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21. Board Game: Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game [Average Rating:7.31 Overall Rank:169]
Matt Thrower
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#27 Rated 7.70 by 73 users
Down 3 places

A slight drop for the first horror game on the list - but it's holding up pretty well over time.
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Stephen Sekela
United States
Camp Lejeune
North Carolina
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Too bad FFP's second offering (A Touch of Evil) wasn't as engaging...

Hopefully their spoof alien invasion of Earth game will be up to LNoE standards!
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 7:14 pm
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Dan
Canada

Alberta
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One of the few games on my shelf that both my friends and my WIFE will play.

Heavy theme, zombies, violent imagery, fun.

She finds A Touch of Evil a little to heavy on the running around with "not enough violence" to keep her interest.
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 1:35 am
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Matt Thrower
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OrangeCat X wrote:
She finds A Touch of Evil a little to heavy on the running around with "not enough violence" to keep her interest.


You must have an interesting sex life.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 9:07 am
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Dan
Canada

Alberta
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MattDP wrote:
OrangeCat X wrote:
She finds A Touch of Evil a little to heavy on the running around with "not enough violence" to keep her interest.


You must have an interesting sex life.
What can I say?

I play the humans because they require planning, massaging of stats and deck-recycling, she takes the zombies...
...and tries her best to murder me!!!
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 8:00 pm
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Micheal Barwegen
Canada
Coaldale
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Zordren wrote:
Too bad FFP's second offering (A Touch of Evil) wasn't as engaging...

Hopefully their spoof alien invasion of Earth game will be up to LNoE standards!


A sci fi alien game from flying frogs?!?!? why did my heart just jump? I am a big fan of Last Night on Earth, and would really like to hear more about this alien invasion game, anyone know anything?
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 2:17 am
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22. Board Game: Pandemic [Average Rating:7.63 Overall Rank:38]
Matt Thrower
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#26 Rated 7.71 by 74 users
New Entry

Just outside the top 25 is this co-operative Euro with a big and appealing theme. I can't help but to wonder if the family-friendly nature of this title isn't helping it quite a bit.
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Chester Ogborn
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Albuquerque
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Pandemic fills a very useful niche. Quick-playing, rules-light, co-op (non-confrontational) game with a strong theme. Very easy to introduce to casual gamers. Everyone who tries to play games with family or friends outside their usual game group ought to have a game like this.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 4:22 pm
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Rolling bad dice in wargames since 1977
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MrSkeletor wrote:
BOOR-ING!


It also suffers from "Director-itis." One guy who knows how to win tells all the other players what to do.

"You wanna win, donchoo???"
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 7:45 am
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Chester Ogborn
United States
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BradyLS wrote:
MrSkeletor wrote:
BOOR-ING!


It also suffers from "Director-itis." One guy who knows how to win tells all the other players what to do.

"You wanna win, donchoo???"

That's a problem with the group (or one player) rather than the game itself. All co-op games (frankly even conventional boardgames) have this problem.

In our group, we play with the Don't Be A Jackass rule.
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 8:53 pm
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Ken Bradford
United States
Fayetteville
Tennessee
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cornjob wrote:
BradyLS wrote:
MrSkeletor wrote:
BOOR-ING!


It also suffers from "Director-itis." One guy who knows how to win tells all the other players what to do.

"You wanna win, donchoo???"

That's a problem with the group (or one player) rather than the game itself. All co-op games (frankly even conventional boardgames) have this problem.

In our group, we play with the Don't Be A Jackass rule.



I thin Battlestar Galactica avoids this syndrome nicely, because you don't know if you can trust the "director" completely.

 
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  • Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 1:00 am
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Chester Ogborn
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Its the difference between a co-op game and a hunt-the-traitor game. There are cooperative elements in the latter, but its not exactly the same genre in my mind.
 
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  • Posted Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:54 pm
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23. Board Game: Friedrich [Average Rating:7.57 Overall Rank:156]
Matt Thrower
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#25 Rated 7.75 by 31 users
New Entry

A deserved top 25 spot for this excellent wargame, and no great surprise to me that it finally made it as this is possibly the most AT-friendly historical game around.
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Tom Hancock
United States
Charleston
West Virginia
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I don't understand why this is "AT-friendly." I liked the game, but I found it abstracted a lot of things and was more of a Caylus-meets-wargame than AT/wargame hybrid. The wacky grid overlaying the map with a card mechanic? Gamey, abstract, and odd, not thematic at all... I liked the game but its clearly a weuro, and not a waro. Definitely not an AT/wargame!
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 2:30 pm
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Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
Bath
Somerset
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I'll continue to sell this as a valid and very good wargame for AT people who are interested in trying a historical game. Why?

* The combat mechanic is extremely tense, in contrast to the ratio calculation and single-dice rolls of more wargames.
* It is not only multi-player but the unusual all-against-Prussia setup encourages a lot of bitching and table talk.
* The cards of fate are a great way to work in some history without it seeming like a chore, and make the endgame a thrilling every-move-matters affair.

It is pretty abstract for a wargame. But for a wargame at this strategic level, I don't find it matters. For me the grid overlay thing is an acceptable way to abstract out a general maneuvering to find the best ground to suit the mix of units and experience levels in the troops he has at his command.
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 11:32 am
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Joel K
United States
St Louis Park
Minnesota
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hancock.tom wrote:
Maybe its the guy on the cover of the game who looks like he just tried to fart but shit himself instead?


The word you are looking for is "shart"....
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 3:03 pm
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Stephan Rasmussen
Denmark
Odense C
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This is a great game.. To play as Prussia is just great fun. I think the game captures brilliantly how Prussia ended up outlasting its opponents by brilliant logistics.. If anyone complains about the cards being abstract well why is rolling a die less abstract to resolve combat?

The only thing keeping this one from getting a 10 for me is that it CAN take a little too long to play.. (that means getting to be perhaps a bit repetitive in the end, but considering how fun I think it is to play throughout this is a minor problem)
 
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 6:59 pm
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Andrew Carlstrom
United States
San Marcos
California
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I think those focused on the suit/card mechanic as abstract are missing the boat on this game. Yes, hand management is important, but this game, like any good wargame, is about maneuver.

Brilliant game.
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 7:53 pm
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24. Board Game: Railroad Tycoon [Average Rating:7.69 Overall Rank:45]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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Somerset
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#24 Rated 7.76 by 70 users
Down 2 places

Another popular pick for the favourite Euro of AT fans continues to hold steady. It's heavier cousin, Age of Steam, just dropped off the list this year.
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bob weaver
Estonia
tallinn
MrSkeletor wrote:
I still have to play my newly aquired copy of this.

(As of right now) How does this statement get 3 thumbs?
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 8:18 am
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Ernesto Cabrera
Mexico
Mexico
D.F.
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MrSkeletor wrote:
mr. assist wrote:
MrSkeletor wrote:
I still have to play my newly aquired copy of this.

(As of right now) How does this statement get 3 thumbs?


I was wondering the same thing.
Guess I'm just awesome.


As one of the "thumbers" I must say: It's because I have the same problem, own this game, I can't play it...
 
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  • Posted Sat Jan 17, 2009 5:22 am
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25. Board Game: Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit [Average Rating:7.51 Overall Rank:196]
Matt Thrower
United Kingdom
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#23 Rated 7.78 by 42 users
New Entry

Now this surprised me: whilst well known as a classic and highly-rated AT game I'm shocked that enough people have managed to actually find a copy and invest the set-up time for this to make the list!
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Chester Ogborn
United States
Albuquerque
New Mexico
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Come on, set-up doesn't take that long. Its like 3 minutes.
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 4:23 pm
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Jeb Adams
United States
Agoura Hills
California
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This game pisses me off. The license is total poison, and it was made by Hasbro, so we're NEVER going to see this one reprinted. Makes me want to troll thrift stores....
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  • Posted Tue Jan 6, 2009 12:56 am
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Josh Look
United States
Coventry
CT
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I feel as though I NEED to try this thing. But it's $300 going rate mocks my very existence.
 
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 12:25 am
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Dan
Canada

Alberta
Yeah... I see what you did there.
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Mine's in baggies, takes about 5 min to set up, and you can ONLY TAKE IT FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!!
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 1:37 am
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Robert Stetler
United States
Unspecified
Unspecified
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franklincobb wrote:
The "small hands" thing might be the key. I don't have massive hands or anything but if I try to speed through Palace setup, it will only end in heartache and palacequakes.


If you can pass on the aesthetics, just ignore the palace posts and put all three palace boards flat on the table. It doesn't take a 3D setup to figure out where the stairway of one board leads to the next board, so why worry about knocking everything down while trying to place droids on the second floor?

Besides, only droids and Jedi bother taking the stairs!
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  • Posted Wed Jan 7, 2009 1:58 am
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30 comments [Hide]
Post Comment
Chester Ogborn
United States
Albuquerque
New Mexico
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Thanks for putting this list together. Very interesting assortment of games. Where the hell is Mutant Chronicles, though? (not talking about the new collectible version)
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  • Posted Mon Jan 5, 2009 4:31 pm
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Pedro Silva
Portugal
Porto
designer
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franklincobb wrote:
Are you just trying to be obtuse?


No.
Are you trying to be polite?

Quote:
You're totally right, this list is almost completely the same as BGG's top 45.


I don't recall saying that, but ok...

Quote:
List... List... List...


I did a little calculation, removing the Unranked game and found that the average difference in rank between this list and the BGG is around 65.
In a universe of over 30000 games I'd hardly consider 65 to be very significant... But maybe I'm just being too precise... or an angle.

Quote:
You mentioned above "don't label me Euro or AT"...classifications are for games, not gamers. I am not "Horror Movie", even though I may dig "Horror Movies."


Badges are for users. Not games. Therefore they classify users, not games.
I never asked not to be labelled. I don't really care what others might label me as.
I said most AT fans would probably classify me as Eurogamer. That is what I said. I also said that that classification would be innacurate and useless because it does not describe my position in relation to any specific game beforehand. Maybe I'm being an angle again, but I don't see how you demonstrate the opposite.

Quote:
But golly gee Unique McGee, I haven't seen anyone come by and tell folks how silly they are for classifying their games in at least...oh...what's today? No, wait, what time is it again?


Good for you.
But as you clearly have some problems in reading what others write instead of what you think they might, maybe you just did not notice that it happens all the time...
But since this is about a classification for users, and not games...



I think I pretty much kept my tone civil and cordial throughout the comments made to this list. I exposed my views on the subjects at hand, explained my thoughts and asked questions of Cornjob and MattDP where I had some doubts or more curiosity. I never insulted anyone, as far as I can tell. But, given your reaction, maybe Cornjob is not so right when he feels that conversations around the AT/Euro/War/Diplo/Weuro/Weudiplo/Whatever have become less about the commentators than the comments and the games...
 
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  • Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 11:13 am
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Pedro Silva
Portugal
Porto
designer
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MrSkeletor wrote:
You know why the feud never dies? Cause there always has to be some jackass who comes in and derails the thread with his holier than though bullshit.


True. I'm surprised it has not happened yet... Are you applying for the position?

Quote:
If you don't like idea of an AT badge then why the fuck are you here for?


Are you referring to me? I wonder where you read that...
Wait! I think I guessed it! You're one of those guys that does not need to read things... you just assume something and it instantly becomes true.

Quote:
Go take you 'damaging the hobby' crap elsewhere because we aren't interested.


I think MattDP might not like you talking like that... a fellow AT badge holder and all that. So far he was the only one who mentioned anything about damaging the hobby, something we will discuss through geekmail.

Now, if you (are you a single person or more?) are not interested in the conversation and are unable to add anything other than trash talk to it, please stay out. Go sit in a corner somewhere or something that does not interfere much.
 
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  • Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 1:34 am
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Zelvis 2012!
United States

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Quote:
I did a little calculation, removing the Unranked game and found that the average difference in rank between this list and the BGG is around 65.
In a universe of over 30000 games I'd hardly consider 65 to be very significant... But maybe I'm just being too precise... or an angle.


But the correlation is only .2035, meaning that the "official BGG" ranking only explains about 4% of the preferences of the AT badge holders.
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  • Posted Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:59 pm
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Steve M
United States
Lubbock
Texas
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Don't fuck with spaceghost about stats.
 
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  • Posted Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:09 pm
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