New Direction

The current collection... As of a couple weeks ago.

Heyo! You'll notice there's been an extended hiatus on the blog... It was unintentional, but came about due to increased demands on my personal time, and, from there, a shifting of my interests.

I used to be able to write during work, but an increase in responsibilities means I'm mostly swamped and then pretty beat afterwards.

But there's a new area I'd like to explore, and see where it takes me.

Over the past couple years, I've really gotten into hobby board gaming. Games like Dead of Winter, Twilight Imperium, Fury of Dracula, and many more have been added to my collection over time, and I'm always looking for more.

Few games, however, have caught my attention like Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars miniature offerings. I've become a prolific X-Wing collector, have recruited my brother into the fold, and we both attend local and not-so-local tournaments... And we do alright (my brother took 1st and I took 3rd at a recent local-ish event). I'm building up an Armada collection as well, though suspect it will be some time before I find a regular group. I'm also getting ready to launch an Imperial Assault campaign/find some time for the skirmish game.

Coming from all of these, I'm going to re-tool the blog a bit. Eventually, this will bleed into a design change, to make a bit more sense out of things. For now, expect to see X-Wing reports/articles, board game reviews, and maybe a couple of Game Night reports. Who knows.

Assisting me will be another avenue that's surprisingly caught my interest -- Instagram. I'm not popular or anything, but I do enjoy snapping shots of games and other things and throwing them up there. I'll be using these pictures to accompany my new posts... as you may have already noticed!

... Anything but actual blog posts...

I'm writing a young adult novel set in medieval Japan.

I'm working on developing a boarding with a post-apocalyptic setting that utilized mechs.

I'm going to start casting resin pieces to add nice touches to games I already own (first project: Mount Doom for War of the Ring).

And I'd like to re-skin the blog with a Star Wars theme, to fit what feels to be a tremendous Star Wars year.

... More when I've actually accomplished something!

Firefly: The Game Review (Expansions Included!)

Hi all! Finally coming back with the review of Firefly: The Game, now that I've actually gotten to play it with all the current expansions available (promo material not included)!

Base Game

The base game does a lot right. The Firefly theme is felt in every element of the game, and there are a ton of references for fans of the show to enjoy. When you're working jobs and upgrading your ship, it can really feel like you're a ship captain working your way through the 'Verse. Especially when things go wrong -- Reavers, ship malfunctions, running out of fuel, and other unfortunate elements.
Every time you take an extended trip through the big black, you take the risk of random things happening. Sometimes their good... but that's pretty rare.

The Reavers aren't actually much of a threat in this version. There's one ship that may get moved around a couple spaces, but there's really only one card that forces them upon you and, even then, it's easy enough to prepare for. The Alliance Cruiser, being centrally located and opposed to some of the best characters in the game, poses much more of a threat... if you're not keeping things strictly on the up and up. And it's MUCH more lucrative to play on the other side of the law.

Other players... well, they really don't matter. Very minimal interactions, you're just hoping they don't accomplish the goals, which are variable based on the chosen setup card, before you. Even then... that can take PLENTY of time.

My first game was with two other players and we were at it for about six hours. And we really, really enjoyed it.

Breakin' Atmo'

This was just a booster pack of cards for the various decks, It added a couple of interesting items/characters, but didn't in any way impact game mechanics.

Pirates and Bounty Hunters

This was an awesome expansion!
-It added two new, very unique ships. They offer substantially different play styles than the Fireflys, and they play to different styles -- one a super fast ship with little storage place but offering plenty of opportunity for hunting the galaxy's most wanted or maybe even engaging in a bit of piracy. The other is a slow, lumbering cargo hauler that... well, is really damn awesome at hauling cargo.
-It also added bounties -- using the characters that already have Warrants on their cards, now they may randomly become open season for all aspiring bounty hunters. Some huge payoffs, but taking these bounties aren't always safe... especially if they're on another player's ship!
-Piracy added an element of PVP, and some more tension between players. Is he coming by because he needs to get some shopping done at the Space Bazaar, or does he have a mission that allows him to board my ship and steal my goods? ... Better mosey...
-The new items and characters were also solid additions.

For the new ships alone, this expansion was awesome -- now six players can traverse the 'verse at once... though this WILL create MUCH longer games. Strongly recommend ONLY playing this many with an experienced group. The PVP was a nice touch, too!

The slow cargo hauler.

Blue Sun

This expansions expands the board, adds a new shopping destination and two new contacts, AND makes the Reavers (which are now three in total!) MUCH more of a threat. Seriously, I got munched on twice, and didn't have time to collect the Mechanic/Pilot combo needed to get out of the way :/

No real new mechanics, other than those that relate to the Reavers, but the additional space, items, locations, and faces were very welcome. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they add next, considering they've already used a lot of fairly minor elements from the show and movie...

The new board and the Reaver threat!

On another note, the base box kind of sucks. Its beautiful, but it just doesn't keep things organized or have enough room for the expansions. I actually decided to do some crafting for the first time ever, and made a custom box insert. It... well, it's rough, and I miscalculated all of my measurements by a half centimeter, but it is currently functional, fits everything from all the expansions, and makes setup/clean up MUCH faster. Seeing a show version 1.1 is a little rough (1.0 already had to have a couple modifications), I'll be waiting for version 2.0 before I do a write about about customizing the box... but this has been a project I enjoyed doing and would really like to look into for my other games... and it may make for an interesting series of posts. More on this later!

P.S. If you're on Instagram, you can always follow my progress there! You'll also see images from our game sessions, pictures of the work I've been doing on the Nerd-Cave, and maybe some pictures of a really cute baby. Who knows.

Game Time: Bravely Default, Mount and Blade: Warband, and more...

Howdy folks! It's your favorite sleepless nerd!

Unless your fans of Wil Wheaton, I hear he doesn't sleep much. And he's much better at the whole nerd thing.

But anyways! In between raising a baby, I've managed to sneak in a little bit of time playing some titles that are either new-ish or new to me, and I wanted to give a quick report. Later on I might try for a longer piece on Guardians of the Galaxy (or maybe not, that's kind of old news now), and I've also been reading a slew of comics that I haven't posted about yet.

Bravely Default

The Party

I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a huge fan of RPGs. I especially love turn-based ones, possibly because I like to take my time doing just about anything. Bravely Default's titular feature is the Brave/Default system, which is a relatively interesting twist on the turn based mechanic. Every action costs a certain amount of Brave Points. By using "Default," characters defend on their turn and earn an extra BP, which can be done up to three times (I'm uncertain if this ever changes, I'm not super far). Using the "Brave" option, you can spend extra BP on a single turn to take more or bigger actions. The interesting component here is that you can spend BP you don't have, allowing your character to go to -4 BP. The trick is that you only regenerate 1 BP per turn, and that character is useless until their back to 0. Enemies are also able to use the same system.

This makes random encounters generally pretty easy -- spam Brave on every character, they get four attacks in a row and can generally wipe anything out in one turn. For bosses, however, it becomes a gambit -- when you're low on health and not sure if you should try an all out attack and hopefully kill the big bad, or play it safe so you can defend and heal and keep whittling away... I believe there are more combos as you get later in the game, but up to chapter three, it has stayed fairly mundane.

Character classes are run on a job system, similar to a Final Fantasy Tactics -- any of your four characters can learn a different class on a whim, as long as you've unlocked it. There seems to be a decent amount of jobs, which is good. There are a couple of points where Bravely Default has twisted this system as well. Each character can use skills from their current job and the skills from one other job they've learned. And they can use support abilities from any jobs that they've learned them in. This helps to create diverse characters and promotes switching jobs often. There is a feature, called "Abilink," that allows you to pair up your character with one of your 3DS friends accounts, which gives them access to any skills that player has learned in the chosen job. At first I thought this was pretty interesting, but it almost makes developing classes pointless if you've got friends (as I do) that have all abilities unlocked for all jobs...

Speaking of friends helping you in game, you're also able to "summon" them if they've uploaded an attack to the internet. To upload an attack, you choose the "Send" option and then make an attack -- it's stored on your profile until you record another one, and players can use it as a one-off until they record another (and you download it again). This is another thing that can trivialize the game -- I tested it on an early boss and defeated them in the single attack...

Orcs must die, amirite?

The game has gone a long way to be more accessible to new players and to promote connecting to others. And these features are completely optional. So I don't have any reason to complain, but I do wish there was a different method of player interaction that didn't feel game-breaking. But I appreciate what they've done with it.

As far as I am, the story has been typical JRPG fare, with four magical crystals you must save/restore and everything. The player cast, which you meet all four very early, are actually pretty interesting. And cutscenes are voiced... though I can't stand several of the characters' voices. I believe the story changes things up midway through the game, but I can't speak to that just yet. The art style is basic and a bit spartan in places (character models and faces, there are no anime-quality scenes, and you don't actually enter shops, just open the front door...), but it works and doesn't detract in any way from the overall game.

I'm definitely enjoying the game and very happy to see someone attempting to revitalize turn-based combat, instead of settling for the same old story. If I'm blown away by the story, I'll come back and post an update, but for now I'm confidant in giving this an 8/10 as is.



Well... That went on longer than I thought! I'll only just mention my other games, because I honestly haven't been playing them as much.

Mount and Blade: Warband

I've never played an M&B title, but I'm glad I picked this up during the Steam Summer Sale. You control a character in a medieval-style world. There's no plot, there's no real story, you're just in this world to do what you will. Generally, the idea is to recruit soldiers to help you fight battles. You can fight for yourself, you can hire yourself out to one of the several warring kingdoms, you can become a vassal to one of these Kings, or you can try and take over a piece of the world for yourself. You could also go for a low-combat route and become a merchant, taking supplies from one side of the continent to the other. But that's not why I play medieval style games...

Travel is done on a top-down world map, where you can travel from towns to villages to castles, passing other armies, groups, or even bandits. You can be a bandit yourself and attack villages, you can be the hero and crush bandits and uncover their secret bases, or you can be a soldier and fight in the many wars that will start up over time. Your character levels up and you can choose how to grow your stats and abilities. There are hero companions that do the same, and there are basic soldiers that "evolve" as they gain more experience, going from peasant to mounted knight (or other, there are many diverse units).

It's about to get real...

Combat can be first or third person, where your army meets another's on the battlefield. This portion of the game kind of reminds me of Chivalry, while the rest of the game is a bit more like a Crusader Kings or Total War title. It's fairly visceral, though standard gameplay definitely benefits from mods that allow for more strategic formations. You can also enter tournaments and the like for some different styled combat, which is a good way to earn money... Of which you'll need a lot.

I'm not super far in the game, but if any of the above in a truly open world setting appeal to you, I strongly suggest this game. Also, it has many wonderful mods (I myself am playing the Floris mod, which is a compilation of other, smaller mods), including one that turns it into a Game of Thrones setting...

Coop Deckbuilding!

My other gaming news brings me to the land of Legendary, Marvel's deckbuilding game. It just came in yesterday, so I haven't played with it too much, but the mechanics are fairly basic and the setting seems a bit more fleshed out than the DC version (that I've only played once). I'll have more on this when I actually get a group together to test it out.

Alright, that's all folks. Go away. Oh, and keep it nerdy.

Board Game Night: Ticket to Ride

Last night was the second night at my attempt of a regular board game night. Previously, we played RISK: Legacy and a couple quick games. Last night the feature was Ticket to Ride: Europe Edition.

The final board.

You may remember that this game was recently featured on TableTop, considering I wrote about it. Well, one of our regular players, whom I'll call "The Roommate," happened to own a copy. Since The Wife was joining us, along with "The Mick" (seriously, that's not being racist), I thought it would be a perfect game to try out.

It went very, very well. I didn't quite think I would enjoy it as much as I did, but there were more avenues for strategy than I had initially realized, and the rules were very simple to follow. Turns could go fast or slow, depending on how prepared the players were or how screwed they got when someone stole the route they were planning on taking. There were two moments where I got blocked and either had to take a long way around or use a train station.

For being a lengthy game with a decent amount of pieces, it was incredibly easy and fun. It reminded me of simpler games such as Monopoly, yet actually had options and strategy. I strongly recommend it for any gaming group, just starting or veterans.

The final scoring process was also a lot of fun, if a bit heartbreaking. I'd managed to complete my four routes (no one took extras) and only used one train station -- I was in first place. Then we counted the longest route... and I was short by two cars! The Wife got the bonus ten points and won the game at the literal last second with a score of 109 to my 107. Damn.

The victor (playing red trains).

Final Stats

Difficulty: Easy to Intermediate
Fun Factor: High
Replayability: High, especially considering the different versions.
Winner: The Wife
Rating: 9/10

After that, the guys and I played a couple games of Cthulhu Fluxx. The Fluxx games are fairly simple, but I especially appreciated the attention to Lovecraft Lore the cards and card synergy reflected. Fun for any group due to self-explained rules and especially fun for fans of the Cthulhu Mythos.

House Rules for Younger Players
-Play without Destination Tickets the first few times and simply focus on scoring points by taking routes and getting the "Longest Train" bonus. This keeps the game simple and allows players to get used to basic strategies (like cutting off an opponent to try and stop their "Longest Train" bonus). After a few games of this, introducing Destination Tickets should be a smooth process. For any bonus rules that come with different versions, they are generally well explained, but feel free to introduce them when they make sense for particular play group.

Day 30ish: A Good Board Game for Beginners

I'm not sure if I've really don't a post for this, so I may have some other suggestions in the future, but for now I wanted to talk about Forbidden Island. It is the only game that I own that was also featured on TableTop, so I figured I'd link to the video and give a brief description why it's good for beginners.


The object of this game is to get four idols with the assistance of up to four other players, before the island floods. Players take on one of four unique character roles when doing this, be they the Pilot who has an easy time moving around the board, or the Engineer who can help keep things from sinking. There are item cards that assist players, idol cards that allow you to actually get the idols, and flooding cards that, well, flood things.

It can get pretty hairy from the get go, but the actual rules are very, very simple. One of the beautiful things about the game, beyond the pleasing-to-look-at art, is that the "board" is actually a series of randomly placed tiles, promising a unique game every time you play.

For getting a new gamer involved, cooperative games are nice because one person doesn't lose and feel inadequate. Everyone wins or loses together and the only important thing is that they had a good time doing it.

Anyone have any exciting Forbidden Island stories? I've only played it a few times myself, but it is a very easy setup game. Also, it's Wife approved!

Day 24ish: International TableTop Day is coming!

April 5th! Can't wait!

Since I'm coming in VERY late with posts, here's a quick reminder to folks that second annual (though I think it needs to hit three to actually be considered annual) International TableTop Day is April 5th.

Check out the website for more info (the fact that a site for this http://www.tabletopday.com/.
exists makes me all tingly inside):

When the big day comes around, I plan on either playing Eldritch Horror or possibly picking up a new title just for the day. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm happy to take them.

Games on my current want/research further list:

I love Star Wars. I love Risk. I LOVE this.

A Touch of Evil (Looks interesting)
Axis and Allies (Classic, but never played it...)
Risk: 2210AD (Heard many good things, but went with Godstorm instead when I had the chance)
Risk: Star Wars (Original trilogy and it looks pretty damn good)
Catacombs (An active component to a board game? The Wife might actually beat me!)
Descent (This seems like a game I'd really enjoy, not sure about how many I'd need to sit with)
There are plenty more... Every time I see a board game display, I'm always seeing something new that looks extremely interesting.

Day 23: More TableTop

This episode of Tabletop features an alternate version of a game played last season, Ticket to Ride. The Europe edition had a few more rules, but was more or less the same game. This one was interesting for how close it came.

As Wil says at the beginning of the episode, this is a very strong game to get folks interested in board gaming. The rules are easy, the level of active competitiveness is generally low, yet the potential for multiple strategies is very high.

Take a look and remind me to thank Mr. Wheaton for carrying the Month of The Nerd...

Day 10ish: RISK Tips

It is entirely possible that I got home last night and then promptly fell asleep for 12 hours. Kind of hoping I get Spider-Powers out of it, but more likely just a headache.

For now, I'm writing up Day 10's post, Day 11 will come tonight!

This post is going to be the first in a new, irregular series where I post different tips for board games I've played. These will be things I use, I do not know if they have other names or if there are even better tips -- I'm not doing research here, these are from my own experiences.

Most of the times, these tips will focus on gameplay, such as today. Down the line, a may add storage tips as well, seeing as how some of these games have an excessive amount of cards/tokens/whatever, and no established way to organize them (I'm looking at you, Eldritch Horror). I WON'T be explaining the rules during these posts unless I find a rule that is often confused. I may do a different series down the line focusing on how to play, but we'll see.

For now, let's talk about my favorite board game, RISK!

The most important thing to know about RISK is what version you are playing. To list the few that I have and their major differences:

RISK Classic: This is an older edition of RISK. The only difference here is that there are six playable factions. All later versions (that I own) allow five or four maximum players.

Units/Figures: Infantry Men (1 Army), Cavalry (3 Armies), Cannons (5 Armies).
Map: Earth

RISK Updated: The rules are almost exactly the same. There are only five playable factions, and the only actual change I remember off the top of my head is how recruitment is handled -- the values for getting troops after turning in cards has been reduced. "Mission" cards have been added to change the game's focus from "Global Domination" to whatever your card says, and capitols tokens have been added to add to this or add a simple game type I'll call "Capitol Domination," where you only need to own ever capitol as opposed to every territory.

Units/Figures: Small Arrows (1 Army), Big Arrows (3 Armies). BORING.
Map: Earth

RISK: Star Wars (Clone War Version): This has many rule differences, only has two factions that can be played by up to four players, and introduces a "rule 66" gimmick that almost sets a timer on the game. I've only played it once and did not enjoy it, though I'll eventually hunt down an original trilogy version of RISK because I've read that it's much different.

Units/Figures: I forget and don't feel like looking. I know their are at least Clone Troopers and Droids to separate factions, but after that I don't know.
Map: Again, can't quite remember but it was very boring and half the reason the game didn't interest me.

Europa! A very interesting map to play on.

RISK Godstorm: I LOVE this version of RISK. It is an evolution of a version I don't own yet (2210 A.D.) and adds Gods that act like generals, spells that can completely warp the game, and an almost mini-game addition where your defeated troops keep fighting in the Underworld. The map is also interesting, especially since an entire continent, Atlantis, can sink if the correct spell is cast.

Units/Figures: Warriors (1 Army), Elephants (3 Armies) and Greek Gods, which aren't armies but do impact gameplay and can move around the board with your troops.
Map: Europa, with Atlantis and Underworld additions.

RISK Legacy: This is my favorite version of RISK because it has a very unique series of changes that happen the first 15 or so times you play the game -- the board and rules become permanently altered as stickers (Scars that hurt or improve spaces or cities that make a territory more appealing) are added to the board and special sections of the rule book as certain conditions are met (such as the first time a faction is eliminated from the board, you are allowed to open a sealed packet that adds new cards and rules). Also the factions are different and continue to change from game to game, which is a wonderful addition. The first 15 games also have a very specific way to win, based on accruing "Stars," not necessarily by killing off your enemies. After the first 15 games, all the rules should be applied and then you can play however you want.

I've only managed to open two out of seven total compartments...

Units/Figures: Soldiers (1 Army, different appearance by faction), Advanced Units (3 Armies, different appearance by faction.
Map: Earth, but with potentially dramatic changes on any given space or continent (I just named Australia Barsoom and forever get a bonus when I control it...).

----------------------

... Now for the actual tips. For now, I'm focusing on classic/updated version, because other versions have so many different rules. I will either add to this post or do separate posts for each down the line.

1. The best continent to control is any you feel you are able to defend its borders. Asia is impossible for any early game due to having so many different access points, Australia is the best with only one, but you run the risk of being boxed in if an enemy blocks Siam (Souther Asia) with enough troops. Also, depending on how you're playing, it may be too far removed from the action. I tend to start there anyway, making sure my first goal is to secure Siam and then SLOWLY advance towards Africa from there (taking over Asia isn't viable until late game, if ever).

When two people start on Australia...

2. You MUST control a continent early OR make sure no one else does. Even an additional 2 troops from Australia or South America will go a long way in the early game.

3. Do NOT allow an enemy to gain control of America, Europe, or Asia for more than a turn. Do this for as long as possible, knowing that you only have to take a single territory away from them before their turn comes back again. If they ever DO get the bonus, they will become almost impossible to penetrate again (Even America only has three points entry spots, which can be quickly reinforced with an additional 5 soldiers).

All you need is one guy to disrupt a continent bonus.

4. Don't be afraid to try and play players off of each other. Alliances and such are acceptable meta-game, but so is suggesting that a particular enemy owning North America for an entire turn is unhealthy for everyone is a reasonable statement. The NA player may not appreciate it, but it could potentially save you from having to attempt a cross-global assualt.

5. On the subject of making alliances, only make them with a player you trust and I STRONGLY suggest you set an end criteria. Whether this is after a certain enemy is defeated or a certain number of turns, it will be good to have any restrictions removed when you actually need to go through "allied" territory to win the game. Don't be afraid to throw your weight around if you have any -- very often I've offered the terms "I'll allow you to come in second place" when I want en enemy out of the way but don't necessarily want have a difficult fight for it. They can move the bulk of their army to a single, out of the way place, and you can steamroll their single army leftovers that are the only thing in your way.

6. No matter what, make sure you are able to take at least one territory each turn. This will get you a card at the end of the turn. If there is no actual point in expanding further, consider stopping there until you're ready for a big assault, but have a few options to take for the next turn. Overcoming every single-army space just because their easy will actually thin you out and potentially make you easy for the picking, and you may have gained nothing at all from the trade off.

Godstorm Territory cards.

7. Horde your cards until the latest you can. Some versions need cards to be played before the number of troops you get grows larger. In that case, play them when you can. Other versions allow to you get a set amount of troops based on the type/number of cards you have. Saving these cards can allow you to launch a massive surprise attack later in the game. Turns like that can usually end the game, if done correctly.

8. When defending a continent, there is little point keeping more than a single army on territories NOT threatened by an enemy territory. Instead, mass your armies at the borders that you share with enemies. If they break through there, you've lost the continent bonus anyway. If they get greedy and attack all your single-army spaces, they run the risk of spreading themselves too thin as well as losing extra troops because the defensive die gives you the most benefit with winning a tie (every time you roll a six, the enemy loses a troop, minimum).

Purple is a bit overzealous on defense, and costing himself useful armies.

9. When taking over a continent, I suggest trying to do it in no more than 2 turns. Use the first turn, if needed, to take a single space from the continent, removing their bonus for the next turn. On your next turn, their defense should be weaker and you can mount your full assault.

10. When taking over many spaces at once, plan your route carefully. You don't want to box yourself in by moving all your soldiers onto a conquered territory that only borders other territories you control -- no matter how massive the force, it is now stuck on that space until the reinforcement face, giving your enemies time to rebuild. Play it as if you are playing the old computer game, Snake. If you get trapped by your own body, you've wasted time and lost your momentum. You can take over the entire map in a single turn, if you are careful (I have done this many times).

Those are the first ten tips I'll offer. If I think of more for classic/updated versions, I'll add them here. When I eventually do the other versions, I'll also link them here, using the above list.

Day 1: Board Games!

Happy new year! Almost missed today's first post... you know, the beginning of "The Month of The Nerd" I mentioned last time!

To start, I just wanted to write a bit about what has been catching my interest more and more lately: board games! I've always enjoyed them in various forms, but titles such as Monopoly and Sorry! aren't exactly what I'm talking about. Classic, mainstream board games are fun and almost anyone can play them and have a good time.

Well, I suppose you CAN spice it up...

Unfortunately, my preferences have always been a bit more difficult to get into and therefore make it difficult for me to find anyone to play with. Starting with Chess, a very common strategy game, there are many people who don't have any clue how to play and much less drive to learn. Bump it up to something like Stratego, and the real strategy is to just find someone willing to try it out!

My favorite games are competitive strategy games that have many techniques available and long enough to actually see progression. Risk would be the entry level board game here and I was fortunate enough to find a group of friends in college to play with. In fact, we played almost every single night. I've got multiple versions: "Updated" Risk, Godstorm, Star Wars (the prequel one, unfortunately), Halo, and, my favorite, Legacy. I'll eventually collect more, but my main quest with Risk at the moment is to find a steady group to finally play through multiple Legacy games -- the board actually has permanent changes and additions that add up to a unique version after 10-15 times played. I still don't know what all the changes will be because I'm trying to find a group that can enjoy all the transformations and not just random players who may never touch it again.

So much potential!

Thanks to Wil Wheaton's TableTop show on the Geek and Sundry YouTube Channel, I've been seeing a whole range of games that I'd never consider -- mostly due to having no one to play with, but also because they're generally expensive and I'm always loathe to try something new with no guarantee of enjoyment.

Very excited to add Cthulhu to my board gaming!

Since watching every single episode of TableTop (which comes out something like every other week), I've picked up Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures, Forbidden Island, and Eldritch Horror (not featured on the show, but a similar title was). The last two are even cooperative titles, which usually doesn't interest me. The Wife and I enjoyed Forbidden Island and I'm still trying to get her to play a full game of Eldritch Horror -- the first attempt was a bit of a bust because I didn't know how lengthy the setup could be.

X-Wing Miniatures is enjoyable and scratches my collectible itch, which isn't always easy to do.

For those who struggle to find players in their own board game quest, I suggest you reach out to your local hobby shop. I have two relatively close to me that host regular game nights -- usually card games such as Magic: The Gathering, but if the shop sees an interest elsewhere, they're generally willing to branch out. I hope to stop in on one such night at TJ Collectibles in Milford, MA soon and see what board games they actually play and how open they are to suggestions. I'll do a further post on that when it comes to pass.

Anyone else have any board games they love but maybe aren't that well known? There are a lot of grand strategy titles I'd love to look into, but that will be a ways off until I can produce enough offspring to field a game of something like Twilight Imperium...

I have no idea what any of this does (Twilight Imperium)...

Enough rambling for now! No clue what's coming tomorrow, but it will definitely be something. Yeah, something.