Last Friday I had my first "at the table" gaming experience with the exception to some games played at home with family. My neighbors, Nikki and Jeff invited me to play a board game set up outdoors. This COVID-19 gaming experience worked well. The Outdoor Gaming Experience
Nikki had recently purchased Roll Player and the expansion Monsters and Minions. The combination results in a fun dice drafting and dice chucking board game. The basic concept in Roll Player is to draft dice and purchase items to create and equip a fantasy roll-playing character. Monsters and Minions adds the element of actually putting your fantasy character to the test in battles against small monsters (Minions) and eventually the big bad Monster. These battles add some action and excitement to the base game which is more focused on dice drafting and placement strategy. Nikki and Jeff set up a temporary table in their driveway for our game. We sat around the table as socially distanced as possible. The heat of the sun caused us to make some minor shifts in seating - Jeff and I ended up wearing face masks as a result of our closer proximity. After we got started, there was really no thought about the circumstance which created our outdoor gaming situation. The weather was pleasant with low humidity adding to the enjoyment. A positive experience overall. When comparing outdoor gaming to online gaming, one major difference is the clean up. Online board games have that advantage of not having to clean up everything after you’re done. Another bonus for online games is the access to numerous games you may not currently own in physical format. You can try things out to see if you might want to purchase. Other than that, you just can’t beat the experience of playing a game together with friends in person! The interaction is great. The tactile experience of placing pieces and rolling dice, etc... When the weather and conditions are nice, outdoor gaming can be a great option. I highly recommend that small groups consider setting up outdoors to play a game. Of course it’s important that the weather cooperates. Nikki, Jeff and I all enjoyed our neighborhood game session. Eventually, the hope is to get the full group back to gaming together indoors. For now we’ll stick with online and outdoor game sessions. For more information on Board Game Geek about Roll Player: Monsters and Minions click here. Game on!
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King's GameNight is now an affiliate for Metallic Dice Games (MDG). Specializing in metal dice sets and expanded to include gemstone, acrylic, plastic etc... MDG is among the highest quality suppliers of dice sets. They offer other great dice-related accessories as well. Dice bags, trays, towers and cases. I have seen and used the dice and trays which I can personally attest to the quality. Whether you want a full set for your RPG gaming or just want a single metal die, you need to check out Metallic Dice Games. I had the opportunity to play Teotihuacan: City of Gods on Tabletopia last week. This is my second time to play. The first was with the physical copy of the game at a local gaming convention. After having played a couple of times, I formed some initial impressions and insights on this heavy euro-style game. Comparison of Versions After having played both a virtual and physical version of Teotihuacan, I will say that the Tabletopia implementation is very well done. It is an accurate depiction of the board and all the components. Because it's virtual, the setup is much easier than with the physical game, however you will still need to give each player their starting resources as it varies depending on who is first player and so on. A downfall of the virtual version, as with many virtual games, is the lack of the tactile experience. The pyramid pieces for instance are made of a nice heavy weight plastic material similar to dominoes. There is some satisfaction that coincides with physically handling the pieces and placing them in a desired orientation on the pyramid. Though you can still place pieces in the virtual world... its really not quite the same. The overall experience and gameplay are much the same regardless of playing the physical or virtual versions. About the Game Teotihuacan is a relatively complex game with worker-placement and resource-management mechanisms at the core. This game has quite a lot of rules. So much so, that I'll concentrate on a few specific highlights of gameplay. I would suggest that you download one of many player reference sheets to use when playing. During the first few gameplay you will undoubtedly be using the references or rules often. In Teotihuacan players move workers (6-sided dice) along the perimeter action boards of the gaming area gathering resources, praying to the gods, improving stats, constructing the pyramid, etc... Each perimeter location has a specific thematic function. Most locations allow the worker to "level-up" after performing its action. Worker levels are indicated by the number of pips on the six-sided die (worker). Once workers advance to level six, they "ascend" giving the player a special action and subsequently resets that worker to the starting location at level one. One of the favorite locations is the Construction Action Board. This is where the player can select tile(s) and place on the pyramid, thus earning victory points for each matching symbol as well as movement up one of the three temple tracks if a colored emblem is matched. The game is played in three phases which each come to an end with an eclipse. A white disc moves a space on a time track each time a worker ascends and at the end of each round moving closer to a black disc placed at the end of the track. Once the two discs overlap, creating an eclipse, it indicates one more full round of play for that phase and then eclipse scoring is done. After the third eclipse phase the game ends and the player with the most points wins! Final Thoughts
This game has a lot to it. Definitely can benefit from a player reference sheet. Though I don't want to give the impression this is too complex of a game. Its really not hard to learn the concepts and the game flows nicely... there are just many different things to do and strategies to employ that create complexity. The worker/dice that level up, is probably one of my favorite aspects. Also, placing tiles on the Aztec temple is a treat. There's certainly a lot to explore here and to improve upon in future plays. I feel comfortable in recommending Teotihuacan. If you want to read more about it out on Board Game Geek click here or check it out on Tabletopia. Keep an eye out for occasional updates, information and comments on the King's GameNight Facebook page. Game on! The COVID-19 Pandemic has disrupted many lives. It has most likely changed what gaming activities are available to each of us. I’ve got a few ideas for some pandemic-friendly options. What Game-Related Things Can I Do Now? I’ve discussed previously about virtual gaming platforms such as Tabletopia and Tabletop Simulator. I have indeed been utilizing these services to substitute for in-person gaming. Virtual platforms are a great option when you just can't gather in person. Others have been quarantined with family members who enjoy board games. In those cases, they may have found that they are gaming more than ever during the increased time at home. Though I have been able to get my family to play a couple games with me, I have found myself looking for other options to help scratch the gaming itch. In the last couple of months, I've increased online and mobile gaming. Revisiting and playing games like Ticket To Ride Smallworld and Splendor. In addition, I’ve downloaded and tried other more typical action and role-playing games on my iPad and phone. My iPad has been at my side almost every day. If I'm not playing games, I'm watching videos, listening to podcasts, and checking out social media. Another activity I’ve found to to help satisfy my board-gaming interests is to read and learn rules and expansions. Reading rules for games I own as well as new ones I'm trying to learn on Tabletopia. I recently broke out the Warlord Box (pictured above) that I received with my second wave of shipping from the Lords of Hellas Kickstarter. I read through the Kronos expansion that for some reason I just never got around to in the past. Now I'm looking forward to when my gaming group can reconvene so that I can teach and play this one vs many variant. It can be enjoyable to discover new games and add to a existing ones by reading rules, expansions and watching how-to-play videos. My favorite resource for such videos is “Watch It Played”. Rodney Smith's how-to-play videos are simply the best. Click here to check out the Watch It Played YouTube page. I’ve also been thinking of picking up miniature painting again. Painting miniatures can be time-consuming, so what better time than now to try to get back into it? Years ago (before I wore glasses), I painted most of the figures from my Talisman (4th Edition) game. I never finished. Now might be the time to give it another go and see If my improved sight helps with enjoyment of this game hobby. It really does enhance your experience and sense of pride when you can place painted miniatures on the table. I've entertained the thought of trying out the solo mode in some of my games. I don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to get excited about it. I like the idea, but when it comes down to playing most board games, I guess I just prefer the experience of playing with/against others. The iPad and the games I play on it seem to fill the solo gaming gap. I'm content to do my solo games electronically while playing board games is an activity better experienced with others. Though, I will say... I find it very helpful to set up a game and its accessories and walkthrough the rules when first teaching myself a game. That is an experience that works well for me and adds to my understanding of the game. Final Thoughts
I'm sure many have found other game-related activities to substitute or enhance their gaming experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic. These were just a few of my suggestions and attempts to make the most of this difficult time. What have you found yourself doing differently since many states and countries have issued stay-at-home orders? As we begin to slowly and carefully venture back out into the world and connect with others, surely many things will go back to "normal". How many new processes, habits and hobbies will we retain from this experience? I know I have changed my perception of online gaming and virtual platforms. I most certainly have grown my appreciation for my gaming groups. I miss meeting with friends and playing games in person. Please leave your feedback and comments. Keep an eye for additional notes and tidbits on the King's GameNight Facebook page, and ... Game on! |
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