Category: Blog Page 1 of 4

Social Distance Gaming

On April 19, 2020

If you are anything like me, you miss playing games with people face to face. Board games are my way of disconnecting from the work screen, the tv screen and mobile device. And while I miss my gaming group, I am very thankful for all the ways that technology can keep us connected and playing games.

I thought I would take the time to publish all of the different ways that I am available to play online.

Board Game Arena

You can find me on BGA. My username is rburkej.

Yucata

I am also on Yucata.de as rburkej as well. So far I have only played:

Vassal (Engine)

For the historical conflict simulations (and a handful of others) I prefer Vassal. On Vassal I would love to play:

iOS

Race for the Galaxy (and on Steam!)
Through the Ages

I am also up for learning games too, if someone knows a game and wants to teach. Let’s play some games! Feel free to comment here, or send me a message on Mastodon.

You’re Invited to Dine with Darkness.

By Robert

On September 8, 2019

In Curse of Strahd

The nights are growing longer and winter’s icy breath encroaches on your mantle. Welcome to the season of All Hallow’s Eve, or in the old world, Samhain. Samhain was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could more easily be crossed. The dead, not so dead, and undead await you!

Lindsay and I have been discussing playing Dungeons and Dragons again. Fall and Winter are our favorite time of year and with Halloween right around the corner, we have decided to play through The Curse of Strahd.

Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner—and you are invited.
The Curse of Strahd

We would like to get 4-6 players signed up for a bi-weekly game night for the next 2-3 months. Previous experience playing D&D isn’t required, we can teach you how to play, we also have all the necessary game materials. I will likely use DnDBeyond to keep the campaign notes. The game style will be less crunchy and more story driven, as I personally prefer the narrative above the game mechanisms. Here are some primers for the uninitiated:

Please drop a comment here, an email or text if you are interesting in joining in. We hope to play either Thursday or Saturday nights, more details to come!

Wingspan | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

By Robert

On January 6, 2019

In Blog

Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game from Stonemaier Games.You are bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your aviary. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats (actions). These habitats focus on several key aspects of growth: Gain food tokens via custom dice in a birdfeeder dice tower Lay eggs using egg miniatures in a variety of colors Draw from hundreds of unique bird cards and play themThe winner is the player with the most points after 4 rounds.If you enjoy Terraforming Mars and Gizmos, we think this game will take flight at your table.—description from the publisher

Source: Wingspan | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

2nd Generation D&D Players

By Robert

On October 27, 2017

In Blog, Photos

After searching in the ancient desk, you find a blank piece of paper. After giving it a good look, you can’t see any visible marks on it. While lost in trying to figure out its meaning, you become aware of someone or something breathing behind you. What do you do?”

I started playing Dungeons and Dragons when I was younger than ten years old, in a small space the floor between the bed and wall with my brother, five years my senior, when we were supposed to be sleeping. I clearly remember the funny looking dice, coloring in their numbers with the included crayon, tracing the numbers like one would go over a line, thinking to myself, this is dumb. I pretty sure I was an adult when I learned how it was supposed to be done.

Underneath the night’s veil, my brother Scott would tell me stories of combat and fierce creatures, and we would roll funny dice, their results helping dictate how well my character performed or if the enemy heard my hopefully silent foot steps as my character tried to sneak past them.

Unfortunately, I did take most of two decades off from the hobby. From my late teens to my late 30s, I didn’t play much. I tried my best to be a good adult, the best father and husband I could be. The hobby fell away as my friends also tried their hands at adulthood. Fast forward many years, and I find myself sitting in front of my son and a few of his friends with the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook, and I am immediately reminded of the joy of unbridled, youthful imagination.

Max draws his character’s avatar.

There is any number of things that a father can do with their children, and it would be a success. However, D&D is special. It allows for a myriad of things to converge in one time and place. Imagination, teamwork, social experiences, math, history, problem solving, morality and storytelling all come together in a simple, but amazing time and experience.

Playing the game with my son and his friends, reminds me how amazing they are. And to me, that makes D&D amazing.

My Thoughts on Terraforming Mars

By Robert

On June 18, 2017

In Blog, Game Night!, Photos

Setting up and teaching the game.

I have played the game three times now. It is a weird, but great game. The first time I played it, I wanted to play it again immediately. I was left knowing that while I didn’t score well, knowing the game would return a deeper strategic experience. The second time it got to the table, I was eager to play knowing how the game works. However, that game left me slightly perplexed; it seemed to deny me the cards that I knew I wanted which ended up frustrating me. However, I tend to dislike card drafting in games, so I don’t fault the game for that. The third game was down right fun. The game design is elegant and quick despite having so many options for play. I knew my wife would love it. She learned it so much quicker than I did; and no surprise there, she just “gets” games and patterns. I don’t expect to beat her much in the future.

The game engines are starting to kick in.

Additional Thoughts on the Components

If you read the forums on BGG, which you should, you will see that the components vs the price tag is an issue for some. I will go on record and say that for a $70 game, in general, the components should be a work of art. However, they are not. The overall design is inconsistent, at best, and downright ugly in some cases. Ooooooh, metallic cubes you say? Look at the corners:

Photo uploaded to boardgamegeek.com by Stephen Buonocore.

The corners have the metallic “paint” chipped off. The first time I played this game I thought this was due to standard game play. However, when I purchased my copy, it was the first thing I checked. There they were. Chipped. I have later learned it is from the cubes being on a the sprue and when they are knocked off, behold, no paint. Remember, this is a $70 game. 🤔

And yet, sometimes the game looks great.

Terraforming Mars City and Greenery Tiles. Photo by Henk Rolleman.

Some of the photos on the cards are illustrations and some are photos, seemingly stock photos. I wish I kept the link so I could properly source it, but someone on boardgamegeek.com said the game reminded them of their high school science textbook. Sums up the design and might lead to some of its quirky charm.

Final Thoughts

Here is the deal, the game is great. Price and components aside, the game is just down right fun. It has all the complexities of Through the Ages, but somehow manages to be “easier” and more fun. Perhaps streamlined? Not sure. In the end, the weird art design choices leave this game with a lot of charm. If that was intentional, the designers are brilliant.

	Designer	Jacob Fryxelius
	Artist	Isaac Fryxelius
	Publisher	FryxGames, Arclight, Fantasmagoria, Ghenos Games, Intrafin Games, Kilogames, Korea Boardgames co., Ltd., Lautapelit.fi, Lavka Games, Lex Games, Maldito Games, Meeple BR Jogos, MINDOK, MYBG Co., Ltd., NeoTroy Games, Rebel Sp. z o.o., Reflexshop, Schwerkraft-Verlag, Siam Board Games, Stronghold Games
	Year Published	2016
	# of Players	1 - 5
	User Suggested # of Players	Best with 5+ players Recommended with 1, 2, 3, 4 players (1443 voters)
	Playing Time	120
	Mfg Suggested Ages	12 and up
	User Suggested Ages	12 and up (225 voters)
	Language Dependence	Moderate in-game text - needs crib sheet or paste ups (74 voters)
	Category	Economic, Environmental, Industry / Manufacturing, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Territory Building
	Mechanic	Card Drafting, End Game Bonuses, Hand Management, Hexagon Grid, Income, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game, Take That, Tile Placement, Turn Order: Progressive, Variable Player Powers
	Expansion	French Championship Promo Cards (fan expansion for Terraforming Mars), Terraformacja Marsa: Zestaw dodatkowy #2, Terraforming Mars: Atmo Collectors Promo Card, Terraforming Mars: BGG User-Created Corporation Pack, Terraforming Mars: Big Box, Terraforming Mars: Big Box Promo Pack, Terraforming Mars: Colonies, Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium, Terraforming Mars: Jovian Lanterns Promo Card, Terraforming Mars: Lunar Exports Promo Card, Terraforming Mars: Penguins Promo Card, Terraforming Mars: Prelude, Terraforming Mars: Self Replicating Robots Promo Card, Terraforming Mars: Small Asteroid Promo Card, Terraforming Mars: Snow Algae Promo Card, Terraforming Mars: Turmoil, Terraforming Mars: Turmoil Promos, Terraforming Mars: Venus Next
	Family	Game: Terraforming Mars, Mechanic: Tableau Building, Players: Games with Solitaire Rules, Series: Future Timeline (Fryxgames), Space: Earth's Solar System, Space: Mars
	Primary Name	Terraforming Mars
	Alternate Names	A Mars terraformálása, Mars: Teraformace, Teraformarea Planetei Marte, Terraformacja Marsa, Покорение Марса, Тераформирай Марс, Тераформування Марса, พลิกพิภพดาวอังคาร, テラフォーミング・マーズ, 殖民火星, 테라포밍 마스

More info on BGG.

Horus Heresy

By Robert

On June 3, 2017

In Blog

My friend Mark brought over Horus Heresy. Innovative design and loads of fun. Setup takes a bit of time, but a strong game and smart design.

	Designer	John Goodenough, Jeff Tidball
	Artist	Tim Arney-O'Neil, Daarken
	Publisher	Fantasy Flight Games, Edge Entertainment, Heidelberger Spieleverlag, Stratelibri
	Year Published	2010
	# of Players	2 - 2
	User Suggested # of Players	Best with 2+ players Recommended with 2 players (34 voters)
	Playing Time	135
	Mfg Suggested Ages	13 and up
	User Suggested Ages	14 and up (16 voters)
	Language Dependence	Extensive use of text - massive conversion needed to be playable (17 voters)
	Category	Miniatures, Science Fiction
	Mechanic	Area Movement, Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Hand Management, Time Track, Variable Player Powers
	Family	Players: Two Player Only Games, Series: Fantasy Flight Big Box, Setting: Warhammer 40,000 Board Games, Setting: Warhammer 40,000 Wargames
	Primary Name	Horus Heresy
	Alternate Names	La Herejía de Horus, Horus Heresy: Der Grosse Bruderkrieg, L'Hérésie d'Horus

More info on BGG.

D&D Inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame

By Robert

On November 15, 2016

In Blog

We are extremely proud D&D has been recognized by the Strong Museum, and we owe what the game is today to you, our fans. As stewards of D&D, we will continue to make great entertainment to inspire your creativity.Nathan Stewart, Senior Director of D&D at Wizards of the Coast, was on hand in Rochester, NY to witness the induction ceremony and speak on behalf of Dungeons & Dragons. D&D means so much to so many people, but it is especially important to young people as they learn and grow.

Source: Toy Hall of Fame | Dungeons & Dragons

ASL Special Weapons

By Robert

On October 10, 2016

In Blog, Orlando War Gamers, Photos

Stacks of special weapons.

There is something to be said about the ritual of clipping counters for war games. To me, it is almost worth the price of the game. It allows you to get familiar with the game components as well. Serves an in game purpose as well; makes it easier to push counters around the map without moving other chits.

I think this is an exceptional photo taken by Jonathan Jacques-Belletête. Just had to share it. Check out his instagram feed. Loads of great historical board wargames.

Paths of Glory

By Robert

On August 14, 2016

In Orlando War Gamers, Photos

Yesterday I had an opportunity to GMT Games’ Paths of Glory. I purchased it a while back, and aside from tooling around with a solo variant and getting a little used to the rules, I hadn’t really had the time to dig into it. My first game was fun; however, it was over quick. Really need to watch supply lines in this game.

	Designer	Ted Raicer
	Artist	Charles Kibler, Terry Leeds, Rodger B. MacGowan, Mark Simonitch
	Publisher	GMT Games, Devir, DiceTree Games, Udo Grebe Gamedesign, Wargames Club Publishing, Wydawnictwo Gołębiewski
	Year Published	1999
	# of Players	2 - 2
	User Suggested # of Players	Best with 2+ players Recommended with 2 players (86 voters)
	Playing Time	480
	Mfg Suggested Ages	14 and up
	User Suggested Ages	14 and up (31 voters)
	Language Dependence	Extensive use of text - massive conversion needed to be playable (34 voters)
	Category	Wargame, World War I
	Mechanic	Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Dice Rolling, Point to Point Movement
	Expansion	Paths of Glory Player's Guide
	Family	Continents: Europe, Players: Two Player Only Games, Region: Middle East
	Primary Name	Paths of Glory
	Alternate Names	Ścieżki chwały, Senderos de Gloria, 光荣之路 (光榮之路), 패스 오브 글로리

More info on BGG.

Pokémon Go

By Robert

On August 7, 2016

In Blog, Photos

I have yet to really post anything online (at least on social media) about how much I have been enjoying playing Pokémon Go with the family. It has been quite the social phenomonon, but aside from that, it allows you to see parts of your town that you might not get to enjoy that often. Have a look.

The camera couldn’t catch all of the blue hues.

Gorgeous greens.

Walking around the lake with the breeze was quite lovely.

Jaden loves getting her picture taken.

The purples were amazing.

I haven’t a clue about anything regarding Pokémon. I don’t really care to know, but I do know that my son loves that I do something with him that he loves. And our family gets to get out and walk about and talk. And for that, it is a great game in my book.