Pirates of the Spanish Main (update 2)

We all spent the day out today, so I went to the Super Walmart in town and they dont have Pirates cards either (I asked and was told they dont carry them anymore), then I went to TRU and they have about 5 feet of shelf space for Yughio but none for Pirates... Again, I was told they dont stock them because they needed the space for the Yughio cards (they have weekly tournaments there, so it must be a money maker, god forbid they give one rack hanger to something other than Yughio)

Finally at Target I at least found the spot they should be, but there were none hanging, the tag said something like "Pirate Davey Jo" so I am sure that was it. I asked the stock boy to check for me and he went into the back room and got one of the computer guns, came out and scanned the tag and said they didn't have any in the store... Oh well.

I was really hoping to get some this weekend, my son's Spring Break starts now, he is off all this week, and wanted to at least try it out. I am going to order some online this weekend though, I found a couple of shops online that sell the booster packs for $1 each (the older sets), so that is fine with me, I can spend $20 with shipping and get a nice little test batch.

Turned Based Strategy Game (for PC)

In my wait for Tide of Iron and Tannhauser to come out I have been making it a point to read the messages here on a regular basis for any new news, and I noticed a thread going on that started to talk about Real Time strategy games like Warcraft and Starcraft, etc., and someone mentioned playing a few "Turn Based" strategy games on the computer, so it got me thinking, and I really can't think of any really good games that are turn based and very strategic...

Does anyone have any games they could recommend to me. I like the ability to take a turn, then let the computer move (or other player), then it is my turn, with no time limits, etc... 

I prefer WAR strategy, mainly WW2, but would play any era, SCI-FI is fine, or FANTASY is fine too. One series of game I enjoyed was AGE OF WONDERS...

Anyone played one they really liked and can recommend to me, I would love to find something to take up my time while waiting for TIDE OF IRON and TANNHAUSER to come out

Pirates of the Spanish Main (update)

Thanks to everyone for your comments, and also thanks for your thoughts on rare cards, It is good to hear the game goes just fine if you have some or dont, with it not mattering... We really dislike the 'collectible' games where key cards or powerful cards are rare and are never easy to track down, it turns into a real pain...

I was at Walmart today and checked their card section, I was going to buy a few packs for me and a few for my son and see what we ended up with and how we liked the game, but... Walmart doesnt carry them!  There are no game stores in my area, so I am going to have to order some online... Anyone have any ideas on where a good place is to buy?

Also, and forgive me if this has been talked about, I havne't been able to read through all the messages on BGG yet... but are there any variant rules that anyone would recommend that might make the game a little more complex? I know, the main point of the game is for fast and easy fun, but my son and I are really into strategy and combat, and I am sure we'd love to try out anything that would factor some more elements into this game (especially since there really are no good pirate games out there).

Tannhäuser

When is this game supposed to be available in the USA? I have heard several things from several people, all different. Anyone know for sure what the deal is? I have been looking forward to it for a long time, it looks promising, although I am worried of the quality since it is not a Fantasy Flight Game, only a game they are distributing. I've had excellent luck with FFG in the past, so I hope my expectations are not too high.

Pirates of the Spanish Main

I am considering getting into this game, mainly because I like Pirates and have been looking for a good Pirate game! My oldest son is 12 years old and plays the games with me, he likes pirates too... However, we tend to steer clear of card games and also 'collectible' games (meaning ones you get screwed and cant find certain items without hitting local scalper shops).

I remember when this game first came out, people in the FLGS were going nuts, buying hundreds of packs and spending hundreds of dollars. I certainly don't want to get into that kind of a situation.

I have also been hearing some pretty heavy rumors that WizKids doesn't have long left as a company, there have been some whispers around the net and I have read a few posts that suggest this game won't be around for long.

With that all being said, the 'card' game thing isn't really a factor since it isn't really a card game, I mean, it isn't like Magic or one of those, and has the 3-d ships, so that is a nice change... If the game is cancelled, or WizKids does go belly up, is there enough stuff out to fuel this game for the long haul, or will I get into it feeling like I was cut short of having a great game?

But my main question (and I have not looked into this at all so I thought I'd hit up the question here and hope to get a reply from one of the experts!), what kind of price do the 'rare' cards demand? How rare is rare? What is the going rate for cards from the older sets? I'll start checking out ebay, but I want to learn a little bit here first from people who are into it as a game and not as a money maker!

Thanks in advance!

Review: Lock 'N Load: Band of Heroes

I have been wanting to get "Lock 'N Load" for some time now, I think I first read about it in Games Quarterly (if I remember correctly) about 8 months ago or so, and I added it to my list of games to look into and one day purchase.

Well, Lock N' Load has slowly been working it's way up my list as the months have gone on, and this past week we decided to get a copy. I had been dealing with a nice lady there named Janice (The creator's wife I think, but I am not positive), she was very helpful. She initially was dealing with my wife (who does a lot of the game buying for me and my sons online), then I asked some questions. We always got quick replies and were very satisfied with the companies customer service.

I have been a gamer for a good 30 years now, my oldest son is now 12 and has recently joined the ranks of my local gaming group (we do monthly meetings) and has been having a great time. He loves the games like Axis and Allies and Memoir '44. I specifically like Memoir '44 because of the ease of play and the historical information included, we have fun and I feel like he is learning and showing interest... I wanted to get Lock 'N Load because it was more 'advanced'.

I have not yet played the game (but will certainly add to this review when I do), but I wanted to address a few things about the game itself and my initial thoughts upon opening it.

I'll admit, when I first saw the game online, andread comments here and elsewhere on the web, I was turned off by the big white outlines around the hexes. When I opened the box that I got in the mail (today actually) I was quite pleased. The white 'glow' did not nearly look as bad as it did on the internet photos. I dont know if it was toned down since other people have gotten it or not, but it was certainly NOT an issue for me at all. It was quite nicely done with professional level graphics (I am a commercial artist, so I take not of the level of graphics on all games), this was very nicely done. I would not even have mentioned the white glow around the hexes if I hadn't read about it ahead of time and been 'on the lookout' for it from some negative comments I have read.

The cards that come with the game were the next thing I looked at. I read reviews where some people thought they were too thin. Honestly they are not bad at all, the die cuts are fine and the cards serve their purpose. I can see them wearing out more quickly than some other cards from games like Memoir '44, but I also understand the concept behind what is and what is not affordable when the game was design, the quantity and price I am sure played a big factor. While I do think they are a little thin, they are by no means bad. I would not give them game any negatives because of the cards. In fact, I have an old game of Risk that has cards much thinner and lesser quality than these, so the cards were fine for me.

Dice - Well, what can you say, just a pair of plain dice. It would have been nice to see a custom etching on one side or something, but nothing to complain about here, especially when you compare these to some of the crappy dice you get in other games.

Maps - As I briefly talked about above, the maps are excellent. High quality, nice graphics. Perfect job on the maps. Not too thick, not too thin... The while glows is nothing to complain about (and again, I did read some really negative things, so perhapse they did a revision?)

Counters - This has to be the only complaint that I have so far... the little cardboard cut out counters. I dont know if I just got a copy of the game that had been tossed around in shipping a bit much, or if this is common for everyone... but my counters were all messed up, they had almost all fallen off of the die cut sheet and when I opened the box for the first time they literally started falling out all over the place, onto my lap, the floor, etc... I know, I know... what does it matter? I am going to punch them out anyhow, right? Well, yes... but I really like to inspect the game before doing something like that, I like accounting for all the pieces, making sure there are no parts missing, etc... I not only play, but 'collect' games (over 500 games in my collection) and having the game complete is important to me. I got in the habit of this because pretty much every Fantasy Flight game I have ever gotten has been missing something! (Games with lots of plastic pieces like World of Warcraft, War of the Ring, etc.)... so it is something I like to do for my own piece of mind...

Anyhow, the real test came when I showed my 12 year old son the new game (he is really into the games with me), he looked at it and said "Oh wow... cool!" he really liked the game and is looking forward to playing it, that is what it all comes down to. 

So without having played it yet, and with all of those being my initial thoughts, and with my background in games, commercial art, printing, etc., I give two thumbs up to Mark H Walker for a job well done... I am really looking forward to playing.

9 out of 10 in my book so far.

Stargate SG-1

Note: The game Stargate SG-1 by Fleet Games, Inc. is simply a remake of the game "Fleets" using new box art and modified pieces. I did not have a photo of the Stargate game handy, so I am using a Fleets one for a placeholder. I wanted to clarify that so there was no confusion.

Dont let my subject fool you, the game itself is not bad... it is just not 'great'... It is a fun game to play once in a while, but looses the desire to play it when there are other superior games with more complex rules availalbe. I am a fan of Stargate, so this game was a no brainer for me to purchase. My son and I (he is 12) have played it several times, and have always had fun times. We have played with multi players before too...

With all that being said, I have been a strategy board gamer since the 80's and decided to rewite the rules to make this "good" game into a "great" game. I have a decent start and have found some nice things to include (borrowing rules and ideas from some of my other favorite games).

So my question... for anyone who enjoys this game... what suggestions do you have? What "House Rules" have you established? Please throw some ideas out there on the table for me and let me know what you think.

One friend of mine suggested allowing more units than the maximum allowed, and using white and red chips to designate how many units there are in one spot (think axis and allies), another was to make it a three player game and give each player (human, goauld and asguard) two color plastic pieces, one color would represent more advanced units that would get a bonus to dice rolls (and be more expensive to purchase), etc.

Anyone have any ideas please shoot them my way.