Georgia Boardgames Association

Does anyone have a board game they would like to see at the boardgames meetup on October 6th?

Well, technically they are my son’s and for his birthday, but let’s just say it’s one of the side benefits of having boys.  I like the presents they get.  So now I get to have fun light war games with one child and board game fun with the older kid (son.)  I also purchased Battletech, the Introductory Box Set, so we’ll see how that one goes to.  I have a science fiction leaning so I’ll think that’ll hold my interest.  We get to paint too! .

 If anyone is interested in where I bought the Battletech, you can get them online at

Where I purchased my Classic Battletech Introductory Box for a better price

Classic Battletech Introductory Box Homepage

and ebay, of course.

It’s the new ticker at the top that fades in and out, updating as needed. I’m making several enhancements. The custom board game search engine for boardgames and boardgamers will be coming soon. Enjoy!

This gem is quickly becoming one of my favorites.  I love the secret deployment mechanic employed by this game.  The theme is also a high tilt factor for me.  Well thought out rules, nothing hard to understand, bluffing (secret deployment), and good graphics, make this board game a must have.

Did I mention this is a Dr. Knizia game? If that’s not enough, the rules are perfect. I have yet to find any special circumstance that has not been covered in the rule book. I don’t have the new version, that is, the deluxe confrontation version, nor do I think I need it.

Another item I enjoy is the bluffing aspect, and using that to my advantage. When I was younger, I remember a chess tournament that had a “real” grandmaster playing. There was also a young man playing him, and I remember someone commenting that the young man beat the grandmaster all the time because he played him so much. You see, he knew how the grandmaster played (the GM was his teacher). It’s the same with bluffing with the secret deployment. I play my son and I know him and he knows me. Unfortunately, for him, he doesn’t understand yet, not fully any way, the psychology behind this. He does pick up on it some. I get comments like, “I KNEW you were gonna do that.” and others where he’s been fooled. Kind of like Captain Riker versus Locutus – okay, that was way out there, I’m digressing – I know.

The movement mechanics are also flawless. Not moving sideways into the mountains causes the player to make a guess or calculate the best time to move through. Is Balrog waiting? If I move into the mountains will the other player attack? This plays nicely with the special abilities written on units. How this special ability can be used to the advantage of the player takes time. I personally like using Pippin to move forward to expose my opponent and quickly retreat backwards (his ability.) The game seems especially well balanced.

The replayability, theme, play time, and small form factor of the board game make it an ideal companion to for travel and good to take out when you want a good strong game, but don’t have a lot of time to play. Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is one of those board games that is neither fluff nor intense, but still fun. You will not find that you’re wasting your time.

Did I mention I purchased this board game on ebay for $9.00?

Hello,

Our next Georgia Boardgames Association meeting will be October 6th from 12:30 to about 4:30. It will be at the same location as before, The Atlanta Bread Company, near Town Center Mall in Kennesaw. The location is on Barrett Parkway, convenient to I-75 and 575. The website and map are available by clicking here.

I will have games, but you are welcome to bring your own. I can’t guarantee everyone will get to play their favorite board game, but there should be a good selection to choose from. I have my games posted on www.georgiaboardgames.com and bring most of them. The game selection changes periodically, so check back to see if your game is listed.

The Atlanta Bread Company has a great menu selection of sandwiches, salads, soups, and bakery goods. Coffee and soft drinks are also available. Prices are from about $5.29 – $6.50 for meals with specialty drinks and bakery items costing less. You’re not required to eat there, but you will enjoy it if you do. No outside food or drink, please.

Free stuff will also be provided by Georgia Boardgames. There will be a drawing of participants for a $5.00 gift certificate to The Atlanta Bread Company and a free large soft drink and cookie for the runner up, provided at least five people attend to draw from.

I hope you enjoy yourself, and RSVP if you can. The first five to RSVP and play a game at the meetup will receive a free cookie from the bakery.

I look forward to meeting everyone. There is no cost to attend.

Last time we had a great time learning three new games. At least they were new to me. So feel free to bring your own games, just be cognizant of the time it takes to play them. Since most games don’t take three to four hours to play, just about anything should be okay. This also means you don’t have to come in at exactly 12:30. Last meeting we ate lunch, played games, ate cookies, and played more games. Great fun.

I know this meetup may be a little quick, not quite a full month between meetups, but I cannot make it on the 13th or the 20th and didn’t want it to be the last date of October because, well, that’s just too long to wait. I opted for the quicker date. I hope this is okay with everyone.

John Marchant

Georgia Boardgames
“Together time all the time”

Hello,

To everyone who couldn’t make our first meetup, I hope to see you at the next one. I was pleased with this first meetup. We only had a couple of folks that came, but I grateful for the two that did come. They brought their games and were kind enough to share the games and their expertise. Their patience in teaching this slow to learn gamer were especially appreciated. With your help, next month we can make it an even better game day. Again, don’t worry about missing our first meetup. Next month’s meeting will be even better, and I truly appreciate the people that came today.

 We were able to play three games:

Zooleretto 

Ra

Ingenious

Hopefully I can give my thoughts on those great games in another post.  Until then, thank you.

John Marchant
Georgia Boardgames Association
“Together time all the time.”™

Note:  To “Nancy” I hope you can make it to the next meetup.  I didn’t get a chance to see what types of board games you were interested in, but the folks that helped us today were very nice and able to teach.

Here we are playing Ingenious – Thanks for the patient teaching! 

 My secret tiles can now be revealed (I lost) .

You can’t really see all the board games, but there were probably between 20 or 30.

I can’t believe it got here this quick, but this Saturday our meetup will have it’s first, well, meetup.  You can click the tab up top “Meetup” to get more information.  I hope to see you there.

Take the game Lost Cities.  It’s fun.  My wife loves it.  But I wonder if the game would be as fun without the expedition theme.  The game could almost be played with a regular deck of cards, you’d just have to figure out what cards are modifiers (investment cards.) 

The game is simple and it just made me wonder how much theme had to do with things.  Maybe it’s the artwork and theme together.  I guess that’s kind of what makes a game a game.  It’s more than mechanics.  And while I’m answering my own question I’ll comment that I don’t mean pre-existing themes like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.  Obviously, those games require a strong theme, even if some of these games have lousy play.

I guess I’m saying that a game is more than moves and mechanics.  It is a totally unique product such that the whole is greater than the parts.

Only played a few games, so I’ll try and revisit this.

I like the addition of cards, compared the board game, but have a hard time with the dicefest this game quickly becomes.  Kids love it because of the miniatures.  I like the minis, but the play is a little stale.  It could be the theme.  I’m just not a World War II board game buff.

It took me a while to get the GeekGold, but I was finally able to purchase a guild on BoardGameGeek.  It was approved just a little bit ago.  Thank you to the admins and I hope will find it interesting there and here.

 Here is the Georgia Boardgames Association guild link:  http://www.boardgamegeek.com/guild/378