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viktor_haagAnother boardgame afternoon this Sunday led us to put Cosmic Encounter and Railroad Tycoon (again) on the table. On Friday, we tried out Maka Bana because we wanted something that was relatively short and simple.
Cosmic Encounter
One of the players in our group is a die-hard Cosmic Encounter fan, and has a complete EON set with all the expansions. This game does show its age; it's longer and more baroque than an equivalent game would be today. However, this level of complexity and detail is what made the game entirely charming for those that like that kind of thing. It's also a vital clue into the reason that Hasbro's "deluxe plastic bits" version of it was such a colossal failure. The only real point of this game is the elevating amount of chaos that comes from having lots of aliens, luchre, moons, edicts, and flares to play with. I stand by my comment made after playing the game yesterday: the game is much more fun if you don't play it to win, but rather just to have fun. Who cares who wins!? As the Filch, I only care how many times I can sneak cards off the deck! Woo!
The Hasbro version emasculated this game in a vain attempt to "make it accessible" by reducing the complexity. It was a dumb move, and sales proved that out, I think. Sure they unloaded sets on people who had heard how great the game was, or wanted a new set out of curiosity, or wanted the supposedly "sexy bits" (which in the end were over-produced, inefficient, and just plain ugly), but in the end what should have been a flagship game for their AH line addressed at one type of old-style gamer (just as their Axis & Allies line is pitched at another) just turned out to be a clunker.
There's a story flying around the 'net that Fantasy Flight have secured the rights to reprint this game, and we shall see what they make of it. What's clear to me is that they should go back to the original EON rules, and produce an omnibus game that has useful, solid pieces, with all the bits from the various EON expansions. All in one box. Build it and price it like Warrior Knights and it will do you very nicely indeed. There will be much rejoicing. Until then, there's always EBay. The fan in our group said that she'd got her "backup" copy of the EON basic set off EBay for only 50 bucks. Wow; somebody sure missed the boat on setting a reserve bid for that one (although, with the recent FFG news, perhaps the market for the older EON sets has finally cooled off?)
Railroad Tycoon
This is a good game. If you don't own it, and you have a large table at home, you should buy it, now. Especially in anticipation of the European map expansion to come for this Christmas season. The more we play this game, the more we like it. It is not as brain-burney or strategic as Age of Steam, but it does have aspects that its parent game does not have. And it is more accessible. What it needs is lots of additional maps. This game is every bit as good, at the core, as Power Grid and additional maps a-plenty will only help this game. Expansions for the game would be a little more tricky than with Power Grid, however, as new cards would be required for each expansion as well as a new map, but still, the basic engine is very strong as has been proved by Age of Steam.
Despite it's huge, unweildy map, big box, and stoopidly large plastic pieces, this is a must-own game just as is Power Grid and Settlers of Catan and Puerto Rico. Nit-pickers and rabid Age of Steam fans will make detracting comments about it, many of them directly on point (the bits are over-produced, the board is not as elegantly balanced as it might be, the strategies are not as varied or balanced as they might be); however, this game is accessible, fun, and has tons of re-play value. If you own ten boardgames, this should be one of them.
Maka Bana
This should not be one of your ten games. It probably doesn't even deserve to be in your top fifty. The 'geek currently ranks this game at position 977, and while I think that might be a bit harsh, I think it's generally accurate. This game is short, the components are somewhat attractive, and the strategies not completely mindless. However, the game is constructed solidly around "take that!" play and is too expensive for the play experience you're getting.
If you like games with "take that!" behaviour (and I know lots of people do), and you want something a bit more light-hearted and watered down than Intrigue, and a lot shorter and simpler than Diplomacy, and you can find a copy cheaply, then you might enjoy this game.
I bought it because it's one of the Tilsit collection, and I have a collecting problem. That said, the only one in the Tilsit series that I actually like so far is Himalya so all the rest are looking to head onto my secondary storage, or my trade and for-sale lists.
Cosmic Encounter
One of the players in our group is a die-hard Cosmic Encounter fan, and has a complete EON set with all the expansions. This game does show its age; it's longer and more baroque than an equivalent game would be today. However, this level of complexity and detail is what made the game entirely charming for those that like that kind of thing. It's also a vital clue into the reason that Hasbro's "deluxe plastic bits" version of it was such a colossal failure. The only real point of this game is the elevating amount of chaos that comes from having lots of aliens, luchre, moons, edicts, and flares to play with. I stand by my comment made after playing the game yesterday: the game is much more fun if you don't play it to win, but rather just to have fun. Who cares who wins!? As the Filch, I only care how many times I can sneak cards off the deck! Woo!
The Hasbro version emasculated this game in a vain attempt to "make it accessible" by reducing the complexity. It was a dumb move, and sales proved that out, I think. Sure they unloaded sets on people who had heard how great the game was, or wanted a new set out of curiosity, or wanted the supposedly "sexy bits" (which in the end were over-produced, inefficient, and just plain ugly), but in the end what should have been a flagship game for their AH line addressed at one type of old-style gamer (just as their Axis & Allies line is pitched at another) just turned out to be a clunker.
There's a story flying around the 'net that Fantasy Flight have secured the rights to reprint this game, and we shall see what they make of it. What's clear to me is that they should go back to the original EON rules, and produce an omnibus game that has useful, solid pieces, with all the bits from the various EON expansions. All in one box. Build it and price it like Warrior Knights and it will do you very nicely indeed. There will be much rejoicing. Until then, there's always EBay. The fan in our group said that she'd got her "backup" copy of the EON basic set off EBay for only 50 bucks. Wow; somebody sure missed the boat on setting a reserve bid for that one (although, with the recent FFG news, perhaps the market for the older EON sets has finally cooled off?)
Railroad Tycoon
This is a good game. If you don't own it, and you have a large table at home, you should buy it, now. Especially in anticipation of the European map expansion to come for this Christmas season. The more we play this game, the more we like it. It is not as brain-burney or strategic as Age of Steam, but it does have aspects that its parent game does not have. And it is more accessible. What it needs is lots of additional maps. This game is every bit as good, at the core, as Power Grid and additional maps a-plenty will only help this game. Expansions for the game would be a little more tricky than with Power Grid, however, as new cards would be required for each expansion as well as a new map, but still, the basic engine is very strong as has been proved by Age of Steam.
Despite it's huge, unweildy map, big box, and stoopidly large plastic pieces, this is a must-own game just as is Power Grid and Settlers of Catan and Puerto Rico. Nit-pickers and rabid Age of Steam fans will make detracting comments about it, many of them directly on point (the bits are over-produced, the board is not as elegantly balanced as it might be, the strategies are not as varied or balanced as they might be); however, this game is accessible, fun, and has tons of re-play value. If you own ten boardgames, this should be one of them.
Maka Bana
This should not be one of your ten games. It probably doesn't even deserve to be in your top fifty. The 'geek currently ranks this game at position 977, and while I think that might be a bit harsh, I think it's generally accurate. This game is short, the components are somewhat attractive, and the strategies not completely mindless. However, the game is constructed solidly around "take that!" play and is too expensive for the play experience you're getting.
If you like games with "take that!" behaviour (and I know lots of people do), and you want something a bit more light-hearted and watered down than Intrigue, and a lot shorter and simpler than Diplomacy, and you can find a copy cheaply, then you might enjoy this game.
I bought it because it's one of the Tilsit collection, and I have a collecting problem. That said, the only one in the Tilsit series that I actually like so far is Himalya so all the rest are looking to head onto my secondary storage, or my trade and for-sale lists.
