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Teleku
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Reply #595 on: July 12, 2012, 10:06:36 PM

Best game stores in the Bay Area:

Game Kastle over by the San Jose Airport
Gator Games in San Mateo
Black Diamond Games in Concord
Endgame in Oakland

Also, for Magic only, Superstars in San Jose

GK is probably your best bet in our neighborhood, it's a great store.
I love Endgame (lived 5 minutes walking from them for a year), but I feel I should point out Games of Berkeley is just as good, and all there stuff is at least 5 to 10 dollars cheaper.

"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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Ingmar
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Reply #596 on: July 12, 2012, 10:43:12 PM

Endgame has a better play space and (IMO) a better crowd. Granted it's been a number of years since I've been to GoB at this point (I went to Cal and later played DDM with a number of guys from that store).

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Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
proudft
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Reply #597 on: July 12, 2012, 10:49:36 PM

The few times I've been in the (underground) game area at Games of Berkeley I have been seriously paranoid that any medium+ earthquake would squash everyone in there like a bug.  It is quite... dungeony.

Endgame is by far the best game store I've ever been in anywhere from a play-area point of view.  It's not big but what they have is nice and airy and well lit and out of the way.  I seem to recall they don't like Magic, though.  That might be helping, for all I know.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2012, 10:52:29 PM by proudft »
Samwise
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Reply #598 on: July 12, 2012, 10:59:52 PM

I was at Endgame just last weekend for the Good Omens Con.  They definitely win in the game tables and events category; I've never not had a good time at one of their mini-cons.  Games of Berkeley generally wins on inventory, though.

"I have not actually recommended many games, and I'll go on the record here saying my track record is probably best in the industry." - schild
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Reply #599 on: July 12, 2012, 11:11:02 PM

We should do a Bay Area game thing some time. If we get 7 we can play Diplomacy and hate each other forever.  why so serious?

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
Teleku
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Reply #600 on: July 12, 2012, 11:22:27 PM

We suddenly get this idea literally the day before I fly off to Washington to join the foreign service and potentially live abroad for the rest of my life.   Ohhhhh, I see.

"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants.  He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."
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proudft
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Reply #601 on: July 12, 2012, 11:56:02 PM

So you'll be playing Diplomacy every day from now on!
luckton
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Reply #602 on: July 13, 2012, 05:23:23 AM

Finally played Lords of Waterdeep with the Mrs. and my brother-in-law.  While the bro enjoys a good fantasy or sci-fi game, the Mrs. is not by any means much of a gamer, and fantasy stuffs just kind of turn her off even more so.  She does enjoy the classic American-style stuff and puzzle/brain teasers though.

That said, I tried to mask the game as a "variation of Monopoly", and after cutting our teeth on the first few rounds of play, they both picked up quickly on the whole 'worker placement' concept (without me even having to utter the phrase), and the rest of the game played smoother than I'd anticipated. 

Bro-in-law loved the game.  The Mrs. rated it a 3.5/5, which is good, considering she gave Pandemic a 4/5 when we first played that many moons ago.  Still working with her on 7 Wonders; she's having a time trying to wrap her head around the whole "building a city using cards" thing.

"Those lights, combined with the polygamous Nazi mushrooms, will mess you up."

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Trippy
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Reply #603 on: July 13, 2012, 12:48:40 PM

Is there anything decent in the way of gaming stores in the greater mountain view / palo alto area these days?
Legends Comics & Games in Vallco is the last one that I know of in that area. Gamescape in Palo Alto closed a while back as did Match Play/Neutral Ground in Mountain View somewhat more recently. The once venerable San Antonio Hobby Shop is gone too (though they were never the same after they banned D&D-type stuff on religious grounds back in the 80s).
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Reply #604 on: July 13, 2012, 12:54:21 PM

Never cared for Legends much myself - worth the extra 10 minutes to go to GK. Legends's focus is much heavier on the comics side than the game side.

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
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Reply #605 on: July 13, 2012, 12:57:23 PM

That's true.
Thrawn
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Reply #606 on: July 13, 2012, 02:59:04 PM

At least you guys have choices!  I'm selling all of my Magic cards because the options around here became - The crappy store that hardly anyone plays at or the really crappy store that more people go to.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the Universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
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Reply #607 on: July 13, 2012, 03:06:32 PM

You are selling them to schild, right?
Thrawn
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Reply #608 on: July 13, 2012, 03:12:25 PM

You are selling them to schild, right?


If he wins the Ebay auctions, sure.  Ohhhhh, I see.

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Quinton
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Reply #609 on: July 13, 2012, 08:20:57 PM

We should do a Bay Area game thing some time. If we get 7 we can play Diplomacy and hate each other forever.  why so serious?

Some tabletop gaming with local F13 folks sounds like fun.  I don't do nearly enough table top gaming, though I have been playing some MFZ and assorted other stuff with some coworkers every now and again.
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Reply #610 on: July 13, 2012, 10:57:21 PM

You are selling them to schild, right?
If he wins the Ebay auctions, sure.  Ohhhhh, I see.
Link? I bet I can tell you within $20 of where they'll end.
Thrawn
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Reply #611 on: July 13, 2012, 11:23:52 PM

You are selling them to schild, right?
If he wins the Ebay auctions, sure.  Ohhhhh, I see.
Link? I bet I can tell you within $20 of where they'll end.

You're already looked at my stuff.  I know what it's worth, just need to get it sorted out and taken care of.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the Universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
ghost
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Reply #612 on: July 14, 2012, 07:00:07 AM

The once venerable San Antonio Hobby Shop is gone too (though they were never the same after they banned D&D-type stuff on religious grounds back in the 80s).

Fucking idiots deserve to get closed down for that sort of nonsense. 
Strazos
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Reply #613 on: July 15, 2012, 04:56:14 AM

We suddenly get this idea literally the day before I fly off to Washington to join the foreign service and potentially live abroad for the rest of my life.   Ohhhhh, I see.

 Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

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Reply #614 on: July 15, 2012, 02:50:08 PM

So we just played Eclipse for the first time on Friday. Good sized kitchen table, plus three TV Tray tables, and we were still to the point that we had no where to roll the dice without hitting something. Despite that, seems a pretty cool game. My plan of being everybody's friend failed miserably, but I think I'll have a better idea of the basic strategy on a second run through.

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ghost
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Reply #615 on: July 15, 2012, 08:08:29 PM

I would just like to reiterate that Earth Reborn is pretty badass.  It is well worth the cost of admission.  I only hope they do an expansion and add in some more units but it doesn't look likely at this point.  

Also, is anyone planning on purchasing the updated Descent?  I'm still on the fence on that one.  The original is pretty awesome.  I'm just not sure I need a simplified version of it when I have Super Dungeon Explore.
« Last Edit: July 15, 2012, 08:16:27 PM by ghost »
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Reply #616 on: July 19, 2012, 07:07:53 AM

It appears that Tom Vasel of the Dicetower has finally given up the day job.  I'm not sure how I feel about this, as I've always found his reviews to be fair and useful, even if I don't always agree with his judgments about games.  Now I already look at his reviews with a grain of salt.  How much is he getting paid to review these games?  

As an aside, I also had no idea that he was a complete bible thumper nutjob, but I guess that is kudos to him for not mixing his religioning with his gaming too much on his reviews.  


Quote
As many of you know, I’m always trying to expand and improve on the Dice Tower brand.  Sometimes the things I do seem to take off and sometimes they disappear into the mists.  As of June, 2012, I’m going full-time (mostly) with the Dice Tower, which is going to be an interesting proposition, to say the least!  I’m hoping that this will improve the quality of my videos and audio podcasts, as well as give me more time to increase my output.
Many of you also know that I’m currently working with Game Salute to publish my first game, “Nothing Personal.”  Through this process, I have become really acquainted with Game Salute, and I’m thrilled with what I see – them becoming a positive force in the gaming industry.  To this end, I’ve agreed to become the News Editor and Game Database Manager at Game Salute News.  Once this occurs, www.dicetowernews.com will redirect to that site, and all the volunteers helping me will be invited to continue helping me there.

Addendum-  I've noted that in a couple of their reviews they have noted that it is a paid review.  I like that and hope they will continue to show where there may be bias. 
« Last Edit: July 21, 2012, 09:31:36 AM by ghost »
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Reply #617 on: July 31, 2012, 06:47:12 AM

I would just like to reiterate that Earth Reborn is pretty badass.  It is well worth the cost of admission.  I only hope they do an expansion and add in some more units but it doesn't look likely at this point.  

Also, is anyone planning on purchasing the updated Descent?  I'm still on the fence on that one.  The original is pretty awesome.  I'm just not sure I need a simplified version of it when I have Super Dungeon Explore.

I just had my copy arrive friday. Haven't had a chance to crack it open yet, but looking forward to doing so at some stage. Finally found a copy of Descent 1st Ed and had that arrive as well. Gonna pick up as many of  the expacks as I can, and get 2nd Ed down the road. Probably.

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Reply #618 on: July 31, 2012, 07:50:29 AM

Some of the expansions for Descent 1ed can run you 3-400 bucks, new.  Sometimes you can get them on Ebay in a lot for less money, so I'd try to get them all at once in that sort of deal. 
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Reply #619 on: July 31, 2012, 07:52:10 AM

Any recommendations for a good 2 player board game for my 11 year old and I to play? As I continue to train him to be a geek like me (there is hope, he currently thinks Baldur's Gate is the best game ever, 'even if it's really old Dad') and I'm looking for something that's a step up from Talisman and the Halo board game we have currently.

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Reply #620 on: August 02, 2012, 01:07:50 PM

Anyone from Calgary Alberta that knows of a good place to grab boardgames from? Used to go to Hairy Tarantula and Snakes and Lattes in Toronto, but I'll be moving and need a new place.
ghost
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Reply #621 on: August 02, 2012, 03:43:59 PM

Any recommendations for a good 2 player board game for my 11 year old and I to play? As I continue to train him to be a geek like me (there is hope, he currently thinks Baldur's Gate is the best game ever, 'even if it's really old Dad') and I'm looking for something that's a step up from Talisman and the Halo board game we have currently.

Any thoughts about genre/theme and play time?  There's a million choices out there.  Also, it would be nice to know what his "level" is for an 11 year old.  Some 11 year old kids can play games that are meant for adults, some can't.  

If you're looking for something that is a little bit of "dudes in a corridor" type game but isn't way expensive (like Space Hulk) try Earth Reborn.  It can get a little complex, but the rulebook is awesome and walks you right through everything, adding a new concept or two in each scenario.  If you're looking for a Euro type game, Stone Age, Agricola and Le Havre are all pretty awesome.  Mage Knight is also super fun, if you can find it.  It is good solitaire, as well.  

Here are some other thoughts:

Race for the Galaxy
War of the Ring
Castles of Burgundy
Summoner Wars
Claustrophobia
Memoir '44
Merchants and Marauders
Arkham Horror
Descent 2e
Edited to add-  Twilight Struggle is really awesome, and a good historical tutor


I was going to link these from BGG, but there's too many and I'm lazy.  There all there in the top games list.  If you aren't familiar with it, just go to the link at the top that says "browse" and click on games and it's automatically sorted by rank.  
« Last Edit: August 02, 2012, 08:32:42 PM by ghost »
ghost
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Reply #622 on: August 02, 2012, 03:44:35 PM

Anyone from Calgary Alberta that knows of a good place to grab boardgames from? Used to go to Hairy Tarantula and Snakes and Lattes in Toronto, but I'll be moving and need a new place.

Order from Boards and Bits.  The prices are crazy cheap and the guy has a good selection and good customer service.
Thrawn
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Reply #623 on: August 03, 2012, 06:37:20 AM

Edit: If you love Scotland Yard, try to track down a reasonably priced copy of Letters from Whitechapel.

Looks like their will be another run of Letters from Whitechapel as a 2nd edition possibly this year yet that will be available in the US.  No idea if the price will be reasonable or not though.

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Reply #624 on: August 03, 2012, 11:06:57 AM

Having played it now, 2e Descent is definitely an improvement on 1e I think. They streamlined a lot of the slower stuff. (Also de-objectified the female character art if that is something that matters to you. Really the character art is just better in general.)

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Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
ghost
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Reply #625 on: August 03, 2012, 12:15:10 PM

The only reason I mess around with fantasy stuff is for the chicks in the chain mail thongs.   awesome, for real
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Reply #626 on: August 14, 2012, 10:18:18 AM

Update on Roll20 virt. tabletop:
Now comes with an LFG tool built into the interface.   http://app.roll20.net/lfg/search/

Regardless of how dominant this webapp is, I have yet to game on it.  It's really left me with no excuses though.  One of these days I'll throw up an f13 SavageWorlds campaign.

Having played it now, 2e Descent is definitely an improvement on 1e I think. They streamlined a lot of the slower stuff. (Also de-objectified the female character art if that is something that matters to you. Really the character art is just better in general.)


I still say a properly expanded (SoB, ToI, and WoD), rules adjusted 1st edition seems a much more powerful experience then the objectifying 2nd. edition (at this point).  Yes, it suffers from bloat and ridiculous buy-in but still.  If you're on the fence about jumping in obviously the 1e complete sets are dirt cheap now used and BGG-ers are dumping em in trade cheap too. 

I can make this judgement because Descent+expac is on most people's top 10 games of all time, yet placing 2e in that mix isn't possible at this point.  Down the road perhaps, depending on what they add.

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ghost
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Reply #627 on: August 14, 2012, 03:44:30 PM

I thought that the real point with 2e was to have an experience that doesn't last for 8-12 hours per sitting.
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Reply #628 on: August 14, 2012, 03:51:47 PM

Yeah. It's farther from being a game of D&D, which is a good thing. If I want to play D&D, I'm going to play D&D. This is much better as a casual weeknight couple-of-hours thing, and they've got the campaign stuff integrated from the beginning and it's all  just a much cleaner design I think.

They also have a conversion kit you can buy for all the monsters/characters from 1e, which is a nice touch.

The Transcendent One: AH... THE ROGUE CONSTRUCT.
Nordom: Sense of closure: imminent.
ghost
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Reply #629 on: August 14, 2012, 04:02:58 PM

I didn't see much point in the conversion kit, but then again I've not played a lot of 1e-  just dont' have the time.  Maybe it would be a great thing.  There seems to be enough game in 2e that it wouldn't matter that much.  I would have preferred a conversion to implement the 2e rules in the 1e stuff, but that will never happen. 
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