Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

[Guest Celt]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I was fairly recently introduced to a great card game called Sentinels of the Multiverse. It's superhero themed (a plus)' date=' and best of all, it's cooperative and not competitive; all the players use their characters to beat up on a supervillain. It's the cooperative nature of it that really draws me to it, I think.[/quote']

 

I got Sentinels of the Multiverse as an early Valentine's present from 8FP. We played it last night and enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for the tip!

[fbdaury]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Not really a cred destroyer but of all the people that I have known IRL who were fantasy fans, I was the only one of them that actually read the Elric books, as well as the Eternal Champion books, the Chronicles of Castle Brass, etc.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Not really a cred destroyer but of all the people that I have known IRL who were fantasy fans' date=' I was the only one of them that actually read the Elric books, [/quote']

 

I'm sorry you lost the lottery of all those people, and given that punishment.

 

 

I read them, and that was when I realized I wasn't a masochist - I didn't ever want to read them again. And I am not a sadist, as I have never recommended them to anyone.

 

 

 

No I don't like Elric (or Moorecock's work in general).

 

I don't know if I mentioned it up thread. I dislike Howard, I detest Elric, and I couldn't get through 3 books of Fafrd/Mouser. All in all, that was when I realized Swords and Sorcery was something that just wasn't for me.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I think Lord Mhoram and I have the distinction of being the only living fans of the Thomas Covenant books.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I have fond memories of the first 12 Xanth novels.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I have fond memories of the first 2 Xanth novels.

 

Edited to reflect my own experience...

[Enforcer84]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Edited to reflect my own experience...

 

hmmm. Actually I think 3 was my fave overall, but I really can't remember.

I do fondly remember all 11 or so Warlock In Spite of Himself novels, as well as the second generation novels which basically became period romance novels with psionics disguised as magic.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I got Sentinels of the Multiverse as an early Valentine's present from 8FP. We played it last night and enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for the tip!

 

No problems. It's rapidly become my favorite game. At some point, I might try to make up the characters in Champions, just for the heck of it.

[mattingly]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Not really a cred destroyer but of all the people that I have known IRL who were fantasy fans' date=' I was the only one of them that actually read the Elric books, as well as the Eternal Champion books, the Chronicles of Castle Brass, etc.[/quote']

I couldn't get through any of the Elric books, although I like Moorcock's one-off books. Behold the Man (debunking religiosity), The Warlord of the Air (steampunk time travel), The Chinese Agent (spy comedy). Oh, and his John Carter homage trilogy.

[Lucius]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I've played & owned cards' date=' though not for many years. In a way, it's too bad. I actually like the mechanics and gameplay of a lot of customizable card games... I just don't like the continually-expanding play environment that you have to keep buying cards in order to keep up with. I wish someone would make a CCG -- even if it had a sizable buy-in price -- that sold a decent-sized set of cards to use and choose from in building your decks, but that wasn't "collectible"." (In other words, where everyone had the same collection of cards available, and the strategy lay entirely in how they built and played their decks... not in the imbalance created by having unequal resources available to them.)[/quote']

 

Shortly after Magic first Gathered, I recognized it for what it is.

 

It's not a game. It's a business plan. That is, it's a way for someone who isn't me to make money.

 

Illuminati: New World Order had both a random system of starter/booster packs, and a "One of Everything" box. Unlike Magic: The Gathering's original box (which had unique borders around the cards), there was a note that stated that all of the cards were perfectly legal to use in tournament play. Steve Jackson Games also sold blank INWO cards, to allow folks to make their own custom cards.

 

JoeG

 

Better yet - the original, classic Illuminati game, predating the abominable "collectible card game" idea.

 

I think Lord Mhoram and I have the distinction of being the only living fans of the Thomas Covenant books.

 

Not the only ones.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says that what I need is a way for someone who IS me to make money. I'm nearing the end of unemployment benefits.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Well, yes, gaming companies sell games so they can make money.

 

This is news?

[Guest Celt]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Better yet - the original, classic Illuminati game, predating the abominable "collectible card game" idea.

 

When SJG developed INWO as a CCG, they also released a box set with all the cards (with different borders to maintain collectibility of the original sets). Very cool of them. I still have it and keep meaning to start up a ongoing game.

[Lucius]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Well, yes, gaming companies sell games so they can make money.

 

This is news?

 

There's a difference between selling games and making money at it, and devising something that looks like a game but is actually calculated to milk people of money.

 

Chess is a game. A company can make chess sets and chess boards and make money selling them. Some companies make very fancy chess sets and make a lot on each one.

 

But when two people sit down to play, it doesn't matter who spent how much; what matters is how they play. I could spend thousands on silver and gold chessmen, but if I sit down to play with Sophia Polgar, I'll still lose. There is no "my knight makes two moves because I paid extra for it" or "My bishop moves like a queen because I lucked out when I bought a randomized pack of pieces and got this special Legendary bishop." That's what a game is.

 

Nor, in Hero, can one player's character use, say, a move out of the Ultimate Martial Artist that is denied to every other player in the game because they didn't get that book. Or get more points for their character because they brought a fancy painted figurine whereas another player is using a pawn swiped from a board game. They sit at the same table, they play by the same rules.

 

I don't object to a game being profitable. I object to the idea that one can "buy prowess." And I object to being implicitly regarded as, not a player who will hopefully enjoy a game designed to be fun, not even as a valued customer purchasing a product designed to meet my entertainment needs, but as a cash cow who is expected to fall for a scheme designed to squeeze out every cent possible.

 

I've spent hundreds of dollars over the years on Hero product and the only reason I'm spending nothing now is that I have no money to spend. But Hero Games and it's owners and "Office Goddess" have never made me feel like they were only interested in picking my pocket. Wizards of the Coast managed to make me feel that way with Magic despite the fact they never actually got their hands in my pocket. Way back when it was first introduced I did play a few games with borrowed decks, until I figured out what it was. I saw them coming and kept my own hand on my wallet.

 

So again, I have no problem with games that make money. I'm sorry you got that impression and hope I have clarified what it is I do have a problem with.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary quotes Hoyle's Law: Whatever the game, whatever the rules, the same rules apply to all sides.

[Lucius]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

When SJG developed INWO as a CCG' date=' they also released a box set with all the cards (with different borders to maintain collectibility of the original sets). Very cool of them. I still have it and keep meaning to start up a ongoing game.[/quote']

 

I'd play that, but I still like the classic version better.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

I played Illuminati years before I ever saw a palindromedary.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I think Lord Mhoram and I have the distinction of being the only living fans of the Thomas Covenant books.

 

There are a bunch. It's just the books can be so divisive it's seems that way.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

There's a difference between selling games and making money at it' date=' and devising something that looks like a game but is actually calculated to milk people of money.[/quote']

 

It's why I never played in formal Tourneys - I and the friends I played Magic with would use Proxies. All the game pieces, none of the cost.

 

And I agree with you - I tend not to like collectible games, because if I am playing a game, I wan access to all the pieces.

[Lucius]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

It's why I never played in formal Tourneys - I and the friends I played Magic with would use Proxies. All the game pieces, none of the cost. And I agree with you - I tend not to like collectible games, because if I am playing a game, I wan access to all the pieces.

Yeah! Imagine if you bought a chess set and found out you got five black knights and no black queens! I don't even like the fact that sets are sold with only one queen apiece. Since you can advance a pawn and gain a queen in game, there ought to be at least one spare queen for each side. Lucius Alexander The palindromedary doesn't understand why pawns only move one way

[Midas]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

It's why I never played in formal Tourneys - I and the friends I played Magic with would use Proxies. All the game pieces, none of the cost.

 

And I agree with you - I tend not to like collectible games, because if I am playing a game, I wan access to all the pieces.

 

I preferred Mythos over Magic. Magic was too simple for me - set out a bunch of combat cards, count the points, see who wins, done.

 

Mythos had a more story telling aspect to it, where the players got points for playing Adventure cards. The game was over when someone lost their last SAN. The preferred way to count SAN was to have a cup of marbles...when someone lost all their marbles...

 

Here is a link to my favorite Fan Mythos cards: Where are You?

[Vondy]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Not really a cred destroyer but of all the people that I have known IRL who were fantasy fans' date=' I was the only one of them that actually read the Elric books, as well as the Eternal Champion books, the Chronicles of Castle Brass, etc.[/quote']

 

I read several, but not all of the Elric books. I found most of them dry reading and hard to plod through.

 

I read them' date=' and that was when I realized I wasn't a masochist - I didn't ever want to read them again... a[/font']ll in all, that was when I realized Swords and Sorcery was something that just wasn't for me.

S&S is one of those weird cases where the latter-era pastiches are often better than the originals.

 

It also, often, makes for better gaming than reading.

[Vondy]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

Edited to reflect my own experience...

 

Well, most series-franchise fiction loses its steam as time goes on. Some loses its steam faster than others, admittedly.

[Vondy]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

IAnd I agree with you - I tend not to like collectible games' date=' because if I am playing a game, I wan access to all the pieces.[/quote']

 

This is why INWO is the only card game I will play.

[Old Man]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I think Lord Mhoram and I have the distinction of being the only living fans of the Thomas Covenant books.

 

That's not true. You see, Mhoram is undead...

[teh bunneh]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I think Lord Mhoram and I have the distinction of being the only living fans of the Thomas Covenant books.

 

And here I thought Mhoram and myself were the only Covenent fans on these boards.

 

I also liked the Elric books, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books, and Conan books. Of course, I read most of them when I was in my teenage years. I re-read some of the Conan short stories again recently. Howard can certainly write well, although the subject matter became rather repititious for me after the fourth or fifth story.

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

It's why I never played in formal Tourneys - I and the friends I played Magic with would use Proxies. All the game pieces, none of the cost.

 

And I agree with you - I tend not to like collectible games, because if I am playing a game, I wan access to all the pieces.

 

Well, there are tournament formats for booster drafts, or for taking a starter and X number of boosters and building a deck on the spot. Those still introduce some luck, but test your on the spot deck building skills (vs. copying a popular deck style) and tend to even the field. On the plus side, you usually get to keep the cards after it's over.

 

If you're building a deck for a constructed format, you can use proxies to practice with, then just buy the cards you need on an individual basis. It's a lot cheaper than trying to get lucky buying booster boxes.

 

I got tired of the game mainly because of the constant introduction of new rules and the phone book of rules errata. I still have a few thousand older cards I need to get around to putting on eBay.

[dmjalund]

Re: Destroy Your Geek Cred!!

 

I think Lord Mhoram and I have the distinction of being the only living fans of the Thomas Covenant books.

 

There are a bunch. It's just the books can be so divisive it's seems that way.

 

And here I thought Mhoram and myself were the only Covenent fans on these boards.

 

I also liked the Elric books, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books, and Conan books. Of course, I read most of them when I was in my teenage years. I re-read some of the Conan short stories again recently. Howard can certainly write well, although the subject matter became rather repititious for me after the fourth or fifth story.

 

I'm currently reading the last book.