Discussion: Marty
in: BorisGr; BorisGr > 2016-10-28
Oct 29, 2016 9:40 PM
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I score differently, I think Ian's joke is best :) to be fair, Misha didn't realize what the competition was...
Oct 30, 2016 2:09 PM
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I'm not very good at the competitive facet of any given activity, which is probably why I often don't even recognize it. I am usually much better at the collaborative facet. I know this about myself, so in any given activity I accept my limitations as far as the competition goes and seek out the collaboration, so that I can shine. Hanging with Boris all these years has taught me to recognize the collaborative facet of even the most inherently competitive activities. This is very useful, because most people focus on inherently competitive activities. When I can point out collaborative facets of those, people sometimes feel that I have added something new to the discussion.
I miss Marty. How is he?
I miss Marty. How is he?
Oct 30, 2016 8:18 PM
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In an somewhat related tangent, I just downloaded the Pandemic iPhone App. The collaborative nature of the game is lost a bit when you play by yourself, but it is a great way to focus on what each team member brings to the table and to maximize that effect.
Perhaps a decent way to spend 7 dollars for either a Boris or a Misha type :)
Perhaps a decent way to spend 7 dollars for either a Boris or a Misha type :)
Nov 1, 2016 2:06 PM
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sgb:
In a flagrant continuation of the Ross-tangent, can the Pandemic app become interactive and collaborative?
Nov 1, 2016 3:00 PM
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Not that I've seen. They recommend sitting as a group around a tablet to play in the collaborative fashion. I have finally managed to squeak out a single victory on the easiest level... several tries needed to get even that :)
Nov 1, 2016 4:59 PM
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Anyone here played/playing Pandemic Legacy?
We're through September in our game.
We're through September in our game.
Nov 1, 2016 9:35 PM
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That is why I downloaded the base game... I will be starting a Pandemic Legacy game with some of my friends. We were supposed to start last week, but I had a training group meeting on the same evening. Dueling hobbies....
Nov 2, 2016 1:07 AM
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PL is number one on BGG and my board game
geek friend that owns 500+ games says it is absolutely spectacular.
geek friend that owns 500+ games says it is absolutely spectacular.
Nov 2, 2016 11:07 PM
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I'm not a gamer, but I have friends who are. My wife and I playing Legacy with Rebecca (Run_Bosco on AP) and her wife, who are definitely big time gamers. They only live about a mile from us, and they know that we enjoyed playing Pandemic beforehand.
One reason that I really liked the original Pandemic, especially as a non-gamer, is the collaborative nature of the game. If I'm playing with a bunch of gamers, I don't feel like there's a built-in disadvantage for me to play.
Legacy has been fantastic so far, and now that we're in so deep, I definitely feel like I contribute to the team's success. I have some other friends who *have* Legacy, but they haven't started yet, so I'm not able to chat and discuss about it with anyone!
My biggest piece of advice:
Even if you've played Pandemic before, be very methodical about the rules and the sequence of setup steps at the beginning of each game like infecting cities, dealing out your hands, assigning characters, what bonus cards to use, etc. Plus, as the year goes on, new rules are added/removed/changed, so it's good to be methodical.
Oftentimes it'll take us an hour between unboxing and taking our first action because we want to optimize everything for success. We lost our first three games of the year because I don't think we appreciated how important this sort of stuff is. We've won 80% of our games since (8 wins, 5 losses total, with our most recent loss coming because of a surprise in-game twist and twice having two separate ~5%-chance outcomes happen).
One reason that I really liked the original Pandemic, especially as a non-gamer, is the collaborative nature of the game. If I'm playing with a bunch of gamers, I don't feel like there's a built-in disadvantage for me to play.
Legacy has been fantastic so far, and now that we're in so deep, I definitely feel like I contribute to the team's success. I have some other friends who *have* Legacy, but they haven't started yet, so I'm not able to chat and discuss about it with anyone!
My biggest piece of advice:
Even if you've played Pandemic before, be very methodical about the rules and the sequence of setup steps at the beginning of each game like infecting cities, dealing out your hands, assigning characters, what bonus cards to use, etc. Plus, as the year goes on, new rules are added/removed/changed, so it's good to be methodical.
Oftentimes it'll take us an hour between unboxing and taking our first action because we want to optimize everything for success. We lost our first three games of the year because I don't think we appreciated how important this sort of stuff is. We've won 80% of our games since (8 wins, 5 losses total, with our most recent loss coming because of a surprise in-game twist and twice having two separate ~5%-chance outcomes happen).
Nov 3, 2016 7:36 AM
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It makes me laugh when people can confidently claim to not be gamers but then can tolerate the approximately 1 hr setup needed for some games like this :)
Thanks for the advice about checking the rules very methodically. We are a group that has played many complex games together in the past 2 years, (mostly imperial assult, which is another campaign style adventure) but we have also realized -surprisingly often - that we have missed rules or misunderstood something. We are constantly turning to the forums on Board Game Geek for clarification, but stuff slips past :)
I've met some true gamers, maybe run_bosco level (?) with vast collections of >500 games, each proudly displayed and used regularly if not frequently. For sure Sam and I don't quite reach to that level.
Thanks for the advice about checking the rules very methodically. We are a group that has played many complex games together in the past 2 years, (mostly imperial assult, which is another campaign style adventure) but we have also realized -surprisingly often - that we have missed rules or misunderstood something. We are constantly turning to the forums on Board Game Geek for clarification, but stuff slips past :)
I've met some true gamers, maybe run_bosco level (?) with vast collections of >500 games, each proudly displayed and used regularly if not frequently. For sure Sam and I don't quite reach to that level.
Nov 3, 2016 5:42 PM
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Ok, I guess I've just been around a lot of hard-core gamers! One that has hundreds of games, used to work at a game store, and had games on each table at her wedding reception (Run_Bosco), another that goes to a board gaming night each week, and then the orienteers like Ian who bring a bunch of games along for orienteering trips.
As the year goes along, Gina has become the rulebook person, and she's scribbled in a lot of notes in the rulebook about sequence of steps and things to not forget.
We were playing true to the calendar schedule until real July, where we got ahead and finished game August. But then because of weddings and SART and stuff, we didn't play again until real October (for game September). We forgot about one of the new-ish gameplay rules (which is honestly not easy to remember, because it doesn't happen every turn). It's a bad thing that happens, and we lost anyway, so we didn't feel too bad about it. ;-)
Early in the year, we missed the fun rule that you get to name a disease (and write it on the board) once you eradicate it for the first time.
I've become the guy who puts stuff on the board (game pieces, permanent stickers, etc).
As the year goes along, Gina has become the rulebook person, and she's scribbled in a lot of notes in the rulebook about sequence of steps and things to not forget.
We were playing true to the calendar schedule until real July, where we got ahead and finished game August. But then because of weddings and SART and stuff, we didn't play again until real October (for game September). We forgot about one of the new-ish gameplay rules (which is honestly not easy to remember, because it doesn't happen every turn). It's a bad thing that happens, and we lost anyway, so we didn't feel too bad about it. ;-)
Early in the year, we missed the fun rule that you get to name a disease (and write it on the board) once you eradicate it for the first time.
I've become the guy who puts stuff on the board (game pieces, permanent stickers, etc).
Nov 3, 2016 8:12 PM
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Ok, since there is a discussion on my log about it, can someone give me a brief summary of how it works? I am intrigued.
Nov 3, 2016 8:42 PM
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Pandemic: cooperative team game where each player (up to four) tries cure four diseases as they spread around the world. Each player tries to collect enough cards to cure diseases, and moves around the board treating diseases to prevent outbreaks. Too many outbreaks and you lose. The players can choose various characters who each have special abilities (easier to treat, easier to move, easier to cure, etc.)
Pandemic Legacy, Season 1: It starts with the same basic concept, except that you're playing a series of games that impact each other permanently. For example, if a specific city outbreaks in the first game, you plop a "1" sticker on the game board. If it outbreaks again in a later game, you put on another permanent sticker with a "2", etc. Once the numbers get too high, then it gets really hard to move around the board. If a specific character happens to be in a city when it outbreaks, that character gets a "scar" sticker that limits their ability in some way. Too many scars and that character dies and you can't play with them anymore.
Basically there's another deck of cards and an advent-calendar-like thing. Starting in January, you start reading cards in that deck in order, and it'll tell you which doors to open in the advent calendar, and you'll have new stickers of rules to stick into the rule book, new game objectives, new game pieces, new helpful cards, and stickers for things like character upgrades and scars, etc.
You have two chances to win each "month", so the season is between 12 games (if you're really really good) and 24 games (if you're not). That special deck of cards pretty much dictates the basic plot of the season, but there's a LOT of variability and player control within the game. In other words, all of the game seasons will share the same basic arc, but the boards, characters, and individual games will react totally differently from team to team.
Our season looks like this so far (with underscores separating each month):
LL_LW_W_W_LW_W_W_W_LW
Pandemic Legacy, Season 1: It starts with the same basic concept, except that you're playing a series of games that impact each other permanently. For example, if a specific city outbreaks in the first game, you plop a "1" sticker on the game board. If it outbreaks again in a later game, you put on another permanent sticker with a "2", etc. Once the numbers get too high, then it gets really hard to move around the board. If a specific character happens to be in a city when it outbreaks, that character gets a "scar" sticker that limits their ability in some way. Too many scars and that character dies and you can't play with them anymore.
Basically there's another deck of cards and an advent-calendar-like thing. Starting in January, you start reading cards in that deck in order, and it'll tell you which doors to open in the advent calendar, and you'll have new stickers of rules to stick into the rule book, new game objectives, new game pieces, new helpful cards, and stickers for things like character upgrades and scars, etc.
You have two chances to win each "month", so the season is between 12 games (if you're really really good) and 24 games (if you're not). That special deck of cards pretty much dictates the basic plot of the season, but there's a LOT of variability and player control within the game. In other words, all of the game seasons will share the same basic arc, but the boards, characters, and individual games will react totally differently from team to team.
Our season looks like this so far (with underscores separating each month):
LL_LW_W_W_LW_W_W_W_LW
Nov 3, 2016 8:55 PM
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Got it. How hard is it to get into Legacy if you've only played the regular Pandemic once or twice?
Nov 3, 2016 9:25 PM
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It's not that hard. Honestly, I'd only played Pandemic a few times (less than five) before Rebecca invited us to the Legacy game.
They do recommend playing a few regular games first before starting with the Legacy deck, just so that you get a feel for the basic game. You can do this with a brand new Legacy game, too, but once the mayhem starts with all of the stickers and permanent changes, it's hard to use it for a regular game again.
They do recommend playing a few regular games first before starting with the Legacy deck, just so that you get a feel for the basic game. You can do this with a brand new Legacy game, too, but once the mayhem starts with all of the stickers and permanent changes, it's hard to use it for a regular game again.
Nov 3, 2016 9:27 PM
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Ha. I say that... and we lost our first three games of the season!
They do have a nice mechanism to handicap you based on skill, though. If you lose a game, you get to put in two more helpful cards into the deck for the next game. If you lose, they take two away. We've won enough games now that we're going to play our next game with zero of those bonus cards in the deck.
They do have a nice mechanism to handicap you based on skill, though. If you lose a game, you get to put in two more helpful cards into the deck for the next game. If you lose, they take two away. We've won enough games now that we're going to play our next game with zero of those bonus cards in the deck.
Dec 27, 2016 11:55 PM
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Just finished the November and December chapters yesterday in a marathon session, so we're done! It was super fun, and we went out on a little winning streak.
We got absolutely crushed in the first October game, and then in the second October game, we were one drawn card away from a big win, but we got unlucky. We still eventually won, but it was like football game where you have an easy field goal to win it at the end, but you miss and it goes to overtime; you still eventually win, but some players got injured in overtime. The first November game was a grinding loss; it seemed like we were playing from behind all game, but we did enough good things to put us in a decent position going forward. The second November game was perhaps our best game of the year, and it set us up reallllly well for the finale, which we won rather easily in our first attempt.
11-7 overall
LL_LW_W_W_LW_W_W_W_LW_LW_LW_W
We got absolutely crushed in the first October game, and then in the second October game, we were one drawn card away from a big win, but we got unlucky. We still eventually won, but it was like football game where you have an easy field goal to win it at the end, but you miss and it goes to overtime; you still eventually win, but some players got injured in overtime. The first November game was a grinding loss; it seemed like we were playing from behind all game, but we did enough good things to put us in a decent position going forward. The second November game was perhaps our best game of the year, and it set us up reallllly well for the finale, which we won rather easily in our first attempt.
11-7 overall
LL_LW_W_W_LW_W_W_W_LW_LW_LW_W
This discussion thread is closed.