My Friday Night (two new games)

Typing this offline to upload later...

Vanessa had a little "going away party" for a co-worker tonight. Since it was all girls, she suggested I go to the local gaming store to hang out. "D" had brought "Shadows Over Camelot" - a nice board game - to play. There were seven of us and it was my first time to play it. It was great! Had a lot of "bits" and pieces and good interaction with the other players. It's a Co-Op game, except for the hidden "traitor" that is randomly assigned...

Well, the traitor came out and we lost as a group, but I was somewhat impressed with the game!

Kat said, "want to see Dice Masters?" I knew I had a little time, so I let her demo it for me. It was a pretty cool game! Pros - dice. Lots of dice. :-) I like randomness in my games along with strategy (see Car Wars and X-Wing) and I like rolling dice, so this seemed like a natural fit.

Another Pro - the game mechanics are simple to learn while still allowing for a good depth of play and stragy.

Cons - it's another CCG type of game. :-( You buy a starter set for about $15, then 2 card boosters are $1.99. I have grown tired of games with "chase rares" and such. That's another reason I like X-Wing and have grown VERY disenchanted with Magic. Kat (and the two guys playing next to us) said that even the commons can be great cards, so just because it's rare doesn't mean it is a game winner. And the fact that you still have to roll the dice in the game and get the right results means it's not just "whoever spends the most money is going to win." Yes, it's a Con overall, but one that's offset by the randomness factor.

I don't know that this is necessarily a Con, but it's Marvel. That's not a "bad" thing, but I'm a DC guy myself. My team had Green Goblin, Captain America, Professor X and another one that I can't remember now. I was playing against Gambit, Magneto and two others that I forget. I did win, and not just because of it being a demo, but because I started aggressively and Kat said she's more of a defensive player. This, coupled with my good rolls while she was "building her army," let to my victory.

All in all a good game, and a good two player game that takes a minimum of space. If you like rolling dice, you'll probably like this game!