Although, some of the time, it is from waiting for input from other players. We learned not to make decisions without input, lest folks supsect one is a cylon.

Yes, I think that had become excessive. Partly because it's hilarious watching P-C try and explain why seizing the Presidency was an obviously human move, but also because no one was willing to offer opinions either. If no one's willing to take responsibility for their own turn, why would they take it for someone else's? And the people not answering questions still were holding the game up waiting for someone to answer theirs.

My suggestion is that if you allow 6-12 hours for the rest of the crew to chime in, your response to any accusation is "I gave everyone a chance to speak up, and no one did." (Though I'm guessing that still won't let P-C seize the Presidency.) my other suggestion is that if you really need someone's input, you ask them earlier, like during the previous turn.

Anyway, that's one of the reasons I'm suggesting Race for the Galaxy. It's not a team game, so there'll be no delays for team discussion.

I've been playing RftG against the AI for a while now, so I've got a pretty good idea how it flows. I'd definitely be up for playing against some humans.

Would we be using the base decks or any expansion decks? And is there a way to use the computer version to record the state of a game?

Would we be using the base decks or any expansion decks? And is there a way to use the computer version to record the state of a game?

Excellent. For the first game, I'd do base game only (and use the preset starting hands). I'd just planned to keep track of the state of play myself, as with BSG.

Thanks to JK Rowling I believe I have become a better DM. From now on I will be asking

1) What does your character see when they look in the mirror of Erised?

2) What shape would a boggart assume when facing your character.

3) What would your character's patronus be?

ooh good one

Has anyone here played Spirit of the Century? (the FATE system-based tabletop RPG, in case there's another one lurking around that I don't know about)

We're starting to wrap up a 4.5 year D&D campaign (SOB!), and looking for something different for a while before we dive into a new long game -- ideally, something with a setting different from the usual fantasy fake-medieval schtick, and something that can handle shorter games and not just giant campaigns. The spouse is taking the next turn as our group's DM, and he's a lover of all things pulp, so it looks like an obvious fit.

We're planning to spin up a bunch of characters and mess around with some sample scenarios this weekend to get a feel for it, and I'll share the awesome, but I'd love to hear any pluses/minuses/gotchas, if you have them.

After 22 games of Battlestar Galactica (15 of which have resulted in Cylon victories, but the last three games have all seen the humans come out on top), it's time for a change. For the next gaming excursion, I propose to run a game of Race for the Galaxy. This is a card game, where each player is trying to build up a layout (representing a space empire) that will earn them the most victory points. Obviously, being a card game, there's a fair amount of luck involved; but there's also wide scope for meaningful decision-making, and multiple viable strategies. (It is one of my favourite games; Biyi and I have probably played it more than any other game.)

As with BSG, I recommend buying a copy of Race for the Galaxy, simply because it's a great game; but for play in this thread, you won't need to own a copy. I will take care of all the game records and updates, while there is a reference database online that shows every card in the game: [link] I think that will be a useful resource for running a game online, and expect to make heavy use of it. (Plus, a lot of the artwork is quite good.)

I assume most players will be novices, and there'll be a lot of support. First, the game itself defines four preset starting hands, so each player can be assured that they'll have at least a couple of reasonable directions they can start in. Second, I'll be reasonably active in helping explain what each card does and such like, and will of course be happy to answer questions.

We curently have one player signed up, namely chrismg. The base game supports up to four players, so we have three more slots. Who else would like to give Race for the Galaxy a whirl?

I'll give it a whirl.

I've enjoyed the couple games of Race for the Galaxy I've played, but I think I'll sit this one out. Busy couple months ahead of me.