Mal: There's plenty orders of mine that she didn't obey. Wash: Name one! Mal: She married you!

'War Stories'


Gaming 1: You are likely to be eaten by a grue

A thread for the discussion of games: board, LARP, MMORPG, video, tabletop RPG, game theory etc. etc. and all attendant news, developments and ancillary subjects thereof, as well as coordinating/scheduling games either online or IRL. All are welcome to chime in, talk about their favorite games or learn about gaming of any sort.

PLEASE TO WHITEFONT SPOILERS for video games, RPG modules or anything for which foreknowledge of events might lessen one's enjoyment of whatever gaming experience.


DeathQuaker - Mar 02, 2010 4:31:08 am PST #5881 of 26134
Illigitimi non carborundum

BSG At the risk of repeating myself---What screwed me over, suspicions-wise, was that Investigative Committee that came in shortly after I joined the game. It was a check which Yellow cards counted against. I had really and truly nothing in my hand but Yellow cards at the time. Even before IC was played, I was at the time thinking I should lay low and play nothing (or only spike the deck with one card). With the IC, it was play the Yellow cards and definitely be suspected, or play nothing and only possibly be suspected (which is why I was so frustrated that I did indeed earn the suspicion--by doing the lay-low/helpful thing).

Hindsight being 20/20, I should have played every card in my hand and then revealed on my next turn. The lesson I learned: if you're a Cylon and you're at risk of being suspected, you may as well reveal sooner rather than later. I could have done a lot more once in the Cylon locations.

I was hesitant to because I had some cool abilities (not powerful, but neat and useful) and I wanted to play with the Quorum. I think what's hard for Cylon players to realize that every thing you lose in your human abilities you gain a lot of good abilities as a Cylon.

On Characters Zarek seems to be a good all-around character. In the series, he's actually my least favorite character, go figure. But he's good for being human or Cylon and as Billytea says, makes a strong President... if played competently *whistles*.

The other two characters I've played in face to face games are Roslin and Starbuck, both of whom I've enjoyed and would play again.

Roslin: Her weakness can be a big drawback but you can work with it if you think ahead. She gets Yellow cards, so one trick is early on is to build up your deck by playing Consolidate Power--lose one card for two. The other thing is to go ahead and spend a few cards early game to activate the President's Office a few times (as if she's in the game, she's at least starting as president). Once Roslin gets a good Quorum hand going she can play those as her actions with no need to spend cards out of her hand for awhile, and Quorum abilities tend to be powerful. Even if she spends one card her first turn, she'll end up with three Quorum cards and can use those for her next several cards before needing to activate a location again.

The real trouble with Roslin is that she's crap for taking to Galactica and helping over there, because it essentially costs her two cards instead of one---she's better off playing an XO to get someone on Galactica to do what she wants for her (which is actually pretty in character). On the other hand, if Roslin is a Cylon, running around and activating locations is a good way for her to spend down her hand while appearing to be helpful--and then she'll legitimately have no or few cards to put into crises. But that's still probably the weakest thing you can do with her either way.

Her Religious Visions do have the side effect that if she really does have to choose between a rock and a hard place, yes, she can unfairly build up suspicion quickly. But I think that's a fair tradeoff as, if she is the Cylon, she can really screw the fleet over and quickly. If you're the human, just do your best that on the next crisis, draw the nicest one and use the Quorum to restore resources (many of the Quorum cards do that). The best thing otherwise is to play Roslin--be diplomatic as possible and deflect suspicion from yourself. If Roslin is the Cylon and people are suspecting her, then she should reveal. If her abilities have become drawbacks there's no reason to hold onto them.

Starbuck: Starbuck is tremendous fun to play in piloting with her extra actions (and she's hella fun to roleplay), and she has a fairly flexible hand. She can help in a lot of situations. She can be easily brigged, but if she happens to be the only pilot in the game, then the other players have to be really careful before they decide to brig her because they could shoot themselves in the foot without having Starbuck to defend (continued...)


DeathQuaker - Mar 02, 2010 4:31:09 am PST #5882 of 26134
Illigitimi non carborundum

( continues...) them.

A very bad thing is if you have Starbuck and Tigh in the same game and they're not getting along (although I can't imagine that ever happening), because his strength works against her weakness.


Laga - Mar 02, 2010 8:54:59 am PST #5883 of 26134
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.

BSG

great insight, DQ.

Thanks again for GMing BT. You do a fabulous job. I'm already looking forward to the next game.


Tom Scola - Mar 02, 2010 10:11:34 am PST #5884 of 26134
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.

NSFW: Heavy Rain Glitch Brings Playable, Accidental Nudity


Laga - Mar 02, 2010 10:24:11 am PST #5885 of 26134
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.

That's not a bug, it's a feature.


DeathQuaker - Mar 02, 2010 11:47:49 am PST #5886 of 26134
Illigitimi non carborundum

Thanks, Laga. Yes, BT is amazing to keep this game organized.

Re: Heavy Rain: Yeah, I gotta say if they have the nude model in the game to begin with, that's not an accident.


Kalshane - Mar 02, 2010 1:54:02 pm PST #5887 of 26134
GS: If you had to choose between kicking evil in the head or the behind, which would you choose, and why? Minsc: I'm not sure I understand the question. I have two feet, do I not? You do not take a small plate when the feast of evil welcomes seconds.

Well, reading the article, it seems having the character playable while nude is the glitch. There are apparently nude cutscenes of the character. Still the article title is kind of misleading.

BSG ETA: That sounds like a pretty good guide to playing Roslin, DQ.


Laga - Mar 02, 2010 1:58:23 pm PST #5888 of 26134
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.

I wonder if I'd be better at the game if I'd seen more of the show.


DeathQuaker - Mar 02, 2010 4:41:45 pm PST #5889 of 26134
Illigitimi non carborundum

Thanks, Kalshane.

Laga--not really. I'm still watching the show right now; I played my first game when I'd only seen a few episodes, and I've played with people who've never seen any of the show before.

The board game can spoiler you a little. (Guess who spends half of a season in the Brig because she turns out to be a Cylon?)

You get a little more out of the board game having seen the series, but entirely in the sense of, "Oh, I understand why so-and-so has that power, now." Most of the Crisis Cards are inspired by the plots of given crisis-oriented episodes (but don't show how the episode turned out) and it's fun to go "hey, I remember that one!" But it's not necessary, and in a way, you probably will end up playing more tactically if you're not letting your character's "flavor" get in the way of making the most of what you can do.

The flip side to that though is that it of course can also be fun to "roleplay" up the characters a little more (I actually thought you were a perfectly convincing Boomer, so there we are) if you know who they are--it also eases tension by being able to help differentiate character voice and player voice. Hence the roleplay notes I was making earlier.


Volans - Mar 02, 2010 4:47:07 pm PST #5890 of 26134
move out and draw fire

OTOH, I also think that some of the show rubs off on the game. People I've played with tend to be biased about who they suspect, regardless of in-game evidence. (Nobody ever wants to suspect Adama or Apollo or Helo of being Cylons, for example).

I just realized I have a game called "Deadwood"...and it's nothing like the show.