Tag Archives: ENT

Epées & Sorcellerie: TWOTW session 2

3 Replies

Although 3 of my regular players couldn’t make it today, I decided to push on with the E&S game to help while away the afternoon.

After witnessing Visimar, Psatan and Deroth legging it out of the decrepit chapel, Akuma, a thieving ex-militiaman, joined Oxonfrey in the crypt. After making a ghastly discovery in a locked casket (a dead ringer of her ladyship with a wet doll), they too did a runner! Exploring the old farmhouse was surely a better idea…

They decided to extinguish their torches and sneak in, but found it was rather dark inside. The house was all shuttered up and there was only a smouldering hearth to light their way. It didn’t take too long before they sensed that they weren’t alone. There were creatures in the walls, under the floorboards and in the shadows. Nasty little hairless rats with almost human faces. Akuma managed to skewer two of them with his crossbow. Oxonfrey decided to roast one at point blank range with his elemental force but the rat-thing got the better of him, biting his leg, his finger and then slashing his wrist causing him to pass out in a pool of blood. As it gloated, Akuma got a bead on the rat-thing so that when it turned on him, he managed to fire a bolt right through its shrivelled skin. Ooh-ya!

Thankfully Akuma is a civilized sort, and was able to apply his learned mind to saving Oxonfrey’s life. Maybe there is honour amongst thieves after all…

Epées & Sorcellerie rides again

Leave a reply

Due to some of my regular RPG group being off on hols, we decided to leave the post-apocalyptic wastes behind and venture back in to the world of sword & sorcery with a session or two of Epees & Sorcellerie.

We met a lovely motley crew of adventurers in the previous session… a worn-out knight, a disgraced cleric, a light-fingered sorcerer and a mortician with heretical leanings. They’re surely on the righteous path to gold & glory… I introduced Origins from E&S2 to add a little extra flavour. Two of the party plumped for Decadent – no points for guessing which!

I shan’t go in to any detail of the adventure at this point as it’s still on-the-go at the mo, but suffice to say I think we all enjoyed session 1 and I’ve got plenty in the goody bag for next time.

I think my favourite thing about GMing is seeing NPCs and PCs come alive when they engage with each other. And having a good laugh when player’s plans go awry of course! More on that later…

Boardgames: Small World

Leave a reply

Small World
I played Small World for the first time at ENT on Sunday. Once I’d got over the whopping great player handout describing the plethora of race and ability options, we got stuck into a game and I’m delighted to say I ENJOYED IT!

Small World has a fun fantasy theme; dynamic gameplay due to the short-lived empires; but with lots of potential replayability because of the random race + characteristic splicing. And just enough strategy to make it interesting without hurting my brain. #wouldplayagain

I played 3 empires in all. I had first choice so I just had to go for Beserk Sorcerors because… Beserk Sorcerors! This allowed me to reinforce my troops before each conquest attempt and also turn lone opposing armies to the dark side. It seemed like a good way to get things going.

Once the Beserk Sorcerors had done all the good work that they could, I continued the game with the Hill Tritons. They were good at attacking coastal regions and gained extra cash for conquering hills. Not the most logical of combinations but it was fun to try an unusual combo in a different part of the gameworld.

It didn’t take long until there was just enough time to try one more race before game end. I plumped for a variation on an old favourite – Dragonmaster Sorcerors! Who wouldn’t? They allowed me to crush a Troll Lair with my dragon and then go on a sorcerous rampage through a swathe of opposing territories. Huzzah!

Even though I didn’t end up winning, the other players got their pitchforks out to give me a poking, which never fails to amuse me!

I’d recommend Small World to anyone who’d like a light-hearted strategy game set in a gonzo fantasy world. I reckon it’d probably be good for 3-5 players.

ENT Pandemic Party

Leave a reply

At East Neuk Tabletop Games this Sunday it’s a special “Pandemic Party” event to help raise funds for Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to help fight Ebola.

Alongside games of Pandemic – The Board Game we’ll have many others to pick up and play. We’ll also have special promo cards to give away for Sentinel Tactics.

So come along and join us for an afternoon of tabletop gaming at Dreel Halls (in the upper hall). The fun starts at 1pm and runs til 5pm, so we have lots of time to play!

Here’s a Google Maps link if you need help finding us: http://bit.ly/ENTMap

Golden Axe 2014: My top 3

Leave a reply

After much fun-packed deliberation here are my top 3 gaming picks of the year. I’ve highlighted the features that make them good games for me…

citadels

1st place: Citadels

A card game that lets you choose different roles on each turn that each have different ways that they can influence play. This helps keep the game fresh and leaves room for strategy without being too heavy.

shinobi-wat-aah

2nd place: Shinobi Wat-Aah!

The first thing that grabbed me about this game was the fantastic character artwork. But don’t be deceived… under the surface lies a game of power struggles and backstabbing. Each ninja clan has a peculiar power and you can have several under your control. So there’s many ways to victory but none of them honourable!

 

munchkin-deluxe3rd place: Munchkin Deluxe

I think the thing that I love the most about Munchkin is the way that it fosters player interaction, both cooperative and competitive. You can be negotiating an alliance one minute, and the next turn be sticking it to your buddy. But inevitably you’ll need a hand as you fight tougher monsters. The question is… will your fellow players help or hinder you? There’s lots of social to-ing and fro-ing in Munchkin but as it’s all wrapped up in a light-hearted game there’s no hard feelings at the end of the day. Great stuff!

king-of-tokyo

Honourable mention: King of Tokyo

Any game with a kaiju theme is going to catch my eye, but King of Tokyo is the best that I’ve played. It’s simple enough to be a good introductory game but provides good replay value with the sheer variety of cards that you can activate during your rampage.

Well that’s my favourite games of the year. Will any of them win the Golden Axe Award 2014? Only time will tell.

Golden Axe 2014: The Whittling

Leave a reply

I’ve played 30 different tabletop games this year at ENT, so it’s quite a task to decide on my top 3. In order to make things easier I’ve whittled down the list to my top 10. Without further ado… here they are!

braggart

Braggart

It’s hard not to like Braggart. It’s a light-hearted card game of telling tall tales and calling out others for theirs. Simple to play and good for a quick laugh.

cash-n-guns

Ca$h ‘n Guns

You and your fellow gangsters have a great big pile of loot. The question is who gets what? Being gangsters there’s only one way to sort it out and that’s with guns! In the heat of the moment who do you point yours at? Or do you try and save your skin for another deal on another day?

citadels

Citadels

Citadels is an intriguing card game where you can assume the role of a different influential citizen of a medieval city on each turn. Your objective is to establish the most impressive city through building a certain number of districts. The thing is each type of citizen can affect each round of play in different ways. Will you focus on building quickly, ostentatiously or cunningly?

dobble

Dobble

A quick yet surprisingly tricky image matching game. Not one I would’ve rushed to try but it’s actually pretty good fun. Definitely worth a go!

dragon-slayer

Dragon Slayer

As push your luck dice games go this is the best that I’ve tried. You choose which dragon you want to hunt, the harder a dragon is to defeat the more points you get for succeeding. But be wary of your rival dragon slayers – they can challenge you to keep dragonslaying even though the odds might be against you.

formula-d

Formula D

Racing miniature Formula 1 cars around hairpin bends and chicanes is a good laugh with a gang of dangerous drivers. Do you take the corners at speed and risk damaging your dream machine? Just make sure you don’t explode before you reach the finishing line. The game features custom dice that simulate the different gear speeds. Nice touch!

king-of-tokyo

King of Tokyo

Giant monster mayhem on the smallest board known to man! Choose your monster and then go on the rampage. Do you build up your power level to unleash a whole host of special powers, or just go on an all out attack? One one kaiju can be King of Tokyo!

munchkin-deluxe

Munchkin Deluxe

I’ve been aware of Munchkin for a long time but it seemed a little silly so I was never keen to give it a go. More fool me! After watching the Munchkin Tabletop episode I knew I had to play it. Dungeon delving has never been so much fun. It’s not the monsters you need to watch out for though, it’s your buddies!

poo

Poo

Yes it’s puerile, but there’s something rather strangely satisying about a couple of hands of Poo. It’s by no means the most strategic game in the world but if you’re looking for some cheap laughs, it’s worth a shot.

shinobi-wat-aah

Shinobi Wat-Aah!

Lots of opportunities for shenanigans with this ninja themed card game. Do you build your clans, sabotage your opponents or both? The fantastic artwork really helps to set the scene. Includes an optional endgame with the bigboss if you’re up for a little bit more action.

Which games will make my top three of 2014? Watch this space!

Golden Axe Awards 2014

Leave a reply

boardgames

The Year of the Game

It’s been a great year for gaming locally. In the 8 months that East Neuk Tabletop has been in existence we’ve had 13 get-togethers and we’ve collectively played 56 different tabletop games! I think that’s quite a remarkable achievement. Not only that, it’s been great fun!

The Game of the Year

We thought it would be a nice idea to see which game was the most popular this year amongst us all, and bestow upon it ENT’s newly acquired accolade… the GOLDEN AXE AWARD!

So which game shall I choose as my favourite? Of course I’ve not played all 52, which makes things easier, but I’ve had a pretty good crack at it. Here’s a list of everything I’ve played this year at ENT:

BANG! / Braggart / Camel Up / Cards Against Humanity / Ca$h ‘n Guns / Citadels / Cthulhu Fluxx / Dobble / Dragon Slayer / Flash Point: Fire Rescue / Forbidden Desert / Formula D / Get Bit! / Get Lucky / Hey, that’s my fish! / King of Tokyo / Kittens in a Blender / Love Letter / Munchkin Deluxe / Poo / Quarriors / RARRR! / Roborally / Seasons / Sentinels of the Multiverse / Shinobi Wat-Aah! / Snow Tails / The Resistance / Zombicide / Zombies!!!

Quite a formidable selection… However not every game has been right up my street. But I’ve appreciated playing them all as it’s helped me realise what ticks my boxes… boxes that I wasn’t aware that I had until earlier this year. More on that later.

Stay tuned for My Short List…