tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86175346303614222302011-11-27T15:35:33.955-08:00stories, commentary, and news from a tabletop gamerTimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.comBlogger791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-72792792972863873852009-09-01T12:56:00.000-07:002009-09-01T13:28:32.572-07:00

Two years ago, when I first began writing Games on the Table, it was a time in my life when I played lots of board games and spent a ton of time researching games and using Board Game Geek. I did those things because it was possible at that time. I had lots of time to think about tabletop gaming, and I had so many thoughts about games that I finally decided to start writing this blog. My life was

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-12802568201329027132009-07-28T13:18:00.000-07:002009-07-28T13:37:06.796-07:00

Dominion: Intrigue on trialLast week my gaming group sat down at lunch, eagerly anticipating our first play of Dominion: Intrigue (I had played it only once at home with my wife before then). Everyone quickly got busy reading the text on each card as we laid out the randomly chosen set of 10 kingdom cards. There was brief commentary on artwork, questions about specific card rules, and we dove

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-36709830354451947862009-07-16T07:55:00.000-07:002009-07-16T12:27:05.481-07:00

Dominion: Intrigue is now mine. I've sleeved the nearly 500 cards. I've read through most of the manual. Now I just need to play it.This time around, the art seems a smidgen better than the first Dominion set (which seemed weak artistically to me). Franz Vohwinkel participated in some of the card art this time. It's always a delight to see such excellent artwork as his. Unfortunately, there's

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-19650944698304957182009-07-14T15:54:00.000-07:002009-07-14T15:59:32.975-07:00

You'll notice that I've removed all of the casual game posts I had made. I realized that there were just too many. That's what I was playing, so that's what I was posting about, but I realized it was starting to go against the theme of this very blog.So, to keep things organized properly, I've created a new blog.If you are interested in casual computer games, head over to my new blog: A Game For

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-24218026756441101852009-07-08T11:08:00.000-07:002009-07-08T16:06:00.210-07:00

Today marks my 9-year wedding anniversary, and my wife continues to be the woman of my dreams. "The Queen" is my nickname for her, and she is still my royal treasure after 9 easy years of marriage bliss. In honor of my dear wife, I'm going to highlight her favorite games today. So, if you're interested in wife games, you might want to pay attention!My wife's top pick:Race for the GalaxyImage by

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-38512847989096496842009-07-03T23:59:00.000-07:002009-07-10T11:06:25.694-07:00

I'm on vacation this week. Every year at this time we spend a week with my wife's family for the 4th of July. Vacation time means gaming time.Games ON the tableSo far, only one game has been played, and that game is Dominion. I introduced the game to my brother-in-law on Monday, and that's all he's wanted to play since (and I'm not arguing). So far, we've logged 11 plays of Dominion. Our 7th play

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-72636984863236235432009-06-23T11:53:00.001-07:002009-07-10T11:06:06.850-07:00

(This is written for those who know the game Dominion - otherwise it will probably just sound confusing.)I've played Dominion a lot of times now - 20-something in person, and a bunch on BrettSpielWelt. So much of the time, players (including me) have thought the Remodel card to not be a whole lot of use, but yesterday one of the players put it to good use.Early in the game, he drew a Thief. I

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-13296698898861555472009-06-20T11:08:00.000-07:002009-07-10T11:03:53.183-07:00

My boardgaming newsRight now, I have a board game order in with Boards & Bits which includes the expansion for Dominion. Dominion continues to be the game I want to play all the time. I'm really looking forward to this expansion. It can only make the game better. My friend also ordered Red November on this order, which I have wanted to try without buying, so now's my chance. Anyone else excited

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-16195360470027447542009-06-10T06:42:00.000-07:002009-06-10T06:50:49.898-07:00

Here it is at last - a brief overview of Race for the Galaxy, as was requested. Yes, there are some details I left out, but I mentioned all of the features that I think are important for deciding if the mechanics are interesting to you. Race for the Galaxy is a difficult game to learn, but once you have played 3-5 games, you'll become comfortable with it, I think.This is the last brief overview

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-83594414787706436492009-04-29T07:53:00.000-07:002009-04-29T08:16:57.052-07:00

Today I am writing for the purpose of recording all of my gaming updates in one shot. My time for writing only continues to diminish as my family requires more of my time and attention. Thank you for continuing to follow Games on the Table when I manage to get something posted.Stolen penguins!During the Christmas break, I had accidentally left my copy of Hey! That's My Fish! in the staff break

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-83433191183277349542009-03-06T15:26:00.000-08:002009-03-06T15:43:42.638-08:00

According to the poll I ran on this blog, most readers are boardgamers. This got me to thinking.Roleplaying, to me, is one of the most creative, well-rounded, and engaging forms of gaming. I'm surprised more people don't do it.So, I'm posting today to give you an opportunity for some feedback. Please leave a response in the comments. Here's the question:"Why don't you play tabletop RPGs?"If you

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-26726045323256995392009-02-21T12:29:00.000-08:002009-02-21T12:57:29.178-08:00

I really wish there were more people in the roleplaying hobby. Folks may have any number of reasons for not getting involved in roleplaying, for instance:they don't know such a thing even existsthey've heard stories about roleplaying which give the hobby a negative reputationthey don't have time to get involved in another time-consuming hobbythey feel that they lack the skills or imagination

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-57085880363706803012009-02-14T22:48:00.000-08:002009-02-14T23:05:46.252-08:00

I was searching the Net the other day for some Spirit of the Century (SotC) actual play for a friend of mine who plays in my regular group. He was looking for some well-done audio. Good news: I found some.A simple Google search brought me to a page on archive.org which houses an ample supply of SotC actual play audio recordings. Some are scenes, some are full adventures. They're pretty much all

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-23617799689120000802009-02-05T13:30:00.000-08:002009-02-05T13:40:02.312-08:00

This week, the Games on the Table News Dept has some topics of interest for you.The new Geek in townDon't you enjoy those times when your life is energized by the anticipation of something good? So do I. And right now, I'm really looking forward to a treat that's coming down the pipeline for roleplayers: RPG Geek.When it comes to board gaming, BoardGameGeek is the ultimate one-stop website on the

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-55310310485303322692008-12-25T19:48:00.000-08:002008-12-25T19:54:14.807-08:00

This time around, I'm giving you the opportunity to send in feedback. I know a lot of people appreciate the brief overview video series I've been doing. What I want to know is - what games would you like to see in my brief overview format?If you would like to request something, take a look at my stash over at BGG and comment on this post to make your request!Because of other projects in my life,

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-7394469781070216652008-12-11T12:32:00.000-08:002008-12-11T13:47:33.281-08:00

Today we hear from the Games on the Table Psychology Dept once again.The issue at hand: gaming maturity.A human begins as a few cells. He grows into a fetus, then into an infant, then into a toddler, a preschooler, a school kid, a teen, an adult, a mature adult, an old timer.Other things have a process of maturation as well, including gamers. Today, we'll look at some of the fascinating things

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-27816360240411252632008-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:002008-10-28T08:30:59.242-07:00

Out of several roleplaying sessions, you're likely to have one or two stand-out, highlight sessions. Yesterday was such a day for our group.The PCs have been attacked numerous times during this adventure. Each time, the attack is performed by covert and unseen enemies. There has been no clue as to who is after them, or why. Until recently....After a mid-night onslaught against the PCs, in their

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-56186191522608798952008-09-16T07:55:00.000-07:002008-09-16T08:12:50.472-07:00

I realize that I haven't posted for a while. The reason for this is that I only have so many time slots where I can write for Games on the Table.One fact you may or may not know is that I am a composer. Lately, I've had so much music to compose that I've had less time to devote to Games on the Table. If you are a listener to the podcast The Dice Tower, you will know that I just finished the new

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-80439011030024218562008-08-23T21:03:00.000-07:002009-04-29T08:04:17.985-07:00

Here you go: episode 8 in my Brief Overview series. This was probably the most difficult game to briefly explain to date. The game is easy to play, easy to teach, and easy for noobs to pick up, but trying to do this video was just more difficult than usual for some reason. I think it worked out well in the end. Enjoy!

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-35973597424944130782008-08-23T21:00:00.000-07:002008-08-23T21:00:01.680-07:00

You may remember, a few weeks ago I wrote a post called "I ordered these?"I am pleased to announce that my group's game order finally arrived. We placed the order with Boards & Bits on May 15th, and the order arrived on August 1st, two and a half months later.This time around, one guy picked up a copy of Cartagena II, and another guy picked up Thurn and Taxis: Power and Glory, R-Eco, and

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-26188848387295381862008-08-05T07:38:00.000-07:002008-08-07T11:45:34.112-07:00

Thanks to BGG user daveroswell, I have a new name for this interview series: "Geek at the Table". It seems like a fitting name, so I'll stick with that. Thanks for your input, Dave!This is now the second interview in the series. This time, we speak with the man whose avatar inspires the adventure fan in all of us: Isamoor. (All of my words are in bold text.)When did you become a board game geek

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-64465006618314116862008-07-28T08:12:00.000-07:002008-07-28T08:16:52.620-07:00

This is the first in a new series of interviews you will only find here at Games on the Table. I got to thinking: most interviews you read involve well-known people like game designers and publishers and the like. But I realized that the average game geek is typically just as interesting, or more so. So I've decided to bring you exclusive interviews with common members of the Board Game Geek

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-19457457026843968662008-07-21T06:03:00.000-07:002008-07-21T09:18:36.938-07:00

It's been a few months, but I finally got around to finishing another episode in my Brief Overview series! This time around, thanks to a request on BGG, we're taking a look at one of my favorite games, Coloretto, by Michael Schacht. Brief Overview series Ep. 7: ColorettoYou will notice that I've added a little theme music. Let me briefly explain. Long ago, my friend Jack and I were preparing

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-56231842262821756252008-07-10T07:54:00.000-07:002008-07-10T07:58:09.529-07:00

Today, I'm writing to support my like-minded gamers over at Pulp Gamer. Here's a quote from their About page:Pulp Gamer has been putting the microphone to use since July of 2005 to promote non-electronic games, such as board games, card games, and roleplaying games. We believe in the friendships forged around the game table, the skill set our children quickly acquire from gaming, and the joy we

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-66152634877262518872008-06-27T08:57:00.000-07:002008-06-27T09:11:22.751-07:00

I've discovered a duality in myself. I like dice, and I don't like dice.I'm a board gamer who is hesitant to play games where randomness or luck play a large part in determining the winner of the game. Why is this? Because most games take about an hour to play. If I'm going to sit at a table, believing that I'm contributing to my position by my own decisions, I don't want to find out after an

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-71308920983077692072008-06-12T08:00:00.000-07:002008-06-13T07:37:54.122-07:00

In the past, I have made it clear that I prefer buying board games online. There are very few FLGS's where I live - they've all pretty much shut down. Although I would still probably never walk into a FLGS and lay down the cash for a board game, I have recently been required to confront the downside of ordering online.I was organizing a game order for my group, as I tend to do every couple of

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-33588072185300421972008-05-21T14:19:00.000-07:002008-05-23T08:25:53.500-07:00

One thing I've discovered in my few short years as a gaming hobbyist is that the boardgaming table is a great place to watch various fascinating aspects of human psychology manifest themselves. So, today, from the Psychology Department here at Games on the Table, I offer some feedback regarding a common gaming phenomenon which our well-trained staff has termed "The Gripe 'N Win".I'm sure you've

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-3042675650500314122008-05-12T08:00:00.000-07:002008-05-12T13:26:38.884-07:00

This is part three in the actual play report from the Faery's Tale game I'm running for my wife. Last time, Liza and Cherry had exited the underground tunnel and once again picked up on the trail left by Markle in the dirt.Having located Markle's trail, Liza races ahead, certain that she can catch him up - he's toting a large bag after all - fatigue has to set in sometime.After running for

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-41787706186279323522008-05-07T08:00:00.000-07:002008-05-07T08:09:57.106-07:00

This is the actual play report from the second session of Faery's Tale which I have been running for my wife. Last time, we saw Bwok, the great horned owl, admonishing Liza and her pixie friend, Cherry, to hurry on their way if they intend to catch Markle, the blacksmith brownie.Seeing the need for swift action, Liza - a lover of birds - asks Bwok if he is willing to carry her on his back and fly

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-57765349464079207532008-04-28T08:10:00.000-07:002008-04-28T09:16:58.028-07:00

I recently reviewed Faery's Tale, an RPG geared toward the young and/or light-hearted roleplayer. For the last couple weeks, I've been running an adventure for my wife. Certainly, running an RPG for a single player is not the ideal situation for a GM, but this was the only way I could test the system, and I really don't mind it at all - it's gaming, and therefore, it's fun. The only other people

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-74362485402217844442008-04-17T20:15:00.000-07:002008-08-26T08:47:01.033-07:00

This year I came to the conclusion that when it comes to RPGs, I prefer rules-light systems. A few weeks ago, during my RPG-related web surfing, I stumbled upon the game Faery's Tale.Production: Firefly GamesPublisher: Green Ronin PublishingAuthors: Patrick Sweeney, Sandy Antunes, Christina Stiles, and Robin D. LawsArtists: Janet Chui, Patricia Ann Lewis-MacDougall and Jennifer MeyerThere were a

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-23432728518076467852008-04-04T13:01:00.000-07:002008-07-21T09:18:49.644-07:00

I finally finished the next request on the list: Wyatt Earp.

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-36896114028132472342008-03-04T08:00:00.000-08:002008-03-04T08:19:29.652-08:00

A few years ago, when Wizkids' Pirates CSG was new, and the Crimson Coast set had just been released, I happened to discover the game while walking out of Target. My love of the pirate theme instantly had me giddy over the game. I looked the game up online, viewed the flash tutorial, and before 2 days had passed, I had stopped by Toys R Us to pick up my first two booster packs. Little did I know

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-46680691169413117832008-02-12T10:21:00.000-08:002008-02-12T10:24:21.827-08:00

Here is the 5th entry in my Brief Overview series. Thanks to everyone on BGG who has commented and added requests. Brief Overview series Ep. 5: Fairy Tale

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-68241486649504929112008-02-07T12:48:00.000-08:002008-02-07T13:20:35.019-08:00

I never thought I'd want to play any setting other than fantasy. The fantasy theme is what first made roleplaying attractive to me. I'm a huge fan of fantasy and I thought I'd never want to try any other option. But alas, I play with a group who wanted to test the waters of pulp. Pulp is still a somewhat nebulous genre in my brain. The SotC book highlights many examples, and I've kind of got the

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-76689956386347804602008-01-30T07:56:00.000-08:002008-07-21T09:19:12.538-07:00

This is episode 4 in my brief overview series. Thanks to everyone who has sent me comments on BGG and YouTube. You wanted more, so here you go. This time I look at Taluva. Someone recommended I post my videos on Vimeo instead of YouTube, so I'm trying that this time around. Enjoy! Brief Overview Series Ep. 4: Taluva

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-59875206316927474162008-01-19T18:31:00.001-08:002008-01-26T08:26:56.866-08:00

My good friend Jack recently blessed me with his kindness. For Christmas, he went the extra mile and acquired for me a copy of a game I've been eying for a long, long time: Copper Kettle Company, commonly known as Kupferkessel Co. Kupferkessel Co is a game which has no English version, so it is hard to find in the US. Only one or two online sellers ever carry this game, one of them being Fair

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-51829412921121564512008-01-14T09:41:00.000-08:002008-01-14T12:53:16.709-08:00

My primary gaming partner is my wife - she loves playing games. So, just before the new year, she had a clever idea:"In January, we should try to play through our whole collection of board games alphabetically."This sounded great to me because I like the idea of every game in the collection getting played. Our standard system of choosing a game is to allow the loser to choose the next game. But

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-84011846264745432402008-01-05T11:51:00.000-08:002008-01-14T13:36:32.357-08:00

If you've been following board gaming for the last year or two, you have certainly heard the word "Caylus" from time to time. And if you were paying attention during last year's Essen fair, you could not have missed all the talk about Pillars of the Earth. And, if you listened carefully enough, you would have heard one or more comparisons between Caylus and Pillars of the Earth. Then, in 2007,

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-51367788363457512082008-01-01T22:04:00.000-08:002008-01-02T08:07:13.075-08:00

A few weeks ago, in the Hot Deals forum on BGG, there was some discussion about the closing of The Game Castle - a FLGS in Anaheim, California. They were selling almost everything for 75% off. I noticed this announcement pretty early and informed my friend, AC, who you will recognize as one of the players in my roleplaying group. AC is a very serious RPer, but is also into every other kind of

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-1129382708806207572007-12-24T10:52:00.001-08:002008-07-21T09:19:29.075-07:00

This is the third entry in my brief overview series in which I attempt to show you the basics of a board game to help you decide if it's worth a purchase. For people like me, images are worth a thousand words - hopefully this benefits you as well.

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-56461296565948902332007-12-21T14:52:00.000-08:002009-09-25T10:48:20.479-07:00

It was our last day of work before Christ's Mass vacation, and it was a Friday (roleplaying day), so we filed into the conference room for one last session before the new year.Last session, the party had finally defeated the monstrous spider after a long and tense battle. Today, they began by resting up. Leo and Elros had sustained some minor injuries, which Rwake was determined to heal. Pulling

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-14405530411409842412007-12-17T08:00:00.000-08:002009-09-25T10:48:42.562-07:00

We had taken last week off on account of my wife giving birth to a new baby. But this week, I arrived back at work, ready to dive back into Hightower Tor at the Friday lunch game table. This week, it was our muscled jungle master who started off the scene - still fighting the monstrous spider. As you may remember from last time, the spider has been ignited with flames all across its hard and

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-58356114161606398632007-12-13T13:43:00.000-08:002007-12-13T13:57:55.562-08:00

Many of you may have visited BoardGamePrices.com before, but, like me, you may not have known about a sweet little feature called Shopping List.This feature was brought to my attention by Thomas, who runs BoardGamePrices.com. So, big thanks to him for this tip.If you plan to do large game orders, you will find the Shopping List very useful. Here's how it works:Look up a game on

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-60538781757265174422007-12-12T10:28:00.000-08:002007-12-12T10:48:56.993-08:00

Several weeks ago, I did a 2-part Buyer's Guide series on the cheapest places to buy board games online. My personal award for the ultimate online game store went to Boards and Bits.Just this week, I happened to stop by Boards and Bits to look for something and noticed they had changed their shipping policy. You can read it on their front page, and you'll notice a different shipping logo at the

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-85497995447921082572007-11-30T15:52:00.000-08:002009-09-25T10:49:06.974-07:00

After skipping one week, we were back around the table, continuing the deadly battle against the monstrous spider, deep in the underground passages of Hightower tor.When last we saw Leo, he was on the ground, having been thrown from the spider's back. Now, he sat up, noted the spider's shaggy back and quickly devised a plan. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a phial of sticky potion and

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-14499814356732069112007-11-28T14:02:00.000-08:002007-11-30T15:21:28.559-08:00

A few weeks ago, when I first acquired the game Thebes, I wrote a post called "Thebes: What's in the box?". In that post, I mentioned what a beautiful game it is and briefly mentioned that my wife and I enjoyed playing it after a couple plays.Today, I am going to tell you my impressions after 6 plays. 4 plays have been 2-player, 2 plays have been 3-player. If you are like me, you want to know

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-90932549741261139132007-11-23T08:28:00.000-08:002007-11-23T15:07:08.120-08:00

For Thanksgiving, I took my family over to spend the day at my sister's house with a bunch of family. Once we had settled down and there seemed to be enough people sitting around, I asked if anyone wanted to play a game. No one seemed all that eager at the time except for my brother-in-law. So, I decided it would be fun to teach him San Juan in a 2-player setting.We sat down and I began

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-10725390356378603792007-11-19T09:18:00.000-08:002007-11-19T16:43:25.313-08:00

I have been a game teacher and game group organizer for a couple years now. It all began when I visited a FLGS which carried a stock of designer board games. At that time, the only designer game I owned was The Settlers of Catan, as did a handful of other people I knew. I had no idea how huge the board gaming world really was, but I very much enjoyed playing board games or card games whenever I

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-21616181940102768852007-11-14T08:20:00.000-08:002007-11-14T09:25:50.664-08:00

I have tested various podcasts in my life, and have bailed on many. There are lots of fair podcasts out there, but few great ones. After trying out a number of podcasts about my interests, there are only three that I continue to listen to regularly. These three podcasts are worth the time because they always offer something new, they offer information that will benefit me as a gamer, and they are

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-24373920172842239242007-11-09T15:55:00.000-08:002009-09-25T10:49:27.867-07:00

After a few weeks off, the whole team was back together to pick up our adventure through Hightower tor. This week, it was Leo's turn to start us off.Leo, pleased with his new sword, attempted to hack at the nearest spider leg he could get to. I approved the use of his Fists skill for this attempt. His Fists skill (+2), a +1 roll, and a -1 (supplemental action to get up and run at the leg) gave

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-75696208695962831582007-11-09T09:45:00.000-08:002009-02-14T22:46:37.880-08:00

On the Fate Yahoo group, some GMs have posted links to actual play reports. "Actual play" means they are recording sessions of actual gameplay, the way I record them here on Games on the Table. Some are in text form, some are in audio form.Someone recently posted a thorough actual play thread for Spirit of the Century on RPG.net. The campaign is called The Empire City Centurions. Read it here.I

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-83369345298069987572007-11-05T09:13:00.000-08:002008-07-21T09:19:54.566-07:00

I'm posting a bit earlier than normal this week.Today, I posted the second video in my "brief overview" series. In these videos I explain the basic workings and features of the game to give viewers an idea of whether or not they would like to purchase the game, or just to familiarize players with the game before their first play. The first video in the series was for the game Oltre Mare. Watch

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-7171328009312558682007-10-31T15:18:00.000-07:002007-11-02T12:56:37.990-07:00

After posting a link to my original Board Game Buyer's Guide, I received much useful feedback from gamers on the BGG forums. Some notes from that thread have been added to my original post, and I will deal with the rest here. To see which games were tested, and the results of the first post, go to the Board Game Buyer's Guide - Part 1.It was desired by some people that I take a look at more

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-50884959717119792352007-10-23T05:03:00.000-07:002007-10-24T08:00:45.885-07:00

I have done lots of research on BGG and elsewhere since I got into the board gaming hobby a few years ago. I think what drives me is the belief that maybe, some day, I'll find the perfect game for me. Perhaps there is some game I would deem worthy of a 10. I have yet to find the perfect game, but that doesn't matter because I just love gaming. There are some really crummy games out there, but the

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-81025778051772806512007-10-19T09:05:00.000-07:002007-10-24T05:54:33.639-07:00

Normally, on Fridays, my roleplaying group has a Fate session and I write up the report on the weekend. This week, two of our players were out, so instead, you get a board gaming article.There are two kinds of board gamers: those who like playing computerized versions of board games, and those who don't. I personally like playing computer versions of board games. Sure, I don't like it as much as

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-53633618193483094022007-10-15T11:44:00.000-07:002007-10-16T20:25:39.984-07:00

I recently acquired a couple new games, one of them being Thebes. I have been looking forward to playing this game for a long time. I debated the purchase for several months and finally decided to give it a try. I have not been disappointed.So, one thing you might wonder is: "How big is the box?" Take a look below.The box is big. It's long and thicker (up and down) than a TTR box, but not as wide

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-62672501426703833832007-10-13T08:13:00.001-07:002009-09-25T10:49:52.615-07:00

With pockets full of gold pebbles, the party left the zombie's burial chamber behind, heading down another narrow hallway they had passed earlier.Rwake crept cautiously down the hall, torch in hand. Elros and Leo followed closely behind, ready for anything. At the end of the hall, Rwake held up a hand for the others to stop. They had come to a new room. Through the doorway, they could see the

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-73363068384045112182007-10-09T10:09:00.000-07:002007-10-15T13:37:45.262-07:00

I have ordered a lot of board games in the last couple years. I personally don't spend time in “friendly local game stores” (FLGS) because there are none in my area, and because I wouldn't have time to hang out there anyway. So I order all my games online. Most sites reward large orders, so here's how my gaming group does it:At any point in time, I accept requests from the people in my gaming

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-45375063719670812382007-10-07T18:52:00.001-07:002009-09-25T10:50:12.625-07:00

At the beginning of this session, we were reminded of what a step it can be to transition from the very freeform Fate 2e to the more defined and detailed Fate 3.0. We began by taking several minutes to discuss the difference between declaring aspects and guessing aspects. Declaring involves a knowledge skill and requires no time (which distinguishes it from making assessments). Guessing aspects

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-69049417988183275072007-10-01T14:02:00.000-07:002007-10-03T09:57:35.928-07:00

One of the guys in our gaming group at work has a collection of games from the Cheapass company. These games tend to be inexpensive, with minimal components. The point is to have a cheap game to which you add your own bits.Once such game I recently played with a couple guys was Spree!When I have the chance, I like to write about these games you are less likely to have played, just so you can see

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-76170551949882915362007-09-28T16:26:00.000-07:002009-09-25T10:50:25.214-07:00

Having dispatched the noggits in the rain-dripping room, the party searched the next hallway. At the end of this hallway was another dark, dusty room. Rwake stepped in first to examine the room. Hidden among the dust were tiny sparkles of gold, strewn all about the floor. In the center of the room was a large stone table - the resting place of an ancient dagwir (big beastly humanoid) knight.

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-47639292542703420522007-09-26T09:09:00.000-07:002007-09-26T12:01:14.294-07:00

Over the weekend, my wife and I found time to fit in one game of Lost Valley.Both of us have a preference for games where you can work on your own position to a large degree - especially my wife. Lost Valley is not this type of game; one of the primary strategies for doing well is in taking advantage of other people's work. But when we play together, we try to play so that each of us stays on our

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-4407949290173236432007-09-21T13:55:00.000-07:002009-09-25T10:50:45.644-07:00

Another Friday, and another session of Fate. This week our goal was to finish this scene in which the PCs have been battling two noggit raiders.When we left off last week, Leo had tripped and subdued the enemy we've been calling Noggit A. I spoke online with some other Fate GMs and they told me this block action (reactive tripping) really isn't allowed in the rules. Since I didn't want to look it

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-79871588488576003532007-09-20T13:58:00.000-07:002007-09-20T16:34:45.510-07:00

Today, Jack and I got together for a 45 minute game of Maelstrom during lunch. This typically isn't enough time to finish a whole game, in my experience. But we went at it anyway and had a great time playing.For those of you who are familiar with Maelstrom (aka Vortex), we've been using 15-tile forces. The reason for this is that we thought it would make for shorter games. I still haven't tested

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-67035089935163843692007-09-19T15:07:00.000-07:002007-09-20T08:44:07.522-07:00

Today, we had 5 people show up for BG Wednesday. This tends to be an awkward number because our preference is to split into smaller groups. This week the games which were voted for were Masons and Camelot Legends. No one had any good 5-player games, so we did a 2-3 split. The guy who owns Camelot Legends accidentally forgot to bring it, so three people ended up playing Spree, while Jack and I

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-39070256770694110452007-09-18T09:45:00.000-07:002007-09-18T10:55:11.588-07:00

In my time as a game collector and game teacher, there is one game that has gained the most popularity among players. Since teaching this game to various groups, four people have purchased the game, and others have purchased the game through those people. Still others have said, “I'd definitely buy this game” or “I need to get this game.”The game is the 2004 Spiel des Jahres winner: Ticket to

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-34317867091318979322007-09-14T17:53:00.000-07:002009-09-25T10:51:03.499-07:00

Picking up from last week, it was Leo's turn. The PCs were still engaged in combat against two noggit tomb raiders. Last session, Noggit A had thrown the magical glowing orb down the hall to extinguish all remaining light.Leo quickly pulled out some random shards of metal from his pockets and launched them at Noggit A. Since it was dark, I made a quick decision to add a -1 to Leo's attack roll.

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-64670318183481132312007-09-12T16:46:00.000-07:002007-09-13T06:23:50.671-07:00

A few days ago, Portobello Market , a board game designed by Thomas Odenhoven, was finally made available for purchase at online U.S. game stores. This game was released in February of 2007, published by Schmidt Spiele for the European crowd. The game caught the eye of Playroom Entertainment who published it state-side this summer. I have been watching and researching this game for a few months,

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-23587546551015603872007-09-12T13:10:00.000-07:002007-09-13T06:10:54.317-07:00

Today only 4 players showed up. This low number of players has been the case for a few weeks. I work at a university. At the end of the last semester, we had 8-9 regular attendees for each BG Wednesday. Since then we've had one person leave, other players' schedules have kept them from playing with us, and it has been a busy several weeks.So, despite three games being voted for this week, only

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-32303617087362401612007-09-11T08:43:00.000-07:002007-09-17T05:30:15.670-07:00

To Court the King, by Thomas Lehmann, was a game I was eyeing on BGG for a long time. The two features that attracted me were:1. Sweet, high-quality art2. Character roles with abilitiesThose features will cause me to consider almost any game. The image that had the biggest draw for me was the Sorcerer with his long white hair and beard, green robe, and high-backed chair. He's holding his staff

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-15278599588618355172007-09-08T17:00:00.000-07:002009-09-25T10:51:23.167-07:00

Yesterday, we had our third session in our current Fate adventure through the tor called Hightower.Last session we had ended having just engaged in a skirmish against two noggit raiders. Equipped with shortswords and javelins, these noggits had charged the PCs. Rwake and Elros were on tables, and Leo was about to take action. This is where yesterday's session began. As a reminder, Leo had an

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-59325852264267547872007-09-06T13:01:00.000-07:002007-09-13T06:09:35.251-07:00

Today, my good friend Jack and I sat down for a lunchtime session. When we get together for 2-player sessions, we trade off who picks the game. Today, I picked Jambo. This was a learning session for Jack, so I gave him the manual to read beforehand, as is his preference.Not surprisingly, Jack came into the game like a pro. He was throwing down cards like he owned the game.The highlight of this

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-26552924510283326432007-09-05T15:15:00.000-07:002007-09-13T13:43:09.173-07:00

As I've mentioned before, my coworkers and I have an organized session every Wednesday which we call BG Wednesday. People can vote, there is a ladder of successful plays per vote, records of wins, session logs, etc. My buddy Jack and I organize it.Today, I had voted to play Pillars of the Earth (would have been my second play), and Jack voted for Carcassonne, his favorite game of all time (and

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-25644488647105815612007-09-04T15:16:00.000-07:002008-07-21T09:20:41.355-07:00

A few months ago, I acquired a new boardgame called Oltre Mare. “Oltre Mare” is a term that means something like “over the sea” in Italian. Each player plays a merchant on the Mediterranean sea , buying and trading wares. You will also have to avoid pirates, and carefully manage your inventory.After learning the game and playing a few times with my wife, I was ready to introduce it to my gaming

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-43355093322480710432007-08-31T21:04:00.000-07:002009-09-25T10:51:45.814-07:00

This is my second post about the roleplaying adventure I'm currently running, entitled "A Dark and Stormy Knight". Today was our second session of actual play. Prior to last week's session, we had our introductory session, which is a big part of the Fate system. During this first session, players share their character background in phases. If they want to, they can tie their stories together, and

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-34985118961262398912007-08-30T09:44:00.000-07:002009-09-25T10:51:58.909-07:00

I recently began GMing a new adventure for three buddies at work. We play at lunch each Friday. We've been creating a fantasy world as we've played. This world is called Dremnia. In our first adventure, I GMed as the players traveled from Verrath to Reicalis - two kingdoms on the eastern side of the continent. In our second adventure I played a character as the GM led us through the secret

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-41374986168718776632007-08-29T20:13:00.000-07:002007-09-13T06:14:30.672-07:00

Today I had a chance to play Treasures & Traps with three buddies during our Boardgame Wednesday session. These sessions occur once a week during the lunch hour at work. I'll write more about Boardgame Wednesday in a later post. Today's post assumes you are familiar with the game. If you have not yet played the game, you should pick it up at Thoughthammer. If you would like to learn about the

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8617534630361422230.post-49453905991927471012007-08-29T12:03:00.000-07:002009-07-29T16:12:24.589-07:00

Tabletop gaming is one of the greatest ways to enjoy time with family and friends. Games on the Table is about my experience and thoughts regarding the hobbies of boardgaming and pen-and-paper roleplaying.The boardgames I play are mostly "eurogames". You can learn everything about boardgames at BoardGameGeek.com - the most comprehensive boardgaming database and information site on the Internet.My

TimothyPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800922289783358161noreply@blogger.com