http://www.thesecretcabal.com A bi-weekly podcast about board games, card games, miniatures and role playing games. Striving Lest Our Company Be Lazy, Cowardly Manure. Fri, 18 May 2012 12:45:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 A bi-weekly podcast about board games, card games, miniatures and role playing games. Striving Lest Our Company Be Lazy, Cowardly Manure. The Secret Cabal Founders no The Secret Cabal Founders admin@thesecretcabal.com admin@thesecretcabal.com (The Secret Cabal Founders) Copyright 2011 The Secret Cabal A bi-weekly podcast about board games, card games, miniatures and role playing games. Striving Lest Our Company Be Lazy, Cowardly Manure. Board Games, Card Games, Miniatures Games, Role Playing Games, RPGs, Gaming, Tabletop Gaming, War games, geek, miniatures, roleplaying http://www.thesecretcabal.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://www.thesecretcabal.com York, PA Bi-Weekly http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/05/15/episode-18-galaxy-trucker-our-gaming-pet-peeves-technolgy-to-enhanced-tabletop-gaming/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/05/15/episode-18-galaxy-trucker-our-gaming-pet-peeves-technolgy-to-enhanced-tabletop-gaming/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 03:24:08 +0000 Brian http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=1089 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/05/15/episode-18-galaxy-trucker-our-gaming-pet-peeves-technolgy-to-enhanced-tabletop-gaming/feed/ 0 In episode 18, the founders break out Galaxy Trucker, the game that was purchased twice for our X-Mas gift sharing, to bring you a walkthrough and review. Tony does his duty and brings us the best of gaming news. In episode 18, the founders break out Galaxy Trucker, the game that was purchased twice for our X-Mas gift sharing, to bring you a walkthrough and review. Tony does his duty and brings us the best of gaming news. Then we follow that up with a lighthearted discussion about our gaming pet peeves. To conclude we give you some insight into how we enhance our gameplay with tech. We discuss phone aps, web sites, and a variety of applications we use daily in our gameplay sessions. Episode Timeline Galaxy Trucker Walkthrough: 00:42 Galaxy Trucker Review: 00:53 Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:10 Gaming Pet Peeves: 01:26 Tech Enhanced Gaming: 01:58 Opening Banter Topics: The founders attended a charity event at Six Feet Under Games in New Holland, PA. The charity was hosted by the Bodhana Group. It was an amazing experience with a very family friendly feel. Chris won a prize, though he wasn't certain what it was at the time of recording. He won a set of painted Carcassonne style meeples. At Six Feet Under Games the first game we played was Lords of Waterdeep. A very awesome guy, James, sat down to play with us and teach us the basics. Thanks to James for making that experience a great one. Overall we were rather impressed about the depth of ameritrash theme over the very intricate euro style game. Chris got a play of Fury of Dracula and had a blast. It was one of those amazing games that comes down to a card flip. The hunters won, Dracula died a gruesome death. The founders also got a play in of Thunderstone Advance. An guy who, forgive us as we don't recall your name, came over and gave us a hand getting things set up and expressed how awesome the first play through of Thunderstone Advance is. We didn't have time to finish it out, but the theme really appealed to everyone. Brian expressed how terrible he is at the game and he's looking forward to picking it up at Origins. Jamie, however, wasn't really impressed since deck builders don't really appeal to him. Chris got a play of Endeavor in, it's a territory control game, with an abstract feel to it. It has some elements of Puerto Rico. Overall he was pretty happy with the gameplay, stating it was a very fast game. It's 7 turns and the learning game took roughly an hour. Final update on the MMA Board Game, it finished with one backer for $45. Brian is nosey and wants to know if the guy that started the project was the one who backed it. Jamie is very excited that the Math Trade for Origins is back on this year. The Submissions List is on Board Game Geek where he posted what he wants to trade. When that's finished, he put into the Wants List software what you want and it matches everyone up and tries to satisfy everyone's gaming trades. Origins Events list is finally posted! Brian is planning on attending the Wizards of the Coast future of D&D Q&A Session. Other than that, there's lots of good stuff. Check it out! On a side note, Montey Cook has decided to move on from Wizards of the Coast. Sadface. No news about why he decided to leave. Jamie wants to get involved in the Battletech Boot Camp, a 1 hour sit down session where they teach people to play Battletech! Tony wants to get in on the Warhammer 40k class. Tony wants to get into a Malifaux game but Wyrd Miniatures isn't holding any events at Origins. Another sadface. The president of the company said that Origins isn't miniature heavy/friendly, There are over 500 wargaming events scheduled, however they've said they tried. Tony wants someone to be a Henchmen for Wyrd Miniatures and run an event just for us! If there's any folks out there playing Malifaux that want to play a game or two let us know! Walking Dead The Game released on Steam! A very awesome point and click old style adventure game, with the art style of the comics. The story is a parallel tale to the one going on in the television series, with characters making appearances before they leave to join the group in the tv show. The Secret Cabal Founders no 2:30:00 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/05/02/episode-17-malifaux-playing-the-table-and-mechanics-that-enhance-replayability/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/05/02/episode-17-malifaux-playing-the-table-and-mechanics-that-enhance-replayability/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 05:01:23 +0000 Brian http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=1034 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/05/02/episode-17-malifaux-playing-the-table-and-mechanics-that-enhance-replayability/feed/ 0 In episode 17, the founders enter the steampunk, gothic horror, and weird west world of Wyrd Miniature's Malifaux and bring you an overview and review. Tony digs up juicy gaming news from across the web. Then continuing the series of listener submitted... In episode 17, the founders enter the steampunk, gothic horror, and weird west world of Wyrd Miniature's Malifaux and bring you an overview and review. Tony digs up juicy gaming news from across the web. Then continuing the series of listener submitted discussions the founders tackle playing the table as opposed to playing the game and a discussion on mechanics that enhance replayability. Episode Timeline Malifaux Walkthrough: 00:27 Malifaux Review: 00:40 Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:04 Playing the Table as Opposed to Playing the Game: 01:21 And Now You Know: Making a Giant Gridded White Board 01:45 Mechanics that Enhance Replayability: 01:51 Opening Banter Topics: The founders have a mini-review of Epic Spellwars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mount Skullzfire by Cryptazoic. After some play time, Chris and Jamie give their final impression of Nightfall for iOS. Jamie picked up Fealty for iOS, a fast playing euro-style territory control similar to Tigres and Euphrates, and was impressed. Tony picked up Tikal for iOS and wasn't impressed by the amount of counting that's required, Jamie however enjoys it. The Worlds First MMA Board Game update! Still at $0 on Kickstarter, 7 days left as of recording. Please don't beat Chris up if you come to Origins. The founders played  a game of Warrior Knights and share a mini-review. Tony stumbled upon a site for 3d designs by following the credits for a picture of dice in a Forbes article, shapeways.com, that allows people to design and upload 3d designs, then they print on demand and serve as a shopping cart for you. They have an impressive collection of amazing looking (but moderately expensive) dice. Check it out! Origins is getting closer and closer! If you're going to be in attendance, hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or our Guild forums as BoardGameGeek.com. We'd love to sit down and play a game with you! Walkthrough and Review: Malifaux by Wyrd Miniatures Malifaux is a skirmish miniature game in a horror/steampunk setting. Each player builds a force of 5-7 figures from a faction to battle it out. A force is composed of minions and at least one master. Malifaux involves elements of resource management as hands of cards are used instead of dice to resolve skill checks. Each check involves drawing a card from a deck and adding it to a figure's statistic. Players can then use cards from their hands to raise the value. The highest value in an opposed check wins. The turn system is integrated, with each player alternating turns between model activations.   Gaming News with Tony Topper Product Announcements Nightfall: Dark Rages coming in June! Tempest unveiled at GAMA Trade Show. Ugg-Tect, a game of prehistoric architecture! A preview of Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, at the printers now! MSRP $79.95. Update on the X-Wing Miniatures game, it will be here this Summer! What is good in life? - Wrong! It's "What is best in life?" Munchkin Conan announced, and they fail to deliver on Conan lore! Small World Realms - Go East, a new blog post detailing the most important aspect of Go East, it's scenarios! Kickstarter Projects Ending Soon  Ogre Designer's Edition: This project is exploding on Kickstarter! This isn't just a reprint of the first game Steve Jackson designed. It's an expanded edition that includes a lot of lovingly crafted additions to the base game as well as rules revision currently weighing in at 14 lbs! As of the release of E17 there's still time to get in on the action! Magic the Gathering The Musical? Yes, you read correctly. Think of the Muppets, in a musical, in the context of a Magic the Gathering tournament. Unusual but it looks entertaining. Product Releases Magic the Gathering Toolbox pulled from the iTunes Store due to a buggy update, still available for Android. At recording the reasons were unknown, The Secret Cabal Founders no 2:12:28 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/04/17/episode-16-eminent-domain-group-think-in-gaming-and-getting-started-in-hobby-gaming/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/04/17/episode-16-eminent-domain-group-think-in-gaming-and-getting-started-in-hobby-gaming/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:29:54 +0000 Brian http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=953 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/04/17/episode-16-eminent-domain-group-think-in-gaming-and-getting-started-in-hobby-gaming/feed/ 0 In episode 16, the founders check out the deckbuilding, imperial science fiction card game, Eminent Domain from Tasty Minstrel Games.  Tony brings you all the juicy news stories from the gaming industry. Then the founders begin their series including l... In episode 16, the founders check out the deckbuilding, imperial science fiction card game, Eminent Domain from Tasty Minstrel Games.  Tony brings you all the juicy news stories from the gaming industry. Then the founders begin their series including listener submitted topics.  Today's giveaway winners suggested we discuss GroupThink and how it affects gaming groups and how to get started in hobby gaming. Episode Timeline Eminent Domain Walkthrough: 00:39 Eminent Domain Review: 00:53 Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:14 Group Think and How it Manifests in a Gaming Group: 01:33 How to Get Into the Hobby: 01:58 Opening Banter Topics: The founders are planning their trip to Origins in Columbus, Ohio! If you're going to be there and want to join us for a game, feel free to let us know. Felicia Day and Will Wheaton will be at Origins promoting Geek and Sundry. The founders reminisce about Origins and their favorite restaurant, Barley's right across from the Con center. Jamie shares his review of Tabletop by Will Wheaton, Chris shares his review of The Flog by Felicia Day. Tony is excited that he got an iPad and can play all the iOS games we talk about, they've wet his appetite to play Tigres and Euphrates, Caylus, and Puerto Rico, games that we haven't broken out in a while Jamie picked up Food Fight by Cryptazoic and Nightfall by AEG for iOS, which we we discuss. Food Fight is a lighthearted mildly entertaining game. Nightfall really impressed Jamie and Chris, though it was difficult to get into without knowing the rules. Brian shares that he's addicted to Malifaux, after his first game he went out and bought everything he could to fill out his army. He found a good deal, 25% off, at MiniatureMarket.com. He shares his experience painting the models and fielding them in a very late night game. The founders discuss an MMA board game (Mixed Martial Arts) that popped up on Kickstarter recently. Watch the following video at your own discretion.   Chris shares his excitement about the Kickstarter for a 2 player Eaten By Zombies, which he backed at a level that rewards 2 copies of the game. When it releases, he wants to have a give-away for the second copy.   Walkthrough and Review: Eminent Domain Eminent Domain is a civilization-building game in which your civilization's abilities are based on a deck of Role cards. At the beginning of the game each player has the same deck of cards, with just two cards for each Role in it. Every turn you must choose a Role to execute (and like Glory to Rome or Puerto Rico, your opponents will get a chance to follow suit), and in doing so you will add one of those Role cards to your deck. When executing a Role, you can boost its effect by playing cards out of your hand matching the Role you have chosen. For example, the more you Research, the better you get at Researching (because you'll have more Research cards in your deck). Gaming News with Tony Topper Product Announcements Multiple Wizards of the Coast releases! Kaijudo Trading Card Game, will include a TV series, similar to Pokemon, MTG style mechanics Dungeon Command: Sting of Lloth a miniatures game, release date July 17th Rise of the Underdark, set in Forgotten Realms, bringing organized play and new sourcebooks! Space Cadet, designed by the Englesteins, will premiere at Essen 2012, a cooperative game where 3-6 players take on the rolls of bridge officers on a starship. Kickstarter Projects Ending Soon  Edo: Players take the role of a daimyo in mid-second millennium Japan who are trying to serve their shogun. Use your shogun to construct castles, markets, and houses in Tokyo and surrounding areas. Garden Dice: A a dice rolling, tile-laying, and set collection board game for 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up. Players take turns rolling dice to buy, plant, water, and harvest five different vegetables with differing point values. The Secret Cabal Founders no 2:24:20 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/04/04/episode-15-zong-shi-intellectual-properties-in-gaming-and-games-in-the-media/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/04/04/episode-15-zong-shi-intellectual-properties-in-gaming-and-games-in-the-media/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:17:14 +0000 Brian http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=739 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/04/04/episode-15-zong-shi-intellectual-properties-in-gaming-and-games-in-the-media/feed/ 1 In episode 15 the founders announce the winners of the Steve Jackson's Munchkin giveaway. Chris received his copy of Zong Shi, a recently released Kickstarter game, which we play through and give you a walkthrough and review. In episode 15 the founders announce the winners of the Steve Jackson's Munchkin giveaway. Chris received his copy of Zong Shi, a recently released Kickstarter game, which we play through and give you a walkthrough and review. Tony scours the web to bri... The Secret Cabal Founders no 2:33:16 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/03/21/episode-14-civilization-the-board-game-underrepresented-games-and-our-thoughts-on-savage-worlds/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/03/21/episode-14-civilization-the-board-game-underrepresented-games-and-our-thoughts-on-savage-worlds/#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:35:18 +0000 Jamie http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=609 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/03/21/episode-14-civilization-the-board-game-underrepresented-games-and-our-thoughts-on-savage-worlds/feed/ 0 In episode 14, the gang sits down to have a discussion and review of  the Fantasy Flight edition of Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game. Then they answer a listener's question about playing an RPG with only a GM and single player. In episode 14, the gang sits down to have a discussion and review of  the Fantasy Flight edition of Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game. Then they answer a listener's question about playing an RPG with only a GM and single player.  Tony brings you all the juicy news from the gaming world.  The founders have a conversation about the different kinds of games that are underrepresented in the gaming industry and what they'd like to see. Jamie gives a quick primer on where to get started in miniatures painting and finally the guys wrap up the show with their thoughts on Savage Worlds. Episode Timeline: Civilization the Board Game Walkthrough: 00:34 Civilization the Board Game Review: 00:50 RPGs with a GM and a Single Player: 01:23 Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:52 Underrepresented Games: 02:21 Miniatures Painting Primer: 02:25 Our Thoughts on Savage Worlds: 02:35 Opening Banter Topics: Thanks for all the submissions for our Munchkin giveaway. Every single one of them are great topic suggestions. Currently there's not much competition on the twitter suggestions. Since last episode, we've all come down with acquisition disorder for Malifaux. Last week we played a learning game and the found most of the mechanics similar to other miniatures games but they tweaked the rules so everything has a unique feel. The rules and the unit cards are both available for download free. Chris complained about the lack of updates for Zong Shi last episode and then received it in the mail a few days after the episode aired. He was very happy with the quality of the game, stating it has the best components of every game he's purchased. Jamie talks about the first game on Kickstarter that he decided to back, Fleet. It's a light euro style card game where you buy boats, hire captains, and send them out to fish. Brian got his hands on Mass Effect 3 and raves about how awesome it is. Without revealing any plot, he explains he really enjoyed how they did a great job wrapping up old plot from the first two, how the story is very compelling, and was extremely happy about the mini-games throughout. He specifically avoided discussing the fiasco about the ending of the series. Chris talks about playing older games, he got Final Fantasy Tactics for iOS and he loves it, which leads to the founders talk about game nostalgia and discuss old games that they still love. In specific, they talk about X-Com and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Jamie got two games of Duel in the Dark in and was very pleased at how it played out and the depth of strategy in the game. Chris, Jamie, and Brian got a play of Red November in. Brian explains his first play through was relatively easy. Jamie explains that luck of the draw can make these types of co-op games very easy to impossible. Brian complains that the icons on the card doesn't match the icons on the board that represent events that the players need to work together to resolve. From there the founders share they had a 4 player game of Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game and we step right into the review. Walkthrough and Review: Civilization: The Board Game In Civilization: The Board Game, 2-4 players take on the roles of famous leaders in charge of historical civilizations, each with their own abilities. Players will be able to explore a module game board, build cities and buildings, fight battles, research powerful technology, and attract great people by advancing their culture. No matter what your play style is, there is a civilization for you! Fans of Sid Meier’s classic video game franchise will find familiar footing in Civilization: The Board Game. Staying true to the foundations of its video game predecessor while creating a new and unique way to play, Civilization: The Board Game captures the spirit and grandeur of carving out a magnificent empire from modest beginnings. Players start off with a single city, one army figure, and one scout, The Secret Cabal Founders no 3:03:30 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/03/07/episode-13-ora-et-labora-getting-started-in-miniatures-wargaming-and-gamer-stereotypes/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/03/07/episode-13-ora-et-labora-getting-started-in-miniatures-wargaming-and-gamer-stereotypes/#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:29:28 +0000 Brian http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=567 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/03/07/episode-13-ora-et-labora-getting-started-in-miniatures-wargaming-and-gamer-stereotypes/feed/ 0 In episode #13, finally, after waiting and waiting for it to come in the mail and then toiling over scheduling, the founders sit down  to two plays of the latest Uwe Rosenburg eurogame, Ora Et Labora and give you a walkthrough and review.  Then, In episode #13, finally, after waiting and waiting for it to come in the mail and then toiling over scheduling, the founders sit down  to two plays of the latest Uwe Rosenburg eurogame, Ora Et Labora and give you a walkthrough and review.  Then, as you would expect, Tony mines the internet for gaming news and gives you the inside scoop.  Then Jamie and Tony profess their love for the miniatures game hobby and try to get Chris and Brian interested (and we just may have succeeded).  Finally, the gang takes on the old standard, gamer stereotypes, and realize that Tony is all of them. Episode Timeline: Ora Et Labora Walkthrough: 00:47 Ora Et Labora Review: 00:57 Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:26 Getting Started in Miniatures Wargaming: 01:50 Gamer Stereotypes: 02:26 Opening Banter Topics: The founders start off by thanking thanking Bay for our very first donation. The Secret Cabal is doing a Munchkin give-away! Like us on facebook or twitter, comment including a discussion topic that you'd like to hear, and we'll pick a winner from each to send the game to! Tony shared with us all a site, welovefine.com, which has all the D&D licensed t-shirts, many of which look amazing, Tony liked the Trolls Gonna Hate t-shirt. Jamie and the group discusses the first post-intro game of Savage Worlds Mass Effect. Chris has been talking with Ben Mund and Jamie Chambers, Building an Elder God is now on Kickstarter, $25 for a boxed copy. Chris shares his experiences with funding Kickstarter games, he has 2 that are constantly updating and one that hasn't updated in a month. Jamie discusses the Kickstarter game Chicken Caesar, Tony has been looking at Farmageddon. Jamie, Brian, and Chris got a full game of Ora Et Labora in, to be discussed during the review section. Wiz War is rapidly becoming a favorite for Jamie, due to the quick play time and entertaining gameplay. Jamie started a game of Duel in the Dark, a WW II game where one player plots a British bomber run and the other player takes the role of the Germans and tries to defend against it. Brian stumbled across information on a Pathfinder MMO that was announced in December, but the information has been rather low key. It has a very different dynamic than most other mmo's and sounds similar to the Star Wars Galaxies and its player driven economy. Check it out on the Penny Arcade Forums. February 20th brought to light a very negative underside of the computer gaming community, Brian shares an article that was posted on Reddit calling a Bioware writer out for an interview she did in 2006, the founders discuss the purist attitude in gaming in general and how insulted people can be over ideas to make games more entertaining for a larger audience. There are a variety of articles on the subject, but here's one of the more well written articles. Walkthrough and Review: Ora Et Labora Walkthrough 00:47 Review 00:57 In Ora et Labora, each player is head of a monastery in the Medieval era who acquires land and constructs buildings – little enterprises that will gain resources and profit. The goal is to build a working infrastructure and manufacture prestigious items – such as books, ceramics, ornaments, and relics – to gain the most victory points at the end of the game. Each player has a personal game board. New buildings enter the game from time to time, and players can construct them on their game boards with the building materials they gather, with some terrain restrictions on what can be built where. Some spaces start with trees or moors on them, as in Agricola: Farmers of the Moor, so they hinder development until a player clears the land, but they provide resources when they are removed. Clever building on your personal game board will impact your final score, and players can buy additional terrain during the game, if needed. Check it out on Board Game Geek! Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:26 The Secret Cabal Founders no 3:04:39 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/02/22/episode-12-wiz-war-pre-fab-vs-homebrew-campaign-settings-and-what-makes-board-games-fun/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/02/22/episode-12-wiz-war-pre-fab-vs-homebrew-campaign-settings-and-what-makes-board-games-fun/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:07:34 +0000 Jamie http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=547 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/02/22/episode-12-wiz-war-pre-fab-vs-homebrew-campaign-settings-and-what-makes-board-games-fun/feed/ 0 In episode #12, the gang gives you a walkthrough and review of the new Fantasy Flight re-imagining of the Tom Jolly Ameri-Trash classic, Wiz-War. Then they have a round table discussion of the pros and cons of per-fabricated and homebrew campaign setti... In episode #12, the gang gives you a walkthrough and review of the new Fantasy Flight re-imagining of the Tom Jolly Ameri-Trash classic, Wiz-War. Then they have a round table discussion of the pros and cons of per-fabricated and homebrew campaign setti... The Secret Cabal Founders no 2:30:08 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/02/08/episode-11-dungeon-lords-and-the-secret-cabal-playlists/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/02/08/episode-11-dungeon-lords-and-the-secret-cabal-playlists/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:47:36 +0000 Jamie http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=514 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/02/08/episode-11-dungeon-lords-and-the-secret-cabal-playlists/feed/ 0 In episode #11, Jamie explains what a euro and ameri-trash games are and then the founders bring you a walkthrough and review of the new fantasy euro classic, Dungeon Lords designed by Vlaada Chvátil. Then as usual, In episode #11, Jamie explains what a euro and ameri-trash games are and then the founders bring you a walkthrough and review of the new fantasy euro classic, Dungeon Lords designed by Vlaada Chvátil. Then as usual, Tony breaks out his news and gives s... The Secret Cabal Founders no 2:15:15 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/01/25/episode-10-kingdom-builder-the-next-edition-of-dungeons-dragons-and-randomness-vs-skill-in-board-games/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/01/25/episode-10-kingdom-builder-the-next-edition-of-dungeons-dragons-and-randomness-vs-skill-in-board-games/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:20:00 +0000 Jamie http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=487 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/01/25/episode-10-kingdom-builder-the-next-edition-of-dungeons-dragons-and-randomness-vs-skill-in-board-games/feed/ 2 In episode #10, the founders bust out the new Donald X Vaccarino game, Kingdom Builder and give you their thoughts.  Then Tony T brings you all the hot and juicy news items that he's collected for the last two weeks ending with the biggest news, In episode #10, the founders bust out the new Donald X Vaccarino game, Kingdom Builder and give you their thoughts.  Then Tony T brings you all the hot and juicy news items that he's collected for the last two weeks ending with the biggest news, Wizards of the Coast announced development of the next edition of Dungeons and Dragons and we have a round table discussion about the announcement and what we might like to see in the new ruleset.  Then the founders shift gears and discuss randomness versus skill in board games (Tony would prefer "Randomness versus No Randomness). Episode Timeline: Kingdom Builder Walkthrough: 00:32 Kingdom Builder Review: 00:39 Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:00 The Next Edition of D&D: 01:18 Randomness Versus Skill in Board Games: 02:00 Thank you to the guys at The Dice Tower : Over the holidays we were contacted by the folks at The Dice Tower, a show hosted by Tom Vasel and Eric Summerer,  to participate in their Best of 2011 series. The founders here at The Secret Cabal just wanted to express our gratitude and appreciation for allowing us to participate. We had a blast putting together the lists and doing the recording. For those that follow us, please stop by The Dice Tower home page and, if you're not already a listener, give them try. If you enjoy us, you'll love these guys. We can only hope that as the years roll by we have the dedication to continue putting together a show with as much enthusiasm and quality as these guys do. Our hats are off to you. Til next year! Opening Banter Topics: Chris and Jamie got through 3 games on their game night, Kingdom Builder, Quarriers, and Witch of Salem The founders discuss the 2d6.org 10 Most Disappointing Games of 2011 list The founders talk about a conflict in game between players in their Savage Worlds tabletop Jamie talks about his Tyranid models he painted for use in the founders Savage Worlds campaign For X-mas, Jamie received Pegasus Hobbies Gothic City Building that he's painting, he talks about Terra Clips as a tabletop alternative Tony has been working on his Vampire Counts army The founders talk about branching out more at Origins this year and banter about previous years and the various events they took part in Kingdom Builder Walkthrough and Review: Walkthrough: 00:32 Review: 00:39 In Kingdom Builder, the players create their own kingdoms by skillfully building their settlements, aiming to earn the most gold at the end of the game. Nine different kinds of terrain are on the variable game board, including locations and castles. During his turn, a player plays his terrain card and builds three settlements on three hexes of this kind. If possible, a new settlement must be built next to one of that player’s existing settlements. When building next to a location, the player may seize an extra action tile that he may use from his next turn on. These extra actions allow extraordinary actions such as moving your settlements. By building next to a castle, the player will earn gold at the end of the game, but the most gold will be earned by meeting the conditions of the three Kingdom Builder cards; these three cards (from a total of ten in the game) specify the conditions that must be met in order to earn the much-desired gold, such as earning gold for your settlements built next to water hexes or having the majority of settlements in a sector of the board. Each game, players will use a random set of Kingdom Builder cards (3 of 10), special actions (4 of 8), and terrain sectors to build the map (4 of 8), ensuring you won't play the same game twice! Check it out on Board Game Geek! Gaming News with Tony Topper: Privateer Press has updated their Warmachine errata The rules for Nexus Ops from Fantasy Flight games has been posted online Fantasy Flight also released the rules for Wiz-War Thunderstone Advance was announced, a stand alone game available in March The Secret Cabal Founders no 2:29:15 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/01/11/episode-9-elder-sign-the-legend-of-drizzt-analysis-paralysis-and-the-management-of-minutiae/ http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/01/11/episode-9-elder-sign-the-legend-of-drizzt-analysis-paralysis-and-the-management-of-minutiae/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:19:14 +0000 Brian http://www.thesecretcabal.com/?p=461 http://www.thesecretcabal.com/2012/01/11/episode-9-elder-sign-the-legend-of-drizzt-analysis-paralysis-and-the-management-of-minutiae/feed/ 1 In episode #9, the first episode of the new year, the founders go into the Secret Cabal library and break out Elder Sign and Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt. In Elder Sign players cooperatively explore a museum and try to stop the return of ... In episode #9, the first episode of the new year, the founders go into the Secret Cabal library and break out Elder Sign and Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt. In Elder Sign players cooperatively explore a museum and try to stop the return of an Ancient One, an old god. In The Legend of Drizzt, players play varying scenarios in a dungeon crawl style board game. The adventures can be cooperative or competitive, with players taking the role of characters specific to the stories. Following the review Tony brings us the gaming news from the past two weeks. Then the founders have a round table discussion about Analysis Paralysis in board games and follow it up with a round table on Management of Minutiae in tabletop role playing games. Episode Timeline: Elder Sign Walkthrough: 00:26 Elder Sign Review: 00:33 Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt Brief: 00:50 Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt Review: 00:52 Gaming News with Tony Topper: 01:18 Analysis Paralysis Discussion: 01:36 Management of Minutiae in tabletop Discussion: 02:00 Opening Banter Topics: Brian and Chris discuss the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic The founders express their fun and frustration with playing Through the Ages Tony shares his experience playing Agricola using teams and only using the E cards The founders had a blast playing Galaxy Trucker, a game where everyone plays at the same time through the entire game Tony, Jamie, and Brian talk about playing San Juan, the card game version of Puerto Rico Jamie expresses his desire to play a game of Kingdom Builder and Civilizations the board game Jamie, Tony, and Brian enjoyed a game of Kingsburg, a great light game to play after spending 7 hours playing Through the Ages The founders rave about how well Dungeon Lords plays, a fantastically balanced game Elder Sign Walkthrough and Review Walkthrough: 00:26 Review: 00:33 Elder Sign is a fast-paced, cooperative dice game of supernatural intrigue for one to eight players by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson, the designers of Arkham Horror. Players take the roles of investigators racing against time to stave off the imminent return of the Ancient One. Armed with tools, allies, and occult knowledge, investigators must put their sanity and stamina to the test as they adventure to locate Elder Signs, the eldritch symbols used to seal away the Ancient Ones and win the game. To locate Elder Signs, investigators must successfully endure Adventures within the museum and its environs. A countdown mechanism makes an Ancient One appear if the investigators are not quick enough. The investigators must then battle the Ancient One. A clever and thematic dice mechanism pits their exploration against monsters and the sheer difficulty of staying sane and healthy, all within the standard game duration of one to two hours. Check it out on Board Game Geek! The Legend of Drizzt Brief and Review Walkthrough: 00:50 Review: 00:52 Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt is a cooperative game of adventure for 1-5 players set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. It is named after the book series by the same name recounting the adventures of the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden and his friends. Designed for 1-5 players, this boardgame features multiple scenarios, challenging quests, and cooperative game play. Players explore the game world, which is built during the game by laying out tiles, using ready-made player characters and encountering enemies with corresponding miniatures. Encounters are generated by drawing cards and resolved using a D20 die. All players win together, depending on the scenario, by escaping, saving others or overcoming a threat. Check it out on Board Game Geek! Gaming News with Tony Topper 01:18 A Fantasy Flight press release announced that they were sending out replacement component for Forbidden Alchemy, check their site for instructions on replacing cards and errata information The Secret Cabal Founders no 2:17:36