Episode 18 - First Play: Settlers of Catan and Wrath of Ashardalon

In this episode of the show, we do our first "First Play"! We look at teaching Settlers of Catan for the first time. What are some rules that are particularly hard to understand for first time players? We look to provide some tips and tricks for presenting this classic gateway for the first time. We end the episode with our customary review. This week we look at Wrath of Ashardalon and Legend of Drizzt, two games in the D&D Adventure Series. Enjoy!

Wrath of Ashardalon and The Legend of Drizzt both come from the D&D Adventure Series of games which also includes Castle Ravenloft. These games all play the same, but provide different heroes, monsters, scenarios, and cards to work with. 

Some of the hero miniatures that you might see in these games. 

Each game comes with a "boss monster". The dragon comes with Ashardalon, while the Baelor demon is in Legend of Drizzt. 

They weren't kidding around when they made these models. This comparison shot shows you exactly how much bigger the bosses are than other models.

And here is a smattering of enemy creatures. These models come in a variety of different colors which makes them easy to tell apart on the table. 

A couple of the character cards which show starting health, Armor Class, abilities, and other stats. If you manage to level up, you simply flip this card over to show your level 2 side.

Each class has a selection of cards from which to choose abilities at the start of the game. 

The game, setup for two players. The "Healing Surge" disks to the left are used if a player is killed. One disk is spent to heal the player and the game continues. If all disks are gone when a player dies, the game has been lost.

The game might look something like this after a couple of turns. Watching the dungeon expand is one of the most entertaining aspects of the game.

These decks will, in the course of a single game, destroy and rebuild you in their image.

There are some good things in the treasure deck.

But the monsters and encounters more than make up for any gains you might be able to make.

Health tokens for the players.

And some very cool health markers for the enemies. They wrap around the miniature's base so that you can easily see damage at a glance.

Episode 17 - Perception of the Hobby and First & Goal

In this episode of the podcast, we asked a friend of ours to be our first third chair! Together, we talk about the stereotypes and pre-conceived notions that surround tabletop gaming and review the American-football game 1st & Goal. Enjoy!

1st & Goal is a game for two to four players (but really, it's meant for two).

Here is the game, setup and ready to play. The football and yard marker pieces are magnetized and stay on the board pretty firmly. 

Running a play involves each player playing one card face-down. Compare the two cards and roll the dice shown. In the example above, the player who played Short Pass would roll one red die, the black Defense die, and the Play die against the Nickel defense.

And here are the dice! You will curse them. You will cheer them. Your fate lies in their plastic faces.

We didn't mention it in the episode, but this is how you punt/field goal. Each player has one of these cards at all times. When a kick happens, both players secretly choose either the Kick or Fake side and then compare the results.

An expansion for 1st & Goal. Each expansion adds four fictional teams with their own unique dice. This adds variety to the game as now some teams are better passers or defenders, etc.

However, unlike the current edition of the base game, expansion dice require stickers. Lots of stickers...

Episode 16 - Playing With Two and Formula D

In this episode of the podcast, we talk about gaming with two people. What kind of games are out there for you if you've only got one constant partner? We also review the racing game Formula D!

See all that fast? You could be going that fast.

The Monaco side of the board. This is the simpler track in the box and probably the one you will be playing more often.

The red sections are turns. The number in yellow shows how many times a car must stop in the turn to avoid going too fast and overshooting the turn.

Your cars!

Your racers! Each of these drivers has a different starting car setup and special ability.

Or you could play with these generic drivers.

An example of a player's setup. The peg on the left moves to show what gear the racer is in and which die he rolls. Speaking of which...

These dice are the heart of the game. You will find yourself cursing them often.