Games!

[toosuto]

Friends who have played Arkham Horror: Have you ever managed a game in the 2-4 hours the box suggests it will take? Also would I possibly be happier selling it on eBay and purchasing Descent? Quandries abound!

Comments

[lovecarnievan.livejournal.com]

I've only played once, but it's been played many a time at my house, and no, I've never *seen* it played in that amount of time. Even without any expansions... I've also seen it played with all the expansions, and well, that turns into a marathon.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Good to know! Which is why I am seriously considering trading it in. I also want to replace it with something a little more player friendly. (AH is pretty overwhelming to some people: so many bits, rules etc.)

[k8cre8.livejournal.com]

It was a fun marathon, but, I wasn't even able to stay for the whole thing. but 2-4 is a stretch.

[dr-tectonic.livejournal.com]

I think we have, actually. We played a sendoff game for bryree's departure, and I think we managed two games in like... 6 hours? The first game we lost horrifically pretty quickly, and the second we were much luckier and had it all sewn up pretty quickly. I may also be misremembering horribly.

BUT! We had all experienced players, and that definitely does not include setup time. Are you including setup?

Descent games are often longer than Arkham Horror, so if that's your primary factor, it may not be the best replacement.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Are there less fiddly bits with Descent? Or is it at least more streamlined? AH takes so long to set up (and then so far at least 4 or so hours to play). Maybe I just need to thin down the game cabinet. Most of what we are playing is 1-1.5 hours tops and we'll play a couple different games in a day (Pandemic, then Fury of Dracula followed by some Phase 10 etc.

[dr-tectonic.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I'm not sure. There are fewer things to sort out and make room for on the table all at once. But there are a whole bunch of floor tiles and minis, and only some of them get used each game.

There are ways in which it's more streamlined, and ways in which it's not. Depends a lot on the players involved.

[dr-tectonic.livejournal.com]

Jerry probably has the best sense of how the two compare.

[hallandoatbran.livejournal.com]

Descent is not less fiddly. It has nearly as many bits as AH, and almost as much time to set up. Also, being that one person plays the Overlord, and everyone else is against them, I find it to be less enjoyable than a full cooperative game.

I've found that if you play AH right, by all the rules, not forgetting anything (which is a feat, being that there are so many things to keep track of..) it can easily played in the 2-4 hours.

I find that most of the time, the game should be lost well before it ends.

[hallandoatbran.livejournal.com]

You'd be happier ditching AH and getting Defenders of the Realm. It's replaced Pandemic for almost everyone I know.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

But I just got Pandemic! We are having a hard time playing anything else since last Saturday...

[lovecarnievan.livejournal.com]

Pandemic rawks.

[k8cre8.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we have had games shorter than 3 hours, but they were rarely satisfying games (either won or lost quickly due to luck).

The key to playing Arkham Horror regularly in less than 4 hours is practice. Having experienced players, not too many of them, and knowing where to find all the fiddly rules. In other words, it's not likely unless you play, like, weekly.

I wouldn't say Descent is much better at all. However, the new Ravenloft board game is supposed to be a 1 hour game in the Descent vein (although apparently less well balanced).

I assume you have Betrayal at the House on the Hill? If not (or maybe if so!) the new edition is out.

Does your group particularly like co-op games?

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

Oh, and... Kingsburg! Kingsburgkingsburgkingsburg!

[bryree.livejournal.com]

What Beemer said.

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Co-op is good as some of us are *extremely* competitive. I am up for either though as long as it is fun.

[bryree.livejournal.com]

I thought that was out Oct 5th (Amazon thinks so, anyway...) Any idea whether us owners of the original can get a 'refresher pack' instead of buying the whole bloody thing again?

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess you're right. I thought I had seen it on Time Well Spent, but I must be misremembering. I haven't seen anything about a cheaper update set. I wouldn't hold your breath.

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

Do you have Shadows Over Camelot?

[toosuto.livejournal.com]

Not yet, but I do have $70 of birthday moneys burning a hole in my pocket. Although I don't know why I thought asking for advice was going to make it easy: I am just going to end up with more tantalizing recommendations than I know what to do with...

[k8cre8.livejournal.com]

What about that co-op one you and Kevin et al were playing last Thursday? I seem to recall a tag of $15, which was eminently affordable for people with birthday money, and good value on that.

[drdeleto.livejournal.com]

That's Forbidden Island. I figure if Josh is neck-deep in Pandemic it might seem too similar. It's the same core mechanics as Pandemic (same designer) but without some of the more fiddly bits.

[k8cre8.livejournal.com]

Good point. Yes, I can see that now.

[kung-fu-monkey.livejournal.com]

NO. Descent, with its four expansions, required us to spend about two weeks looking for a container that was customizable enough to house all the bits we have. We wound up with a 5 tier tackle box. Descent games can be shorter if you create your own dungeons, but the standard dungeons are usually several hours in length, and can be drawn out longer if the players are inexperienced. There are several dungeon editors available online, but this is all extra effort you may not want since you're looking for a >4 hour game.