Fantasy Flights board games

[Vincentdante]

Fantasy Flights board games

I was wondering if we have fans of the other board games made by Fantasy Flight games around here? Since the Witcher Adventure Game was announced I was looking at their catalog and reviews to see what they are like, and I found out quickly that they have quite the fan following in the board game community.

I personally really like the looks of their Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror games (Cthulhu mythos themed games yeah!). I have watched a few let's plays to get an idea of how they operate, and have become convinced they can make fun board games (I also learned they really like making expansion packs for their games). So really looking forward to our Witcher themed game from them

Since we don't have a release date yet for the Witcher Adventure Game I made this thread to see what everyones opinions are like with this company and their games, I'm dipping my toes in to the pool but so far it looks good. I might even go out of my way to pick up the aforementioned Eldrith Horror at some point, and frankly I'm still working on building a new PC since my GPU broke and have been starved for something new and interesting.

 

[Aaden]

After a friend recommended it, I recently picked up Warhammer: Invasion, not a board game but a Living Card Game. Really like it, so far. The mechanics are excellent, factions are very different, lots of diversity in possible builds (at least from a newbie perspective - don't know how that turns out when you delve deeper into the mechanics) and the LCG concept is far superior to your classic TCG, imo - no booster packs, no bad or good luck when it comes to getting new cards.

The Iron Throne and Civilization board games also have an excellent reputation, but, sadly, I didn't get to play them, yet. But I'm convinced The Witcher is in very good hands! This really has the potential to turn out great.

 

[Vincentdante]

Aye, it seems the company enjoy making games that absorb you into the themes and story of the world rather than the simple objective based games that most are familiar with, similar to PnP games I guess. Really that's all we want from the company tasked with making a Witcher board game, this will be good.

 

[Sagitarii]

I've played the Starcraft Board Game, Game of Thrones and Eclipse. I really liked all of them, but the Game of Thrones is probably the best one, because of that outside of rules betrayal feel. Although I enjoyed Eclipse more (I just love upgrading stuff). All of these games share similar mechanics, but well, if good why change them.
And by the way The Witcher Board Game isn't designed by FFG , it's designed by Ignacy Trzewiczek..

 

[Vincentdante]

Oh I guess they are just the publisher then my mistake. Still this will be another good game to their catalog.

 

[Aaden]

Still, I don't think they would publish stuff that isn't up to their standards. Plus, as I've heard it, Ignacy is a very renowned game designer in Poland, particularly known as a RPG writer and designer of games that tell a story to really immerse players. Just what this game needs, I'd say.

In the other thread, it was strongly recommended to give Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island a try, to get an impression of Ignacy's approach to adventure games (although that one is cooperative and not competitive). Another rather well-known game, I think, is Stronghold.

 

[EmperorZorn]

I played the Game of Thrones boardgame and had a great time doing it.
The only problem is that you'll want the maximum amount of players to get the most fun out of it,
usually we are one or two players short.

Don't even play it with less than four players or it loses a lot of it's charm.

 

[Vincentdante]

I played the Game of Thrones boardgame and had a great time doing it.
The only problem is that you'll want the maximum amount of players to get the most fun out of it,
usually we are one or two players short.

Don't even play it with less than four players or it loses a lot of it's charm.

Yeah that's an unfortunate problem with board games in general I think. Play monopoly with 2 players for example and it's not fun.

 

[7Crown]

Its a definitely must buy for me. FF as publisher just makes me more reassured that we will get a polished and high quality product.
And we are talking here about a Witcher board game...

As for the Games I have played that were published by them. Already mentioned by others here GoT which is most fun with the maximum 6 players.(Sadly I do not own it as I do not have that many friends that play board games). But the *FUN* aspect still comes down to the players you are playing with.

Other Games that I own and love from them are:

Descent: Journeys Into the Dark - very good and fun game where you can also play as the Dark Lord against other players
Gears of War The Board Game - I love this franchise and the boardgame is also a must have for any boardgame fan out there whether you know the universe or not.

 

[Vincentdante]

So I decided to indulge my curiosity and bought Eldritch Horror. Looking forward to my first game soon with my friends, but having read the rules I already like what I see.

 

[Rhezuss]

FFG has been there for a long time and evolved really well in the past years. It has the best Customer Service, one of the best component quality, awesome artists for their game and really cool thematics and gameplay elements. It's on of my favorite game company out there and my collection shows it lol. Kind of a fanboy...

I'm really glad it's FFG that got the production. That means great components, great artwork and awesome gameplay.

 

[volsung]

So has anyone actually played any Fantasy Flight board games? Not card games. I looked at their website and like some of you I am also interested in Eldritch Horror, which seems to be a faster paced and more straightforward version of Arkham Horror. According to reviews, Arkham Horror sessions would take almost an entire day, where as Eldritch Horror can last around two and a half hours plus one hour of setup the first time. I've only read good comments on it.

Any experiences? @vincentdante?

 

[Vincentdante]

@.Volsung. Yep I have picked up and had a game of Eldritch Horror since my last post. It took us 2 hours and we were wiped out lol, it is a very tough game but we had fun despite our loss. Setup time was a chore but I have streamlined for later games by placing all the pieces into a cheap screw storage container. Keeps the box clean of scattered parts as well. I haven't played Arkham but I have watched some let's plays and I can tell you that Eldritch is definitely quicker and has less clutter than what I have seen of Arkham. I can also tell you the theme of Eldritch is very strong, each Great Old One has different conditions and mysteries to solve which really ups the replay value and makes it very thematic.

I would be happy to talk more about the game itself if you had any other questions?

 

[Gr3aves]

I'm thinking of picking up Android: Netrunner, but my brother doesn't show much interest in card games, and i rarely see my friends.

 

[Vojtas]

Yeah that's an unfortunate problem with board games in general I think. Play monopoly with 2 players for example and it's not fun.

It depends. GoT doesn't scale good. More people = better in this case. But there are titles for two or three players that are great. Robinson Crusoe (mentioned above) is one of those games. You can play it even solo, it scales very well. 7 Wonders is another example. There are also games that are best for only 2 players e.g. Neuroshima Hex, Theseus or 51st State (products published by Portal Games, Ignacy's company).

 

[Einhaender]

Are "Eldritch/Arkham Horror" any good? As a Lovecraft fans me and some friends are always looking for something good that not only carries the name but also is a great game.

That said we're still playing Munchkin regularly, so somethin more "serious" would be interesting.

 

[Vincentdante]

Are "Eldritch/Arkham Horror" any good? As a Lovecraft fans me and some friends are always looking for something good that not only carries the name but also is a great game.

That said we're still playing Munchkin regularly, so somethin more "serious" would be interesting.

I'm also a Lovecraft fan, that's the same reason I decided to buy Eldritch Horror myself. I have played Arkham Horror as well, and they are similar games but different enough. Over all they are both good games I would say yes. My personal opinion is that Eldritch is the better one. I'll give you a little run down on what I thought Eldritch does better but I still recommend you look at other opinions of course, and remember these are just mine.

-Arkham had too many messy rules which were difficult to learn and remember during play, where as Eldritch streamlines many parts nicely.

-Arkhams "strategy" kind of devolves into avoiding certain spaces and players find themselves in hospital a lot, but admittedly Eldritch you find yourself missing half the encounters (you will rarely visit the sea and wilderness spaces unless it's to find clues).

-Many people argue that Arkham has better atmosphere and I can see the argument but it comes at the cost to game flow (many players will opt to stick to one or two spaces for a variety of reasons).

-The Great Old Ones in Eldrtich are much better designed, this is universally agreed upon. The ancient ones in Arkham all play the same but just add a different effect to play. The Eldritch one are designed different from one another with clues, mysteries and even card text all done to be thematically correct to who you are against. So Cthulhu and Azathoth for example will feel noticeably different from one another when you play.

That's my 2 cents. Feel free to ask further if you have any game questions, I also recommend you check out some reviews/playthroughs on Youtube. I was in the same spot as you once and that helped me greatly to make up my own mind.

 

[darktower]

Just wanna drop in my thoughts:

I'm a huge FFG fan.
I own:

Android: Netrunner: possibly the best card game in existance, please please check it out if you like huge strategic depth in a two player card game; asymmetric gameplay, stunning artwork, deep tactics and deckbuilding. It's an LCG, so that means no random boosters. You also don't need to buy anything other than the core set, it's just the expansion cards add some more variety and options, but the core game is still amazing.

Cthulhu card game. Another excellent LCG, but I rarely get to play as I usually turn to Netrunner if playing cards.

Arkham Horror: as others have said, a stunning game, brutal and gloriously thematic. Fairly steep learning curve. There's a lot to manage and run each turn, but it's well worth the effort.

Eldritch Horror: this is really Arkham Horror v2.0. Streamlined for very fast play with little downtime and upkeep each turn. Again, hugely thematic. If you're into Lovecraft, it's a no-brainer, and I'd advise this over Arkham Horror simply because it's easier to learn and get into. I love it. I just wish I had more time/people to play with. It's also brutal, although perhaps not quite as brutal as AH. One of the joys of both games is that you often get a sense that the Great Old One that you are up against has some kind of presence on the board. Nothing can happen for several turns, and then suddenly events click into place that set off crazy consequences as if the games KNOWS what is going on. It's very clever.
Oh and if you didn't realise, AH and EH are co-op games. You're competing against the evil terror lurking unknown beyond the depths of reality.

I also own Elder Signs: Omens on my Android tablet. Pick this up if you want to see a FFG game in action. It's also Lovecraftian themed. They make a stunning digital conversion and it just leaves me wanting FFG to convert more boardgames to the digital space. This is why I'm so excited for TW:Adenture Game. I hope it does really well in cardboard and digital form, with the later spurring FFG into considering putting the likes of Eldritch and Arkham Horror into the digital space. Please please let that happen.

 

[Vincentdante]

Just wanna drop in my thoughts:

I'm a huge FFG fan.
I own:

Android: Netrunner: possibly the best card game in existance, please please check it out if you like huge strategic depth in a two player card game; asymmetric gameplay, stunning artwork, deep tactics and deckbuilding. It's an LCG, so that means no random boosters. You also don't need to buy anything other than the core set, it's just the expansion cards add some more variety and options, but the core game is still amazing.

Cthulhu card game. Another excellent LCG, but I rarely get to play as I usually turn to Netrunner if playing cards.

Arkham Horror: as others have said, a stunning game, brutal and gloriously thematic. Fairly steep learning curve. There's a lot to manage and run each turn, but it's well worth the effort.

Eldritch Horror: this is really Arkham Horror v2.0. Streamlined for very fast play with little downtime and upkeep each turn. Again, hugely thematic. If you're into Lovecraft, it's a no-brainer, and I'd advise this over Arkham Horror simply because it's easier to learn and get into. I love it. I just wish I had more time/people to play with. It's also brutal, although perhaps not quite as brutal as AH. One of the joys of both games is that you often get a sense that the Great Old One that you are up against has some kind of presence on the board. Nothing can happen for several turns, and then suddenly events click into place that set off crazy consequences as if the games KNOWS what is going on. It's very clever.
Oh and if you didn't realise, AH and EH are co-op games. You're competing against the evil terror lurking unknown beyond the depths of reality.

I also own Elder Signs: Omens on my Android tablet. Pick this up if you want to see a FFG game in action. It's also Lovecraftian themed. They make a stunning digital conversion and it just leaves me wanting FFG to convert more boardgames to the digital space. This is why I'm so excited for TW:Adenture Game. I hope it does really well in cardboard and digital form, with the later spurring FFG into considering putting the likes of Eldritch and Arkham Horror into the digital space. Please please let that happen.

Ah yes I forgot about Elder Sign and the card games. I bought the Forsaken Lore expansion pack for Eldritch recently and kind of just forgot them .

Right now as well I'm very interested in Decent 2nd Edition but the lack of a group to play the campaign with makes it not worth the money right now.

 

[Einhaender]

Thanks for the insight guys. Eldritch it is!

Also:

, I also recommend you check out some reviews/playthroughs on Youtube. I was in the same spot as you once and that helped me greatly to make up my own mind.

I actually never thought about looking up board games on youtube but that makes a lot of sense. :huh: