Tabletop Games

There are currently a lot of tabletop games available for play via the various quests and general classroom use, so I figured I would write about the ones I have played (which I believe is all of them).

Battletech: I have not played this one for years and I did not have the opportunity to play it too much. However, my impression of it was that, while fun, it would not stay that way for long. To me, it felt like there was a very obvious optimal build to use for your mechs, and at that point it was all about positioning and luck on the dice rolls. To me there was not quite enough openness to it and I felt that took away from it.

Pathfinder: I have not actually played this particular variant before, but I have years of experience with D&D 3.5. I absolutely love how open and utterly unrepeatable the experiences in this game are. Because the story-line somewhat alters how your character develops (if you have a good DM, anyway) any two characters cannot be the same. Of course, you can get two characters to be quite close to one another through classes, feats, etc. More than anything, though, is that I love how anything can happen since there is no board and it is purely imaginative. I have not had the chance to play D&D for about 2 years now, but I still love it.

Arkham Horror: I actually got introduced to this game very recently (after the class began) but before Jon offered it for a quest. Right from the beginning, I felt that the game was terribly easy. As long as people are not stupid, it is really hard to lose at this game (unless you get Cthulhu as your boss and are not prepared enough). I have been told that the expansions help this problem out a lot and as a result I really want to give it a try. But until then, I am unimpressed by this game.

Twilight Emperium: I have only had the chance to play this game once (and we did not even finish) but I enjoyed how expansive it was. I particularly enjoy game boards that are player created per session. It makes the experience much better versus other static game boards. There is a lot to be had in this game though, making it particularly overwhelming on one's first play. I really want to give this game another go now that I am more versed in its objectives. Despite that, I still enjoyed this game.

Settlers of Catan: I just had the chance to play this last class and I must say this game is awesome. It also has a game board that is created per session and is not static, which is an immediate plus for me. It is quite simple in nature, so there is not a lot of thinking to be had. Apparently the expansions make it far more rich in diversity though, so I really want to try those. Only played it once, but I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I especially want to play again now that I know the rules thoroughly.

That is my take on the currently offered games via the class. I do not believe there are any more games than these that have been offered via the class. If there have, I am not sure I have played them anyway.