November 2012’s Gamegeeks gameday centered around horror games in honor of Halloween (my favorite, as it is the only time I can torture my fellow players with Zombies!).

Guests:
Sam “Carb Loading” (@normallywho)
Derek “My stomach hurts”
Jon “Science!”
Paul “Dungeonmaster” (@Zandergil)
ITGirl “Get to Da Choppa!” (@itgirlnet)

Quick, fun, time-killing cardgame, since I was running late.
Bang! I missed this one, since I was running late.

First Up: Bang!
Description (from BoardGameGeek.com): “This card game recreates an old-fashioned spaghetti western shoot-out, with each player randomly receiving a Character card to determine special abilities, and a secret Role card to determine their goal. Four different Roles are available, each with a unique victory condition:

• Sheriff – Kill all Outlaws and the Renegade
• Deputy – Protect the Sheriff and kill any Outlaws
• Outlaw – Kill the Sheriff
• Renegade – Be the last person standing

A player’s Role is kept secret, except for the Sheriff. Character cards are placed face-up on table, and also track strength (hand limit) in addition to special ability.

There are 22 different types of cards in the draw deck. Most common are the BANG! cards, which let you shoot at another player, assuming the target is within “range” of your current gun. The target player can play a “MISSED!” card to dodge the shot. Other cards can provide temporary boosts while in play (for example, different guns to improve your firing range) and special one-time effects to help you or hinder your opponents (such as Beer to restore health, or Barrels to hide behind during a shootout). A horse is useful for keeping your distance from unruly neighbors, while the Winchester can hit a target at range 5. The Gatling is a deadly exception where range doesn’t matter – it can only be used once, but targets all other players at the table!”

Winner: The outlaws (Derek and Sam) killed the Sheriff and turned the Wild West into a lawless land.

Shooting our way through town towards the helipad.
Shooting our way through town towards the helipad.

Second: Zombies!
Description (from BoardGameGeek.com): “Players take on the role of a survivor amid city streets sprawling with Zombies. Movement is determined by dice roll as is combat when the player’s piece is in the same square as a Zombie. Players must conserve bullets and protect their life counters. At the end of the turn a dice roll directs the player to move a number of Zombies one square (because they are the slow George Romero type).”

Da Choppa!
Da Choppa!

“First player to reach the center of the Helipad tile and kill the Zombie there, or kill a total of 25 Zombies wins. When a player is killed they move back to the starting tile and lose half their Zombie kills.”

Winner: Me, Jon, Sam, and Paul. We got to da choppa! Poor Derek died horribly at the hands of the zombies forgetting the rule to ALWAYS save the last bullet for yourself.

2nd attempt to defeat the Ancient One.
Our 2nd attempt to defeat the Ancient One.

Lastly: Elder Sign (part 2)
Description (from BoardGameGeek.com): “It is 1926, and the museum’s extensive collection of exotic curios and occult artifacts poses a threat to the barriers between our world and the elder evils lurking between dimensions. Gates to the beyond begin to leak open, and terrifying creatures of increasing strength steal through them. Animals, the mad, and those of more susceptible minds are driven to desperation by the supernatural forces the portals unleash. Only a handful of investigators race against time to locate the eldritch symbols necessary to seal the portals forever. Only they can stop the Ancient One beyond from finding its way to Earth and reducing humanity to cinders. 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.

Ithaqua, the not so bad, Ancient One
Ithaqua, the not so bad, Ancient One

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.”

Winner: This time we emerged victorious and kicked Ithaqua’s ancient arse. Oh yeah.

See Elder Sign in action on Geek & Sundry’s Tabletop: Elder Sign: Felicia Day, Mike Morhaime, and Bill Prady join Wil on TableTop, episode 11

See you in December!

November 2012 Gamegeeks Gaming Results