Gloomhaven: JotL, First Boss

We have made it to the first boss fight! This is pretty exciting. 

But as with many of these things, it was about the journey and not the destination. Because while we had some nailbiters on our way to the boss, once we got there fortune was definitely on our side! I used my biggest damage option to try and take a massive chunk out of the boss....

And flipped over the doubling modifier, which outright killed the boss!

On the one hand; whew, we did it! On the other: Uh oh, what happens when we face this boss again? What are we in for?? 

This seemed like a good time to check in with Kim and find out what she was feeling about Jaws of the Lion, and if she wanted to continue with it.

"I'm having a great time!" she enthused, which definitely felt good. We spent a long time trying to find a game that we could both enjoy, so I was glad the work was paying off.

I asked her what has been the most challenging about the game and she told me that learning all of the symbology has been the biggest hill to climb. Looking at two cards and being able to suss out quickly what they do is hard for a new player, because there's just A LOT of information that is put into very small spaces. To then take that data and see interactions between the cards to do something even more powerful is something that she's just starting to pick up. 

However, she said that the game has been good about ramping the difficulty up slowly and giving her a chance to grok what was happening. 

She also appreciated the cooperative aspect of the game. "Working together has meant that I felt less pressure to be perfect," which is important in a game. Getting a chance to try things and see if they work without being severely punished is a critical component for fun! If new players are shoved into the grinder for experimentation that is a great way to turn people away.

In addition, Kim has appreciated how elegant the setup can be: folding out the map and setting up pieces cuts down on a lot of time and lets us get into the gaming part. Again, kudos to the designers for implementing a solution like this that offers such a great shortcut for new players. 

So, we're on to the next part of this adventure and going to see what happens next! 

Tales from the Radlands

 While I was away, I got to play a LOT of Radlands. 

This was a game that I'd owned for a long time but just hadn't found a way to bring it to the table.

Boy, I'm glad I got a chance to do that! I had a great time playing  Radlands all weekend with my friend Sara-and she did too.

The gameplay is deceptively simple, and Radlands gets a lot of mileage out of a small box of cards and chits. 

That said, if you're interested in the game, I have found the playmats that come with the deluxe version to be incredibly helpful both in playing the game and in learning it. The game functions perfectly well without them, but the playmat is both colorful and well designed to help players figure out what to do.

I can't wait to play more of it & I hope I get to teach someone else how to play!

Update: I did get to teach someone else how to play! And my supposition that the playmats would be helpful was borne out well. This is a very solid, fun game to play that manages to do a lot with not very much in the way of fiddly bits. 

Binary Brutality

I got to play a few games with Matt and he was messing around with a couple new decks. I got beat pretty good; they were combo decks using Creative Technique and Maelstrom Wanderer, the other Sunbird's Invocation, Panantir of Orthanc and Approach of the Second Sun. 

What I learned from those games was that my sideboards wasn't quite where it needed to be. If I was going to deal with Storm decks like this, I needed Mindbreak Trap to help. And I know that the cards listed don't say Storm on them, but they work the same way and I believe if I am able to remove spells from the stack, that should put a big monkeywrench into the plans. 

But I will say that the Urza's Saga addition has been great, and Lavaspur Boots a very helpful addition to the deck. With those changes, I got some games against Fuz and the deck did very well. 

Here's the list:

2 Mishra's Bauble
4 Urza's Bauble
1 Aether Spellbomb
3 Barbed Spike}
1 Lavaspur Boots

3 Sai, Master Thopterist
3 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
2 Master of Etherium
4 Ethersworn Canonist
4 Patchwork Automaton
3 Kappa Cannoneer
2 Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender

3 Dispatch
1 Swords to Plowshares

3 Seat of the Synod
3 Ancient Den
4 Razortide Bridge
1 Plains
2 Island
1 Otawara, Soaring City
4 Mystic Gate
4 Urza's Saga

2 Thoughtcast

15 Sideboard|
SB: 4 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 Pithing Needle
SB: 1 Sunbeam Spellbomb
SB: 2 Hydroblast
SB: 1 Swords to Plowshares
SB: 2 Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Metallic Rebuke
SB: 2 Archive Trap

Finally, I'm going to be on the road this weekend so no Tuesday post, but hopefully I'll have some cool things to talk about on Thursday. Cheers!

Snapping Dolphins

Here's a solid video on the breakdown of the Marvel Snap in-game economics. Understanding how to best use your resources is always helpful, as well as understanding how they are attempting to manipulate the FOMO of the audience. 

Plus, I think Hoogland does an excellent job framing what the makers of Marvel Snap are about. Knowledge is power. (Sorry I meant to get this up yesterday!)

Harder Than It Looks

This is a picture of my nephew with other members of his baseball team, on their last home game as high school seniors. I haven't gotten to see him play often but getting to watch two games of baseball last week I was struck by a couple things. 

First; I should admit that I'm not a big fan of baseball. As a result, the games that I've seen have generally been on TV, played by professionals. My impression of the game is shaped by that. 

So watching high schoolers play baseball is a very different game. Plays that are all but taken for granted in the pros are things that these kids are still wrestling with. It wasn't for lack of hustle or a desire to play their best-shit just happens that they aren't experienced enough to be prepared for. I watched the games: they were all out there doing their best. 

But, it also reminded me of something Caitlin said to our group a few months ago, about how our playgroup played very well for the time we put into Magic. 

Right. If I wanted to, I could probably be much, much better at Magic than I am. I have the resources, but what I have decided is that my time should go elsewhere. Magic-most games really-are part of how I extend my friendships and spend time with people I care about. 

These kids have lives they're trying to manage too. Some of them may go on to the next level of play-and that's great! But it will take a dedication to the craft that most people aren't willing to put in because they have other things they want to do.

And that's ok too! There is nothing wrong with just playing games for fun and this was an excellent reminder that this IS why I play a game. Hopefully, that's why they keep playing, too.

I Dug This

I came across this person's take on a Mr. Negative deck and wanted to give it a little love. 

First, I like the angle he's going for with this deck. I've been a fan of Negative decks for awhile but like a lot of namesake decks, they falter if you don't get the right card.

More importantly, though: I like the way he talks through this play lines and thought processes in the games he plays. If someone is newer to Marvel Snap, I think they might find this really useful!

Compiling

Noah pointed out to me that Tezzeret, Artifice Master was a 5 mana card that if I didn't have protection just generated 1/1 thopters. "It's great when you draw two cards, " he said. 

And this is a very good point. By the time Tezzeret arrives, I am probably in a 'win more' situation or one where I really need to stabilize and Tezzeret doesn't help stabalize. Kappa Cannoneers are now $6. Let's give those a shot.

2 Mishra's Bauble
4 Urza's Bauble
1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Sunbeam Spellbomb
3 Barbed Spike

3 Sai, Master Thopterist
3 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
2 Master of Etherium
4 Ethersworn Canonist
4 Patchwork Automaton
3 Kappa Cannoneer|
2 Akal Pakal, First Among Equals

3 Dispatch
1 Swords to Plowshares

3 Seat of the Synod
3 Ancient Den
4 Razortide Bridge
3 Plains
4 Island
1 Otawara, Soaring City
4 Mystic Gate

2 Thoughtcast

Going through my cards one day, I realized that I had extra Thoughtcasts in my binder. Why should they sit there? This deck wants card draw! 

I'm also looking at Akal Pakal to see if that is good. I never really liked Riddlesmith, and I'm hoping the 1/5 body on Akal will make it a little more sturdy. 

I'm also thinking of a sideboard now, and with Lavaspur Boots starting to get some attention, maybe I'll put the Sunbeam Spellbomb there, maindeck the Boots and have a side that goes:

4 Hydroblast
2 Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender
4 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pithing Needle
1 Dispatch
2 Torpor Orb
1 Sunbeam Spellbomb

I'm considering running Syr Ginger maindeck too: the card seems like fun and the appropriate amount of silly. But for now: Hydroblast to stop Red artifact removal, Tormod's Crypt for the graveyard strategies, Pithing Needle as a catch all, Dispatch for extra removal and Torpor Orb as another good stopgap.