Game(s) Played:
And welcome back to another edition of our monthly meet-ups to teach, learn & play boardgames for the niche group of us who are strangely only free on Saturday mornings. Cooperative games was the theme of the month, and so we donned our fireman suits in … …
Session – Flash Point: Fire Rescue
Game: Flash Point: Fire Rescue
Designer: Kevin Lanzing
Players: 2 – 6 Players
Playing Time: 45 minutes (This Play: 60 minutes)
Main Mechanisms: Cooperative Play, Action Point Allowance
Player(s):
… … Flash Point: Fire Rescue, where you gather your equipment and rush to the scene of a blazing inferno. The team has only seconds to assess the situation and devise a plan of attack – then you spring into action like the trained professionals that you are. You must face your fears, never give up, and above all else work as a team because the fire is raging, the building is threatening to collapse, and lives are in danger. You must succeed. You are the brave men and women of fire rescue; people are depending on you. This is what you do every day.
The board and art style is very reminiscent of those of us old enough to remember Cluedo
Among the fire rescue team assessing the situation from outside the house, I was the only newbie to the job. The thought of being supported by veterans on the team was however not exactly comforting when the twins to my right reveal that they have had a zero success rate on the job so far. A real confidence booster this was.
I wasn't kidding about the twins bit, Howard is back! It's always fun and a little bit weird to have them both at the same table, the little man in the middle's job was to play pyromancer and roll for fire
I got paired up with Fireman Edward (blue), and before we could even enter the house, we hear an explosion coming from the dining room, peering through the window, we can see that the fire has spread over into the living room. I turn to look at my senior, Fireman Edward, who decides to SKIP HIS ENTIRE FIRST TURN! to conserve energy… … … …
I (orange) decide to leave Fireman Edward and his Gatorade and go look for another entrance into the house, one with less fire preferably
It would appear that Fireman Howard is thinking the exact same thing and is going around his side of the building looking for an alternative entry point whilst Fireman Gideon and Fireman Edward are being proper firemen, jumping into the blaze, putting out fires and saving the occupants of the house.
I peer into the master bedroom and liking the fire-less view that I see, proceed to bash my way through the wall with my trusty fireman's axe, as if the fire wasn’t already doing enough damage to the building's structure already. I manage to cut my way through and hear the cries of help from a damsel in the toilet. I rush in and pick her up, professionally, although the silent curse about her weigh wasn't very professional, before another boom rocks the walls of the house…
The fire has now spread into the master bedroom, cutting off my entry/escape route
I struggle to hold on to this panicking lady whilst putting out the fires barring my way, when help arrives in the form of Fireman Howard! Having cut his way into the second bedroom, he hustles across to the master bedroom and has the situation quickly contained, shouting at me to "take that woman out of here" before fighting his way through the fire towards the living room.
Here you are lady, you're safe now. Woot! My first rescued person!
On the other side of the house, Fireman Gideon has also managed to carry out another survivor, when an explosion occurs in the corner of the master bedroom, rocking the main supports of the house and it all comes down around our ears. And we have failed once more, well first time for me.
Results Of Game(s)
And lo, here lieth our fallen heroes who thought chopping a burning building on the verge of collapse was a great idea
Flash Point: Fire Rescue was a fun, tense and strategically interesting game. Fire can break out anywhere and everywhere it seems and deciding whether you should focus on saving people or putting out the fire is wonderfully brain-crunchy. Being able to create your own points of entry / exit at the cost of structural integrity gives player freedom and at the same time offers an opportunity to analyse the risk-rewards of doing so. Bad die rolls can certainly screw you over and if that bothers you then yes, this is probably not a game for you. But if you can swallow it and learn to make lemonade with lemons, then go ahead and give Flash Point: Fire Rescue a try. We had enough fun with it that the family eating at the next table were curious enough to ask us what it was and where they can get themselves some of them boardgames.
Session – Pandemic
Game: Pandemic
Designer: Matt Leacock
Players: 2 – 4 Players
Playing Time: 45 minutes (This Play: 60 minutes)
Main Mechanisms: Cooperative Play, Action Point Allowance, Hand Management
Player(s):
The Medic, Researcher, Scientist & Operations Expert pore over the world map. "The Blue virus is right outside CDC's doors!" screams the Medic as he makes to rush out of the room. Stopping him at the door, the Researcher steers him towards the roof instead, "We'll take care of New York, you're going to Seoul instead, the Bird Flu virus is back in full force out there" pushing him into the waiting helicopter. Coming back into the lab, the Researcher notices that the Operations Expert has already left, crossing the Atlantic Ocean and making his way to the Middle East.
And another call back to retro boardgaming of RISK!
We may not look like much but the fate of the world is in our hands!
"Good, you're still here" the Researcher beckons the Scientist over, "Here, maybe these can help you find the cure for the Blue virus" passing him two cards from his pocket. * The Scientist has discovered the cure for the Blue virus! *
The Medic arrives in Asia to discover that multiple outbreaks have occurred and the Bird Flu virus has spread throughout nearly all of Asia, thankfully the Researcher has also made his way to Asia to lend a hand. In the meantime, the Scientist has managed to purge the world of the Blue virus whilst the Operations Expert has finished building a research centre in Baghdad to combat the rising cases of the Ebola virus and in his free time, has discovered the cure for the Bird Flu virus.
The rise of the viruses! Pandemic incoming!
We even had our first cross-over infection! A super virus!
Things were quickly getting out of hand and the draw pile is slowly dwindling to nothingness. Shouting out to the Scientist "Meet me in Khartoum!", the Researcher makes his way to the designated hand-off point only for the Scientist to fall short of one action point to reach Khartoum. "Wait" cries out the Operations Expert, "Why do you need to meet him in Khartoum?" The Researcher quickly reaches for the Time Stone in his pocket and rewinds time back one turn, meeting the Scientist in Hong Kong instead to hand off the necessary parts of the cure to the Scientist (which turns out is an illegal play because the Scientist has more than 7 cards in hand) who cures both the Yellow Fever virus and Ebola virus at one go to end the game!
Results Of Game(s)
So technically we lost but accidentally chalked this up to a win
Session – Aeon's End: War Eternal
Game: Aeon's End: War Eternal
Designer: Kevin Riley
Players: 1 – 4 Players
Playing Time: 60 minutes (This Play: 60 minutes)
Main Mechanisms: Cooperative Play, Deck Building, Hand Management, Variable Player Powers
Player(s):
Yan Magda, Quilius, Mist & Garu are the last of Gravehold's heroes, having lost many of their compatriots to the Umbra Titan that was finally defeated a few years ago. However, the monsters have not stopped coming and our four heroes are wondering when it will all end when two strangers appear in their midst suddenly one chilly evening. "Surrender Gravehold to the Hollow Crown and live! Or be destroyed along together with it!" they intone in a voice from the grave before disappearing into the darkness once more.
I was looking everywhere for the instructions on the number of Acolytes that start in play, thankfully found it on the back just before we started
"Damn it! Keep casting your spells! Every time we leave them prepped we get hit by the bad guy's Unleash ability!" screams Quilius (Gideon) as he lets off his Spark and Extinguish into the face of the screaming Acolyte.
"MEDIC!!! I need a Medic!!!" Yan Magda (Edward) manages to scream before it turns into a strangled cry as his prepped spells backfire spectacularly into his own face because of the Hollow Crown's Unleash. And Yan Magda heroically bites the dust, exhausted.
"Come on! We only need one more push to kill the last Acolyte! One more turn!" Quilius (Gideon) is now beside himself as he preps his spells for the final onslaught.
"FOOLS WHIMPER AND DESPAIR AS THE HATED TWO TURN NEMESIS RNG OCCURS, WINDING DOWN TWO POWER 2 CARDS FOR 8 UNLEASHES! MUAHAHAHAHA!" booms the Hollow Crown.
Results Of Game(s)
"We're not dead yet! Let's keep going!" yells the now exhausted Yan Magda (Edward) "But Gravehold sure is" prompts Garu (Justin) "Oh…"
Today's lesson is that we are not particularly good when it comes to cooperative games. I suspect that Gloomhaven's selfish cooperative play style has inexorably tainted us beyond any hope of recovery.
Thanks to Gideon for bringing and teaching his cooperative games and to Edward for suggesting the cooperative theme. Thanks for coming out everyone!
Until next time, keep calm and play better.
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