Would be nice if you could save anytime. Only had the time to play the tutorial and read the rules, game sure looks promising.
Well went and picked this up today and it's really well done. Oh and really hard. Anyone else getting destroyed on the first mission ? My only gripes are really minor. Saving mid mission and maybe bigger text size for phones because cant really read the lore cards. Maybe more units but I know they well add expansions some time soon hopefully. Otherwise I think this keeps it fresh and fun.
I think the app is amazing, and an unbelievable steal at $10. I hadn't played the board game version in a while because I sold it due to the ridiculous setup and breakdown time. This app reminded me of just how genius the "Command and Colors" system is. Every action you take feels strategic - just enough luck vs. strategy, and the app nails the sense of holding your breath on every single dice roll, whether it's yours or your opponent's. This game is strategy nirvana for me. There's no Slitherine, Hunted Cow, or Shenandoah title that comes close. Not even X-Com can touch this in terms of pace, balance of depth, and most importantly... fun. Fun, fun, fun. That said, I'm already familiar with the 1st Edition Battlelore rules. There is a bit of a learning curve, and I could see not "getting it" at first, especially if you haven't played the physical version, but the app has it all there to explore at any point during the game, in a very thorough and well organized manual. Once you get the hang of how to leverage your units, terrain, and special abilities, the game is call-in-sick-to-work addictive. A few of the later scenarios are pretty tough, but it's fun to keep trying with different unit mixes and strategies. I can say without hesitation, this is my strategy game of the year.
Can anyone please explain what these Objective Icons represent. The explanating gives an example of a scoreboard but I don't see how that is connected. What scoreboard? The explanation leaves me in the dark. https://www.evernote.com/shard/s3/sh/4ebc67d3-9ee1-44fc-8ac1-d86ad610f838/7e64f2e984169a20
Heringer: Not sure. I'm on the 11th scenario which has taken me awhile - some of the harder ones required multiple attempts with different unit load outs and strategies. I've absolutely already gotten my ten bucks worth. You can also play skirmish mode as either race in five different game types (deathmatch, cross the line, demolition, etc.) There is also a store menu with links to expansions, but none are available yet. I should note that this is definitely not p2p - the base game comes with at least everything you would get if you bought the physical version for $60, which, incidentally, I'm thinking of re-aquiring, since playing the digital version has cemented the rules in my head so solidly, I think I can teach the game fairly easily now... still, the setup/breakdown is a doozy, so I'm on the fence.
Tokyo Dan: The Objective Icons are probably a bad name for them. The meaning of the, let's call them "scoreboard dots" is context sensitive. If the mission objective is to prevent the enemy from destroying a certain number of buildings, the dots next to the enemy's name will show how many they've destroyed, while the dots next to your name would show how many buildings you have left before you lose the scenario. If the mission is to rescue a prisoner, the dots would show how many health points he has left, etc.
Me too, it does such a lot right, well balanced, tight and fun refreshing mechanics. Really liking it. Definitely in my top 5 games of the year (easily).
Chris Tannhauser on Planning Your Strategy: http://fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4742 http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1476665#1476665 http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/forum/344-battlelore-second-edition/
I just completed my first run through the campaign. It's a really good game, surprised it hasn't had much attention here. Probably due to the price sadly. I hope they add multiplayer soon, found the AI pretty easy to beat towards the end when I had got used to manipulating the mechanics properly but it's a really solid strategy game with some great intuitive rules and finely balanced unit and map design. Lot of fun, I'm gonna be doing another play through making different choices on the branching choices through the story and gonna play a lot of the skirmish whilst I wait for online play! This is currently in my top 3 games of the year, may even be number 1 personally for a number of reasons mainly being the nice short playtime for each battle, so I can actually fit in some games during a busy work week! Shame to see such a great game get almost ignored by the regulars here that post tons on any old game Is it really the "premium" price putting people off or lack of online play??
I agree, some may be put off by the price, but I think a lot of those people don't even look past the price to see if it would be worth it. I've been going back and forth on this one. Ever since it was released Thanksgiving holiday, I have looked everywhere I could to read all I about this game. With all the reviews, posts, videos that I have seen, it's conclusive, this game is a top notch, GOTY nominee type. But, I also get the feeling that since the AI can be on the harder side,and it revolves around dice rolls, that I will end up being frustrated and not like it. Do you find yourself getting frustrated because of computer "luck" a lot?
No not at all. Luck just as often goes your way and it's kind of satisfying when it does (like getting all 3 swords out of 3 dice! ) but really it's not that hard. If you plan your moves and positioning you can (and should) twist the luck in your favour. For example always make sure as much as possible you have supported units so you can't get damage from pushes. Make sure when you move in to attack that you have 2 units that can attack the same enemy and if possible leave the option to hit a second enemy in the same turn, then do the attacks in the right order so that if you kill the first enemy with your first unit, your second unit also has another target to not waste an attack opportunity. This can mean taking into consideration what happens if your first attack causes the enemy to retreat (or making sure you attack first with a stun so they cannot move, or are surrounded/pincered so if you get a push back it causes additional damage instead of them moving back. Also the lore (magic) skills have certain combos that can be very powerful and should be used together like if you use the move card that lets you order 3 archers in a turn regardless of what zone they are in AND they get an extra attack, used in conjunction with the lore that gives your archers an ability to attack without line of sight (so you can target ANY space on the board). If you also use that combo without moving your archers that turn you will get 9 attack moves in a single turn, to anywhere on the board!
I've been eyeing this game since release, and though the price is a factor, I have no problem paying top dollar if a game is worth it. My main hesitation with Battlelore has been the lack of multiplayer, and my questions about the campaign mode. I can ignore the absence of multiplayer if the campaign mode provides decent replay value. But from what I've been reading, when playing the campaign, Battlelore turns into more of a puzzle game with one correct answer, and less of a strategy game. Have you found this to be true? Or does the campaign allow multiple strategies/solutions for a given scenario? Or does skirmish mode make up for this (assumed) shortcoming? I would love to buy this game, and love strategy games, but I'm not really looking for a puzzle/board game.
